2013 Christmas 7" vinyl releases

What did bring 2013 as far as Christmas singles (on 7" vinyl!) goes, besides the 4 singles of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club.

First, quite some split 7"'s.

One of the first that came out is maybe not really a Christmas single, as only one of the three songs on the single, is about Christmas. As part of the Xtra Mile Singles Sessions, Mongol Horde (the new hardcore orientated band of singer/songwriter and former punkrock band Million Dead singer Frank Turner) is featured on side A with their song 'How The Communists Ruined Christmas'. An interesting title, but unfortunately, due to the singing (or better) screaming style, I can't understand most of the lyrics. On the flipside we find Jamie Lenman with two non-Christmas songs. The Möngöl Hörde track, that was already up on Youtube last year (although I am not 100% sure it's the same version) and is probably the loudest Christmas song of the year.
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Another split that is also only half a Christmas single is put out by one of the leading UK indie labels, Too Pure Records. The Christmas song is recorded by Best Friends, also from the UK, and is called 'When Christmas Comes'. It's a joyful and somewhat messy Christmas ditty. The other side, that has Seize The Chair with 'I Just Want To Sleep' is not a bad at all either. Judging from the title, it could have been a song by someone who is totally fed up with Christmas, so only wants to do one thing, and that is sleep. But it isn't.
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The third Christmas-Not Christmas split has been released as part of the Black Friday Record Store Day releases and has two songs taken from a recent Alabama tribute album 'High Cotton: A Tribute To Alabama'. The Blind Boys of Alabama sing about 'Christmas In Dixie', and that is exactly how it sounds - that is, not Dixie as in Dixieland jazz, but Dixie as deep down south in the States: country, with a gospel twist. On the B-side Jason Isbell & John Paul White sing about an 'Old Flame'. The Blind Boys Of Alabama song is probably the most traditional sounding Christmas song I heard on 7” vinyl this year.
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Then we have some split-7"'s that feature two bands AND two Christmas songs.

The UK label Ample Play (that has some Cornershop connection) is making a tradition of putting out Christmas singles (and that's a tradition I definitely like!) and this year, they have two French indie bands who both wrote a Christmas original. The first one, Sudden Death of Stars, don't sing about the three wise men getting disorientated, as the Christmas star suddenly disappeared from the heavens, but about the fact that is never snows in Brittany, where the band is from. And if you can't have snow, 'What Is Winter Good For?' they are asking themselves and us. Well, not much, if you ask me: only for listening to nice Christmas songs, maybe... On the other side, Beat Mark take it one step further with their 'Christmas Blossoms' - they just move Christmas to the spring and if you do that, you will have blossoms at Christmas! That's something else than snowflakes! The bands plays nice dual female-male lofi indie pop.
Listen

As always, punk rock is well represented, as far as Christmas singles go. The funny thing is that, despite all punks claim they hate Christmas, also in the songs they are singing, there is no other music style that has so many bands recording Christmas songs every year.

