Hip Christmas

Welcome To Hip Christmas! I think you'll enjoy my dysfunctionally vast web archive dedicated to holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. If you do, please support me by shopping at Amazon, Apple Music, and Sheet Music Plus! Regardless, the best of the season to you - no matter what month it is! [about me]

What Was New In 2024? Last year's new Christmas albums included lots of vinyl reissues, big names like Jennifer Hudson and Little Big Town, indie darlings like Dean & Britta and Phantom Planet, a full-length Tower Of Power album, a new collection from the Carpenters, and yet another Bear Family compilation. I've completed my annual obsessive, quixotic attempt to keep up with it all, including my Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles. [gimme gimme]

The Christmas Jukebox. My online Christmas music player is bulging with over 900 hip tunes - and counting! You can listen to the music I write about - the coolest, weirdest, and loudest holiday songs ever, all while enjoying my inimitable prose - or not! [press play]

My Face, Your Book. There's a lot of holiday hilarity going on over at Facebook, in case you can't get enough on my website - or vice versa. Check out the Hip Christmas page, and follow me for maximum holiday fun all year long. No Russian trolls, please. I also post cool cover art on Instagram and Pinterest. [follow me]

Go To Rhino Records! From a small record shop in Los Angeles came - eventually - the very foundation of this website. Across 20 years, Rhino Records released nearly two dozen compilations that wrote the history of recorded Christmas music in the 20th century and transformed my curiosity into obsession. [read more]

Snowman Magic. Power pop icon Dwight Twilley scored a handful of classic hits during his long career including "I'm On Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984). He kinda capped it off with Have A Twilley Christmas (2004), a charming and eclectic EP that, over the next few years, would be expanded into a full album. [read more]

Top 20 Christmas Albums. Actually, 40 - I started unwrapping presents and just couldn't stop! Anyway, who said Christmas music has to be boring? Not me! These sterling platters will put you in the Christmas spirit faster than you can say, "Go Cat Go!" [read more]

The Saddest Time Of The Year. Yuletunes (1991) is a power pop collection that often sounds more like an indolent Big Star ballad than a raucous Raspberries rocker. Most songs dwell on the melancholy aspects of the holiday season, even when the music feels joyous and jangly. Artists include the Shoes, Matthew Sweet, and Material Issue. [read more]

Too Much Of A Good Thing. Adding up to four compact discs and nearly 100 songs, Ho Ho Ho Spice (2002) and Holiday Heart (2005) gave us a lot of music at a bargain price while serving a good cause - supporting hospice care. But, a lot of that music wasn't very good, and I've spent a lot of time finding the jewels amidst the dross. [read more]

Matthew Sweet On Quaaludes. Long ago, I bought two albums and wrote a whole review - for just one song. In my defense, it was a pretty good song, but I assumed the band and the song had been long forgotten. Then, I learned that The Zest of Yore had endured, moved to my hometown, and the drummer lived a couple of doors down! [read more]

The 12 Plays Of Christmas. In 2007, the Indie Rock Cafe published an amazing set of holiday playlists ranging from a handful of classics to an endless supply of genuinely obscure bands sure to thrill the kiddies and stump obsessive collectors. But, the playlists fell into disrepair, so I rescued them just for you! [listen & download]

Santa Goes To Memphis. Six soul music stalwarts from the 60's sing 12 holiday favorites arranged in the classic style of Stax Records. That was the concept behind Christmas Soul Special, a 1982 album produced by a long-forgotten New York label. It turned out to be a better concept on paper than in reality, but it's still a lotta fun! [read more]

Christmas Time In The Valley. Freddy Fender's career had a lot of ups and downs, from deep in the Rio Grande Valley to the top of the pop charts. Through it all, he stayed mostly true to his Tejano roots. Sadly, his 1977 album "Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad" isn't one of those times, but there's still a lot to like. [read more]

A Not So Merry Christmas. Teen idol Bobby Vee isn't cool, but he's sort of "cool adjacent." His career included brushes with Buddy Holly, the Crickets, the Ventures, and, believe it or not, Bob Dylan. Similarly, his 1962 album Merry Christmas From Bobby Vee isn't that great, but it includes five pretty decent original songs. [read more]

I Can't Help Myself. The Four Tops were the biggest Motown act to never record a Christmas album - until 1995 when they briefly returned to the label to cut Christmas Here With You. It's a solid album, but it doesn't have that magic Motown sound that made songs leap out of tiny transistor radios and into our hearts. [read more]

Better Watch Out! In 2009, writer Jim Dees warned, "Don't get trapped in an uncool yule," and he thanked Hip Christmas for "their incredible array of Christmas tunes." You are welcome, Jim. The article was published in the Mississippi newspaper Oxford Eagle, but I have posted Jim's droll, insightful musings for posterity. [read more]

An Offer You Can't Refuse. Mob-connected New York indie Roulette Records waxed a treasure trove of doo wop, girl groups, rhythm & blues, and jazz in the 1950's and 1960's. All of that is on display on Westside's 1998 CD compilation, Christmas Past, alongside novelty songs of unspeakable weirdness. Let's spin the wheel! [read more]

