tolerable Christmas songs

[alyctes]

It's that time of year again...

We've been asked to gig a retirement home this December.

I am [s]a curmudgeon[/s] not keen on saccharine pap, and I've avoided Christmas songs for many years.

At the moment the setlist includes Wham's 'Last Christmas', 'Stop The Cavalry' (if I can persuade the singer), and that thing Greg Lake did in the 70s - which I like much more than I thought I would.

So, any more suggestions for the setlist?

Ta!

[casapete]

I quite like Springsteen's 'Santa Claus is coming to town', and ' I wish it could be Christmas every day
by Wizzard. Two of the few I can stand repeated listenings of. That shuffle thing is easy to dance to when drunk...
Also anything off the Phil Spector Christmas album would probably go down well for the same reason, and how about
'Fairytale of New York' by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl?

[Buzzy]

Get them singing along to Bob Dylan
https://youtu.be/oXiiChEN7TE

[T-Bay]

The slade and wizzard classics are a laugh to play and will get any crowd going (well possibly apart from one at a retirement home, but short of a wheelbarrow full of amphetamine it may be a struggle).

Edited October 6, 2017 by T-Bay

[Delberthot]

We do Step into Christmas by Elton John and Shakie's Merry Christmas Everyone and they always go down well.

We tried the Pogues one but if you actually listen to it, it's about a minute of the cheery upbeat bit that everyone loves but the rest is depressing

We used to enjoy doing Rock and Roll Christmas by Gary Glitter but you can't really get away with playing any of his stuff anymore

[NancyJohnson]

I wrote a Christmas song a few years ago. I could loan you that. It's got everything.

[dudewheresmybass]

Run run Rudolph - particularly the lemmy version
There are a couple of hard rock/ metal versions of songs out there.
We wish you a metal Christmas albums seem to be the best 😉
Certainly more fun 😉

[Yank]

I love the traditional Christmas songs. Years ago they weren't played non-stop from Thanksgiving on. They still are beautiful melodies and harmonies.

[No lust in Jazz]

Christmastime in Motor City - Was (Not Was) always gets the party started.

[BigRedX]

Should there be a law saying that you can't mention Christmas until the day after Bonfire Night?

But in answer to the OP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e874vKfYfuU

[kendall]

This.... the best Christmas Number One that never was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH2umxtA_sc

[casapete]

Some interesting choices so far for a gig at a retirement home......

[ead]

I've always enjoyed Chrismas Wrapping by The Waitresses I think? It may be called Christmas Rapping.

[Graham]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1507281358' post='3384417']
I've always enjoyed Chrismas Wrapping by The Waitresses I think? It may be called Christmas Rapping.
[/quote]

The bassist on that was one of Marcus Miller's students, forget (her?) name now, but it's a great bassline.

[ahpook]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1507280274' post='3384411']
Should there be a law saying that you can't mention Christmas until the day after Bonfire Night?

But in answer to the OP:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e874vKfYfuU[/media]
[/quote]

Nice one - a sublime cover and exactly what sprung to my mind too ! (It still gives me goosebumps)




Back to the OP - have you had a listen to 'A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector' - I'd go for something from that (as did the Cocteau Twins)

Edited October 6, 2017 by ahpook

[jacko]

Chris Squire and Alan White - Run with the fox. The only Christmas song worth listening to.

[MrCrane]

https://youtu.be/ffO8nZThwmM

https://youtu.be/ew6rVcL3Up8

I'll get my coat

[toneknob]

James Brown's Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto
Vulfpeck's Christmas in LA

these and many others feature in my non-intolerable Xmas playlist at [url="https://open.spotify.com/user/toneknob/playlist/20XsgQ4kMStnkfZF6iNYdB"]https://open.spotify.com/user/toneknob/playlist/20XsgQ4kMStnkfZF6iNYdB[/url]

[Hobbayne]

The Eagles: 'Please Come Home For Christmas' always goes down well for us. A nice slow bluesy 6/8 type of thing.

[uk_lefty]

I've played Slade before, nice bassline.
Lonely this Christmas by Mud is great, probably not appropriate in an old folks home though.

[taunton-hobbit]

Attempt at being creative -

Mustang Santa ?

All right, I'm going....just stop throwing stuff..........

[Count Bassy]

John Kirkpatrick's "Jogging along with my Reindeer"

[interpol52]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1507281358' post='3384417']
I've always enjoyed Chrismas Wrapping by The Waitresses I think? It may be called Christmas Rapping.
[/quote]

Always been my favourite Christmas song. Great bassline too.

[el borracho]

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1507303460' post='3384657']
Always been my favourite Christmas song. Great bassline too.
[/quote]
I think it was Tracy Wormworth - now in the B52s

Most of the classic xmas songs were from the 60's and 70's. That was 40/50 years ago. People in retirement homes were still relatively young then so the songs are probably from their era.

[mentalextra]

Just out of interest, have any decent Christmas songs been written in the last 20yrs?