Accordion Noir 2013-12-25, Jingle Bell Rocks rocks (3 hour not-all-accordion Christmas show!)

In the spirit of taking care of Christmas chores right before New Years, below please revel in the playlist from our huge 3-hour Christmas special, where Accordion Noir took over our neighbours’ shows (and played some non-accordion music), all with a holiday bent.  See you next year!

And if you’re in need of a good-for-all-seasons holiday-music movie, I encourage you to partake in Jingle Bell Rocks!  If we weren’t doing an all accordion show, Christmas music all year long might be my next choice.  Luckily, local film director Mitchell Kezin has created an often funny and honestly touching documentary about unusual Christmas music and the people who can’t help but hanker after it.  It’s a joyful look at collector’s madness and the obsession of our whole culture that leads us to seek meaning together in one way or another every year.  My favourite parts of the film?

1. Run DMC’s “I just wrote the best rap of my life,” “Christmas in Hollis.”
2. Local Vancouver collector Roy Forbes’ contribution, “I Want a Boyfriend for Christmas” by the mysterious Janet Lane & the Rhythm Westerners (as heard several days later on our show, see below). Another of the scores of country/western accordion groups I keep stumbling across.   I’d love to learn more about them.
3. I am officially coveting the accordion snow-globe that appears briefly in the film.  You should go watch it just for that.  I have hundreds of accordion knick-knacks, but haven’t got a snow-globe with an accordion yet.  Also, salt-and-pepper shakers – those would make my holiday flavour last all year.

AccNoir-2013-12-25, Christmas Specialists playlist:

Download or stream Hour 1:

http://www.coopradio.org/content/soundscape-162

* The Langers Ball – 1913 Massacre –  (2013) – Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA – http://www.thelangersball.com

* Southern Scratch – Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer – Chicken Scratch Christmas (1995) – Waila music from the Tohono O’odham people, Sonoran desert, southeastern Arizona – http://www.canyonrecords.com

* Jim Houston – Lonely Tree Blues – A Very Vancouver Christmas Vol-IV (2009) – Vancouver, BC, Canada

* The Chieftains – Rebel Jesus

* Darlene Love – Marshmallow World – A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector (1963)

* Hey Rosetta! – Carry Me Home – A Cup Of Kindness Yet (2012) – St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada – http://www.heyrosetta.com

* David Carswell & Megan Barnes – I Wanna Kiss You This Christmas – It’s A Team Mint Xmas Vol. II! (2004) – Canada

* Kate Beringer (Pheobe Cates), Billy Peltzer (Zack Galligan) – I don’t celebrate Christmas – Gremlins (1984) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlins

* Komar & Melamid and Dave Soldier – The Most Unwanted Song (Christmas-time!) – The People’s Choice Music (1997) –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Unwanted_Song  http://www.ubu.com/sound/komar.html  http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/04/a-scientific-at/

* Julie’s Animatronic Singing Hippo – Julie’s Christmas Hippo – (2013) – Really this should be a video.  Too bad it isn’t playing an accordion.

* Phil Kline – 1. Unsilent-1 – Unsilent NIght (1992) – New York City, New York State, USA – https://soundcloud.com/unsilentnight

* Ol’ Pal Irwin (Irwin Chusid) – Santa Clause is Coming to Town – Stay Free! Magazine Presents: The Best and Worst XMas 2004 (1980) –  – Compiled by Carrie McLaren and KBC.  http://www.stayfremagazine.org

* Young And Sexy – Santa Claus Likes Rich Kids Better – It’s A Team Mint Xmas Vol. II! (2004) – Canada

* The Chosen Gospel Singers [feat. Lou Rawls] – No Room In The Hotel – The Specialty Story 3 (1954)

* CAN – Little Star Of Bethlehem – Delay 1968 (1968)

* Charles. T. Cozens – Good King Wenceslas – Putumayo Presents – Celtic Christmas (2011)

Download or stream hour 2:  

http://www.coopradio.org/content/accordion-noir-161

* McGarrigles and the Chieftains – Il Est Ne’ – Ca Berger – Quebec, Canada / Ireland

* Horace Trahan – All Over The World La La La La La – Christmas In Every Way (2011) –  Ossun, Louisiana, USA – http://www.horacetrahan.com/

* Clifton Chenier – It’s Christmas Time – King Of The Bayous (2007) – http://www.arhoolie.com/

* Rockin’ Sidney – Party This Christmas – A Holiday Celebration with Rockin’ Sidney (1983) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI-Sj3KHfho&feature=youtu.be

* Southern Scratch – Jingle Bells – Chicken Scratch Christmas (1995) – http://www.canyonrecords.com

* Janet Lane & the Rhythm Westerners – I’d Like a Boyfriend for Christmas – The Return Of the Shellac Shack Santa! (Roy’s Christmas 78s, 2013) (195) – (Early 50’s Twilight 78 from the collection of Roy Forbes.  Thanks Roy!)

