Christmas A Go Go!

Christmas a Go Go re-opens on November 13th 2011! Stay Tuned! Can't wait? Download the fourth, totally free and very seasonal Christmas Compilation by XO Publicity HERE Follow us on twitter: @Christmas_aGoGo

Because of the death of Boney M -dancer Bobby Farrell, it's appropriate to post Boney's version of Auld Lang Syne . Though he doesn't sing the song (the male voice is Frank Farian's). Boney M - Auld Lang Syne OK, it's a terrible version. For compensation, this brilliant version by Salsa Celtica : Salsa Celtica - Auld Lang Syne If you're into funky Korean or Zambian rocksongs about the new year, we urge you to go HERE

Hope y'all simply had a wonderful christmastime. Thanks for stopping by. From all contributors to Christmasagogo: all the best for 2011, see you in November!

Go HERE

The sexiest Christmas song, you ask? Santa Baby by Eartha or Kylie ,you suggest? Anything from Kay Martin ? Patsy Rye ? No, I say. Holly Cole. Holly Cole - 'Zat you, Santa Claus

Want to know who this girl is, and what gorgeous Christmas song she recorded? Then head HERE . Aurora Vayne · Natalie Prass - No Better Time

For the sixth year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue presents: Christmas Compilation 2010 (download here) 1. Allo, Darlin’ – Baby, It’s Cold Outside 2. David Bazan – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Christmas) 3. Lou Reed – Xmas in February 4. Hannah Peel & Tunng – Hey Santa! 5. Little & Ashley – Winter Night 6. Belle& Sebastian – The Fox In The Snow 7. The Mountains & The Trees – My Favourite Sweater (Happy Holidays) 8. Guster – Tiny Tree Christmas 9. Eux Autres – Teenage Christmas 10. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Time Of The Season 11. Boca Chica – Not On Christmas Eve 12. Bishop Allen – You’ll Never Find My Christmas 13. Blitzen Trapper – Christmas Is Coming Soon 14. His Clancyness – Buying Pine Scents 15. Basia Bulat – You Are A Gift 16. The Velvet Underground – Jesus 17. Sufjan Stevens – Christmas In The Room 18. Dream Diary – Christmas All Over 19. Jukebox The Ghost – Mistletoe 20. KT Tunstall – Lonely This Christmas 21. First Aid Kit – Winter Is All Over You ...

Exclusive! Dutch jazzgiants New Cool Collective Big Band did a mash-up of their own song Little Black Dress and Slade's immortal Merry Christmas Everybody, for the tv-show VPRO's Nederpopshow (host Frank Lammers is singing). This is the only site you'll find the mp3. New Cool Collective Big Band + Frank Lammers - Little Black Dress/Merry Christmas Everybody

Rosi Golan is an Israeli singer who made a pretty album in 2008, in a Zooey Deschanel/Ingrid Michaelson-style. Sweet 'n sunny songs with a 60s influence, very easy on the ears. One song had a few French lines. For this commercial for Stella Artois, she sang a French version of Twelve Days of Christmas. You can download it for free (no catch) HERE .

Silver Swans from San Francisco made a seasonal track that's perfect for walking through winter wonderlands. Love that glacial, Cocteau Twins-y atmosphere. Holidays by Silver Swans

A great tradition from Daptone Records (home of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lee Fields, Budos Band, etc): a yearly Christmas single. Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band are the third (after Binky Griptite and SJ&DK) to record a seasonal track, and it's brilliant. Charles Bradley - Every day is Christmas (when I'm loving you)

Go HERE to download via Soundcloud a beautiful Christmas track by Ponoka. This is Rick de Gier's band, writer of the upcoming novel Nineve, about a young man, of very religious upbringing, who gets lost in the Dutch rockscene.

Go HERE and download (via Soundcloud) two superfunky Christmas tracks. A cover of Let it snow by Diplomats of Solid Sound, and a James Brown cover (Soulful Christmas) by Ray Harris. EDIT: Of course those links are all dead, therefore these YT-videos:

No, Perfect Black Christmas doesn't compile black metal-versions of carols, but soul, funk, jazz and other music of black origin with a festive spirit. Donnie, Stevie, Marvin, Otis, they're all there. Go HERE to download.

We all know Clarence Carters 'Back Door Santa' (1968) and if it wasn't for his original, than we know it because of the samples Run DMC used from it for their classic 'Christmas in Hollis'. To me the Back Door versions of the Black Crowes (2005, a studio recording with horn section!) and Australian rockers Jet (2004, only on a Japanese rare tracks release) were new. If you know versions other and better than these, worth to post: lemme know. Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis Jet - Back Door Santa The Black Crowes - Back Door Santa - EXTRA: Honeymoon Killers - Back Door Santa B.B. King - Back Door Santa Bon Jovi - Back Door Santa Cass Eager & the Mo'Debleys - Back Door Santa Holmes Brothers - Back Door Santa Lustre King - Back Door Santa The Sutcliffs - Back Door Santa - EVEN MORE: The Bellrays - Back Door Santa (thx Stubby)

Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen from Oklahoma, was pretty successful with hits in the US in the early 1960's. But she was also known as a very conservative and religious person with a strong view against homosexuality (check out the video from 1977 where gay rights activists throw a pie in Bryant's sick homophobic face). As a 'good' Christian she recorded Christmas records too, which I would not recommend (but okay, here's one awful track ). At the same time there was a singer in The Netherlands called Zangeres Zonder Naam (Singer Without A Name) who tried to stand up against Bryant's hypocrite ideas and recorded a song called ' Luister Anita ' (Listen Anita) in 1977, in which she told gays to be proud of their sexuality and to fight for it. Because of that she became the first gay-mother of The Netherlands. The Zangeres Zonder Naam also recorded several christmas tracks during her long career, most of them on social themes like war, racism and cold...

