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VH1: The Big 80's ChristmasVH1: The Big 80's Christmas (2001) is one of the last of a series of compilations by Rhino Records that effectively told the history of recorded holiday music in the 20th century. Rhino was among the first labels to document the rich history of Christmas music from a thoughtful, scholarly perspective - with enthusiasm. For about a decade at the zenith of the CD era, we got nearly two dozen marvelous compilations of holiday music in a dizzying variety of genres including country, jazz, doo wop, reggae, punk, new wave, swing, and more (read more). VH1: The Big 80's Christmas covered mostly new ground for Rhino and was part of a modest Big 80's series. It paired nicely with Have A Nice Christmas: Holiday Hits Of The 70's, part of another Rhino series, the humongous Have A Nice Day: Super Hits Of The Seventies.

The cable channel VH1 (or Video Hits One) was founded in 1985 to provide an adult alternative to the youth-oriented MTV. At the time, both stations still showed music videos nearly full-time. By the 21st century, neither channel had much to do with music, at all. But, during their glory days, VH1 specialized in music that was considered too soft, too mainstream, or, well, too old for MTV. By the 1990's, VH1 had started moving into original programming, including their biggest franchise, Behind The Music. The Big 80's, however, was an old-school music video show that ran from 1995 to 2000, with various hosts from the era like Pat Benatar and Sheena Easton. The co-branded Rhino CD series sprang out of that show, focusing on the pumped-up music that characterized the decade, including hair metal, power ballads, and over-the-top movie themes.

Have A Nice Christmas: Holiday Hits Of The 70'sChristmas Was Better In The 80's

One of my favorite songs of the 21st century is "Christmas Was Better In The 80's" by an English band called the Futureheads. I'm not sure if they meant it unironically, and I'm not sure I agree either way. Nevertheless, VH1: The Big 80's Christmas is a solid collection of not-terribly-rare holiday tracks by mostly big-name rock acts. In fact, all 15 tracks were already in my library before I picked up a copy - mostly to complete my collection of those Rhino compilations. Several songs are all-time classics, several more come pretty close, and none are awful - though several are arguably superfluous covers. The Big 80's Christmas is certainly a more likeable, conventional collection than the goofy, off-kilter Have A Nice Christmas mentioned above because, well, things went a little sideways in the 70's...

Actually, in the 1980's, Christmas music was just beginning to recover from a long drought that began after British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones changed pop culture forever in the 1960's. Christmas music, once a mainstay of the industry, ceased to sell in big numbers and, moreover, ceased to be hip. It wasn't seen as "serious" music by the new counterculture. By the 1970's, the hippest artists putting out holiday albums were the Partridge Family, the Carpenters, and John Denver, and Billboard even stopped publishing a Christmas chart after 1972. Certainly, there were exceptions - usually from England, ironically, where artists like John Lennon, Slade, Elton John, and the Kinks recorded some super holiday singles. Thankfully, the late 1970's and early 1980's, brought a slow reemergence of Christmas music - goosed by punks and new wavers, whose sense of absurdity embraced the holidays in a whole new way. By 1984, Christmas records by Band Aid and Wham (note, both English) were big news, and in 1987, A Very Special Christmas kicked off the modern era.

Billy Squier, "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You"VH1: The Big 80's Christmas includes many highlights from that slow renaissance, though, conspicuously, none of those records. Original songs by Squeeze ("Christmas Day"), the Waitresses ("Christmas Wrapping"), Kate Bush ("December Will Be Magic Again"), and the Pretenders ("2000 Miles") are fine examples of how young, edgy acts were incorporating holiday music to their repertoire. Much the same can be said for classic rockers Billy Squier ("Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You"), George Thorogood ("Rock And Roll Christmas"), and Queen ("Thank God It's Christmas"). Significantly, all those songs were recorded between 1980 and 1984, as Christmas music was on the rise. The Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)" was recorded much later in the decade, but it became perhaps the preeminent punk rock holiday standard.

Unoriginal In The 80's

All remaining tracks on The Big 80's Christmas are covers of old Christmas standards, which takes them down a peg in my book. Tracks by the Alarm (John Lennon's "Happy Xmas") and Pat Benatar (Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas") are enjoyable, but they add nothing to the original versions. That's also the case with Daryl Hall & John Oates' "Jingle Bell Rock," but it's worth noting as a cultural phenomenon. Hall & Oates were at the height of their popularity in 1983, having released their best-selling H20 in 1982 and their greatest hits album earlier that year. To celebrate, they recorded two faithful, identical covers of Bobby Helms' greatest hit - the a-side sung by Daryl, the b-side sung by John - pressed on green and red vinyl. Now that's a statement! Big 80's Christmas contains Daryl's version, by the way.

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Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Jingle Bell Rock"The two covers of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Los Lobos and the Smithereens are questionable, as is the David Bowie and Bing Crosby medley, " Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" (more on that below). But, no 80's holiday compilation would be complete without Bob & Doug McKenzie's "The Twelve Days Of Christmas," a 1981 novelty by SCTV cast members Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. Within the SCTV universe, the McKenzie brothers were the beer-swilling, dimwitted hosts of a fictional TV show called "Great White North" which made great fun of Canadian stereotypes. The skit spawned both a movie and the comedy album that included "Twelve Days," customized by the McKenzies for the average Canuck. The partridge in a pear tree, for instance, is replaced by beer, while two turtle doves become two turtlenecks. Things go well until the boys run out of ideas after eight days. "This should just be the two days of Christmas," moans Doug, "It's too hard for us."

