A book is like the TARDIS. Open it up and it's bigger on the inside. One part reading journal, one part educational tool for pop culture newbies and parents of young geeks. This blog is your portal into the world of movies, TV, superheroes, and of course books!
Showing posts with label They Made a Christmas Album?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label They Made a Christmas Album?. Show all posts
Well, we finally made it- It's December 25th! And there's just one band that I could think of to usher in the holiday. It's my favorite of band of all-time Queen!
2018 has been a great year for the band with the release of the bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsody. Plus, Queen + Adam Lambert kicked off an amazing tour. And several albums, long out of print, finally made it to CD. But today's song was never officially released on a album until the band's Greatest Hits III release. Released as a single in November, 1984, the song I choose to cap this year's Advent says it all- Thank God It's Christmas!
So without further ado, here's Brian Taylor, Roger May, John Deacon and the incomparable Freddie Mercury! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It's Christmas Eve! I heard that some areas of the country (I'm in the US) will be having snow tomorrow. And you know what that means! Rudolph!!!
I thought the best artist to usher in Santa's need for his crimson beaked caribou would be the one and only Captain James T. Kirk- William Shatner!
Upon my research for this Advent, I have come across a lot of hub-bub about Shatner's new Christmas album called Shatner Claus. While Shatner has done several albums, this is his first holiday one. The thing that has surprised many fans has been that it's taken this long for him to finally get holly jolly! So without further to-do, I gift you tonight with William Shatner's Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer! Enjoy!
Today's feature artists are known for many types of things. But Christmas songs isn't one of them! From comic books to toys, lunch boxes to albums and of course TV, The Partridge Family was a fictional family that sang about love and well, mostly they sang sappy love songs...
The Partridge Family was based somewhat on a real-life Mother and family act known as The Cowsills. But really, the Partridge Family came about because of the Brady Bunch. That fictional TV family was finding some success adding the singing bit to their show and ABC wanted a piece of that pie.
The Partridge Family only had two real singers on the show. Shirley Jones, who played the Mom, was a noted Broadway singer. But the real star of the show was David Cassidy. The teen heartthrob sang lead vocals and became a star in his own right, not just as Keith Partridge. In the 1971, during the show's second season, the execs decided it was time for a Christmas album. Quickly a 30 minute long two-sider was released. Of course, the Partridge's did a Christmas episode to tie-in with the album.
Titled A Partridge Family Christmas Card, the album and marketing campaign around it was a smash hit. It was the #1 Christmas recording all four weeks of Billboard's holiday top charts that year. For the most part of the recording, the songs are all holidays standards such as Winter Wonderland, Frosty The Snowman and Jingle Bells. But the title track was an all-new song called My Christmas Card to You. For the early 70s, Christmas and the Partridges were a match made in heaven. But by the mid-70s, the shows popularity faded and so did it's connection to the holidays. Plus, unlike the Brady Bunch, despite a nostalgic resurgence in the series, the connection to December 25th never really returned. Maybe the Brady's horrid 1980s Christmas Special has something to do with it. But still, you just don't equate Kieth and Laurie to Christmas as you do Greg and Marcia. So without further to-do, here's The Partridge Family with My Christmas Card to You. Enjoy...
Today's featured artists were ones that I had scheduled earlier in the month. But I moved them to today because of their presence on tonight's episode of Svengoolie. I am talking about the Three Stooges.
The Stooges got their start in vaudeville in 1922. The original line-up was of brothers Moe and Shemp Howard with Larry Fine rounding out the trio. They were a sidekick to headlining comedian Ted Healy, going on in 1932 to star in the film Soup to Nuts. Immediately afterwards, Shemp left the group and was replaced by his brother Jerome. Going now as Curly, this was the most famous incarnation of the comedy group. A couple of years later saw the Three Stooges breaking on their own. From 1934-46, the trio starred in 90 shorts. Unfortunately in 1946, Curly suffered a terrible stroke and had to be replaced by the brother he replaced, Shemp.
Shemp was only to temporarily replace Curly until he got better. Sadly, the portly Stooge's health only got worse, passing away in 1952 from another stroke. Shemp stayed on as a Stooge until his death of a heart attack in 1955. Moe considered disbanding the group. However, with Larry heavily in debt and the Stooges still under contract with Columbia Pictures, Howard had to find a replacement. He found it in Joe Besser, an alum from the Abbott and Costello Show. Besser might have stayed on with the group had his wife not suffered a massive heart attack in late 1957. Moe and Larry were planning a major U.S. tour and Besser wanted to stay home with his wife.