Sometimes you wish you didn't have that preoccupation with bizarre and rare tracks from Dutch artists. Why being curious after a xmas-track sung in a very bad English accent from Father Abraham (real name Pierre Kartner) and The Smurfs when reading about it? Don't know the answer, but found the track (unfortunately) and I hereby apologize on behalf of all the Dutch (7", 1978).

Here is a repost of the mix I made for the blog back in 2006. It's now consolidated to one file and is compiled from the best songs offered that Christmas season. A dusty mix of Christmas Wax from the island of misfit songs. I hope to get to another Christmas mix someday, but for now, this will have to do. Tracklist 1 :: CHECK THE COOL WAX :: KING AD-ROCK 2 :: HOLIDAY ON ICE “A RIDE WITH SANTA” :: WALT JACKOBS 3 :: SLEIGH RIDE :: LENNY DEE 4 :: SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN :: THE THREE SUNS 5 :: NUTTY JINGLE BELLS :: AL HIRT 6 :: CHRISTMAS ALL OVER THE WORLD :: JIM NABORS 7 :: ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS :: LIBERACE 8 :: ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE :: MIRROR IMAGE 9 :: WINTER WONDERLAND :: THE GOLDDIGGERS 10 :: THE CHRISTMAS SONG :: SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL ‘66 11 :: SNOW :: CLAUDINE LONGET 12 :: WHAT CHILD IS THIS? :: THE BORDER BRASS 13 :: WHAT SANTA WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS :: WALT JACOBS 14 :: THE REINDEER BOOGIE :: HANK SNOW 15 :: A VERY MERRY CHR...

Lilian Hak is a gorgeous Dutch singer/sample-genius who made a wonderful album using the atmosphere and the music of classic 40's and 50's movies (see here) . Wouter Hamel is Holland's answer to Jamie Cullum, only cooler. Together they made a fantastic Christmas song. Christmas Dinner (feat. Wouter Hamel) by Lilian Hak 'Old Powder New Guns'

Inspired by all the beautiful snow in The Netherlands, as if I was in Québec temporarily -- a true cosmic gift, I give you a party cover of Les Classels' 'Le sentier de neige' ('The snow trail'), done in traditional Québec style by La Volée d'Castors. This is a picture I took about seven years ago on the isolated island l'île d'Orléans in Québec, with the Mont Saint Anne ski area in the background. Notice how even in winter the road is well kept. The driver was Dutch and spent Christmas discovering what minus 25 celsius was really all about. (Rough translation with a dash of poetic licence and corrected for the unilateral point of view) The snowflakes covered your hair And the pale moon kept us warm I told you 'I love you' in the silent woods You smiled coyly and walked on La volée d'castors - Le sentier de neige

We all love Santa, don't we kids? The Superions - Santa Je T'aime

Five fantastic compilation-mixes by Bomarr, featuring the funniest, most outrageous, obscure and excellent Christmassongs, downloadable for free (but you can make a donation) HERE .

English music magazine NME wrote about The Crookes from Sheffield: 'A band this good are unlikely to remain obscure for long.' They're seen as a cross between Arctic Monkeys, Housemartins & The Smiths. And they made an excellent Christmas EP. It's Just Not Christmas Without You by The Crookes

José James, one of the bestest & brightest jazz singers of today, recorded a gorgeous version of the Christmas Song. On Soundcloud, HERE

FANTASTIC mad-preacher-y Christmas song by Ed Harcourt.

So many new Christmas songs, it's hard to keep up. Here's a linklist. See the great video by Plastic Snow (who sings like Ronnie James Dio!) here Download (for free) the brilliant spacey X-mas song by Bubblies, here Free Banjo or Freakout Christmas album in exchange for your email adress: here Blue-eyed soul cover of Donny Hathaway's This Christmas by Cheap Seats, for free here Free seasonal track by Beach House, here More free stuff? See here . Or here.

Go HERE and trade your email adress for a very nice cover of Sufjan Stevens' Sister Winter by former Everything but the Girl-singer Tracey Thorn.

Want it? Go to Seb's Bandcamp site. HERE

French rocker Renaud provides sarcastic social commentary like only he can in his reggae rendition of Le Père Noël Noir ('Black Santa Claus'). Written in some serious Parisian argot, he's totally unimpressed by this Black Santa and wants to punch the daylights out of him. This Black Santa is an ex French colony black person from like Martinique or Guadeloupe (in argot a DOM-TOM ), this time around he's a freeloading SOB who damages the house and the chimney, steals, drinks Renaud's booze 'like a Polack' and smokes his 'herbes de Provence'. The lyrics 'Petit Papa Noël, toi qu'est descendu du ciel' is straight from Tino Rossi's traditional French song, Petit Papa Noël. You may have seen Renaud (right) in the American film Crime Spree (2003) with the likes of Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel and fellow singer and actor Johnny Hallyday (left). Both gangsters annoy each other with music on the radio, but they are in fact dissing each other...