The Snowflakes blog is now officially openened for the Christmas Season 2024! And we start with some news about the Snowflakes Christmas Singls Club!
Last year was the first time since the start of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club in 2013 that there was no new edition.
The good news is that this year, with a delay of one year, the 11th edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club will finally arrive!
To make up for a year without new Snowflakes singles, this year's edition will have 4 new singles! That's the first time since the fourth edition, which came out in 2016.
I am very happy how the singles by Simon Chesterfield (Yeoville, England, best known as founding member of the still active 1980s indie pop band The Chesterfields), Les Pommes De Lune (freakbeat from Montréal, Quebec, Canada), Whatitdo Archive Group (jazzfunk/library music from Reno, Nevada, USA) and the Holiday Crowd (indie rock from Toronto, Ontario, Canada) turned out.
You can find more information about the singles below.
The singles come, as always, packed in a festive looking full colour sleeve on snow white vinyl, limited to 300 copies. For the first time, the singles are pressed on bio-vinyl. Exactly the same quality as regular vinyl, but with the petroleum in the PVC replaced by recycled used cooking oil. Which means 90% CO2 reduction.
The singles can be pre-ordered on the Snowflakes Big Cartel page (also as a cheaper package deal - it saves you 4 euro!).
SIMON CHESTERFIELD: Last Train To Christmas / I Believe In Father Christmas
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 32)
Simon Chesterfield is a new project launched by Simon Barber, co-founder and ever-present member of Yeovil-based indie pop band The Chesterfields. In October, Simon Chesterfield's debut album was released on German label Legere Recordings, a 10" featuring six of Simon's compositions reimagined as an orchestral performance. The single Simon Chesterfield recorded for Snowflakes Christmas Single Club ends up somewhere between the orchestral sound of the 10" and the jangle pop of The Chesterfields. Simon delved deep into the past of The Chesterfields, inspired by a dream he had years ago of his band having a Christmas hit. Now he has turned 'Last Train To Yeovil', a track from the 1988 Chesterfields EP 'Goodbye Goodbye', into the Christmas hit it always secretly was. The true nature of the song is revealed by changing just one word of the lyrics and by the musical makeover that the seven musicians involved in recording the single (including his Chesterfields bandmate Helen Stickland and her daughter Tabitha) gave the song.
For the B-side, the group recorded a cover of one of the absolute classics of British Christmas rock, Greg Lake's 1975 UK #2 hit 'I Believe In Father Christmas'. Simon Chesterfield’s version of the song sounds atmospheric, yet fresh and bright. The cover art is another throwback to the early years of The Chesterfields, as it is a redesigned version of the sleeve of The Chesterfield's second 7", 'Completely & Utterly'. Like the original sleeve, it was designed by The Terrible Hildas, who were responsible for many sleeve designs for the legendary 1980s indie label The Subway Organization. The single is pressed on snow-white bio-vinyl and limited to 300 copies.
LES POMMES DE LUNE: La Révolution Des Lutins / Le Plus Fort
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 33)
Les Pommes De Lune debuted in 2022 on the Los Angeles psych-pop label Hypnotic Bridge with the 7" 'Première Transmission'. The single included a cover of 'Une Fleur', originally recorded by French actress and singer Christine Delaroche, and Status Quo's 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men' - in French. Although the band was new, the members of Les Pommes De Lune had a long history in the Canadian garage and psychedelic rock scene, having played in bands such as Thee Gnostics, The Double Feature Creatures, The Saffron Sect, Les Séquelles, Les Incapables and Le Chelsea Beat. Musically inspired by the British Freakbeat scene of the late 1960s and the French Yéyé sound of the mid-1960s, Les Pommes De Lune have developed their own take on psychedelic rock. The band’s single for the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club will feature the first Les Pommes De Lune original - although the song sounds like a long-lost gem from 1967. On the B-side we find another cover, of an obscure song by Pussy Cat (French singer Évelyne Courtois).
The original 'La Révolution Des Lutins' ('The Elves' Revolution') and the cover 'Le Plus Fort' ('The Strongest') both deal with the same subject: the revolution of the elves! Inspired by the White Panther's 10-point plan, the elves demand total liberation, toys every day, eggnog and Yule log NOW! Les Pommes De Lune support the elves' valiant struggle with quivering guitars, psychedelic music and rhythms. Packaged in a sleeve with great artwork by Marie-Pierre Morin and the Elfs Manifesto on the back, the single is pressed on snow-white bio-vinyl and limited to 300 copies.
After navigating the labyrinthine musical chambers of their 2023 modern exotica album 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds', Reno. Nevada’s Whatitdo Archive Group has returned with their first-ever holiday offering—venturing into the darker side of Christmas folklore with their new ice-cold 45, 'Wild Man'. Drawing inspiration from a global archetypical myth of the same name, Whatitdo Archive Group examines the ancient story of the Wild Man—the hairy, half-human, half-beast that stalks the shadows of humanity’s shared primeval past. The myth of the Wild Man is a folktale that goes by many names: The Yeti of the Himalayas, the Bigfoot of North America, and, of course, Krampus of Eastern Europe—a yuletide beast with a reputation as a child-devouring "Anti-Claus" who now finds himself the subject of Whatitdo’s latest musical exploration.
