This is a 2001 compilation of London's El record label roster, a quirky group of young musicians who apparently worship every aspect of 60s pop music. Not so much rock, it's a kind of post-lounge sensibility, as near as I can work out, although there are some rock moments, as there must be for the era. Two songs are non-originals and non-Christmas for that matter: Loveletter does The Cowsills' "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" and Wallpaper does an instrumental of The Beatles' "Good Night." Marden Hill's "Slalom" is a wordless vocal that evokes its title, Valerie Masters' "Christmas Calling" is a kind of Cilla Black-styled number, "Christmas Jam" by Bridge is one of the few pop-rockers here, and you'll want to put "Schoolgirl Psychedelia" on your mix collection just so you can tell people it's by Fantastic Everlasting Gobstopper. Tomorrow's World melds pop, folk and rock in "I Don't Want to Spend Christmas Without You" and they get more into the garage-rock mold with "The Winter Is Cold." Would Be Goods throw in a little bluebeat with "Christmas in Haiti," starting out with this immortal line: "It's the season of good cheer/There's a cockroach in my beer." Other fun cuts include "Psychedelic Christmas" by Her, which is as advertised, and "The 13th Day of Christmas" by Louis Philippe. Remains available through Amazon on disc, but I've linked to the download version, which was reissued by Cherry Red in 2008 under the title Christmas Cocktails With Santa's Swinging Stocking Fillers.
El Christmas: The World in Winter, various artists (El/Cherry Red Records)
This is a 2001 compilation of London's El record label roster, a quirky group of young musicians who apparently worship every aspect of 60s pop music. Not so much rock, it's a kind of post-lounge sensibility, as near as I can work out, although there are some rock moments, as there must be for the era. Two songs are non-originals and non-Christmas for that matter: Loveletter does The Cowsills' "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" and Wallpaper does an instrumental of The Beatles' "Good Night." Marden Hill's "Slalom" is a wordless vocal that evokes its title, Valerie Masters' "Christmas Calling" is a kind of Cilla Black-styled number, "Christmas Jam" by Bridge is one of the few pop-rockers here, and you'll want to put "Schoolgirl Psychedelia" on your mix collection just so you can tell people it's by Fantastic Everlasting Gobstopper. Tomorrow's World melds pop, folk and rock in "I Don't Want to Spend Christmas Without You" and they get more into the garage-rock mold with "The Winter Is Cold." Would Be Goods throw in a little bluebeat with "Christmas in Haiti," starting out with this immortal line: "It's the season of good cheer/There's a cockroach in my beer." Other fun cuts include "Psychedelic Christmas" by Her, which is as advertised, and "The 13th Day of Christmas" by Louis Philippe. Remains available through Amazon on disc, but I've linked to the download version, which was reissued by Cherry Red in 2008 under the title Christmas Cocktails With Santa's Swinging Stocking Fillers.
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