Randale Records has put out a great Christmas tree shaped record two years ago, with Last Seen Laughing and The Gov'ners, and released another split this year, but now in the normal 7” format. It is called 'Yuletide Cheers & Oi', so you know where these bands are coming from. Germany's Evil Conduct Official make their own punked-up version of 'Silver Bells', with slightly changed lyrics, and I like it. The Old Firm Casuals , who feature a former Rancid member, sing about 'Father X-Mas'. I haven't heard that song yet, so I can't tell you if it is a cover of The Kinks song. Wouldn't surprise me if it is.
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If it is, that will be the second punk band covering The Kinks this year, as Bad Religion also recorded 'Father Christmas'. Their version did not appear on their Christmas album, but on a one-sided limited 7”, that shows Santa Claus smoking a cigarette on the front cover. Bad Religion's version of The Kinks classic is not bad at all, but, let's face it, no band will ever come close to the brilliant original of The Kinks, who gave it a punk attitude without being a punk band – although they did record and release it in exactly that time in history when punk broke. But more about that in a few days.
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We have one other split-7” left, and that is by hardcore punk veterans Poison Idea, who are found side by side with the Angry Snowmans, a punkband that is all about Christmas. Poison Idea cover 'Santa Claus Is Back In Town', a song they already recorded several years ago. And Angry Snowman sing about 'Sugar Plums'. TKO Records has put it out, and it comes in three versions: the traditional Christmas colours red and green, and in candy cane coloured vinyl – that is,white with some nice red spots. If you are a collector: get them all, I would say!
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Last year, Fat Wreck's flagship No FX put out a Christmas 7”, now it is Masked Intruder turn. On pictures, the band look like a male version of Pussy Riot, but unfortunately, they don't seem to share their politics. Their 7” is one of the very few punk releases this year that is all positive about Christmas and especially about Santa Claus, as they admire him being able to break into so many houses on one single night. Uhm. In spite of this, their 'Under The Mistletoe' (not a cover of the song of The Silhouettes, by the way) is your usual 'I miss you as you not with me this Christmas,baby-song. Its seems that she chose to get sunburned on a Waikiki beach instead. Who could blame her? Musically, the song is totally poppunk and it has bells – of course! On the flipside the Masked Intruders do their own punked-up version of 'Silent Night', and complain about the cops, who don't let them steal from the 'rich kids', despite the fact its Christmas.
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One of the more well known bands to do a Christmas single this year is !!! (pronounce chk chk chk). The title of their Christmas song is 'And Anway It's Christmas', and it was put out in a limited run of 100 copies on Warp Records. It just came out and I see it available everywhere, but I guess you have to be quick if you want to get a copy of that 7”. It's worth it, as it's a melancholic, yet very poppy electronic song, with some nice jazzy piano parts, that seems perfectly fit for a late night spin on your turntable, while outside the snow is falling down. On the flip, they do a dub version of the song. At least, that is what I guessed from the titled, as I haven't heard it yet.
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Last year, Jeff Hershey and the Heartbeats recorded a song called 'Santa Claus Is A Monster' for a CD compilation. The song now appears on the A-side of a single on German label Soundflat Records, coupled with two covers of The Sonics on the B-side: “Santa Claus” and “Don't Believe In Christmas”. I like the soulful original, that paints an awful picture of Saint Nick, who turns out to be a slave driver for his Elves, and behaves like a criminal. So I guess Masked Intruder where right in their admiration for him. One of the better Christmas singles I heard this year.
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Another Christmas single that I like a lot is by The Hollyberries, a Christmas surf pop band from the USA, and actually a one-man project by former L.A. Punk band Shock-founder and -guitarist Kip Brown, with several guest vocalists and musicians. It has four songs, as far as I know all originals, that have been recorded from 2009 to 2012 and so far, have only been available digital, of which three have a Christmas theme: the title track '(I Wanna Go) Surfin' With Santa!', (C'mon-a) Surfin' Christmas Holiday' and 'Santa's Supersonic Flying Rocket Sled'. The fourth song is more of a typical Summer-y surf song: 'Boards & Bikinis Rule (Down At Malibu). The songs are a cross of poppy surf and the early 60s girl group sound, so perfectly fit for Christmas, and the record comes on 'surf foam' blue & white-vinyl. It has been put out on California (what else) label Freakbeat Records, and seems to be as good as sold out. Get a copy of it while you can!
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So far, I have stumbled upon one not-English sung Christmas song, by a Portugese artist named Miguel Ângelo (I wonder if that is his real name). His Christmas single 'O Tua Natal' (which translates as 'Christmas Viewing') is a friendly poppy sounding feel good rock & roll-song. It's backed up by an instrumental version on the B-side. I like the way he put the Christmas tree in the cover art of his single.
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The last new Christmas single I want to list features another track that has been part of a compilation last year. Both single and compilation were put out by US label Flannelgraph Records. The single is by Loren Connors, is titled 'Christmas Day', and it's a short (1.39 minutes) experimental instrumental piece, that doesn't really brings any Christmas assocations to me, when I listen to it (although, it definitely sound melancholic, and Christmas can be a time for melancholy). The B-side has the same piece, but in the original VHS transfer version. But it's a charity release, and together with the title, this does make it a real Christmas release in my book anyway! So if you want to try something completily different for Christmas this year, check it out.
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Every year, there are also one or two re-issues. So far, I've spotted one, that came out as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday release wave: two tracks of the classic Vince Guaraldi Trio (Fans of Vince Guaraldi) soundtrack of the Snoopy Christmas movie. I love the movie, I love the music and I love this single, which comes in a very nice picture sleeve, with all the Peanuts gang around the Christmas tree on the front cover. The song features the movie hit 'Linus And Lucy' and another instrumental jazzy original 'Oh, Good Grief' on the B-side. Definitely one of my favorite Christmas singles this years.
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So, including the Smoke Fairies, The Garlands, The Miserable Rich and The Silhouettes Christmas singles singles, that makes eighteen 2013 Christmas singles so far, which is not bad at all, and hopefully I'll find some more.