‘Wild Man’ gives us a glimpse into the band’s newest sonic direction. With a heavy rhythm section carried by Alexander Korostinsky’s driving bass line, the sticky wah-guitar of Mark Sexton’s L-5, and the acrobatic lines of the Wurlitzer electric piano, “Wild Man” revels in the spiritual jazz flavors of Pharoah Sanders and grooves hard like the classic soul-jazz stylings of Ramsey Lewis. Much like the Krampus myth itself, 'Wild Man' is meant to weave an ominous spell over any Christmas cocktail party long after the kids have gone to bed. Hear the warning for yourself in the song’s haunting chant: "You better watch out for your life, when the Wild Man comes in the night".
But mythology isn’t abandoned on the B-side. The band takes the traditional English folk melody 'Greensleeves' and reimagines it through the musical lens of Ethio-jazz. Recorded live at the Archive Group Studios, the track exudes a dark, roomy atmosphere, drenched in unease and mystery courtesy of the wandering electric piano dancing above the hypnotic rhythm section and mesmeric groove of the distant Batá drums. This fresh reimagining taps into the ancient, cross-cultural lineage of the "Green Man" myth, a pagan symbol of rebirth and the power of the natural world, further blurring the lines between holiday cheer and the primal, elemental forces enshrined in our collective cultural memory.
After the band’s 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' was named 2023’s "Best Library Record" by PopMatters Magazine, their new 'Wild Man' 7” capitalizes on the same creative process that shaped their last record, while now exploring new conceptual territory. By drawing inspiration from archaic global folklore and again utilizing their peculiar recording techniques, W.A.G. has crafted a truly unique holiday offering that unearths the darker, more primal undercurrents of the Christmas tradition. The 'Wild Man' 7" is released as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, pressed on snow-white bio-vinyl and limited to 300 copies.
Canadian band the Holiday Crowd as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, it was a match too good to not be made. The Toronto, Ontario-based indie rockers formed in 2010 and released a mini-album, a full-length and a 7" between 2012 and 2016. In 2022, the group returned with a new single, 'Party Favours', like their other records released by Portland, Oregon label Shelflife Records. Despite being Canadian, the band's sound is heavily influenced by British indie rock of the 1980s and early 1990s. For their Snowflakes Christmas single, the original four members of the band, lead vocalist Imran Hanniff, guitarist Colin Bowers, British-born bassist Alex Roberts and drummer David George Barnes, reunited to write the original 'Winterland'.
Winterland' takes you right back to the 1980s with its jangly guitar, rolling bass, pounding drums and Imran's warm vocals. The song seems to look back on childhood memories, but the parts about the heart that turned to coal, the last-minute shoppers and the 'graveyard malls' show that there is a deeper meaning to the lyrics. The single's B-side 'Hard Candy Christmas' was written by Carol Hall for the 1978 musical 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'. The song became a hit for Dolly Parton in 1982 when it was featured in the movie version of the musical in which she starred. The Holiday Crowd's reworking of the song perfectly captures the melancholy of the original, with its message of focusing on the sweet things in life, even when times are hard. The single is released on snow-white bio-vinyl in a sleeve with a playful design by Kenichi Ueda and limited to 300 copies.
On the 12th day of Christmas here it is - the Christmas 7" Singles Top 50 2023.
Lathe cut 7"'s and Flexis are also included. 10", 12", cassette, CD or digital singles are not included. Because this is all about the classic Christmas single format, the 7".
The popularity of a record is determined by adding the number of Discog users that have the record in their collection and the number of people having the record on their wantlist. When two records have the same number of points, the record with most Discogs users having it in their collection is listed first. When there is no difference in the number of Discogs users having the record in their collection, the order is alphabetical. Sorry ZZ Top.
THE 50 MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS 7" SINGLES
#1 Sabrina Carpenter: Nonsense / A Nonsense Christmas (US: Island Records)
1331 points
#3 Wham!: Last Christmas / Everything She Wants (UK: Epic)
354 points
Second re-release of the most successful Christmas single of the 1980s, this time on green vinyl. It brought Wham! finally the Christmas #1 in the UK. This year was also the first year the single was released as a CD-single.
#4 Abba: Happy New Year / Felicidad (Sweden: Polar)
215 points
For the fifth time, ABBA's 'Happy New Year' with the Spanish version 'Felicidad' on the B-side is getting a re-release. This time on blue splattered clear vinyl and in a sleeve with the year 2024 written all over it.
#5 The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl: Fairytale Of New York / Fairytale Of New York (Instrumental) (UK: Warner Music)
212 points
This record is the exact same record as the 2012 version of the Pogues' Christmas classic, which was rushed out because of the death of Pogues singer Shane MacGowan. It's a charity record, so that's a good thing. It did not get The Pogues the UK Christmas No.1 ('Fairytale Of New York' was #6 on Christmas Day), but it did get them to #2 in the UK vinyl singles chart (only Wham! sold more copies of their 7" in the week before Christmas).
