Hip Christmas

Welcome To Hip Christmas! I think you'll enjoy my dysfunctionally vast web archive dedicated to holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. If you do, please support me by shopping at Amazon, Apple Music, and Sheet Music Plus! Regardless, the best of the season to you - no matter what month it is! [about me]

What Was New In 2024? Last year's new Christmas albums included lots of vinyl reissues, big names like Jennifer Hudson and Little Big Town, indie darlings like Dean & Britta and Phantom Planet, a full-length Tower Of Power album, a new collection from the Carpenters, and yet another Bear Family compilation. I've completed my annual obsessive, quixotic attempt to keep up with it all, including my Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles. [gimme gimme]

The Christmas Jukebox. My online Christmas music player is bulging with over 1000 hip tunes - and counting! You can listen to the music I write about - the coolest, weirdest, and loudest holiday songs ever, all while enjoying my inimitable prose - or not! [press play]

My Face, Your Book. There's a lot of holiday hilarity going on over at Facebook, in case you can't get enough on my website - or vice versa. Check out the Hip Christmas page, and follow me for maximum holiday fun all year long. No Russian trolls, please. I also post cool cover art on Instagram and Pinterest. [follow me]

Hey Sister, Go Sister! Patti LaBelle started out as lead singer of a girl group, the Bluebelles, and their 1963 Christmas album is charming, but not much more. LaBelle would record several holiday records befitting the diva she became, but none approached the funk grandeur of "Lady Marmalade" or the turbo-charged polish of "New Attitude." [read more]

What A Wonderful Christmas. Surprisingly, jazz icon Louis Armstrong never released a Christmas album during his long, long career. But, he did cut a number of holiday singles and album tracks - enough to nearly fill up a long player. Nobody's ever compiled them all, though a couple of otherwise fine albums have come very close. [learn more]

Mel Torme's Retirement Plan. As the singer of that "Chestnuts" song, Nat King Cole needs no introduction. But, there's more than "Chestnuts" to Cole's holiday oeuvre. He waxed at least a dozen Christmas classics, including the hippest version ever of "All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)." [read more]

The Man In Red. Who doesn't like Johnny Cash? He recorded four Christmas albums during his long career but, sadly, none compare to his best, toughest music. His legend is monstrous, but he was also a simple country boy longing for the comforts of home. And that's the Johnny Cash we hear on his Christmas albums. [read more]

Jews For Jesus. A surprising number of popular Jewish entertainers have recorded Christmas albums and songs. From Irving Berlin to Beck, we've got the shmutz on this strange phenomena. Plus, Jews we wish would record a Christmas record - and Jews we hope do not! [read more]

Feliz Navidad, Baby! Never a household name, Juan Esquivel was thrust into the hipster limelight when his music was reissued during the lounge revival of the 1990's. Part of that bounty was Merry Xmas From The Space-Age Bachelor Pad, compiling his holiday recordings for RCA and Reprise between 1959 and 1962. [read more]

Boogie On, Santa Claus. I'm a huge proponent of Motown's Christmas music, but even I will admit they made better singles than albums. Stevie Wonder's 1967 LP Someday At Christmas is okay at best, but it yielded two excellent singles: the poignant title track and "What Christmas Means To Me," a classic uptempo Motown bopper. [read more]

Mr. Excitement Is Boring. Almost forgotten these days, Jackie Wilson played a pivotal role in the development of Motown and soul music, not to mention his staggering talent as a singer and entertainer. Sadly, while his 1963 album Merry Christmas showcases his spectacular voice, it obscures his deep soul and sexy showmanship. [read more]

It's Gonna Be A Black Christmas. If you love soul music, or you love Christmas music - and especially if you love both - the holiday catalog of Stax Records is must-hear, must-own stuff. Starting with the 1982 compilation It's Christmas Time Again, several fine albums have tried to capture it all, though none have quite suceeded. [read more]

Santa Is Real. The Louvin Brothers are the most important brother act in the history of country music, and they were the direct antecedents of the Everly Brothers, the most important brother act in the history of rock 'n' roll. Not a bad pedigree, but their Christmas album is, sad to say, less impressive. [read more]

Holiday Deluxe. The 1997 album Come On Christmas has all the swagger and adventurousness of Dwight Yoakam's best work, and it demonstrates what made him so important to modern country music - his musicianship, his inventiveness, his humor, and his insatiable thirst for the next cool sound. [read more]

Santa Goes To Memphis. Six soul music stalwarts from the 60's sing 12 holiday favorites arranged in the classic style of Stax Records. That was the concept behind Christmas Soul Special, a 1982 album produced by a long-forgotten New York label. It turned out to be a better concept on paper than in reality, but it's still a lotta fun! [read more]

The Saddest Time Of The Year. Yuletunes (1991) is a power pop collection that often sounds more like an indolent Big Star ballad than a raucous Raspberries rocker. Most songs dwell on the melancholy aspects of the holiday season, even when the music feels joyous and jangly. Artists include the Shoes, Matthew Sweet, and Material Issue. [read more]

Dancing About Architecture. Almost as long as I've loved music, I've loved reading - and eventually writing - about music. Here's my summary of the best books about hip Christmas music, including Dave Marsh's labor of love and indispensable reference volumes from Billboard and Goldmine. [turn the page]

Swingin' For Christmas. The 1994 collection The Joy Of Christmas Past was one of the first rewards we reaped after GRP Records was bought by MCA and presented with the keys to the vaults of Decca, Chess, and other labels rich in vintage jazz. Starting in 1948 with Gene Ammons, we journey through two decades of swing, bop, and jive. [read more]

A Christmas Gift For You. Every year, I offer free MP3's from my voluminous collection - all unavailable easily or legitimately in the music marketplace. In 2024, I revisited the legendary, exceedingly rare Flagpole Christmas albums, filling in some gaping holes and sprucing up the sound quality. [listen or download]