In 1958, we get the last line-up of the Three Stooges with the addition of Joe DeRita. Eventually taking the name of Curly Joe, DeRita would see a renaissance of popularity with the Three Stooges as the classic shorts became syndicated hits. The Stooges would star in a number of films including 1959's Have Rocket, Will Travel; which airs on tonight's episode of Svengoolie on MeTV. In the 60s, the Stooges would star in an animated weekly cartoon called The New Three Stooges, complete with live-action skits in between toons. But let's come back to 1958. With the popularity of the comedy tour over the Summer, the Three Stooges decided to record a Christmas album. Despite later releases that feature Curly on the cover with Moe and Larry, it was Curly Joe who was the third Stooge on this record.
The original recording, titled Christmas Time With The Three Stooges wasn't really all that Christmasy. First of all is the cover which has Larry inside an ersatz time machine. It looks more like a summer picture and like the guys are trying badly to sell ice cream. The album has 9 songs on it. Only 3 of the songs are Christmas themed. I don't know about you, but a pet peeve of mine is a holiday special that isn't really all that much about Christmas.
Anyways, that's were we get to today's song. It's I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas. Originally sung and recorded in 1953 by child singer Gayla Peevey, the song was a fad song in the 50s. A child's letter to Santa, requesting the actually quite deadly African mammal, the song faded into obscurity until the late 70s when it was rediscovered by the Doctor Demento Show. But at the time of the Three Stooges record's debut, the hippo song was still fairly well known and goofy enough to be sung by Larry, Moe and Curly Joe. So, without further to-do, I present to you today's song. Enjoy...
Today I'm featuring another artist who technically shouldn't be on this list. I'm talking about the Gagaloo herself, Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga is one of the biggest things to hit music is quite some time. Her string of hits and her recent 2018 acting debut in A Star Is Born has made the pop singer a household name. The artist is known mostly for techno heavy songs. But in 2012, Lady Gaga's dream came true when she got to record a jazz song with her idol, Tony Bennett. The song was such a critical success and great fun for the two artists, that over the period of 2013-early 2015, Gaga focused on swing and jazz music, doing a full album with Tony Bennett. At the 2014 Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, the duo performed White Christmas as a promotional tie-in to their album Cheek to Cheek. While the Irving Berlin hit was not on the jazz album, Lady Gaga and Bennett's version of the song was released in iTunes and other digital medias and did quite well. So technically, with that song, I shouldn't have Lady Gaga on an Advent featuring artists not known for Christmas music. While she might be known for doing a song with the legendary Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga isn't an artist you think of doing holiday tunes solo--- until now!
(First of all, there was a Lady Gaga Thanksgiving Special on NBC around 2009. Gaga sang White Christmas on the hour long special and it was released on a 'holiday' CD based on the event. However, that was the only true Christmas song on the special and that version of the song has kinda become lost in the shuffle of other more well known versions, such as the artist's duet with Bennett.) Let's go back to 2007. The social media personality Perez Hilton debuted the recording Christmas Tree exclusively on his website. Soon the song was released on iTunes and Spotify. Recorded with the Parisian DJ, Space Cowboy, Christmas Tree is a new, highly-sexualized update of Deck The Halls. The song became a holiday time staple of clubs and stores such as Forever21 and A&F have added the tune to their holiday playlists. The later being a move that has sparked small doses of uproar from shoppers who feel it inappropriate for play in public shopping areas. And thus the NSFW tag on today's post. There's no four letter words in the song. But there is tons and I mean tons of innuendo in this song. Definitely not something you should play while at work or in front or younger Gaga fans. Let it be said, you've been warned. Enjoy...
Sometimes when you are researching for these Advent postings, you find some really unusual stuff. Case in point is today's offering. It's by Bryan Adams who has done some Christmas stuff before like Run Rudolph Run and Christmas Time.
With both of those releases, which have had some semi-regular play on the airwaves, the Canadian rocker should be disqualified from this year's theme of artists not known for putting out holidays hits. And then I came across this 1984 ditty. It's called Reggae Christmas. That's right, it's a reggae tune. Something Bob Marley or some endless incarnation of the Wailers should have put out. Instead, it's performed by the guy who brought us Summer of 69.