#6 The Sensible Gray Cells: A Stupid Xmas / Keep It To Yourself (UK: Damaged Goods)
113 points
#7 Jason Kelce: Santa's Night / Dominick The Donkey (US: Vera Y Records)
106 points
In 2022, some players from the Philadelphia, PA football club, the Philadelphia Eagles, teamed up with producer Charlie Hall and recorded a charity Christmas album, 'A Philly Special Christmas', which managed to raise $1.25 million for local charities. So they decided to try again in 2023 and football players Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata got behind the mic to record a second album, 'A Philly Special Christmas Special'. I hope their singing skills are better than their ability to come up with original album titles. They are joined by singer Patty LaBelle (who could easily fit inside the big football players twice) and local musicians, including members of The Hooters and The War On Drugs. Kelce even managed to write a Christmas original, 'Santa's Night', which he also sings as a solo song. Santa's Night" is a country-rock ballad in which Kelce takes on the role of Santa Claus. And it has to be said: he really can sing. 'Santa's Night' was also released on a red vinyl 7" that could be purchased in two ways: as part of the deluxe package, which also included a double album on gold vinyl and a puzzle, or in a package deal with just the puzzle. It was not cheap: $150 for the deluxe package, $50 for the single and puzzle. But it is a charity record, so no complaints. On the B-side, Kelce covers Lou Monte's 1960 novelty Christmas song 'Dominick The Donkey'. This can only happen in the USA, a 6'3", 290 pound football player singing a children's song about an Italian Christmas donkey and making donkey noises...
The re-release of Shu-Bi-Dua's 1980 Christmas single, that is included as a bonus of a greatest hits double LP compilation celebrating 50 years of the band. It looks like this re-release of the single has one extra song, and has the sides switched.
#9 The Delines: Christmas In Atlantis / Waiting On A Bus Out Of Dallas / San Leandro Lament (US: Decor Records / El Cortez Records)
101 points
#10 Nick Lowe: Winter Wonderland / Let It Snow (US: Yep Roc Records)
92 points
In 2013, English singer, songwriter, and producer Nick Lowe unexpectedly released a Christmas album. It was not Lowe's idea to record a Christmas album, but his label, Yep Roc Records from North Carolina, managed to talk him into it. The result, 'Quality Street', subtitled 'A Seasonal Selection For All The Family', was a mix of traditional and new songs, three written by Lowe and one by Ron Sexsmith. The album was well received by the press. Despite his initial doubts, Lowe really began to enjoy Christmas music and even went on a U.S. tour as 'The Quality Holiday Revue' with his labelmates, the always-masked instrumental quartet Los Straitjackets. Los Straitjackets were no strangers to Christmas music either, having released two Christmas 7"'s and a Christmas album in the past. Lowe and Los Straitjackets played a mix of holiday songs and songs from Lowe's back catalog. The show, at Boston's Paradise Rock Club, was captured on tape and released by Yep Roc as 'The Quality Holiday Revue Live' in 2015. Lowe and Los Straitjackets clicked and continued their collaboration, as evidenced by a second, non-seasonal live album, 'Live At The Haw River Ballroom', released as a double CD by Yep Roc in 2020.
That same year, Lowe and Los Straitjackets decided to record two Christmas songs in the studio. They chose two classics, 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Let It Snow', that were also part of the Quality Holiday Revue live shows, although neither had appeared on the live album. The new versions were "captured in a series of transatlantic sessions in which no reindeer were harmed," as Lowe put it on his Bandcamp, mixed by Andrew "Tuck" Nelson, and digitally released in December 2020. Lowe made a few minor changes to the lyrics, and Los Straitjackets delivered an energetic performance. 'Winter Wonderland', featuring organ by Ray Jacido, had a ska-like backbeat and Los Straitjackets' signature twangy guitar. Let It Snow" had more of a rock & roll feel, so Lowe was right when he sang "the weather is simply shocking / but in here it is clearly rocking". In 2023, the 'Quality Street' album received its 10th anniversary re-release on red vinyl, with an extra black vinyl 7" featuring 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Let It Snow' in a special die-cut sleeve. So finally a chance to get these two fun tracks on 7" vinyl.
#11 Kelly Finnigan: A Joyful Sound (5x7" Box Set) (US: Colemine)
89 points
Kelly Finnigan released his well-received and well-sold 2020 Christmas album ‘A Joyful Sound’ as a box set with 5 7”’s, according to the promo talk, ‘to honor Kelly’s roots as a longtime 45 collector’ and because ‘these tracks have been in-demand, particularly in the DJ crowd’. The box set was released for Record Store Day Black Friday in the US. 500 copies were pressed, and as these did not sell out, it became also available directly through Colemine. Each 7” came with specially designed label art.
#12 Deary / Three Quarter Skies: Shoegazer Christmas, including 2000 Miles & Holy Water (UK: Sonic Cathedral Recordings)
88 points
#13 Conny Vink: In De Winter (The Netherlands: Universal)
71 points
June 2023 release of a 1974 single by Dutch singer Connie Vink. 'In De Winter' ('In The Winter') is a song about winter. It was released for Dutch pirate radio, radio stations that focused on Dutch folk music.
