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]

Christmas From The Not-So-Latin Lounge. Despite appearances, Rhino's Mambo Santa Mambo isn't about Latin music, per se. Rather, it's about the Latin music craze that gripped American pop like a tropical fever during the 1950's - think Ricky Ricardo or Carmen Miranda. This was Latin music smartly packaged for the white market. [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]

Farting On Santa's Lap. Hip-O Records' 2000 collection Sleighed: The Other Side Of Christmas aims to present an alternative-rock-meets-Dr. Demento view of the holidays. It falls short of that mark, but 10 of the 12 tracks are pretty great all the same, including big names like Beck, Sonic Youth, the Smithereens, and (ahem) Spinal Tap. [read more]

Matthew Sweet On Quaaludes. Long ago, I bought two albums and wrote a whole review - for just one song. In my defense, it was a pretty good song, but I assumed the band and the song had been long forgotten. Then, I learned that The Zest of Yore had endured, moved to my hometown, and the drummer lived a couple of doors down! [read more]

Soul Santa. Over the years, Brook Benton recorded several classic Christmas singles, including one of the few "black pride" holiday tunes. But, he never recorded a Christmas album during his prime. When he finally did, it was an original but disappointing effort - and the story just gets worse from there. [read more]

That Special Time Of Year. They never recorded any holiday music for Motown, but Gladys Knight & The Pips cut two decent Christmas albums later in their career. One leaned towards gospel, the other towards disco, but neither is up to the standards of songs like "Daddy Could Swear" or "Midnight Train To Georgia." [read more]

The Merriest Man In Show Business. The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, waxed a whole lot of holiday music in his lifetime. As much as anybody, Soul Brother Number One made Christmas music the way he made all his other music - funky, soulful, ecstatic, and eccentric. [read more]

Dreaming Of A Green Christmas. You'd think the combination of Al Green and Christmas would be magic, but the good Reverend was past his peak when he recorded White Christmas (1983), having long ago left the Hi Records stable where he cut his Memphis soul classics. Don't get me wrong - I like it. But "classic"? No way. [read more]

Clown Time. The music of Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns is synonymous with New Orleans because they played on hundreds of classic records produced in the city during the '50s and '60s. Their 1962 Christmas album is equally classic, embodying everything we love about the Big Night and the Big Easy, all set to a joyous, irrepressible rhythm. [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]

Not So Easy Listening. The 90's lounge revival spurred a frenzy for all things swank and spawned an appreciation for vintage pop music outside the realm of rock - and a boatload of reissues to cash in on the craze. For the enthusiast, Croon And Swoon is a fine introduction to classic holiday pop, and for the dabbler it's a one-stop shop. [read more]

Christmas Is Going To The Dogs. The beloved 1966 TV special How The Grinch Stole Christmas included barely three songs, but one of them is an all-time classic. In the years since, it's been covered dozens of times, and the TV show spawned two movies, a Broadway musical, a raft of merchandise, and a lot more music. [read more]

Better Watch Out! In 2009, writer Jim Dees warned, "Don't get trapped in an uncool yule," and he thanked Hip Christmas for "their incredible array of Christmas tunes." You are welcome, Jim. The article was published in the Mississippi newspaper Oxford Eagle, but I have posted Jim's droll, insightful musings for posterity. [read more]

Merry Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! An adjunct to the Hot Rod Rock series, Hot Rod Holiday (1997) collected 16 festive songs by vintage rock artists popular with grease monkeys and the ladies who love them. Only one song is actually about a car, but most Christmas collectors (and gearheads) will enjoy the hell out of it. [read more]

Christmas Gumbo. On the one hand, Fats Domino is an underappreciated founder of rock 'n' roll seldom mentioned in the same breath as Elvis, Chuck, or Little Richard. On the other hand, his 1993 album, Christmas Is A Special Day, is not his finest moment. It's quaint and charming, but you won't find your thrill on this particular hill. [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]