Christmas A Go Go!

Had you been early at the Amsterdam Paradiso, on our Christmas A Go Go Spectacular , you could've witnessed (Christmas) star in the making So-Fi , who opened the evening with her short, highly charming, creative Dutch kerstliedjes. The videos for those songs, are DIY-diamonds. So-Fi played her new track on stage, and now, after a lot of hard work, the video's ready too, for all to enjoy. Couldn't think of a better Christmas gift. The Dutchies were ON A ROLL this year when it came to Xmas music. It's so wonderful to see that the youngsters are still enchanted by Christmas music: For all ye non-Dutch speaking visitors: the song is called 'Zonder lichtjes' (Without Lights) and is a pro-Christmas and pro-lights song, So-Fi is singing that she'd rather eat Xmas dinner alone if there are no lights in the trees. But at the end she confesses that, of course, the best way to celebrate the season is with the whole family. And to have Dutch Xmas songs so much on a...

Fashionably late as always, but that's all part of the So-Fi (Sophie Reekers) Christmas tradition and why we love her so much here inside the CAGG bunker. But she's just in time, so why bother, because the So-Fi Christmas song and her video are always worth the wait. Enjoy her music and, once again, her beautiful video!  This is what she herself has to say about it:  "Christmas video number seven! Musically, things have been a bit more professional this year. I recorded it with Silvan van der Zwaag, and Silvan also mixed it. Then the song traveled all the way to England to be mastered by Felix Davis. This year, the Christmas song is available on all streaming services. But then you don't have a video. The video team is just my parents and me, just like in previous years. Merry Christmas!" More on So-Fi at CAGG here . Her Insta over there .

The Christmas rush has also started in full force at the CAGG headquarters. Add to that the fact that So-Fi (Sophie Reekers) also has a close call with her annual Christmas song and you'll understand the shortness of this post (although it deserves more!). But don't let that stop you from taking your time for this beautiful little song, with - again - a great arty animated video, called 'Kaarsje Voor Jou' (Candle For You). More So-Fi at CAGG and her Insta over there .

OK, you non-Dutchies out there, this is a post about Sophie Reekers, aka So-Fi . A newcomer in the Dutch indie-scene , with innovative songs (in Dutch), sweet melodies and influences that range from Tinariwen to Clairo. And she's a lover of Christmas, for years she is making these highly charming videos with her dad. Great songs, great clips. This is Kerstpakket (Christmas gift), a song about regretting having a gift ready for the holidays: This is Als het kerst is (When It's Christmas), about not wanting to miss anything 'bout Christmas but spending the rest of the year in bed ('cause, you know 2021, not a great year) One Minute Christmas (Een Minuutje Kerstmis), such a sweet sweet song: You guessed right, So-Fi will be attending the Christmas A Go Go Spectactular in Paradiso, Amsterdam on December 20. Other artists there, alsof featured on this blog, are Gerhardt , Sleigh Shakers , Julia P. , Fay Lovsky , S. Lois and Judy Blank .

For all ye non-Dutchies: So-Fi (who was one of the stars on the first Christmas A Go Go evening in Paradiso) makes a seasonal video every year , with help from her dad. All these clips are HIGHLY charming, and that is counting the songs. This year, she wrote a song about peeking through curtains and watching all the colourful trees, and feeling warm inside: Maar laat het gordijn wat langer open Want m’n ogen laten niet los But please leave the curtains open a little longer For I just can't look away

Am I going to review a show I co-conspired to organise? I sure do! And sure, I'm biased, but WHAT A NIGHT! The only 'mission statement' we ever had at Christmas A Go Go, was what is said under the blog name, above. 'We present you the weird and the wonderful, the odd and the old,' that being 'Christmas music, winter hymns and seasonal songs.' And without really planning it, that mission statement was underlined at the Amsterdam Paradiso tonight. There were winter hymns (Joni Mitchell's River, by Judy Blank , who cursed halfway through it 'cuz she thought she forgot a line - she did not), a LOT of Christmas music and various seasonal songs, like Woezels' ' Een Klein Beetje Liefde ' (A Little Bit of Love), that just felt right in dark days like these. There were old classics, Julia P. & the Qs did a wonderful version of their own 'Christmas is Calling' , but also Johnny Jordaan's indestructible golden folk song 'K...

Making a list is SO Christmas, that's why I round up of all the bestest tracks every season (according to me). I left out the covers, I tried to pick only songs that were released this year. There is a Spotify playlist HERE with over 35 songs. No trend really stood out this year, apart from the Sad Girl Xmas songs that just kept on coming. There were French tracks, punk anthems, alt rock gems, Dutchies getting involved, covers, electronics, reworks, KNP released an album, so did THE TOOTH. In fact, A LOT to enjoy, really. Here are some of the highlights of 2025: * The bestest of the best is King Hüsky's December95 . Already wrote a post about that song, that Jim/Christmas Underground posted first . And every time I played it, it just got better. It's the melody, it's the structure, it's the solo (very much the solo), the nostalgia in the lyrics, the voices, the sped up ending. It just stays interesting, ticks all the right boxes. It's good. Very goo...