#14 Margo Guryan: I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You / Sunday Morning (Norway: Nordpolen Musikklubb)
67 points
#15 John Prine: The Oh Boy Singles including I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus & Silver Bells (US: Oh Boy Records)
63 points
Re-release of Prine's 1981 Christmas single. Part of a single box set with eight 7"'s. This Christmas 7" is the first of the eight. 3,500 box sets made. Foil stamped number on the back of the box. Modeled after Prine's 1935 Wurlitzer jukebox, the collection features the eight singles John released throughout his career on Oh Boy Records, packaged in their original artwork. Includes: working lights that illuminate the jukebox (1 year battery life); a booklet with a foreword by Jim Rooney; two "Handsome Johnny" jukebox coins; a vintage Oh Boy Records catalog; and a custom, heavy-duty Oh Boy Records & 7" vinyl adapter.
#16 Double Cream: Christmas On The Moon / Steal Away (On Christmas Day) (The Netherlands: Electrosausus Records)
62 points
The Frightened Rabbits' 2007 Christmas single, with the A-side re-released in 2008 as a one-sided single, was reissued in its original format as a lathe-cut single in 2022, which sold out very quickly, and is now being reissued on vinyl, in an edition of 150 copies, which are already selling for over 100 Euros.Limited to 150 copies. Black vinyl. Hand-stamped sleeve. Printed card insert.
#21 Mike Watt + The Bobblymen: Surfin' With The Claus/ The Wassail Song (US: Red Parakeet Records)
53 points
#22 Mozart Estate: Vanilla Gorilla / Come On Christmas (UK: West Midlands Records)
50 points
Mozart Estate is Lawrence Hayward, former founder of bands like Felt (jangle-pop, 1979-1989) and Denim (bubblegum/glamrock, 1990s) and before that Go-Kart Mozart (since the late 1990s). 'Vanilla Gorilla' on the A-side is a track from Mozart Estate's first album under that name, 'Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! and the Possibilities of Modern Shopping', but it is the B-side track on this picture disc 7" that is of interest here. It's called 'Come On Christmas' and sounds like a 1980s electropop novelty, especially because of Haward's very British vocals. Besides a lot of repetitions of "Come On Christmas", "Christmas time is here" and "Hey Hey", the song has two verses. The first verse is partly about the birth of Jesus and partly about a family Christmas party, which is continued in a typical tongue-in-cheek way in the second verse. A silly song to cheer up your Christmas day.
#23 Peaness: Kiss Me Sweet Pea / Sad Season (UK: Totally Snick Records)
47 points
#25 Elton John: Step Into Christmas / Ho Ho Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas) (US: DJM Records / EMI / Universal Music Recordings / Rocket Entertainment)
44 points
Elton John's 1973 hit is getting another 7" vinyl re-release, fifty years after its original release (and just one year after a previous vinyl re-release), this time as a so-called Spotify Fans First Reissue, limited to 1,700 copies of green vinyl in a special 50th anniversary red sleeve with gold glitter foil logo.
#26 Lou Cifer And The Hellions: Naughty Santa / I Wanna Have Your Love For Christmas (Finland: Goofin' Records)
42 points
Two rock & roll / rockabilly tracks by this German combo, that formed in 1995. Comes with a lyrics sheet, so you can read what naughty things that Santa does are described on side A, that is musically a simple sounding song, and lyrically very explicit. Only for adults. 'I Wanna Have Your Love For Christmas' is suited for all ages, it is a song in which lead singer Lou Cifer expresses his love for the girl of his dreams, and how he can't live on if he hasn't have her love for Christmas: "I wanna have your love for Christmas or I'll be gone". According to the liner notes, these tracks were recorded a long time ago, when the band stayed at Santa's place. The tracks were considered lost but because climate change makes the ice melt, the missing tapes were found by oul prospectors, and two of the tracks are on this record. Yeah, right.
#27 Future Islands: Last Christmas (UK: 4AD)
40 points
Future Islands recorded the song in 2022. This is a square flexi, a promotional item for the new Future Islands album, which will be released in early 2024. It comes in a stickered clear poly outer sleeve and was sent free to people who ordered from 4AD around Christmastime.
#28 Wytch Hazel: King Of Israel / Auld Lang Syne (UK: Bad Omen Records)
35 points
Wytch Hazel formed in 2011 in Lancaster, England as Jerusalem. The band changed their name to Wytch Hazel in 2012. With a sound influenced by 1970s and early 1980s hard rock and metal, Wytch Hazel released several EP's and albums, with many of their lyrics, written by frontman, guitarist and only remaining original member Colin Hendra, having Christian themes. So a Christmas single with an original called 'King Of Israel' and a version of the hymn 'Auld Lang Syne' (misspelled as 'Old Lang Syne' on the sleeve and labels) fits right in with the rest of their releases. 'King Of Israel' is a rock ballad that is both piano and guitar driven. The lyrics are more about Jesus' significance to the world than his birth. 'Auld Lang Syne' is also a rock ballad. The single comes in a stylish sleeve, just like the band's clothing style, inspired by the days of Robin Hood.