Reggae Christmas was released in 1984 as the B-side to the song Christmas Time. As it's never been re-released on any of Adams' Greatest Hits albums, unless you are a fan of Bryan Adams, odds are you've never heard of this song before. And even that chance is slim seeing that Reggae Christmas has never been issued as a cassette or CD single either. I had this song being presented to you a few days prior. But I really had doubts as to if this song belonged on this year's Advent. But then I saw the music video and I just couldn't put off sharing this any longer. In the early days of MTV, they would host a holiday party. Select artists would comprise Christmas tunes meant only for the televised special. And that's what Bryan Adams did in 1984. All of the original MTV Veejays are in the clip having a gay ole time to the Caribbean carol.
Again, this song probably would not made my list if not for the addition of one fan favorite of mine being added to the video, Mr. Pee Wee Herman! Not only does it have Pee Wee in it; Reggae Christmas has Pee Wee dancing while wearing a Santa hat... with dreadlocks! It's truly bizarre and something you must see! So for the sake of fairness, I am changing the theme of today's Advent to THEY MADE A REGGAE CHRISTMAS MUSIC VIDEO? Enjoy!
Today has 2 featured artists. Both are icons in their own right. One is actually known for singing a couple of Christmasy tunes on their own. But the two together ARE NOT known for being holiday artists. I'm talking about John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
Travolta and Newton-John made movie history as Danny Zuko and Sandy in the 1978 theatrical version of the musical Grease. Both sing several songs together on the film including Summer Nights which technically opens the action of the film. While the picture goes through most of a 1950s era school year, none of the tunes in the movie were set or about Christmas. I guess the duo decided to fix that with the release of their holiday duet album 2012's This Christmas.
The recording was met with either mixed or very negative reviews. Sales weren't that great either. I actually remember this album being advertised and sold on late night commercials. But that didn't really help sales. The album debuted at #88 on the Hot200 and peaked within a week or so at number 55 on the album charts. Needless to say, This Christmas was a bomb and otherwise forgotten until now!!!
There is 13 tracks on the album. Each one is a Christmas standard in it's own right. As much as I think Baby, It's Cold Outside reflects the duo's chemistry the best, it's quite controversial this year. And I think I've posted enough controversial songs already this season. So, I'll go with their take on Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. It features Kenny G on sax and in my opinion, that just adds to the kitsch factor of this CD... Enjoy!
Today's feature artist, if you really can call them that, is known for their work on a couple of classic Christmas movies. But a reputation as a Christmas singer? No way. I'm talking about Joe Pesci.
The staple of many, and I mean many, Martin Scorsese films, Joe Pesci hasn't really been known as the lead actor. With a couple of exceptions, such as My Cousin Vinny, Pesci is usually cast as the sidekick who is a little bit mentally unstable and often bloodthirsty and almost always Italian or mob connected. In 1990's Home Alone and two years later in the sequel, Joe Pesci makes his epic connection with the holidays playing the burglar, Harry Lime. In both films, Harry and his partner Marv are stymied by young Kevin as the thieves try to break into Kevin's home (and later an orphanage fund at a toy store.) Both Home Alone films were huge hits. Over the years both movies have become Christmas classics that must be watched every year by fans or it's just not the holidays for them. And it's this sort of connection to the season that must have inspired Joe Pesci to put out a Christmas song in 1999.
The song is called If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas. It's from Pesci'salbum Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You. This was Pesci's second record, having 30 years earlier recorded an album under the name Joe Ritchie. Turns out, Pesci was hot and heavy in the Jersey music scene in the late 50s and throughout the 60s having helped introduce all the major players of the Four Seasons and playing guitar for Joey Dee and the Starlighters (Peppermint Twist). When Pesci returned to the studio in 1999, he had just retired from acting. As being a singer had been a life-long dream, the veteran actor wanted to give it one more chance. And that's where we get today's song... Pesci's album was done in a sort of lounge lizard kind of way who is very well connected in organized crime. The album also borrows from his on screen reputation as a tough guy with a foul mouth. This song is no exception other than it was the only Christmas song on the entire record. Here, Pesci threatens Santa if it doesn't snow on Christmas Eve in only a way Joe Pesci can. Hence the Parental Advisory on the CD cover. Plus why I put NSFW on today's title. There's quite a few F-bombs in this song. So don't play this for the kiddies who might be fans of Home Alone.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
If Joe Pesci's comedic work makes you laugh, you'll probably like this song. It's just very unexpected from such an actor. Or maybe not. Regardless, Joe Pesci is not the guy you think of when naming Christmas artists until now! Enjoy...
