This originally was an eight-cut vinyl EP on Rounder in 1986, in fact, I have a copy of that but never got around to posting an entry on it until now. The liner notes do a pretty good job of tracing the history of NRBQ and Christmas, and this deluxe edition adds a number of cuts from over time, starting with a cut from a different 1978 EP and ranging through to 1995. The band, a critics' favorite that never had a real live hit, essentially broke up in 1994 but various reunions and regroupings took place over the years, and Terry Adams is now touring the band with mostly new members. Their original Christmas song, "Christmas Wish," has turned up on a few compilations over the years and was covered in 2007 by Darlene Love. It turns up three times here, in the original version, as a reprise, and in a "TV version" that is an instrumental. Overall, this CD, which started out as a slapdash EP project in the vein of Beach Boys' Party and Christmas Time Again by Chris Stamey and friends, is a little too slapdash, with the vast majority of the 19 songs being under two minutes and a fair number being live bits of goofing around with traditional carols. Terry Adams' "Electric Train" and "Holiday are the only other original tunes, all of which date back to the first issue of the EP. This is probably more for NRBQ fans and completists, though the title song remains an overlooked gem.
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