#29 The Manakooras: Christmas With The Manakooras includes Snowfall, Christmas Day, Matchstick Girl & Christmas Every Day (US: Hi-Tide Recordings)
35 points
#30 Hepcat: Lonesome / Rocksteady New Year (Japan: Parking Lot Sounds)
34 points
Los Angeles ska band Hepcat cover the non-Christmas song 'Lonesome', originally recorded by ska artists Andy And Clyde in 1965. 'Rocksteady New Year', the holiday song of this release, was recorded by the band in 2006, with the late David Fuentas on bass, and is previously unreleased.
#31 Antena: Les Demoiselles De Rochefort including Chanson Des Jumelles & Noelle A Hawaii (Japan: Jet Set)
26 points
'Noelle A Hawaii' ('Christmas In Hawaii') was originally released in 1982 on the 'Remake' of the Les Disques Du Crépuscule compilation 'Ghosts Of Christmas Past', which featured some different songs than the first edition of this compilation, and this song by the Belgian-French synthpop trio Antena was one of them. Written by Isabella Powaga, who later went solo as Isabelle Antena, 'Noelle A Hawaii' is a delicate synthpop tune. It was re-released as the B-side of the 7" 'Les Demoiselles De Rochefort' by the Japanese label Jet Set in early 2023.
#32 Sia : Snowman (Slowed Down & Snowed In Remix Version) / Snowman (Sped Up Version) (US: Atlantic)
26 points
Flexi Disc Single (Spotify Fans First Exclusive), limited to 1500 copies (red or green) with two edited versions of a track of Sia's 2017 Christmas album, a version that is slowed down and another that is sped up.
This split release on clear vinyl came with the 2023 re-release of the legendary 'Soul Christmas' album, originally released in 1968 on ATCO in the USA. Donny Hathaway's classic 'This Christmas' was originally released in 1970, Percy Sledge's 'Christmas Wish' in 1969 as a B-side to 'Silent Night' in some European countries.
#34 The Invitations / Baltimore & Ohio Marching Band: Ski-ing In The Snow / Condition Red (Stateside: Condition Red) (UK: Stateside)
24 points
Side A, a northern soul classic, was originally released on 7" in 1966 in the USA on DynoVoice. This record was released in May 2023, so was not really intended as a seasonal release.
#35 Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini: An Old Fashioned Christmas including I'll Be Home For Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, An Old Fashioned Christmas & Waltz Of The Flowers (US: 12/23 Records)
20 points
In 2021, 12/23 Records, a label affiliated with the Nancy Langhorne Foundation, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization, released a 7" EP by D.J. Williams. The EP, limited to 200 copies in a hand-screened sleeve, was a gift to people who donated $20, $40, $60, $80 or $100 to the foundation. The foundation used the donations to provide free cancer screenings to uninsured women. The campaign was successful, and in 2022, 12/23 Records released a second EP, this time by James Casey. The 300 copies sold out in pre-order, so the label decided to repress the single in a different color scheme. In 2023, 12/23 Records released two EPs. A second EP by D.J. Williams featuring four new Christmas songs, and an EP by trombonist, singer, and songwriter Natalie Cressman and guitarist, composer, and vocalist Ian Faquini. Both EPs were limited to 500 copies. D.J. Williams' EP is described as "acoustically driven with sprinklings of hip-hop and funk" while Cressman and Faquini's EP contains a "blend of Brazilian musical traditions, jazz, folk and pop". All of the songs on the EPs are reinterpretations of existing Christmas songs. The second pressing of James Casey's 2022 EP is also still available. The EP by Casey, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, includes "two holiday staples, a funky original and a classic psalm," according to the label.
#36 J.R. Bohannon: J.R. Bohannon Plays Vince Guaraldi, including Christmas Time Is Here & Skating (US: Astral Spirits)
20 points
Brooklyn, New York-based guitarist J.R. Bohannon recorded two songs from Vince Guaraldi's legendary 'A Charlie Brown' soundtrack: 'Christmas Time Is Here' and 'Skating'. In both songs, Bohannon's steel guitar is the main instrument, while in the background ambient noises and bass loops add a spooky atmospheres to the two instrumentals. Limited to 300 copies.
#37 Wilmer X: Jorden Runt I Jul / Nya Planer För Jul (Sweden: Universal Music Sweden AB)
16 points
Wilmer X started in the punk era of 1977 in Malmo, Sweden, and over the years have become a household name in the Swedish rock scene, with most of their albums reaching the Swedish top 5. With two founding members still in the line-up, Wilmer X released a Christmas single this year, featuring two compositions by singer and guitarist Nisse Hellberg, the rocking power pop of 'Jorden Runt I Jul' ('Around The World At Christmas') and the doowop-inspired laid-back rocker 'Nya Planer För Jul' ('New Plans For Christmas').