Finally, in a sign that Christmas music's comeback was not quite complete, almost all of the songs on The Big 80's Christmas originated as non-LP singles. And, all the rest are tracks from non-Christmas albums - such as the Alarm's Standards or the Pretenders' Learning To Crawl - or tracks from collections like ZE Records' A Christmas Album. It's as though serious rock artists were dipping their toes back in the holiday waters - not yet willing to commit to a full Christmas album. Eventually that would change, of course, but the wave wouldn't really crest until well into the 1990's,

Nitpicking in the 80's

I only have a few nits to pick about VH1: The Big 80's Christmas, one of them being that I'm not particularly fond of co-branded albums. To me, it cheapens the music. But, VH1 was a hot property at the time, and Rhino had to pay the rent like the rest of us. And, yes, I realize that Goodyear, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and all sorts of corporations have sponsored countless Christmas compilations over the years. I don't like that stadiums sell naming rights, either. Guess I'm an old-fashioned guy.

Smithereens, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"More substantially, several of the tracks could have been better chosen, and three of the tracks are from the 90's - which seems like an unforced error. Another, David Bowie and Bing Crosby's famous "Little Drummer Boy" duet, was recorded in 1977 for Crosby's final holiday special (it aired in December after Crosby died in October). But, the song was first released commercially in 1982, so I guess it qualifies - technically. Still, it sticks out like a sore thumb, musically speaking, and Rhino uses the edited single version without the charming opening dialog - which was kind of the point.

One of the tracks from the 90's is the Smithereens' version of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," first released in 1992 on a promotional Capitol CD single as a Christmas greeting for the music industry. In 1994, Capitol released it as a jukebox single, and the band included it on an exceedingly rare homemade CD sent to fans and friends in 1995. But, the recording has been frequently anthologized over the years - so it's anything but rare.

Now, I love the Smithereens, but their "Rudolph" was clearly not intended to be taken seriously. The guys mug their way through the Cadillacs' 1959 doo wop arrangement of the children's classic (which can be found on Christmas Past and Doo Wop Christmas), and it's merely amusing - not that there's anything wrong with that.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers, "Rock And Roll Christmas"The real problem is that in 1994, the Smithereens recorded a genuine rockin' holiday original, "Waking Up On Christmas Morning." It, too, had not been released commercially, appearing only as part of a rare RCA promotional CD. But, it's great - the sort of soaring power pop that earned the band their reputation. Big 80's Christmas would have been greatly improved if Rhino had plucked that rarity instead of reaching back for "Rudolph" - though it still would have been a song released in the 90's on a CD about the 80's... Sadly, "Waking Up On Christmas Morning" would remain seldom heard until the band cut a new version for their 2007 album Christmas With The Smithereens.

Besides, Big 80's Christmas includes another "Rudolph" gag courtesy of Los Lobos. Did we really need two? "Rudolph The Manic Reindeer" is yet another song of promotional origin, having first appeared on a Warner Brothers industry-only LP in 1988. Like the Smithereen's version, it's good for giggles, but not much else. Los Lobos were hot shit at the time, just off their smash La Bamba soundtrack, but their "Rudolph" won't remind you of that, nor of brilliant songs like "Don't Worry Baby" (from How Will The Wolf Survive?) or "Set Me Free" (from By The Light Of The Moon). Rather, it's an instrumental norteño not even two minutes long, little more than Steve Berlin on clarinet and David Hidalgo on accordion, plus a few jokey Jimi Hendrix references from guitarist Cesar Rosas.

Waitresses, "Christmas Wrapping"Which brings me to my final complaint. I mentioned that I already owned all of the tracks on Big 80's Christmas when I bought it. That's my problem, but Rhino is partly to blame. That's because more than half of these songs appear on previously released Rhino compilations - which usually didn't repeat themselves. The tracks by Los Lobos, the Pretenders, and Squeeze, as well as the Bowie/Crosby duet, all appear on New Wave Xmas. Tracks by Billy Squier, Queen, and George Thorogood appear on Billboard Rock 'n' Roll Christmas. Doug & Bob McKenzie's kooky "Twelve Days" was also collected on Dr. Demento Presents The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD. The Ramones' "Merry Christmas" appeared earlier on Punk Rock Xmas, though in its original 1987 UK single version. Big 80's Christmas uses the 1989 album version from Brain Drain - a completely new recording.

The Bottom Line

Still, Rhino obviously intended VH1: The Big 80's Christmas to stand on its own, as well as within the context of the Big 80's series. Taken on those terms, it's fine. If you are new to the hip Christmas game, or if you just want a shot of high-voltage holiday nostalgia, Big 80's Christmas fits the bill. I consider all of the tracks "essential," even if a few of them are pretty silly, and it includes four of my Top 100 Songs. It is worth noting, however, that the album itself never made the leap into the online world of downloads and streaming. Most of the tracks, however, can be garnered from other sources. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Christmas Day (Squeeze, 1980)
  • Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You (Billy Squier, 1981) Top 100 Song
  • Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981) Top 100 Song
  • December Will Be Magic Again (Kate Bush, 1980)
  • Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (The Alarm, 1990)
  • Jingle Bell Rock (from Daryl) (Hall & Oates, 1983)
  • Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) (Ramones, 1989)
  • Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)
  • Please Come Home For Christmas (Pat Benatar, 1990)
  • Rock And Roll Christmas (George Thorogood & The Destroyers, 1983) Top 100 Song
  • Rudolph The Manic Reindeer (Los Lobos, 1988)
  • Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Smithereens, 1992)
  • Thank God It's Christmas (Queen, 1984)
  • The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Bob & Doug McKenzie, 1981)
  • 2000 Miles (Pretenders, 1983) Top 100 Song

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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