EVERY blog in the universe posts a Christmas compilation. It’s the law. Some are good, some are bad. Some are random. Some are themed. I found a reggae Christmas one last year. Reverend Frost’s Blog Spot usually has a good psych one (although this year I think he’s offline – click the Spread The Good Word link below left to check). No doubt Doctor Mooney will be doing one, and I’m sure there’ll be some good soul-related stuff over at Fufu Stew and the Funky 16 Corners. Even Diddy Wah does a good one (although he won’t link my site to his). They’re all different, all unique. And so is this wee compilation. Let’s hear it for the inaugural Plain Or Pan Christmas Compilation. Not available on iTunes, Amazon or Play. Only available here.
CD artwork here
Approach it the way you would approach opening your stocking on Christmas day. Share the delight at receiving the stuff you really need – Chuck Berry‘s ‘Run Rudolph Run’, the Arcade Fire‘s ‘Jinglebell Rock’, Half Man Half Biscuit‘s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is A Dupla Prague Away Kit’.
Greet the old favourites with a wry smile – Elvis‘s ‘Santa Claus Is Back In Town’, Bowie ‘n’ Bing doing ‘Little Drummer Boy’, ‘Let It Snow’ sung in a traditional (and somewhat camp) style by Candie Payne.
Jump up and down with joy at the stuff you get that you didn’t know you needed – A 50’s doo-wop ode to spending Christmas in the cells? That’ll be The Youngsters doing ‘Christmas In Jail’. Not forgetting Dandy Warhols ‘Little Drummer Boy’, U2‘s version of ‘Christmas (Please Come Home)’, Teenage Fanclub doing Big Star’s ‘Jesus Christ’ as well as their own (very rare) ‘Christmas Eve’ and John Lee Hooker‘s ‘Blues For Christmas’.
Of course there may be a copious amount of plain crap that you might want to throw in the bin straight away. I’ll leave that for you to decide.
If anyone wants The Beatles Fan Club Christmas Records (cos that’s de rigeur on blogs everywhere at this time of year), and you can’t find them anywhere, post a message and I’ll have them up for downloading quicker than Santa comes down yer chimney.
Happy Christmas everybody!
Plain Or Pan 