#38 Øyvind Holm: One Of These Days / Winter's Twilight (Norway: Crispin Glover Records)
15 points
One Of These Days' was already released digitally in 2021, 'Winter's Twilight' is a new song. Both songs are introspective songs, that touch Christmas and winter, but are more about relationships. Holm has been playing in a range of Norwegian groups since the mid-1990s: The Dipsomaniacs, Deleted Waveform Gatherings, Wonderwheel, Ryanbanden, Sugarfoot and The Pink Moon. Limited run of 50 hand-numbered seven-inches. Delivered in a miniature pizza box housing the crystal clear 7", each one chronologically numbered according to when in the production chain they were cut. Also included is an original signed and numbered Øyvind Holm lino print, a lyric sheet inside a wax sealed envelope, a press photo of the artist, and a little piece of Santa chocolate.
#39 Sam Russo: Mistletoe Pier includes Christmas Under The Pier & Merry Christmas (Baby, I'm Sorry) (US: Red Scare Industries)
15 points
#40 Sosissene: Julekveld I Skogen / Når Himmelen Faller Ned (Norway: Fucking North Pole Records)
13 points
'Julekveld I Skogen' was written by lyricist Astow Ericson and composer Otto Nielsen, and was first performed by Rolf Just Nilsen on the popular Norwegian radio program Søndagsposten in 1963. It was also released as a single. The B-side song 'Når Himmelen Faller Ned' is also a cover, written and originally recorded by Anne Grete Preus, who released it on a promotional CD single in 1998. Jonas Kjærnsrød, drummer in Backstreet Girls, Rotvelt and Olafly and bass player in Loupland, is present on both sides, in fact on the B-side, which sounds like a complete band, he plays all instruments and probably sings as well. And the A-side, more punk and also more festive sounding, because of the church bells and all the singalongs, the singing is done by a large number of singers, while the musicians involved in the recording of this song also play in all sorts of different Norwegian bands, including Backstreet Girls and Olafly. Limited to 100 handnumbered lathe cut singles.
#41 Matt Lindsay / Tim Thornton / Fyodor Novotny / xSwarmx: Happy Holidays From Gotta Groove Records (US: Gotta Groove Records)
11 points
The annual Gotta Groove Holiday single, this time with four tracks and a hologram effect on the B-side. Matt Linsday, who's played in a trillion Cleveland bands, does 'Santa's Got Claws', a fairly straightforward (especially for the Gotta Groove Holiday series) Christmas rock song. Tim Thorton, the driving force behind these compilations, does an instrumental, electronic, nostalgic sounding breakcore track. Fyodor Novotny, an act who has appeared on these compilations before, is also electronic and instrumental, but goes for a more cinematic sound. The xSwarmx does a "song" that sounds more like noise than music, but I guess that is the idea. I do like the end, which sounds as taken from a 1950s crime movie. The single was issued with random colored labels.
#42 Painters & Dockers: Log On Log Off / Xmas Is Off This Year (Australia: self-released)
11 points
The Australian band Painters And Dockers celebrate their 40th Anniversary (sort of, as they have been broken up for some time) with a show and a special single that was sold on the show. The B-side of that single is a Christmas song, although the show was in May. In 'Xmas Is Off This Year', the band explains that the reason why Christmas is off, is because Santa is on the piss again. The band was known for their sarcastic lyrics (their 1985 hit 'Nude School' an example of this) set to alternative rock / pub rock, and that describes this song pretty well.
#43 Cold Years: She Sells Sanctuary / Merry Christmas Everyone (Europe: MNRK Music Group)
10 points
This 7" with a cover of Shakin' Stevens' "Merry Christmas Everyone" on the B-side came with the reissue of Cold Years' 2022 album "Goodbye To Misery". Cold Years do a straightforward (punk) rock cover of the song, which was released digitally for the 2022 Christmas season. Released in May 2023. Aberdeen, Scotland's Cold Years formed in late 2014 as a personal project of frontman Ross Gordon.
Four songs pressed on red vinyl: We Stay Wishing / Mr. Gentlemen / Rock The Bells / Old Lane Sign. For more, see the other 12/23 Records release above.
#45 Dragon Inn 3: Last Christmas / It's Christmas / Snowflake Music (US: American Laundromat Records)
7 points
#48 Edurne: Xmas Edition includng Siempre Es Navidad Junto A Ti & Dime Navidad (Spain: Must! Producciones, S.L.)
7 points
Two previously released digital Christmas singles by the Spanish singer, actress and TV presenter are now being released on vinyl, the poppy and upbeat Siempre 'Es Navidad Junto a Ti' (2020) and the Amazon original 'Dime Navidad' (2022), both of which were accompanied by very Christmassy videos.
Evamore: An Evening With Andy Taylor 21 October 2023 including This Christmas Time (UK: Evamore Records)
3 points
A promotional 45 to promote the charity event 'An Evening With Andy Taylor' on October 21, 2023 for Evamore, with Ozzy Osbourne and Noddy Holder credited on the B-side, although the vocals are by three female singers: Casi Wyn on lead vocals, Reebz on vocal harmonies with backing vocals by Nina Lopes. Andy Taylor organized the band and plays guitar as well as Matt Bond and Chris Evans (who also added other instruments), Nick Lloyd Webber plays piano and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason plays drums.
