Z's Music Corner - Christmas Edition

[old_prof]

For quirky I'll go with David Bromberg (I wanted The Holdup from the same album, which is shorter and has a catchier tune, but I couldn't find it on YT)

 

[Rob_Royale]

Two amazing musicians here. Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale. This song is on heavy rotation on my favorites feed.

 

[YmaOHyd]

There aren't many people who can be called prodigies, but Shawn Lane was one of them. He started playing guitar at 10 and took it seriously at 13. By 14, he was touring nationally with Black Oak Arkansas, opening for REO Speedwagon, the Outlaws and Blue Oyster Cult. At 20, he released his first album Powers of Ten, featuring "Get You Back," the song in the video up there. The album was written on piano, which was Lane's primary instrument for practice and songwriting. At a guitar clinic in the early 1990s he was asked how he'd learned to play so fast; he shrugged and said "I don't know, I've always been able to do this."

From the mid-90s to the early 2000s, Lane played with Jonas Hellborg of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and a series of talented drummers. They'd play long, almost entirely improv shows in a fusion of styles; his later work includes lots of influences from Indian and Pakistani traditional musicians. Unfortunately, Lane had serious health problems stemming from psoriatic arthritis, Cushing's syndrome and heavy smoking, and he passed away in 2003.

He's not as widely known as he should be or as many of his contemporaries are. Guthrie Govan, the British guitar virtuoso, started as a columnist for Guitar Techniques magazine by transcribing the most technically-difficult piece he could find: one by Lane. Paul Gilbert called him "the most terrifying guy of all time," and talked in 2025 about sharing a stage with him at NAMM 1993. Brilliant player, great guy, more people should know his music.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

So as it turns out, it's December now. Did I think of this before making this thread? No I did not. Am I still gonna give this a shot? Yes I am. Can I manage 25 Christmas songs that won't drive me insane? Guess there's only one way to find out.

To be clear, no one else is required to post Christmas music. You can, of course, although I politely request that you refrain from Whamming the thread, or spamming Mariah Carey.

So, Christmas songs: Christmas Truce by Sabaton!

In case anyone is unaware, this song is about a real event during WW1. Soldiers in the trenches on opposing sides made an unauthorized and impromptu cease fire and celebrated Christmas together.

Sabaton is a Swedish metal band who make some pretty cool music, mostly about wars and historical battles. The female vocal in the credits is Dutch badass and lead singer of Nightwish, Floor Jansen, who is married to the drummer.

 

[alohadave]

 

[HyunnaPark]

"Father Christmas" by the Kinks. It's punk enough that I'm okay with it.

Father Christmas, give us some money
Don't mess around with those silly toys
We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
We want your bread so don't make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys

 

[YmaOHyd]

Always loved Nightwish's cover of "Walking in the Air," from the 1982 Christmas special The Snowman. A boy and a snowman fly to the North Pole, where they party with snowmen and meet Santa and his reindeer.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

One of my new favorite Christmas songs.

And now to break the Lit under 18 rule
...

 

[Z_TheWriter]

One of my new favorite Christmas songs.



And now to break the Lit under 18 rule
...

Kelliezgirl breaking all the rules today. Including 'one song pr day'.
Those kids are killing it though!

 

[cw5523729]

 

[Bamagan]

I loathe most Christmas music. But this one is an exception.

 

[cw5523729]

One of my new favorite Christmas songs.

That is an awesome version. I'm totally adding that to my Christmas music Playlist.

 

[KTrout23]

My favorite Christmas song. R.I.P. Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Kelliezgirl breaking all the rules today. Including 'one song pr day'.
Those kids are killing it though!

 

[ADirtyPerv]

I missed wacky music day, but I'm posting anyway. I searched for this song off and on for years and years and found it literally today. Heard it on the radio somehow in the Central Valley CA.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

Santa Baby, by Eartha Kitt

One of the only popular, slightly overplayed Christmas songs I really enjoy. Perhaps because it's not pop, but jazz.

It also seems quite fitting on an erotica forum. I once participated in a show at university where one of the quieter girls in the group sang a rewritten version of this song at a (generic) exam professor while giving him a lap dance. Let's just say she might have been quiet, but definitely not shy. I think the audience had trouble breathing afterward. It was certainly not easy keeping focused on playing the music, having a great view from the band stage.

 

[alohadave]

This is maybe the best rendition of Hallelujah around:

 

[old_prof]

I have to include this one

 

[HyunnaPark]

Not very Christmas-y, but this song inspired a poem I posted in the poetry forum. It's a chill, relaxed deep house song with truly ethereal vocals. "Love Come Home" by Our Tribe feature Franke Pharaoh.

 

[Bamagan]

Spellwork, by Austra.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

We're not getting through this without some Danish Christmas music too.
MC Einar - Jul Det' Cool

MC Einar was a fairly successful rap group in the late 80s. They were some of the first to actually rap in Danish, and part of their shtick was to look a bit dorky and write songs which were about just being normal, kinda poor people in Denmark. This sort of self-deprecation became a blueprint for a lot of Danish hip-hop going forward.

Jul Det' Cool (Christmas, It's Cool) is a pretty ironic Christmas song, about how it all seems to be about shopping and spending money, which might not be quite so cool if you don't have a lot. Also it mentions how even a tiny amount of snow makes the trains not run on time, or sometimes at all - which yeah, that still happens.

The song is actually one of the most played Christmas songs ever in Denmark, but it has never made the group any money. It contains a sample from a much older US Christmas song called 'Sleigh Ride', which meant some record companies decided that everything would go to to the rights holder of that song instead. MC Einar don't even have the right to decide who can use the song. Which somehow seems both fitting and tragic for a song about capitalism possibly taking over Christmas a bit too much.

 

[sirhugs]

Tired of Christmas music already

 

[Z_TheWriter]

This is maybe the best rendition of Hallelujah around:

I still find it hard to beat Jeff Buckley. This one is quite interesting though.
--------------------------------------------

Spellwork, by Austra.

Austra is great!
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Tired of Christmas music already

That's fair. I do try to find things which are non-traditional, or people might not have heard before - hence also the Danish ones. But I get why it's not for everyone regardless.
I am still gonna try to finish the challenge I set of 25 Christmas songs which I can stand myself, though.

 

[alohadave]

 

[cw5523729]

@AG31