Christmas in the Garage

[swt]

What's your favorite garagepunk Xmas tunes?

The Fleshtones recently released a Christmas album called Stocking Stuffer that's not bad.

There's a new Little Steven's Undnerground Garage Christmas a Go Go collection. Like his show, there's really just a small portion of actual garage music there, but there's some fun stuff: Soupy Sales doing "Santa Claus is Surfing to Town" The Chesterfield Kings doing a Chuck Berryish song called "Hey Santa Santa," a cool Bob Seger tune called "Sock it To Me Santa." The best stuff here though are a couple of soul Santa songs: Rufus Thomas' "I'll Be Your Santa" and Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa."

Last year there was an album called Christmas 1979 by Billy Childish (actually Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire) I've downloaded a couple of those from eMusic.

And there's that classic Christmas song by The Sonics, "I Don't Believe in Christmas" and The Dirtbombs' "My Last Christmas."

What else we got?

[TARO]

Well last year there was a christmas split 7" with the Black Lips doing a song called Christmas In Baghdad and King Khan & BBQ Show doing an instrumental called Plump Righteous.

[Mike]

Here's just a few songs I'm putting on the wife's muzak cd for work. Not strictly GP. Lots of Rockabilly, Soul, & even ska/reggae stuff out there too.

Humpers "Run Run Rudolph"
Sonics "Santa Claus"
Kinks 'Father Christmas"
Surfaries "Surfers Christmas"
Jackie & the Cedrics "Silent Night Rumble"
Detroit Junior "Christmas Day"
Kaisers "Mery Christmas Loopy Lu"

Check out Dave the Spazz's archived shows for all kinds of X-mas goodies.

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/MS

[swt]

Thanks for posting the MP3s, Mike.

"Run Rudolph Run," originally by Chuck Berry, has been covered by lots of folks. It's on that new Fleshtones Xmas album and there's a version by Keith Richards on the new Little Steven's Underground Garage xmas compilation. The Rockin' Guys (an Arkansas band) also covered it many years ago.

Check out my own Christmas podcast:

[Mike]

Yea, I have a few other versions too, but I like it as it's one of the rawer versions, although Berry's will always have to be ranked at the top. Haven't heard the Fleshtone's version though, will check out the show, thanks.

[Colin]

'the village idiot' by the sonics...... makes that a 3rd by them!