* Cyndi Lauper – Feels Like Christmas – Merry Christmas… Have a nice life ! (1998)

* Maria Dunn – God Bless Us Everyone (From The Christmas Carol Project) – For a Song (2001) – Alberta, Canada – http://www.mariadunn.com

* Cam Penner – Balsam Fir (Merry Christmas Sir) – Christmas Single EP (2008) – Calgary, Alberta  Canada  – http://www.campenner.com

* Paul & Bonnie Tutmarc – There’ll Be a New Santa Claus This Christmas – from Kevin Coffey’s collection (195) – Pacific Northwest, USA – (Bonnie Tutmarc later became “Bonnie Guitar.”)

* John Mellencamp – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

* Viola Turpeinen – Jouluyö, Juhlayö (Silent Night on organ?) – Viola Turpeinen – American hanuriprinsessa Vol. 3 1947 -1949 – Champion, Michigan, USA / Finland

* The Mahones – Angel Without Wings / Merry Christmas Baby – Angels & Devils (2012) – Kingston, Ontario, Canada  – http://www.TheMahones.ca  Katie McConnell, acc.

* The Magnetic Fields – Mr. Mistletoe – Distortion (2008) – Boston, Massachusetts, USA – http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/

* Baby Dee – Santa Claus is coming to Town (and he’s severely disabled) – Rudolph the Disgruntled Reindeer (2000) –  http://www.babydee.org

* The Creaking Planks – Never Give a Puppy for Christmas – A Very Vancouver Christmas Vol-II (2007) – Canada – With added Rowan!  http://www.veryvancouverchristmas.com/

* “Accordion Joe” – Prozac Christmas – The Spud Goodman Show (1992) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJVLDB8Zc1c   It’s A Prozac Christmas, starring the Spud Goodman Orchestra, Accordion Joe. Originally aired one time back in 1992.

* Miss Murgatroid – Toys That Don’t Care – Myoclyonic Melodies (1996) – Portland, Oregon, USA – http://www.missmurgatroid.com/

* George Secor (Moschino free bass accordion) – Have Yourself a Merry LIttle Christmas – Godfrey, Illinois

* Jim Reeves – Christmas Polka – Twelve Songs of Christmas (1963) – USA – Billy Burks, acc. (according to Larry Jordan’s bio of Reeves.)

Download or stream Hour 3:

http://www.coopradio.org/content/late-night-savages-143

* The Sonics – Santa Claus – Here Are The Sonics (1965) – Tacoma, Washington, USA

* Stompin Tom Connors – Down on Christmas – Merry Christmas Everybody – Canada

* UpSouth Twisters – Holiday Depression – The UpSouth Twisters (2008) – PALISADES, New York, USA –   http://www.myspace.com/lucky7zydeco

* Kate Beringer (Pheobe Cates), Billy Peltzer (Zack Galligan) – No Santa Clause – Gremlins (1984) –  – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlins   http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/stuck.asp  (“Santa  Claustrophobia” on Snopes’ urban legends site.)

* Spencer Moore, Everett Blevins – The Lawson Murder – Southern Journey Vol. 5: Bad Man Ballads – Songs of Outlaws and Desperadoes (1997) –  – The Alan Lomax Collection.  http://culturalequity.org/

* Jimmy Witherspoon – I Hate To See Christmas – The Swingtime Records Story (Disc 1) (1951)

* Charles Brown – I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Ohmega Watts Remix) – Christmas Remixed 2 (2005)

* Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys-Jack Lloyd – When Its Christmas on the Range – http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2008/12/western-swing-christmas.html

* Lightnin’ Hopkins – Santa – The Fire/Fury Records Story (Disc 1)

* Boyd Asher – Old Christmas – Kentucky Mountain Music (Disc 3)

* James Whetzel – Greensleeves (Sarod & Beats) – Holiday: Sarod & Beats (2013) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.JamesWhetzel.com

* Adrienne Pierce – Joy – A Very Vancouver Christmas Vol-II (2007) – Canada – http://www.veryvancouverchristmas.com/

* Spooner – The Saddest Time of the Year – Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart – CKUW Christmas Compilation

* Derek Kehler – Misguided Children – A Very Vancouver Christmas Vol-II (2007) – Canada – http://www.veryvancouverchristmas.com/

* Corporal Blossom – White Christmas – Copyright Infringement Advisory: Illegal Art (2002) – Stay Free Magazine: http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/order.html  censored music

 

By the way, according to WordPress, this blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2013.  That seems like quite a few.  Click here to see their somewhat intriguing Accordion Uprising report.