Zulay La Zorra X Carmen Cabrona X Shanisha: Santa Papi (Naughty Version) / Santa Papi (Nice Version) (US: EGSB)
3 point
Latin reggaeton version of 'Santa Baby', produced by Ruben Mendez. The song contains samples of the original version and has additional lyrics by Carmen Medeiros (aka Carmen Carona), Rudy Mendez and Zulay Castañeda (aka Zulay La Zorra, a female rapper from Colombia). Shanisha is Shanisha Lopéz, a singer from Atlanta, Georgia. The naughty version appeared on the naughty side of the mixtape LP 'Latinas Galore! Volume 4: Feliz Navidad'.
Jade Vincent: Here Comes Love / Guess Who (France: self-released)
2 points
Experimental and minimalistic electronic Christmas pop with haunting vocals by one half of Vincent & Mr. Green and one-third of Unloved, released on 7" vinyl, limited to 50 copies. 'Here Comes Love' was already digitally released in 2022, credited to Unloved.
Dave McCormack: DAVO // Xmas 2023, including Fairytale Of New York (Australia: Sound Pressing)
2 points
Dave McCormack has played in various Australian bands since the late 1980s, including Who's Gerald, Custard, Miami, The Titanics and David McCormack & The Polaroids, and on this limited 7" (100 copies pressed) he duets with Adele Pickvance (Natives Of Bedlam, Far Out Corporation, The Dave Graney Show, The Go-Betweens and Adele & The Chandeliers) on The Pogues' 'Fairytale Of New York'. The single was pressed on colored recycled vinyl, deep forest green with speckles of gold littered thoughout.
Douglas Meakin: Happy Christmas (War Is Over) / Base Musicale Con Cori (Italy: Meakin Music)
2 points
Liverpudlian Douglas Meakin toured Italy with The Motowns in 1966 and decided to stay, building a career as a session singer, composer of film and television soundtracks, and songwriter, now collaborating with the Starseed Childrens Choir on a cover of Lennon and Ono's plea for peace that is sadly as relevant today as when it was first recorded.
Ferg's Imaginary Big Band / ¡Los Imaginarios Navideos!: Cadillac To Book Club / ¡Don't Believe In Christmas! (UK: Tight Lines)
2 points
Fergus Quill is the common factor on these two tracks, on the non-Christmas A-side as the conductor of a 23-piece big band, on the B-side as the player of all instruments except the drums (played by Hamish 'Sonic' Dixon), and as the vocalist on a cover of the Sonics' garage-rock Christmas classic.
Ian Edmundson: I Hate Christmas / Don't Look 'Em In The Eye (UK: NOIZE books and recordings)
2 points
A demo recording by (4- and 12-string) bassist Ian Edmundson of songs written with former Shabby Tiger drummer Graham Fielden. The idea was that Edmundson's band The Three would record the songs in late 2023 for release in early 2024. Only a handful of copies of this demo 7" exist, released by Edmundson's own label, NOIZE books and recordings. I Hate Christmas" sounds like a demo, and in it Edmundson sums up everything that is bad about Christmas. Which is a lot. Edmundson (who used to play in The Kerbcrawlers) and The Three (mainly a cover band, it seems) are based in Bolton, Lancashire.
Angelo Starr: Another Lonely Christmas (In The Motorcity) (UK: Motorcity)
1 point
DJ Trayze: Xmas Go-Go, including This Xmas (Trayze Remix) & All I Want For Xmas Is Gogo (Trayze & R-Tistic Remix) (Canada: self-released)
1 point
Two edits, on the A-side of 'This Christmas', on the B-side of 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' (already digitally available in 2019), with gogo beats added to the originals by DJ Trayze and (B-side only) R-Tistic. Clear of black lathe cuts will be made on request. DJ Trayze is a Canadian DJ and producer.
K2: Corner Of My Mind / Lonely Christmas (South Korea: MRC)
1 point
This 7" was included with Korean band K2's album '2집 Real Spark', an album that seems to have been originally rereleased in 1997. 'Lonely Christmas' is an original song, a pop rock song, with a definite Christmas flavor.
Kenny Lafayette & Leona De La Roca / Jenny Martines: Feliz Navidad / Jingle Bells (Vamos All The Way) (US: The Lafayette Label)
1 point
Kenny Lafayette is an American country singer, who released two CDEP's in 2022/2023, later compiled on the CD album 'Kenny's Crowd'. Leona De La Roca is a singer/songwriter and producer from Bogota, Columbia, who now lives in the USA. She released an acoustic album earlier in 2023 ('Yo Y Mi Guitarra' on Senti), and also does guest vocals on a lot of Latin productions. Their cover of 'Feliz Navidad' was produced and mixed by Gilbert Donahue. He also produced and mixed the song on the B-side, a cover of 'Jingle Bells', sung by Jenny Martines. Both songs appeared on the compilation Latina Christmas (on CD, released by Senti in 2023) and on the 'nice side' of the mixtape LP 'Latinas Galore - Latinas Galore! Volumen 4: Feliz Navidad' on LATINEX.