If you know of any other 2013 Christmas (vinyl) singles, please let me know!

Jona Lewie: Stop The Cavalry b/w Laughing Tonight (UK, Stiff Records, BUY 104, 1980)

The song that The Miserable Rich has chosen for the B-side of their single was one of the biggest Christmas hits of the early 1980s. Featured as side A on a 7” of Southampton singer/songwriter Jona Lewie, and issued on the Stiff Label, the single reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1980. Hadn't it been for John Lennon being shot on December 8, the single had probably been a genuine Christmas number one, as it were two John Lennon reissues that keept the song from the number 1 spot. The single was issued in many other countries and reached the Top 10 in a total of 11 countries, among these The Netherlands and Germany and the Top 3 in Australia. It didn't chart in the USA, though.

Jona Lewie, whose real name was John Lewis, was not exactly a newcomer to music when he scored his biggest hit with 'Stop The Cavalry'. In the late 1960s, he was active as a blues and boogie singer and piano player, and he contributed compositions and recordings to various compilations. Jona joined the blues band Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts in 1969 and a vocalist and pianist, and stayed with them until 1973, in the proces scoring a few hits, of which one, 'Seaside Shuffle', a Lewie composition, released by the band under the name of Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs, reached number 2 in the UK Chart.

Jona Lewie recorded some solo singles between 1974 and 1976 for Sonet, played in the shortlived band The Jive Bombers and some succes in Europe with solo singles 'Cherry Ring' and 'Come Away''. In 1977, Lewie signed to Stiff Records. His first hit for Stiff was humorous synthpop number, 'You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties', co-written by fellow Brett Marvin member Keef Trouble. 'Stop The Cavalry' was his next hit for Stiff. The single had the non-Christmas song 'Laughing Tonight' on the B-side.

Although the song was not intended as a Christmas song, but as a anti-war protest song, Stiff decided to release it as a Christmas single in November 1980 (as Buy 104). The line 'Wish I was at home for Christmas' and the brass band arrangements gave it a Christmas feeling, and the fact that the song did so well in the charts in December 1980 proved the label right. The song starts out with a reference to Winston Churchill, and in the first few lines seems to be about a soldier in a winter during the second world war. But the references in the rest of the song make it more a universal song, not located at a specific moment in time. Most clear in 'I had to fight, almost every night – Down throughout these centuries', while the title of the song, repeated several times at the end of most couplet, is as reference to pre-20st century wars. Jona Lewie himself later described the song's soldier as being "a bit like the eternal soldier at the Arc de Triomphe".

The line 'Mary Bradley waits at home – In the nuclear fall out zone' does make the song a very much early 1980s song. The fear of a nuclear war was everpresent in the early 1980s, while it is commonly believed that Mary Bradley refers to the London male transvestite prostitute and traversite Martin Bradley, who used to hang out in pubs and clubs in the South London of the 1970s and 1980s. Who Luzar and Jim are, who have tea when another bomb falls on another town, is less clear, nor why Mary Bradley had to wait two years. Maybe Jona Lewie will once reveal these secrets.

