YULE SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT: A Very Geekscape Christmas 2013
A Very Geekscape Christmas (2013) by A.J. Santini on Mixcloud
The holidays are probably the most hectic time of the year. Just minutes after you’ve ingested loads of tryptophan-laden turkey, catastrophic amounts of carbohydrate-based side dishes, and had at least one uncomfortable conversation with an intoxicated family member, the stores begin a barrage of bargains and a slew of sales that force other-wise well-meaning human beings to trample one another and forget the entire spirit of the season for seventeen dollars off a gaming console. With all the cards to send out, presents to buy, holiday parties for work, friends, and with a growing divorce rate requiring more and more stops to make over the course of the month with families, it’s no wonder we find comfort in tradition. Whether it’s watching a film, decorating a tree, reading a book, visiting a location, buying a new Nutcracker, exchanging gifts, playing with your grandfather’s antique Lionel train set, or just hearing that one song you only get to sing this time of year, there’s some sanity hidden inside the insanity.
Now, as a music lover and part-time critic, I’d simply love to give you two hours of holiday tunes you’ve never heard of and say, “Check this out!” But the disc jockey and realist in me knows that no one is going to tolerate that much unfamiliar territory this close to Christmas. I’ve been discussing the idea of a Geekscape Christmas with fellow contributor Saint Mort for the entire month of December, and it’s taken me this long to figure out how to approach it. (I’m writing this article at 9:35 PM EST on Christmas Eve Eve.)
I saw a meme today that said, “One song can spark a thousand memories.” I think that perfectly describes the love/hate relationship many people have with holiday-themed tunes. We only hear them for a month and then we can’t stand them for the other eleven. That may also be why it’s so hard for newer Christmas songs to catch on and stay in the canon of public acceptance. Most of the time, bands just remake a classic quickly to fulfill a contractual obligation, and it turns out to be shite. And many of the newer songs just mention a bunch of phrases we’ve heard ad nauseum since childhood (trim the tree, deck the halls, winter wonderland, stockings, Santa… there’s a definite formula).
Keeping all this in mind, I’ve put together a mixtape of new and old classics which I heard this season that truly made me reminisce or piqued my interest into thinking we may hear them again in the coming years. I doubt I’ll have included your favorites, but I hope I have at least put together something enjoyable to soundtrack the last moments of your celebration. Whatever you’re into, I hope you find something here. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, May the force be with you… whatever you believe, we wish it be merry.
Check out the mix:
A Very Geekscape Christmas (2013) by A.J. Santini on Mixcloud
Tracklisting:
Straight No Chaser – The Christmas Can-Can
The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
Elvis Presley – Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus And Lucy
Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Thurl Ravenscroft – You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Donny Hathaway – This Christmas
Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Roy Wood & Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Charles Bradley – Every Day Is Christmas (When I’m Lovin’ You)
Charles Brown – Please Come Home for Christmas
Ferrante & Teicher – Sleigh Ride
Doris Day – Here Comes Santa Claus
Ludacris – Ludacrismas
Run-DMC – Christmas In Hollis
Clarence Carter – Back Door Santa
Stevie Wonder – What Christmas Means to Me
Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run
Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
Oscar – I Hate Christmas
Danny Elfman – What’s This?
Bugs Bunny & Friends – The Halle-Looney Chorus (Medley)
Jackson 5 – Up On the Housetop
Louis Armstrong & The Commanders – Cool Yule
Fiona Apple – Frosty the Snowman
Otis Redding – White Christmas
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Ain’t No Chimneys In the Projects
James Brown – Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto
Dr. Dog – Christmas Party
Atomic Tom – Last Christmas
The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight)
Bad Religion – O Come All Ye Faithful
NOFX – Xmas Has Been X’ed
The Vandals – Oi To The World!
Weezer – We Wish You A Merry Christmas
blink-182 – I Won’t Be Home for Christmas
The Kinks – Father Christmas
The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping
The Format – Holly Jolly Christmas
Fall Out Boy – Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
The Chipmunks – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
Lou Monte – Dominic, The Christmas Donkey
Gayla Peevey – I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
The Drifters – White Christmas
The Pogues – Fairytale Of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl)
The Pretenders – 2000 Miles
honeyhoney – The Naughtiness of Me
The Lonely Island – Dick in a Box (feat. Justin Timberlake)
South Park – Merry Fucking Christmas