MC Bibiana X MC Cadela X MC Raposinha X Cleyde / Pecho Boys Featuring MC Bibiana, MC Patricia & MC Raposinha: Favela Natal / Macarena (Favela Funk Remix) (South America: LATINEX)
1 point
'Favela Natal' was released in 2022 as a one-track-CD single by Rápido Recordings. Both tracks appear on the naughty side of the 'Latinas Galore Volumen 4: Feliz Navidad' mixtape (on a vinyl LP). Latinas Galore is a collaboration between Latin American artists who identify as female, which began as a joke on the song Estoy Chupando... ¡Tu Sangre! by Huitaca, but turned into an actual music project during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Favela Natal' was produced and mixed by DJ Rápido and written by DJ Rápido, Bibiana Lima (a female rapper from Brazil), Cleyde Quental, Felicia Raposa (MC Raponsinha) and Lucia De Freitas (MC Cadela, a female rapper from Brazil), who are also the MC's on the track, that contains a Sergio Mendes sample. On the B-side, Amazónica (Sócrates de Almeida) remixed the track Macarena by the Colombia but US-based female duo Pecho Boys, that also features vocals by Mc Bibiana, MC Raposinha and MC Patricia (Marissa Patricia Coelho, another female rapper from Brazil).
Mercedes La Chicana: La Juguetería / La Juguetería (Stripped Down) (US: Tendencias)
1 point
La Juguetería' translates as 'The Toy Shop'. The song was written by the Mexican screenwriter, actor, comedian, film director, television director, playwright, songwriter and author Roberto Gómez Bolaños. He sang the song as his personage El Chavo, aimed at children, in the mid-to-late 1970s. Mercedes La Chicana is pictured on the cover dressed in a sexy Christmas dress holding a big candy cane. The original version was aimed at children, and although Mercedes La Chicana does look a bit risque on the sleeve, the fact that this song appeared on the nice side of the mix tape 'Latinas Galore - Volumen 4: Feliz Navidad', seems to indicate that the lyrics are still the lyrics of the original. It is also released on a 12"EP, 'Stocking Fillers', with three songs that are less suited for younger listeners ('Unwrap Me Papi', 'Last Christmas (I Gave You My Ass)' and 'Chestnuts Poppin''). Cookie Rivera mixed and produced both versions. Mercedes La Chicano, whose real name is Mercedes Quintanilla, is a female singer from Mexico.
Nick Bike: Xmas Rockin' / Xmas Runnin' (Canada: self-released)
1 point
Two edits of 'Last Christmas', with additional music added, to make the song better suited for the dancefloor. The lathe cuts records were made to order. In plain paper sleeve with ink-jet printed graphics. Nick Bike is an "open-format" DJ and producer from Vancouver, Canada.
Tokio Hotel: Your Christmas / Your Christmas (Instrumental) (Germany: Sony Music)
1 point
German pop band Tokio Hotel released a Christmas single via Amazon in November, both digitally and as a translucent green vinyl single limited to 1,000 copies. The vinyl single came in a package with a pair of Tokio Hotel-themed Christmas socks and three Christmas cards in a black envelope. The peak of the band's popularity was in 2005-2007 when they had 4 German #1 hits. Your Christmas" was the band's first single chart entry since 2021. The song peaked at #42. Your Christmas' is a ballad-like pop song about how Christmas is all about spending time with your loved ones.
Be Afraid / David Ivan Neil / Spank Williams / Ia lune / Max Boonch Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Single 2023 (Canada: Kingfisher Bluez)
No points yet
Martha Spencer: Cherry Street Christmas / Christmas On An Old Freight Train (US: self-released)
No points yet
Martha Spencer is a very stylish looking country singer and guitarist from Whitetop, Virginia, who also plays in the Whitetop Mountain Band, the Wt Mtneers, the Blue Ridge Girls and the Wonderland County Show Band. Both songs on this single sound like they were recorded in the 1920s (albeit with 21st century recording equipment), thanks to the honkytonk piano and jazzy trombone played by Grant Arthur. Limited to 24 picture disc lathe cut copies.
Not really a Christmas single, but I'll mention it anyway because of the title of the A-side song. If I had considered it a Christmas single, it would have been a top 10 single.
Thermos Grenadine: Christmas Cowboy / Poisoning Pigeons In The Park (US: Fashionable Death)
204 points
A very strange single, as strange as the titles of the songs suggest. The lyrics of 'Christmas Cowboy' don't really have anything to do with Christmas. Only in the chorus Thermos Grenadine sings: "Christmas cowboy / I am a tall magician / Christmas cowboy / Would you be mine". The verses are mostly spoken, the chorus sung in an almost operatic voice. A striking quote from the song: "But I'm still just here playing possum with my brain". On the B-side, Grenadine covers Tom Lehrer's satirical "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," singing like an actor in a Broadway musical. The music sounds like video game music. Thermos Grenadine records under a variety of names, with Lil Ugly Mane being the best known. His real name is Travis Miller, he hails from Richmond, Virginia, has been releasing music under various monikers since 1999 (Vudmurk and Bedwetter to name two, as Vudmurk he recorded black metal) and looks like a cross between a hardcore punk singer and a hiphop singer. But not when he performs as Thermos Grenandine. Because as Thermos Grenandine he is dressed in a red plush dog suit... The songs were already released in 2022, this single in May 2023, all this is enough to not consider this a Christmas single.
