So here’s more Christmas records if you can stand ’em. Only got two requests, the Slade record which I don’t own and James Brown’s Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto. Since we’re starting with soul Christmas (pre-Kwanza) I’ve always dug Gary US Bonds Call Me For Christmas and here’s a totally different Christmas In Viet Nam than last week’s. This time by a real grunt, Pvt. Charles Bowen.
Babs Gonzales had a way with words, as heard here on his Be Bop Santa. More like Junkie Santa, eh? Speaking of hepsters, Louis Prima’s Santa, How Come Your Eyes Are Green This Year When Last Year They Were Blue? is well worth hearing once a year.
I don’t think I posted any Christmas mambo records last week, to rectify that here’s the Enchanters’ Mambo Santa Mambo and Big John Greer’s We Want To See Santa Do The Mambo.
Some real obscurities for you now– Barry & the Highlights– Christmas Bell Rock is pretty cool. So is the Moods’ Rockin’ Santa Claus. Mark Anthony made the second greatest Christmas twist record ever—Mama’s Twistin’ With Santa Claus, not a bad claim to non-fame. I don’t anything about Big Bud but his Rock Around The Christmas Tree is wild, out of tune sax solo and all.
Rockabilly legend Sonny Cole (“I Dreamed I Was Elvis”) knew how to put two novelty items together by sending Santa To The Moon. Even better is the Episodes- The Christmas Tree, a rare garage Xmas novelty from God knows where.
Ral Donner’s Christmas Day sounds pretty much like Elvis, which means it’s pretty great. And Little Joey Farr’s Big White Cadillac is a good kid rocker, not my favorite genre but this little twerp can actually rock.The 4 Imperials Santa’s Got A Coupe De Ville is a whacked out greaseball rocker. Speaking of greaseballs, how ’bout Jack Scott’s Jingle Bell Slide from the guy who wrote a song called Greaseball but the record company made him change it to Leroy. Patsy Raye is another one who knew how to double up on the novelty trends, combining beatniks and Christmas on her wiggy Beatnik’s Christmas Wish.