Here's a little background on three more of the tracks from my latest holiday mix, Christmas Cheer.
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| Willie Nelson at His 90th Birthday Concert |
Holiday Greetings from Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday this past April, and while I
can’t claim to be especially familiar with his extensive catalogue, I really
like a lot of the stuff I’ve heard. Beyond that, there’s no disputing that he’s
a bona fide original — a genuine national treasure. From where I sit, his work
ethic, activism and honesty deserve great respect.
A long description of Nelson's myriad contributions to our culture and politics is probably beyond the scope of this blog, and it would take more time than I have available to do justice to the task. I'm just happy he's still "on the road [again], doing well and doing good.
Christmas Time for Sailors, Green Monkey Christmas Chorale (2019)
Forty years ago, a Seattle musician named Tom Dyer started a fledgling underground record label with the idea of producing and promoting some of his city’s formidable underground music artists. The label, known as Green Monkey Records, has never been terribly successful financially, but it’s a gritty little competitor that sprung back to life after an eight-year hiatus in 2009 and is still releasing new music today (albeit from its new location in Olympia). The label boasts a number of local bands whose sound has been described as "post-punk/pre-grunge Seattle" and "indy pop music—good honest, ballsy, delicate, garage-y, punky, folky, mildly trippy pop music."
Since its resurrection 14 years ago the label has perhaps become best known for its annual holiday compilations, proceeds of which benefit MusicCares, an industry-based charity that supports struggling musicians with health care and other basic needs. Featured artists include such Green Monkey artists as The Green Pajamas, Donovan’s Brain, The Queen Annes and, of course, The Green Monkey Christmas Chorale, featuring Dyer himself. That’s the crew that’s responsible for this wonderful holiday sea shanty, which, as you can see, comes across even better on video:
Review and Order from the
Collection of Green Monkey Christmas Comps
We Want the Best for You, Radio Station Jingles
This little jingle comes from a short collection called Holiday Radio Station Christmas Jingles, Volume 2, which I found on YouTube. It’s from the Pirate Radio U.S.A. YouTube channel, which features specific audio files collected over the years by Pirate Radio U.S.A., a non-profit internet radio station that broadcasts occasionally on the Mixlr application. The content available on this channel is stated to be for educational purposes only.
YouTube hosts a wide variety of holiday radio promos, bumpers and fillers, as well as lengthier tracks such as holiday recordings played in department stores and shopping centers in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Links to just a couple of these offerings appear below. If you check them out, be sure to read some of the comments posted about these nostalgic soundtracks. While YouTube comments can sometimes be rather mean-spirited (they’ve cleaned them up a lot in recent years, thankfully), these comments are mostly touching and bittersweet, pining for the simpler times of 30 or 40 years ago. I can certainly understand the appeal.
Check Out Holiday Music Played in K-Mart Stores in the 1970s
Hear 4 Hours of Vintage Department Store Christmas Music
It was good to see Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 again this week, and only a part of my happiness comes from the fact she kept Mariah Carey out of the top spot. Six of the ten top tunes are old Christmas songs again this week, and my favorite holiday song of all time, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," by Darlene Love, is up six spots to #21 on this week's chart!
I'll be back soon with thoughts on the nine remaining tracks on this year's mix. Stay warm and dry and be of good cheer!
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