November 7th 2023 (EDIT: turns out it's December 7th ) marks the 50th anniversary of 'Merry Xmas Everybody', a Christmas Glamrock Classic if there ever was one. Played by Slade, set into greatness by the pipes of the beloved Noddy Holder , it's been inescapable around Xmas season since it's release. And rightly so - it's fun, it's a singalong, there's bells, it's got an incredible hook, it's not that loud so it fits any program/playlist. I dove in the cover versions, and found out that most stay close to the original, sometimes with an added jazzy touch like in this version by Jamie Cullum & Robbie Williams , or they tried to take it down to a soft ballad. I'm all for turning a song inside out when you cover it, but somehow, downsizing 'Merry Xmas Everybody' just feels...off ( example ). I say; It's better to fire up the energy, emphasize the singalong part, make it as rawkous as possible. Here are a few remarkable ve...

Brandon is an American living in the Netherlands. He's a photographer and writer. Recently, he tweeted (x'd?) a picture of a Christmas album by George Baker . An exchange followed. Long story short; he wrote an extensive review of that 1978 lp for this blog: Once upon a time, I was a late night DJ on KWVA, a college radio station in Eugene, Oregon. It was the late ‘90s, an era when used record shops were plentiful and well stocked with a variety of bizarre LPs that had passed repeatedly through their stacks. Somewhere in a closet in my parents’ house in Portland, my collection of about 100 of ‘em is mouldering, some with multiple stickers marking their declining value as they were sold and resold in stores up and down the West Coast. Originally released for the holiday season of 1978, George Baker’s Another Lonely Christmas is the sort of album I’d probably have bought for a buck or two in the House of Records back in the ‘90s, a store literally in an old house a few bloc...

Already fed up with sweater themed Christmas songs like these ? Well, too bad because we ain't finished yet and there are even more sweatery things coming up!  Starting off with this singer going under the weird name Johnny's Turtleneck Jamboree . He's doing a strong alt-rock track with tempo changes and build up to the end. Johnny sits at home alone on the couch, intensively hating his ex but with her ugly Christmas sweater still on, the only thing that can keep him warm despite everything. Ronnie Costley was already done with it in 2012. He have had every shape and size and colour too. So no more sweaters, he just wants all her hugs and kisses for Christmas. Aah, such a sweet country-esque song. Dunno exactely what to think of these pre-woke and obstinate lyrics, but they come from a good heart, I guess. It sounds like it was recorded live five months ago, a quite cool acoustic track and sung in a nice, raw way. So never mind the lyrics, here’s Bender ! Santa Guuz sp...

The latest Arbor Christmas album is released, Volume 19. And of course, there's a song by The Not Fur Longs on it. These guys are present almost every year. What I like about this band is that they come up with great song titles, are very versatile (from jangly indie to reggae), it-is-what-it-is-lyrics and that honey-drenched voice of Brooke McAleer. Here's a collection of their bestest Christmas songs from Arbor Christmas compilations: Last year was a so-so song, this is revanche: Arbor Christmas: Volume 19 by Arbor Christmas Collections NFL get a bit Police-y, like this one a lot: Arbor Christmas: Volume 17 by The Not Fur Longs Heartwarming: Arbor Christmas: Volume 16 by The Not Fur Longs Cool sci-fi-intro: Arbor Christmas: Volume 15 by The Not Fur Longs Fa-la-la, pa-rum-pum: Arbor Christmas: Volume 11 by The Not Fur Longs Happ-i-i-ne-e-e-ss! Arbor Christmas: Volume 10 by The Not Fur Longs Arguably, their bestest xmas song. Yes, it lends from The Cure...

So, Christmas Underground posted a great , maybe even the best, cover version of RUN DMC's now 33 year old hiphop classic 'Christmas in Hollis.' Build on a sample from Clarence Carter's Backdoor Santa , RUN DMC's version is a Christmas party classic just like Slade's 'Merry Christmas Everybody'. It almost didn't got made, as this story would have it . But it did, it didn't float into obscurity, au contraire, it's been covered a lot. Why not look at a few reworks? Let's start with that brilliant Porlolo cover. What's so good, is that Erin Roberts and her band made it their own, with the saxes, the different rhythm and the fact that Erin is singing the lyrics, not rapping: Christmas in Hollis by Porlolo I could give you many rap covers, sounding like the Beastie Boys having an off-day. That's not what makes an interesting version. I think the best versions are NOT rapped. Or at least in a different manner. This one, it's ...