Today's featured artist are the definition of a one hit wonder. But their impact on music history is undeniable. Meet Izora Armstead and Martha Wash- AKA The Two Tons o' Fun. AKA The Two Tons. AKA The Weather Girls.
The duo got their start as the back-up singers to the disco artist Sylvester. The artist gave the plus sized singers the nickname of Two Tons o' Fun. They later broke off on their own with a few minor hits until they established themselves as The Weather Girls with the pop smash It's Raining Men. At this point in their career, the singers would forever be known as icons of the gay community. But what happened next changed the music industry in ways unimaginable. In 1988, the girls broke-up. Armstead went on to reform the Two Tons with her daughter in Europe. Wash went on to record a string of hits. Unfortunately, the producers never gave Wash credit for her work and had other 'more attractive' artists lip-sync to Wash's voice. Does the name C+C Music Factory ring a bell? Yes, Martha Wash was the artist who actually giving Zelda Davis her pipes in tunes such as Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now). Wash successfully sued the producers, got her just credit and royalties, and went on to influence a new policy of transparency and proper credit in the music industry.
But back to Christmas... Right after It's Raining Men, The Weather Girls tried to capture lightning in a bottle. But as the saying goes, lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice. While trying to appeal to fans who enjoyed the naughty pop hit, the duo tried to release a number of songs devoted to the desire of men, such as today's song. The song for you today is Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man this Christmas). This is another song that from SongPop2 inspired my 2018 theme. It sounds so much like It's Raining Men. In fact, when you are playing a game about answer song snippets as quickly as possible, it really throws you off you game. Especially when you are playing a Christmas themed round. Don't believe me? Listen for yourself. Enjoy...
For an artist who has written a song about everything, it was inevitable that at some point they would do a Christmas album. I'm talking about the Price of Parody, Weird Al. The accordion playing artist has skewered Michael Jackson, Madonna, Nirvana, Coolio and created his own songs about food, Star Wars and tons more subjects in his 5 decade spanning career. His lone holiday tune is one of his original recordings and also his most controversial.
The song is called Christmas at Ground Zero. When recorded and released in 1986, the term 'ground zero' meant the direct impact of a nuclear attack. In the mid-80s, we were all scared to death of a nuclear war between the US and the Soviets. So, in demented Weird Al fashion, the artist created a Phil Spector style song that really change the meaning of the phrase 'surviving the holidays." It was meant to both relieve a little bit of tension and to mock the silly educational videos that preached how hiding under a desk would save you from the H-bomb. Now jump to 2001 and the 9/11 attacks. Ground Zero has become the term for the World Trade Center. Many, including my wife, have thought that Weird Al's song was making fun of the events of that tragic day. But he's really not. Again, he wrote and recorded the song 15 years before the terrorist attacks. I'll let Al explain things a little more... "The sad part is, I can’t really play the song live anymore because too many people misunderstand the connotations of Ground Zero. It’s not a reference to 9/11, obviously. It was written in 1987 when "ground zero" just meant the epicenter of a nuclear attack."
With that in mind, if you feel like the song will offend you, don't hit play. It's a very outdated song. It's also proof that good intentions turn out wrong as time goes by. Just think of all the controversy surrounding Baby, It's Cold Outside. So, enjoy the song if you'd like. I don't have advertisers and I don't make money off of this blog. So, there's not really anyone you can boycott if you don't like my selection for today's Advent. I'm posting the song as a sort of time capsule look at the fears and attempts to deal with the nightmare of nuclear war in the 80s. I understand that some may not agree with my decision to feature today's song. But I feel that to avoid the subject rather than brooch many sides of an argument would be just as wrong a choice. Try to enjoy...
