Since last week, we've only learned of one coming holiday set, and that one from an artist we'd already listed as Possible. I still think it might be jumping the gun to list it as a TBA, but somebody's got to make the donuts
Anyway, we hear, now, that Harry Wayne Casey has his Christmas boogie shoes on and will release his seasonal disc this autumn. Harry Wayne Casey is, of course, KC who, along with his Sunshine Band, ruled the charts and airwaves throughout the seventies. Well, at least in any week the Bee Gees weren't crowding everybody out (and in some weeks where they were). Having already released one new album this year, "Feeling You" (an album of 60s covers that was met with mixed reviews), KC now says the Christmas album will drop this fall and will feature 7 traditional songs and 4 originals. And that's all we know about that.
T'was right around Christmas time last year...just a couple of days before the Big Day...and I'm out there doing what I do, hunting up holiday freebies, you know. And I found one.
And I start listening--cause you have to be able to tell people whether its good or whether it sucks. And I'm digging it. Right away, I'm digging it. It's a local artist compilation and a couple of tracks are lo-fi, but in the best way. And it's just....peppy and.....fun. I mean, one way to go with a Christmas album is all serious and somber and there's nothing wrong with that. But another way to go is to just have a blast with it. And these folks were having a blast. And so was I. It was kinda like the Sharknado of Christmas albums. And let me just drop a word in the ear of the Sharknado people at SyFy for a second. Sharknado Christmas. Just think about it.
It's a large collection--28 tracks. And I'm listening straight through, not sampling or nothin'. And I do my usual thing of digging a bit deeper and I find that the collection is also available on cassette (they wanted some kind of hard-copy and cassette was, financially and time-wise, the most workable). Limited edition of 150 (at the time, anyway).
If you couldn't tell from this piece, pretty much everything I write here is stream of consciousness (except most of the reviews, which I do try to put serious effort into). So I start typing as I'm listening to the set for the second time straight through. And I'm typing away and really digging this thing. Having a merry ole time. Man, I can't wait to post this one for people, I'm thinking. And the download is FREE! How cool is that?
There's this other thing I do fairly often. If its an unusual buying platform, I'll go ahead and buy it so I can tell you, my readers, if it works and how well. As I'm finishing up my couple of paragraphs on the collection, I go out to buy the cassette version. I'm not a big cassette guy, but I am digging this music, so.... And the second I complete my purchase, the site changes the availability to "sold out". And I'm figuring, well, at least the download is free. But it wasn't. Not anymore. My cassette purchase triggered the "sold out" which, in turn, triggered the download to no longer be free. And I hadn't even done the free download myself, yet. And I was just so embarrassed and full of guilt. Had I just posted the free download, chances are at least a few of you could have grabbed it free before somebody else bought that last cassette. I mean, I know its not exactly a crime against humanity or anything. But still.... It's my fault and I'm sorry.
Adding insult to injury, I didn't tell you about the album at all. And it was, I thought, really good. A real holiday blast.
Several months later, the cassettes have been restocked, apparently. Ten bucks for that. And maybe I'm just crazy or the victim of a holiday sugar rush and you won't like it at all. But that wasn't an issue when it was free. You could have downloaded and not worried about that. But the download is still only $5. And I still love it. And you can try before you buy, 'cause its Bandcamp. I just wish I hadn't bought that cassette until after Christmas. I screwed-up. Lil' bit.
Here's the piece I wrote at the time (a lot shorter than this preamble). Please ignore the line where I say its free (for crap sake). Sacramento rocks, y'all!
2. Soft Science - Marshmallow World
3. Bummer & Lazarus - A World Without Christmas
4. Josh Goodman - Christmas In The Valley
5. Bright Ideas - When You Think About Christmas Time
6. 2014 - You Gotta Love Christmas
7. Dylan Barnes - O Holy Night
8. Red Hot Fire - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
9. Knock Knock - White Christmas (Fog Version)
10. Charles Albright - White Christmas Minority
11. Gangee - Festivus (For The Rest Of Us)
12. The Strange Party - N(eg)ativity
13. Andy Tate - All I Want
14. Dylan Barnes - White Christmas
15. Danny Offer - The Christmas Party
16. Kittens Having Kittens - It's Warmer When You're Near
17. The Crow Canyon Boys - You Left Me On Christmas
18. The Enlows - Winterman
19. Matt Crap (from The MOANS) - Scary Christmas To All (And To All A Ghoul Night)
20. White Women Love Jazz - Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
21. The Ninja Family Orchestra - Jingle Bells DOMESTIC HONEY BLOG
22. Dylan Barnes - Carol Of The Bells PURCHASE DOWNLOAD FROM BANDCAMP
23. The Croissants - Corn Cob Pipe PURCHASE CASSETTE FROM PLEASANT SCREAMS
24. Tell el-Armana - First To Arrive
25. Han's Father - Christmas On Tatooine
26. The Caganers - (Poo Poo) Caga Tio
27. The Four Eyes - The Christmas Mash
28. Dylan Barnes - Silent Night
Zombie lovers, there's a track for you from Matt Crap of the Moans. Star Wars fans, you're covered. And there's Lo Fi Alt Bluegrass from The Crow Canyon Boys. Or maybe its Punk Bluegrass. Who even knew there was such a thing? Electronica? Yeah, we got that from White Women Love Jazz (and, ok, that was my least favorite). Bummer and Lazarus rework a Peter & Gordon classic into "A World Without Christmas". The Four Eyes give a spritely Alt Rock version of "The Monster Mash". And the "Silent Night" closing is priceless ("Dylan, keep going damn it, I'm not done"). "A Christmas Comp For You" has got something for just about everybody. Now, true enough, I like more things than I don't. But I think even the biggest Grinch is going to find at least 6 or 7 tracks, here, that they absolutely love. And, if you can't find just one--just ONE--song, here, to use on your mixtapes, I dunno; I'd have to guess you're too conventional for my taste. It's free, for crap sake. Just download it and try it on for size. You'll find "A Christmas Comp For You" on Bandcamp.