A Christmas Present.... And Past, Paul Revere and the Raiders (Columbia)

An early stab at a rock concept album, this 1966 vanity project was mostly written by Mark Lindsay and Terry Melcher, except for "Jingle Bells." It's fairly full of itself and horribly dated, as we learn from the very first (unlisted) cut, with a half-hearted Salvation Army band, smarmy narration and stupid schtick. "Wear a Smile at Christmas," the advertised first cut, is dopey and features a really bad Lyndon Johnson impression. The version of "Jingle Bells" doesn't even feature the band, but a couple of actors pretending to be half in the bag while singing the song. "Valley Forge" is just stupid, as is the Greensleeves cop "Brotherly Love." Some of the songs deeper into the album, like "Dear Mr. Claus" and "Macy's Window," are a little better, but the Salvation Army band preludes on most cuts get old quickly. And bail out before you get to "A Heavy Christmas Message," which is a hardly-heavy reason-for-the-season bromide. It's a real shame this isn't better, considering the band was such a rock 'n roll singles machine through the mid-Sixties.