I was all set with a selection for today's Advent. But I threw that all out the window after I got back from the movies. I went with my god son to go see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse today. For those of you expecting my review on it, I will only say that I loved it and to come back tomorrow for my full take on the film. Anyways, there's a part at the beginning of the film in which Peter Parker is telling you about his life. At one point, he mentions that he made a Christmas album to which a picture of Spidey sitting in front of a roaring fire is seen. A very funny hit-and-run type joke. After almost 2 hours of fun and excitement, you've pretty much forgotten about the joke and as the credits near the end, all of a sudden, the wall-crawler's holiday hit is played. Titled Spider Bells, it takes the old joke of singing about Batman to the tune of Jingle Bells and puts Spider-Man in it's place.
So, I rushed home after the movie hoping and praying that I could find a video of the tune to play for you! And I did!
A couple of things to note... 1) The video was filmed by someone in a movie theater. I am not to blame for audio or picture quality. 2) Because it was filmed in a theater, the link to this video might disappear. But as of now, it still works. and 2) If the link is gone but Marvel/Disney goes ahead and release an official vid, I will do my best to replace with it. But until then, this is the best I can do. Enjoy...
Update, December 21st, 2018: SONY Pictures and Marvel apparently heard from fans such as myself and they've released a 5 song holiday album based on the movie. It turns out that the song's real name is Spidey Bells. It's sung by Chris Pine (Star Trek). A higher quality and official video is now available below!
Today's Advent offering is a classic example of a novelty song.
A novelty can be one of three things: A) an unusual song, sung mostly by a serious actor, that is comical or a little naughty and becomes a cult hit. OR B) a perfectly normal song that is sung by a comical or unusual singer. OR C) an unusual song, possibly funny or suggestive, sung by a comical or unusual singer. Today's song is clearly in the C category. Today's song is called It's Christmas/ Christmas Eve 1953. It's sung by Antonio Fargas. I'm sorry, Antonio 'Huggy Bear' Fargas. For those of you not older than 35 or so, Huggy Bear was a streetwise informant on the hit TV show Starsky and Hutch. The character was a sort of caricature of black street criminals; in particularly the stereotype of the pimp! Though Fargas has an impressive film resume such as Everybody Hates Chris, Osmosis Jones and Firestarter. Yet, no matter what, even if the actor was to win an Oscar for portraying Barack Obama, Antonio Fargas will forever be known Huggy Bear.
The Christmas song is clearly done in that jive-talk style Huggy Bear was known for. The album even adds 'Huggy Bear' to the actor's name. But what is most unusual about this song is when It's Christmas was released- 1980. Over a full year since Starsky and Hutch was cancelled! I think the reason this song surprises the heck out of me is that it's so obscure! Had this song come out during the height of Huggy Bear's time on the boob tube, this song might have become a well known novelty tune. Instead, it's become yet another unknown carol that sought to cash in over a fad and missed the limelight by coming out too late. Maybe today's posting will give the song it's due. I doubt it as it's an awfully silly song. Heck, it might even be considered a little racist or out of it's time at least. One way or another, most people who read this post will agree- this is a song that clearly come out of left field. Enjoy...
Today's featured artist is another favorite of mine. Yet while I love the band that sings the song, I kinda hate the song they do.
The band in question is The Ramones. The father's of punk! Since 1976, fans like myself have wanted to be sedated, take a trip to Rockaway Beach or get an education at Rock n' Roll High School. The original line-up of Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and Tommy Ramone weren't related. They got their name from a supposed alias used by Paul McCartney. Sadly, all of the original members had passed on but their music lives on forever. Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight) is really one of the band's least poppy songs. I love the Ramones for being fun even when the subject matter is kinda morbid; like a getting a lobotomy or sniffing glue. This holiday tune however, was really grim. But I think that was because the subject matter was too close to the band. None of them could ever really get along and it's no wonder that some of original members came and went as often as they did.
The song is from the band's 1989 release Brain Drain. It's been long overshadowed by such hits as Pet Sematary (which was written for the Stephen King film of the same name) and their take on 1962's bubble-gum hit Palisades Park. Merry Christmas the only holiday song on the record. I'm not even sure why it was included seeing as the album was released in March of that year. (The record was recorded in December of '88- maybe that's something.) So, without any further to-do, here's today's featured song. If it takes you out of the holiday mood, forgive me. I promise tomorrow should be cheerier or at least more fun... Try to enjoy!
From playing SongPop2, I know that rugged actor Lorne Greene sang a number of country tunes. However, I had no idea that he got the rest of the Bonanza gang to do a Christmas album! So let's all saddle up our horses and head on down to the Ponderosa to meet today's featured artists- The Cartwrights.