Praise Jah, It's Christmas. Studio One was producer Coxsone Dodd's legendary Kingston hit factory, and he ruled the Jamaican charts like no one before or since. Reggae Christmas From Studio One and its sequel, Christmas Greetings From Studio One, are typical of the thrilling roots reggae that routinely sprang from within those blessed walls. [read more]

Dig That Crazy Santa Claus. Rhino's Christmas Rock EP (1982) and Rockin' Christmas albums (1984) are partly responsible for this website. Their diverse, nontraditional, wackadoodle portrayal of holiday music gave me one of my first glimpses into a world where Santa is twistin', surfin', rockin', and rollin' - and everybody is welcome. [read more]

Mr. Excitement Is Boring. Almost forgotten these days, Jackie Wilson played a pivotal role in the development of Motown and soul music, not to mention his staggering talent as a singer and entertainer. Sadly, while his 1963 album Merry Christmas showcases his spectacular voice, it obscures his deep soul and sexy showmanship. [read more]

What A Wonderful Christmas. Surprisingly, jazz icon Louis Armstrong never released a Christmas album during his long, long career. But, he did cut a number of holiday singles and album tracks - enough to nearly fill up a long player. Nobody's ever compiled them all, though a couple of otherwise fine albums have come very close. [learn more]

Santa's Done Got Hip. Rhino Records' Hipsters' Holiday: Vocal Jazz And R&B Classics (1989) provides a vivid snapshot of American jive in the full flower of health, from hard bop to swing, from jump blues to doo wop. These songs are unusual, often uproarious, occasionally scabrous celebration of Christmas. [read more]

Our Festive Friends. It takes a village to nurture an obsession, and I've collected a whole page of my favorite places to commiserate about my love of (and addiction to) wacky Christmas music. This set of merry links will convince you that you are not alone. [get linked]

The Band With All The Toys. The Beach Boys' 1964 Christmas album boils down to just five original songs running less than 20 minutes. And yet, it's permanently ensconced in my Top 20 Albums. Briefly stated, those are five great songs, and all of them stand up to the best that Brian Wilson ever wrote. [read more]

And Away We Go! Best remembered as an actor and swashbuckling personality, Jackie Gleason also waxed a long series of urbane instrumental albums including two holiday records, Merry Christmas (1956) and 'Tis The Season (1967). To be sure, Gleason's music listens way too easy for me, but devotees of "beautiful music" swear by the stuff. [read more]

A Marshmallow World. One of just a few artists whose names are synonymous with Christmas music, Johnny Mathis has produced more of the stuff than almost anybody. Personally, I've always been put off by Mathis' almost willful lack of soul, but he can sing like crazy, and he's got great taste in arrangers, producers, and material. [read more]

Child of God. After breaking into the record racket as a teen idol, Bobby Darin made a beeline towards respectability. He never quite got there, and one of his more curious stabs at redefinition was The 25th Day Of December (1960), a not-so-subtle attempt to put Christ back in Christmas - via Las Vegas. [read more]

Shoplifting You Something For Christmas. Portland-based Tim/Kerr Records released It's Finally Christmas back when a whole album of alternative holiday rock was a rare thing and a reason to celebrate. There are, indeed, some great songs here. But, too often they are obscured by pointless dissonance and hipper-than-thou diffidence. [read more]

A Quiet Christmas Village. Vibraphonist Arthur Lyman was a giant of what we now call "exotica," and Mele Kalikimaka (1963) is a good example of what he did best: set a mood with music drenched in the romance of the South Pacific. The only difference is the presence of Santa and Rudolph, who seem to be enjoying their Hawaiian vacation! [read more]

Big Stars. It started off as a little EP in 1985, but Christmas Time by Chris Stamey, the dB's, and a bunch of their friends grew like a progressive potluck dinner. It ended up producing 32 tracks over four editions, including two bona fide classics, Stamey's lovely title song and the dB's rousing "Holiday Spirit." [read more]

Christmas Time's A-Coming. Long ago, country music was called "hillbilly" music, and nobody took offense. Rhino Records' Hillbilly Holiday tells the story of Christmas music during the golden age of Nashville, and by embracing the old appellation, it makes a statement: The best country music never denies its roots. [read more]

Yo, Santa, whuzzup? When I first heard Snoop Dogg's hilarious "'Twas The Night Before Christmas," I assumed Christmas On Death Row would be more of the same. I was wrong. The compilation from the infamous West Coast rap label has some good stuff (including another joint from Snoop), but it's mostly soft-headed slow jams. Sigh... [read more]

Merry Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! An adjunct to the Hot Rod Rock series, Hot Rod Holiday (1997) collected 16 festive songs by vintage rock artists popular with grease monkeys and the ladies who love them. Only one song is actually about a car, but most Christmas collectors (and gearheads) will enjoy the hell out of it. [read more]

A Christmas Gift For You. Every year, I offer free MP3's from my voluminous collection - all unavailable easily or legitimately in the music marketplace. In 2024, I revisited the legendary, exceedingly rare Flagpole Christmas albums, filling in some gaping holes and sprucing up the sound quality. [listen or download]

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