As for the music, it is believed that the song's melody is loosely based on a theme from Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 (also known as Midsommarvaka), written by Hugo Alfvén in 1903, while other parts of the song bear a resemblance to Mozart's Rondo in D Major, K382.

The song had been such a big hit, that Stiff decided to release another version of the song a year later. This version was sung by the Gwalia Singer, a Welsh male voice choir, who were accompanied by the Cory Band. Unfortunately for the label, that version of the song did not chart. Over the years, 'Stop The Cavalry' has become a real Christmas standard, which is funny when you know that it was never intended as a Christmas song in the first place.

You can listen to Jona Lewie's version of 'Stop The Cavalry' here:
Jona Lewie version

You can listen to the version by The Miserable Rich here:
The Miserable Rich version

Ella Fitzgerald: The Secret Of Christmas b/w The Christmas Song (UK, His Masters Voice, 45 POP 686, 1959)

Snowflakes Christmas Singles celebrates the Christmas single in two ways. By the Singles Club, aimed at releasing new and hopefully soon to be classic Christmas singles. And by documenting the Christmas singles from the past, especially those that deserve to be heard, also in 2013.

The first Christmas single that I like to write about, features my favorite Christmas song, the beautiful 'The Secret Of Christmas', sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

Ella Fitzgerald doesn't really need any introduction, as she was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, jazz singer of the 20th Century. As every famous jazz singer Ella has recorded a range of Christmas songs. Probably most famous is her 1960 Verve Christmas album “Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas”, including such standards as 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!', 'Sleigh Ride' and 'Winter Wonderland'.

The year before the album was released, Ella had recorded two other Christmas songs for Verve. On 3 september 1959, Ella entered United Records, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA and cut three tracks, arranged by Russ Garcia, and accompanied by his Orchestra. Besides swing standard 'Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar' (later B-side to Ella's single 'Like Young'), Ella recorded two Christmas songs: 'The Christmas Song', written by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells and a more recent song, 'The Secret Of Christmas'.

'The Secret Of Christmas' was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen for Bing Crosby and was first performed by him in the 1959 20th Century Fox movie 'Say One For Me'. Bing Crosby recorded the song with an arrangement by Frank DeVol for a single that year released by Columbia Records. It interesting that Frank DeVol would also arrange Ella's Verve Christmas album the following year, but did not arrange Ella's version of 'The Secret Of Christmas'. Bing Crosby did record a second version of the song, in 1964, for the album 'The 12 Songs Of Christmas'.

In the United States, 'The Secret Of Christmas' was released as the B-side to 'The Christmas Song', as Verve V 10186. Also in other countries, like The Netherlands, 'The Christmas Song' was the A-side of the single (Verve VV 20.079X45). The British valued the beauty of 'The Secret Of Christmas', as Ella's UK label, His Master Voice, released the two songs on 7” (as 45 POP 686) and choose to make 'The Secret Of Christmas' the A-side of the single.

'The Secret Of Christmas' is a very simple song, without any couplets or refrain. The song is 2.45 minutes long, but listening to it, it is as if is even shorter. It starts out very quietly with Ella's voice and very minimal musical accompanement, and sums up all that Christmas isn't – “not the glow you feel, when snow appears”, “not the Christmas cards you've send for years”, “not the joyful sound when sleighbells ring or the merry songs children sing”. Slowy some bells and violins are turning up in the sound. When the song reaches its conclusion, the secret of Christmas is revealed: “it is not the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do, all year through”. And is there really a better way to describe the spirit of Christmas?

For the completists, the recordings featured, besides Ella Fitzgerald on vocals, Russ Garcia (arr, cnd) and his orchestra, consisting of Pete Candoli, Philip Candreva, Buddy Childers, Stu Williamson (tp), Murray McEachern, George Roberts, Lloyd Ulyate (tb), Jay Corre, Chuck Gentry, Bill Holman, Ted Nash (ww), Mary Jane Barton (hp), David Frisina, Dan Lube, William Miller, Eudice Shapiro, Felix Slatkin (vl), Claude JR. Williamson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Red Mitchell (b), Tommy Shepard (eb) and Jack Sperling (d).