The long-running Western was known for a variety of holiday themed episodes. There's the one where on Christmas Eve, Adam finds an abandoned baby in the snow. And who can forget the one where Little Joe founded an abandoned waif in the snow on Christmas Eve! Or what about the one where Hoss finds an abandoned child in the snow during Christmas! Or how about when Starbuck crash lands on a planet and finds an abandoned Cylon in the snow--- sorry, wrong Lorne Greene series. Regardless, Christmas was not a good time for children on the Ponderosa... This 1963 album, Bonanza: Christmas on the Ponderosa, featured a dozen songs. Some were traditional carols like Dan Blocker's rendition of Deck the Halls. There were other not so old fashioned tunes on this record as well like Michael Landon's rockabilly Santa Got Lost in Texas. All of the original cast sing on the record; even stick-in-the-mud Parnell Roberts (Trapper John M.D.) did a song. But he did it alone and did not participate in any of the Cartwright family offerings.
Oddly enough, this wasn't the only holiday album done by the cast of Bonanza, nor was it the only record produced by series producers either. No less than 3 other albums featuring Greene, Landon and Blocker were recorded. I just hate that Hop Sing wasn't in on this! I had a hard time deciding which song to pick. I wanted to go with one that I know has been done on the show, O Come All Ye Faithful. Yet, it was no longer available on Youtube. So, I offer this 10 minute mix of song samples from the record. Be sure to keep a count of the number of unattended children featured on this video! For some, this is God awful stuff. The actors on this album weren't the best singers. Yet, I have seen numerous reviews of fans claiming that it just isn't Christmas without listening to this record (and later CD) at least once a year. I think the fondness of this recording has more to do with the time it was released: Christmas, 1963. The nation had just suffered through the longest Thanksgiving weekend in history with the death of John Kennedy. I think people turned to records like this innocent fair for solace and it became an annual tradition for American families. Though not my cup of tea, personally, I would much rather listen to this any day that 5 seconds of that horrid Duck Dynasty 'music' I shared a few days ago... Enjoy!
Today's featured artist is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, the holiday song that they sing is also one of my all-time favs. It might just be my favorite out of the entire Advent. The band I am focusing on today is U2. A prog-rock band from Ireland, the quartet holds the distinction of being one of the longest continuous line-ups in all of rock history.
The band is know for a ton of hits. Where the Streets Have No Name, Mysterious Ways, With or Without You, and Pride (In The Name of Love) are just a small sampling of the U2 song book. But they aren't really known for being holiday artists. Both Bono and Adam Clayton performed on the epic 1984 holiday hit Do They Know It's Christmas? Bono contributed vocals. Clayton was on bass.But the two band mates didn't perform as U2 but as a group collective known as Band Aid. In wasn't until 1986 that U2 officially went festive. During their Rattle and Hum project, U2 decided to borrow a Phil Spector/Darlene Love classic as a part of one of their December tour legs. As the song was to be included on the Rattle and Hum movie, it was necessary that U2 cut a performance of the song.
So in 1987, U2 with Darlene Love on back-up vocals, the band recorded Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) As track producer Jimmy Iovine just happened to be working on the Special Olympics fundraising recordA Very Special Christmas, U2 actually received zero payment for their version of the song. But that's okay. U2 isn't a band known for lacking funds. So without any further to-do, I present to you a U2 and their live recording of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)! Enjoy!
Today's featured artist is an American treasure. He's an actor, a Cold War icon, a talent judge and despite most critics, a singer. I'm talking about The Hoff, David Hasselhoff.
Hasselhoff is considered by the people of Germany the biggest thing since the Fall of Communism, which even historians agree, the Hoff had a big part in. In the late 80s, those on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain were envious of how the West lived. One way they rebelled against their Communist oppressors was to put up TV antennas which would intercept TV broadcasts. Shows like Dynasty and Dallas showed how the rich Americans would like. But it was Hoff's shows Knight Rider and Baywatch that appealed to the viewers sense of lust and adventure. So much that on New Year's Eve 1989, The Hoff sang a historic concert atop the crumbling Berlin Wall.