Eoin Dolan , from Galway, Ireland, made a uptempo, organ-driven, sci-fi-inspired Xmas stomper back in 2018. Quiet Christmas, it was called, but 'quiet' the song wasn't. We posted the track , and recently I found out that it was gone from Sounndcloud. So I emailed Eoin via his Bandcamp page , if he could upload it again. He not only did that, he added a cool seasonal track from his backcatalogue PLUS a brandspankin' new song! Ho ho hooray! 'Selection boxes' has that lovely eerie organ, and some sci-fi again - or am I misinterpreting 'milky way' and is Eoin just singing about chocolate? Selection Boxes by Eoin Dolan Selection Boxes by Eoin Dolan

When we celebrate 50 years of 'Merry Xmas Everybody' (see yesterday), we must also glorify to that other glam rock Christmas classic. Released in the same month as Slade, this track went head-to-head for the number one spot. But lost to 'Merry Xmas Everybody' (it got to #4). Still, Roy Wood (founding member of ELO) and his merry band of Wizzard wrote a classic, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, that's being covered to this day. We go to the covers later, first about the song. There are two versions, one recorded and released in 1973, and one in 1981. The latter is the one you hear most on the radio. The full story on why the song was re-recorded (hint; lost tapes) is HERE . To be honest, I can't tell the difference. THIS is definitely the 1973 version. So there are two quite legendary performances for British music show Top of the Pops. This is the first: And this is the second one: There's also this raucous version from 1984: Now, to the...

Okay, so first there was this post with covers of The Beach Boys' song Santa's Beard and then later on a They Might Be Giants Santa's Beard cover post too, and now ... now this third beard post is just a plain and simple post about Father Christmas's often discussed beard. Because sometimes that beard is just gross, too long, too short, too weird, too yellow, or even shaved off. Oh well, let's say it's a lively thing, so here we go. An existential question underlies the first in this list, a ukulele-driven track from The Quaint & The Curious (2012): "Everybody seems to love Santa's beard. Why do they think mine is weird?" Poor guy, he's just trying to spread a little Christmas cheer.  Insta over there .  This Winter of Ours (EP) by The Quaint & the Curious Another poor (and jealous) guy. Also from 2012, also ukelele: Lachlan MacLeod from Melbourne, Australia. He still can't grow a beard and is dying for a gnarly beard like Santa...

Released on December 7, 1973 (according to the Official UK Top 40 site ), and a classic ever since, Slade's glamrockin' Merry Xmas Everybody is as unescapeable in the season as Wham! or Mariah. And rightly so, if you ask me. Last year, I did a HUGE post of all kinds of covers of MXE. Turns out there are WAY more. So here's a round up of the ones that got away, and some personal faves. NOT the covers by stars like Robbie Williams , Spice Girls or Train. My faves are versions that do not stay close to the original, that alter the lyrics, add speed, totally different styles, etc.. Fun fact, the Slade tune was based on this old demo by Noddy Holder. Fine interview with Noddy about the song HERE . Mini documentary HERE . This goth version was absent from the last big post. It's...different: Merry Xmas Everybody by Freya Beer EDIT : From the comments, this lovely lovely 80s influeced electronic ballad: A Co-Present Christmas by Tanjier Named 'the bestest'...

When I found this version on Bandcamp, it sounded strangely familiair. A walking blues, with harmonica and a hi-hat with bells, a song about the blues of being alone on Christmas Eve - had I heard this one before? When I did some research (ok it popped up right away on Google), I found that Casey Redmond , for he is the mastermind behind The North Pole Chimney Shakers, recorded this song several times. There's a version on Spotify , ten years old. And there's one on his ReverbNation page . This Bandcamp version is, while still pretty lo-fi, the bestest sounding version. Not the first song about Mrs Claus (playlist? HERE ), but certainly quite fun: The North Pole Chimney Shakers Play; "Mrs. Claus's Blues" by Rock N Roll Casey To be honest, when I first saw the cover from the North Pole Chimney Shakers, I was kinda expeciting music in the vein of The Sonics; wild 'n raw bluesrock. So it isn't. If you want that kinda Christmas music, you better trus...

Die Hard is a Christmas movie . It came out in summer, but it's set the night before Christmas, hence it's a Christmas movie. Even director John McTiernan agrees . To be honest, I was aware of this debate, and I probably heard one or two songs mentioning Die Hard , bad guy Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman in the first DH-movie) or John McClane (Bruce Willis, duh), what I was NOT aware of, is that ' Die Hard is a Christmas Movie ' is a whole subgenre in Christmas music. Thanks to Jim/CU and Santapalooza tweeting about this ( HERE ), I dove in and dug up over 25 songs either about the (first) movie, the protagonist and his antogonist. I know there's more. If I missed a really good one, please link in the comments. A Spotify playlist with almost all songs HERE. Athens-singer Four Eyes wrote, without a doubt, the greatest song about bad guy Hans Gruber, and Christmas, ever. 'Yes, everything will change this Christmas/Whether you are falling in love or fall...