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SleighedSampling from a variety of sources both obscure and obvious, Sleighed: The Other Side Of Christmas (2000) is about as good a compendium of 1990's alternative Christmas music as I've seen. Unfortunately, it includes two novelty songs (the trite, though amusing "I Farted On Santa's Lap" and Red Peters' excrable "You Ain't Getting Shit For Christmas") that have absolutely nothing in common musically with the rest of the songs. For that matter, the Smithereens track, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," is based on the Cadillacs' 1956 doo wop version of the Gene Autry classic, and Spinal Tap's "Christmas With The Devil" is a heavy metal parody - so both of them sound out-of place, too.

So, we're left with quite a few good songs and a failed concept - worth purchasing for the contents if you can tolerate the ugly box they came in. Most notably, Sleighed, rescues several fantastic, if obscure, tracks including Plankeye's ecstatic reading of "Away In A Manger" (from the alt-Christian compilation Happy Christmas) and Less Than Jake's speedy annihilation of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" (from the hard-to-find Christmas Gone Wrong CD).

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Away In A Manger (Plankeye, 1999)
  • Christmas Crush (Homegrown, 1997)
  • Christmas With The Devil (Spinal Tap, 1992)
  • Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (Less Than Jake, 1997)
  • Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Local H, 1997)
  • I Farted On Santa's Lap (Little Stinkers, 1998)
  • Little Drum Machine Boy (Beck, 1996)
  • Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Smithereens, 1992)
  • Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope (Sonic Youth, 1996)
  • Xmas Time (It Sure Doesn't Feel Like It) (Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1997)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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