Overtime, the Hoff's reputation and fame in a reunified Germany grew. Hasselhoff would release a number of albums, all of which would garner tremendous sells in the former Soviet Block. Over time, Hoff's popularity would spread North to countries like Sweden and Norway. Most of Hasselhoff's music was about good times, excitement, and freedom. Christmas tunes aren't typically equated with the Hoff. But in 2005, he recorded a full-length album titled The Night Before Christmas. Unlike most of the actor's recordings, Hoff's holiday release was a huge bomb both in terms of sales and critics. In the past 10 years, the album has been consistently placed on worst holiday albums lists. But I don't think you should just take my word for it. Here's a sampling from The Night Before Christmas. It's torture. Just be glad it's only 2 minutes long. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you David Hasselhoff's Jungle Bells...
Today's featured artist is Madonna. With a name like that, you would assume that Christmas and the Material Girl would fit together like a hand and glove. But with only 1 exception, Madonna has never done a full-scale Christmas album. In fact, as far as I can tell, she's only ever recorded one seasonal tune.
Madonna's holiday song was Santa Baby.It was a recording for the A Very SpecialChristmas charity album sponsoring Special Olympics in 1987. The over-sexualized song is about a gold digging harpy who wants extravagant things from St. Nick while making a bunch of innuendos of how she was such a 'good girl.' The song was originally and best performed by Eartha Kitt. Kitt was one of 3 actresses to play Catwoman on the 1966 Baman TV show. Her ability to trill her words and feisty attitude made her a great Catwoman, second to only Julie Newmar. Today's post is a clear example of how a good song put in the hands of two artists can have differing results. Kitt's 1953 rendition of Santa Baby was seductive, coaxing and very well could have doubled as her audition tape for playing Catwoman. Madonna's was kinda whiny... Up until now, I have only posted one video. But with today's post, I want to highlight the differences of the two songs. While I am very proud to present Eartha Kitt's version of the song, I humbly apologize for Madonna's tune. And just be glad that I didn't subject you to the Kylie Minogue version. Nobody should ever have to endure that...
Today’s featured artist is one of the founding fathers of rap and hip hop. I’m talking about Kurtis Blow. He was mastermind behind 1980’s The Breaks, the first rap album to be certified gold. The song of Blow’s self-titled record sampled a Doobie Brothers song and in return The Breaks has been sampled from a number of artists including Busta Rhymes. So the artist himself isn’t an unusual artist. If anything, he’s on the Mount Rushmore of Rap pioneers. But what I do not equate Kurtis Blow to is a holiday artist. Yet in 1979, that’s exactly what Kurtis Blow did. After signing with Mercury Records (another first), Kurtis Blow hit the music scene in a holy jolly sort of mood with Christmas Rapping. Selling over a half million records, the song was one of the first commercially successful of the genre. Appearantly, Kurtis Blow has continued mixing rap and hip hop with the holidays. Around 2005, the artist was a guest DJ for the Hip Hop Nutcracker based on the Tchaikovsky classic ballet. Blow was previously a consultant on the project before his debut. So with both the resume and holiday experience of Kurtis Blow established, I present to your as my Advent Day 8 gift, Christmas Rapping. Enjoy!
I really like today's featured artist. His edgy and quite insane theatrical style is legendary. I'm talking about punk icon Iggy Pop!
His stint with the Stooges produced hits such as I Wanna Be Your Dog, Search and Destroy and 1969. Preceding The Ramones by a full decade, The Stooges truly were the godfathers of punk. They also heavily influenced acts like KISS and Alice Cooper in with Iggy's very gross glammed-out habit of cutting his chest and bleeding all over the stage while he sang. Obviously, drugs were in the mix. By the mid-70s, the artist was so coked out if it wasn't for David Bowie, Iggy probably would have joined the 27 club. Going solo, Iggy Pop had a number of hard-rock hits such as The Passenger, Here Comes Success and Lust For Life which became punk rock standards. But what the singer wasn't known for was digging deep into the Christmas songbook.
Iggy Pop didn't just go deep into the songbook, he went all the way to the foundation. In 2009, Iggy Pop produced his version of White Christmas, arguably the best-selling and beloved Christmas tune of all-time. Thankfully, Iggy Pop didn't try to croon like Bing Crosby did in the 1940s. Instead, he recruited some of his former Stooges band mates and screeched out the most punk version of the song ever. So let's not wait any longer. Friends, I present to you Iggy Pops' White Christmas...