Unfortunately, the single did not chart, neither in the USA with 'The Christmas Song' as the A-side, nor in the UK, with 'The Secret Of Christmas' as the A-side.

You can listen to Ella Fitzgerald singing 'The Secret Of Christmas' here: Video

The Silhouettes 
'Under The Mistletoe' b/w 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' 7” vinyl
Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club - SNOWFLAKE 4

The Silhouettes's“Under The Mistletoe / Merry Little Christmas” is one of four 7"'s released as part of the 2013 (and first) edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club.

The fourth single in the series has surf pop band The Silhouettes from Amsterdam with a Ben Rider-penned original 'Under The Mistletoe'. The song was recorded in the Cinetol Studio and Jacco Gardners studios, injecting the surf sound of the band with some psychedelica. The angelic voice of Marthe Jellema makes you melt like a snowman on a sunny day, while she sings of longing to sit under the mistletoe with her loved one on Christmas day. The Silhouettes back it with a surf version of the Christmas standard 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, first sung by the legendary Judy Garland in the classic 1944 musical 'Meet Me In St. Louis' and made legendary by Frank Sinatra.

Ben Rider (guitar, originally from the UK) and Marthe Jellema (keyboard) met in 2005 at a Pixies show in The Netherlands, became friends and occasionally played music together. When sharing an apartment in London in 2010, the two started to write their own songs, that were a reaction to modern life in an over-populated city where modern day technology alienated people from each other. The Silhouettes showed an alternative, by writing songs that had a sense of naivety and playfulness. Ben and Marthe relocated to Amsterdam and The Silhouettes started playing shows all over Holland, including Crossing Border and Noorderslag. The band toured the US in 2012 and released their self-titled debut album, "The Silhouettes", in April 2013 on Dutch label Goomah Music. The album has a lo-fi vintage sound and is heavily influenced by the 60's garage sound as well as contemporary US west coast bands like Best Coast, Wavves and The Ravenoettes. On shows, Ben and Marthe are new joined by a bass player and drummer, further broadening the sound of the band.

The Miserable Rich
'Everything You Wanted' b/w 'Stop The Cavalry' 7” single
Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club - SNOWFLAKE 3

The Miserable Rich's “Everything You Wanted / Stop The Cavalry” is one of four 7" singles released as part of the 2013 (and first) edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club.

The third single in the series sees Brighton chamber pop band The Miserable Rich bring us an uplifting original, 'Everything You Wanted', a happy song in which the string-based sound of the band is joined by a cheerful trumpet and swinging percussion. Singer James is out to buy a Christmas present for this lover - that perennial search for the perfect gift - he succeeds, and the song's climax finds him, present safely wrapped, relaxing with friends in the pub at the end of the day. A good way to spend Christmas Eve! On the flipside, The Miserable Rich turn the antiwar protest song 'Stop The Cavalry', written and made into one of the most loved Christmas songs from the early 1980s by Jona Lewie, into a melancholic chamber pop song.

The Miserable Rich started out in 2007: Will Calderbank (cello), Mike Siddell (violin) and James de Malplaquet (vocals), founding members of Brighton folk collective Willkommen, revisited some songs James had written, using cello and violin to play all the lead parts, much like a baroque chamber ensemble. Following some early radio plays of their dark, atmospheric cover of Hot Chip's Over and Over, The Miserable Rich released their debut album, 'Twelve Ways To Count' in 2008, to much critical acclaim (described as 'heartbreakingly beautiful' by NME) Two more albums followed, 2010's “Of Flight & Fury” and 2011's “Miss You In The Days”, an album inspired by ghost stories and their first album to feature drums. After four years of extensive European touring, The Miserable Rich went on an hiatus in November 2012, while Will and Mike toured the world as the string section for Mumford & Sons. Their contribution to the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club is their first new recording in two years and precedes their planned release of a live album and a collection of all their cover versions in 2014, and who knows: maybe even a new studio album too…

The Garlands
'Christmas Song' b/w 'I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You' 7” single
Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club - SNOWFLAKE 2

The Garlands' 'Christmas Song' / 'I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You' is one of four 7"'s released as part of the 2013 (and first) edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club.

