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Reindeer RockMost Christmas music compilations are shabbily packaged and, even worse, carelessly compiled, consisting of the same rote songs by Bing or Bobby or Brenda or whoever. The track listings on the worst ones seem selected virtually at random, as though the record label turned a clueless intern loose in the vault with instructions to fill up (almost) 30 minutes by December - which, sadly, may actually be the case. And, it gets even worse when the albums are released under the guise of "Special Products," which is usually music industry jargon for "cheap piece of crap."

Every great now and then, however, an intern defies expectations, makes a real effort, and compiles an album for Christmas geeks like me - filled with rare and wonderful surprises. Reindeer Rock (Sony Music Special Products, 1994) is almost one of them. True, it consists of a measly 10 songs running barely over 26 minutes, and it's about as well annotated as a Burma Shave sign. And, one of those songs is an album cut from Elmo & Patsy so execrable it makes the listener pine fondly for the duo's abominable hit "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." But, the other nine songs on Reindeer Rock are quite rare (several appear only herein) and most are equally wonderful - at least to geeks like me, and you know who you are.

Foremost among these treasures is Barry Richards' top-notch novelty "Baby Sittin' Santa" (1962), wherein the juvenile singer turns in a credible Elvis imitation recounting the tale of Santa Claus and a very loquacious infant. Prior to digging up Reindeer Rock, I had only ever seen this swell track on an old Rhino LP, Rockin Christmas: The 50's (1984). Not only does Reindeer Rock capture a cleanly mastered digital transfer of a song I consider one of the all-time greatest, but it also rescues the actual ending of the record - something Rhino had apparently (and inexplicably) edited out! Wow, Sony has good interns....

Barry Richards, "Baby Sittin' Santa"But, the fun is just beginning. Reindeer Rock also includes a number of obscure tracks from artists known for other Christmas records, including "77 Santas" by Gayla Peevey (best remembered for "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas") and "Reindeer Rock" by Jimmy Boyd (who popularized "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"). Add to that a lovely rendition of "The Christmas Song" from late in Les Paul & Mary Ford's career, as well as an absolutely arcane track by the Orchids, a girl group from New York City. Maybe best of all, we get a deliriously randy ode to Santa from the long-forgotten dynamo, blonde bombshell, and self-proclaimed "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," Lillian Briggs. I have goosebumps!

Finally, I can't ignore the fact that Reindeer Rock includes a song by Aretha Franklin, the reigning Queen of Soul. But, it was recorded for Columbia in 1961, years before she moved to Atlantic Records and waxed classics like "Respect" and "Chain Of Fools." Aretha's whimsical "Kissin' By The Mistletoe" is fine, but it reflects none of the soulful heft she would bring to her later work. It doesn't even measure up well against her other Columbia recordings, which include some fine, jazz-informed interpretations of the Great American Songbook a la Dinah Washington or Nancy Wilson. Still, a Christmas song by Lady Soul is nothing to sneeze at.

Bottom line: Almost none of these songs are well-known - which is kind of the point - and most of the performers are obscure, at least to modern audiences. So, ultimately, Reindeer Rock is probably way too esoteric for the average Christmas music enthusiast. But, for geeks like us, it is (nearly) nirvana.

Discographia

All of the 10 songs on Reindeer Rock were originally released on the Columbia and Epic labels, which were part of CBS Records, purchased by Japanese electronics giant Sony in 1988. Six of the songs were originally issued as non-LP singles, which was a common practice on the 50's and 60's, especially with Christmas music. The tracks by Frankie Laine, Les Paul & Mary Ford, and Aretha Franklin originated on the 1961 Columbia compilation We Wish You The Merriest: An All-Star Christmas, which has never formally been reissued in the digital age. The remaining track is from Elmo & Patsy's excruciating 1982 LP Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, which Epic reissued in 1984. That's makes it the odd man out on Reindeer Rock (in more ways than one), falling a full 20 years after the next-most-recent track. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Baby Sittin' Santa (Barry Richards, 1962) Top 100 Song
  • Christmas Is The Time To Be With Your Baby (The Orchids, 1964)
  • The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Les Paul & Mary Ford, 1963)
  • Kissin' By The Mistletoe (Aretha Franklin, 1961)
  • (Look At The) Reindeer Rock (Jimmy Boyd, 1955)
  • The Only Thing I Want For Christmas (DeJohn Sisters, 1955)
  • Rock 'n' Roll-y Poly Santa Claus (Lillian Briggs, 1955)
  • 77 Santas (Gayla Peevey, 1955)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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