30 Days Out (From Christmas): Happy New Year!

Day 30 – Well, here we are: 30 days and about 400 Christmas songs later, we’re hurtling headlong into a brand new year.  We really enjoyed the holiday music, hope you did too.  So we’re going to leave you with a handful of tunes to put it between the ditches by (please make sure you do that on New Year’s Eve) and even though there are a few more days to go before 2009, we are going to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year.  Tomorrow we will return to our regularly scheduled nonsense.  Alka Seltzer, anyone?

MP3:  “My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)” by Regina Spektor

MP3: “Auld Lang Syne” by the Beach Boys

MP3: “Happy New Year” by Abba

MP3: “New Year’s Resolution” by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas

MP3: “What Are You Doing On New Year’s Eve” by King Curtis

MP3: “Happy New Year, Baby” by Johnny Otis & His Orchestra

MP3: “Happy New Year/Auld Lang Syne” by the Small Stars

MP3: “The New Year” by Death Cab For Cutie

MP3: “New Year’s Day” by U2

MP3: “A Totally New Year” by Matt Pryor

MP3: “In The New Year” by the Walkmen

MP3: “The Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne” by Jimi Hendrix

30 Days Out (From Christmas): Soul Christmas

 

Day 27 – In 1968, Atlantic Records was arguably the best R&B record label on the planet.  With all due respect to Berry Gordy’s Motown Records, the Atlantic roster of artists created classic soul and R&B that topped the charts and rocked kids across the world.   So some of the biggest names on Atlantic (and its subsidiaries Atco and Stax) came together in ’68 to put together the simply titled Soul Christmas. 

First out of the gate was a song specificially recorded for the project: “Back Door Santa” by Clarence Carter.  Although that’s an instant keeper, the highlight has to be the two tunes contributed by Otis Redding.  His “White Christmas” is brilliantly bleak, and the arrangement of “Merry Christmas, Baby” set the pattern for many more versions to follow.

The original Soul Christmas is available on CD with some bonus tracks (thanks, Rhino Records!).  It’s the second greatest Christmas album of all time, in our humble opinion.  Our pick for the best?  Tune in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-URL! 

MP3: “Back Door Santa” by Clarence Carter

MP3: “Merry Christmas, Baby” by Otis Redding

MP3: “Jingle Bells” by Booker T. & the MGs

MP3: “Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas” by Carla Thomas

MP3: “The Christmas Song” by King Curtis

MP3: “White Christmas” by Otis Redding