The 2006 playlist:
1.) 2006 intro
In the cassette days, I used Santo & Johnny's "Twistin' Bells" for the intro - I chose that version to lead off 2006.
2.) President and Mrs. George W. Bush - Dubya's telling of "The Night Before Christmas"
Someone online grabbed the audio feed from a White House event that had Bush stumbling over the book... very little editing... :)
3.) El Vez - Santa Claus Is Sometimes Brown
Wicked re-working of "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" from the Mexican Elvis. El Vez has several other Christmas releases out there that I need to pick up.
4.) Noelani & The Leo Nahenahe Singers - Deck The Halls
Nothing like Hawaiian Christmas to get me in the holiday spirit! Great song sung in Hawaiian and English.
5.) Stan Freberg - Excerpt from "Christmas Dragnet (Yulenet)"
Grudge doesn't believe in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati. He hasn't made his mind up on Toledo...
6.) Billy May (w Thurl Ravenscroft) - Do You Believe In Santa Claus?
Perhaps the best song to come off the third installment of "Christmas Cocktails". My kids and I crack up at the ending every single time.
7.) Tiny Tim - Zoot, Zoot, Zoot Here Comes Santa In His New Space Suit
The saying states "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." After searching forever, I finally found this obscure Christmas song from Mr. "Tiptoe Thru The Tulips". I didn't know it was disco...
8.) SCTV - Excerpt from "Liberace's Christmas Special"
With Liberace (Dave Thomas) playing the piano, Orson Welles (John Candy) tries to recite "Good King Wenceslas" - he ends up quoting the famous "Frozen Peas" outtakes and storms off the set. Hilarious!
9.) Twelve Girls Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
From the very first CD I ever reviewed here at the yuleblog. Yes, there's 13 girls on the cover but no one got the inside joke of this one from the all Chinese girl band.
10.) Petty Booka - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (Japanese version)
This CD features two version of "Rudolph" - one in English, and this one in their native tongue. Another album I reviewed here two years ago.
11.) Family Guy - "A Peter Griffin Christmas"
I didn't get this audio clip from any of the DVDs - found it floating around online. My friend Joel later gave me the first two seasons on DVD but it wasn't on that collection. Season four...
12.) Chris Isaak - Christmas On TV
A great Christmas original - slow, country feel with lots of longing. I'm surprised this didn't get better radio airplay the first year (or the second, or the third). Why didn't I review this one?
13.) The Christmas Jug Band - Christmas Time Is Here
The week after my apartment fire in Toledo back in 1996, I went to Blockbuster Music and listened to "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit" and laughed for the first time before the fire. This one's almost as good.
14.) The Marx Brothers & Frank Ferrante - "there ain't no Sanity Clause..." / "Have you heard that one?"
Two clips in one - the first comes from the Brothers Marx, the second from the foremost Groucho impersonator of this generation who I met (and became friends with) through my best friend Joel.
15.) Freddy Martin & His Orchestra - The Merry Christmas Polka
Extremely fun 1949 big band/polka track featuring lead vocalist Merv Griffin ("Ooooooooh").
16.) Margret Jonsson - Snöbubben Froste
"Frosty The Snowman" in Swedish - thanks to Anna-Lena Lodenius for sending her 2004 comp my way!
17.) "We should be asleep and Santa is coming tonight..."
A quick cut from one of Andy Cirzan's amazing comps of Christmas rarities.
18.) Leadbelly - Christmas Is Coming
Legendary blues artist who warns us of the impending arrival of December 25 - manages to get it done in 1:08!
19.) The Rev. Edward W. Claybourne - The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas
From Dust-To-Digital's breathtaking collection of R&B and blues 78s from 1917 to 1959 - if you're a serious Christmas music collector, you need this CD.
20.) Sugar Boy Crawford - White Christmas
From the first bouncy notes, you're hooked until the final flourish of sax, drums, and guitar. A song guaranteed to get repeated listens.
21.) Thomas A. Edison - Christmas Greeting
A clip from a 1920 promo recording entitled "Holiday Greetings from the Bunch at Orange", the inventor of the light bulb and the phonograph wishes you Merry Christmas.
22.) Belton Richard - Please Come Home For Christmas
This Charles Brown song takes on an extra warmth when sung and played in Cajun.
23.) C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band - A Zydeco Christmas
A flat out Zydeco rocker courtesy of Chicago's own Alligator Records.
24.) American Comedy Network - Holiday Disclaimer
"The presents you are about to receive were purchased by a bunch of maxed out, overstressed individuals who were so busy that they had no idea what you want and really don't care. Any present that you receive is actually your size or in the color you like is a mistake. What we're trying to say is 'have another eggnog, listen to "White Christmas" one more time, and don't let your hopes get too high.' " - Now trying saying that in 10 seconds flat!
25.) American Comedy Network - This Present Is Just Crap
Sinatra impersonator sings this parody to the tune of "The Lady Is A Tramp" - my mom LOVED this track. That explains a lot about me.
26.) Asche & Spencer - Merry Christmas Fruitcake
A song devoted to everyone's favorite holiday doorstop. Composed for the Oregon State Lottery (click the link to read my review).
27.) Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz - U.S. Savings Bonds Christmas promo
I thought they only shilled for Phillip Morris cigarettes - here they're working for Uncle Sam!
28.) Agnetha & Linda Fältskog - Bjällerklang
One of the former members of ABBA and her daughter sing "Jingle Bells" in Swedish. Downloaded this one off Napster (pre-legal days).
29.) The Three Suns - The Christmas Song
Typical brilliance from The Three Suns - off their 1959 "A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas" that has never been issued on CD.
30.) Lucky Strike Cigarettes Christmas commercial
Clipped from an old Jack Benny radio program - nothing like saying Christmas than a carton of cancer sticks.
31.) Larry Nestor - Santa Doesn't Smoke Anymore
No one remembers the 19th century Thomas Nast Santa who smoked a pipe, looking like he just came off an opium jag. After hearing this song, I went off cigarettes as well - and I don't smoke!
32.) Rev. Horton Heat - Santa On The Roof
I reviewed this CD in the first month of this blog's existence - the time flies just a little slower than this power packed song!
33.) Stan Freberg - Excerpt from "Christmas Dragnet (Yulenet)"
Grudge finally believes in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati. He hasn't made his mind up on Toledo... read all about my apartment fire and you'll know I've made MY mind up on Toledo.
34.) The Rhodes Kids - Santa Loves Rock-N-Roll Music
Featured at FLLLL, I reviewed this great 1970s album (you can hear the shag carpeting). Surprising stuff in more ways than one.
35.) AKIM & The Teddy Van Production Company - Little Miss Super Fly
An album cut from a rare 1973 album in my collection. John Waters featured the title cut on his Christmas CD a year previously.
36.) Johnny Mercer - Winter Wonderland (Rise Ashen's Brazilian Beach Mix)
Take an old radio broadcast of this song, add Brazilian percussion and a strong beat, and presto! You get a cool, regrooved Christmas song.
37.) POJ Masta - Santar Klaws
Funky shagalicious remix of Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" - still available to download from the first excellent mashup album "Santastic: Holiday Boots 4 Your Stockings".
38.) 2006 playlist rundown
I give the playlist very much like what I just typed out...
39.) Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Silent Night
Elvis had a great run but I decided to begin rotating versions of "Silent Night" starting with this version from Tharpe.
40.) Outro - short version
I edited down the long version of the outro (see 2000-2002) to 47 seconds.
Please leave your comments at the study guide page - please remember, none of these comps will be posted here in their entirety or made available online or off.