For the second single of the series, Stockholm, Sweden's indie poppers The Garlands have rearranged and rerecorded their 'Christmas Song', prevously released as a download only in 2008. This Chrismas love song has the sound of the swinging 60s with bells, piano, sweet harmonies and all. Their cover of 'I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You', written in 1967 by Margo Guryan for French actrice, singer and dancer Claudine Longet, is a perfect match to their original song. It has the same hip 60s vibe but still with a indiepop bite.

The Garlands were formed in 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Roger Gunnarsson and Christin Wolderth as a bedroom recording project. In the first few years, Roger and Christin recorded several tracks as a duo, tracks that were released on CDEP or 7” on labels like Cloudberry Records, Cosy Recordings and Atomic Beat Records. In 2010, the project turned into a real band, when Christin was joined for live shows by Einar Ekström (guitar), Patrik Lindgren (guitar), Maria Grum (bass) and Robert Klaesson (drums). With this line-up, The Garlands recorded the brilliant single 'You Never Notice Me' for UK label Big Pink Cake. In 2012, the first full length of the band was released on US label Shelflife Records. The Garlands are clearly influenced by 80s twee pop bands like Talulah Gosh, The Rosehips, Heavenly, Go Sailor and The Shop Assistants: catchy indie pop songs with girly vocals backed up by jangly guitar hooks, head-bobbing rhythms and lovely vocal harmonies, all clocking below 3 minutes. On the two Christmas songs, the band is not only adding Christmas bells to their sound, but also piano and flute, giving it a real 60s vibe, and showing the band doesn't limit their inspiration to 1980s guitar pop, but as much finds this inspiration in the baroque and psychedelic pop of the 1960s.

Smoke Fairies
'Simple Feeling' b/w 'I Wonder As I Wander' 7” single
Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club - SNOWFLAKE 1

Smoke Fairies' “Simple Feeling / I Wonder As I Wander” is one of four 7"'s released as part of the 2013 (and first) edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. 

The first single in the series sees London folk/blues duo Smoke Fairies, joined on viola by Neil Walsh, sing about how celebrating Christmas with friends and loved ones makes one feel at home in their 'Simple Feeling'. It is a refined song with the vocal harmonies of Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies only supported by the subtle sounds of organ and viola. On the flip-side Smoke Fairies do a haunting and beautiful rendition of 'I Wonder As I Wander', a Christmas carol written by singer John Jacob Niles, based on some lines of a folk song he once heard a little girl sing in a small village in Appalachian North Carolina.

Smoke Fairies was formed by school friends Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies, originally from Chichester, East Sussex. After university, the two traveled to the USA where they lived in New Orleans for a year soaking up American blues music. When they returned to England, they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Festival. But it was after spending another year abroad, this time in Vancouver, Canada, that they returned to London and started performing as the Smoke Fairies, combining the American blues and British folk traditions.
Smoke Fairies supported Bryan Ferry on his UK tour in 2007, released some limited edition singles in 2008-2009 (one of note recorded and released by Jack White on his Third Man Records label), did further touring with Richard Hawley in the UK and supporting Laura Marling on her USA tour all before the release of their debut album. “Through Low Light And Trees” was released in September 2010 - 'an exquisitely shivery blend of alternative folk-rock and a more humid, bluesy brand of Americana, that sounds both eerily ancient and thrillingly modern, with beautifully interlocking harmonies and guitar parts behind the spectral melodies', to quote the website of the band. Both this album and critically acclaimed follow-up 'Blood Speaks', were released in the UK and in the USA. The last two years, Smoke Fairies have toured extensively in the US, UK and Europe, released a RSD exclusive EP and most recently the CD 'Ghosts' which compiles their early singles. In October, they toured several English churches with US cello-rock band Rasputina and, ahead of their third album proper to be released early in the new year, they now close off the year by releasing this Christmas single.