Nice one Buddha! How about

Booker T & The M.G.s - In the Christmas Spirit

Beach Boys - Christmas with the Beach Boys

and, just to take us off the beaten path a bit, ...

B

My favorite Christmas album, by far, isn't really a Christmas album. But it totally is: The Flaming Lips' Clouds Taste Metallic.

There is a song on it called "Christmas at the Zoo," and Wayne Coyne does sing about farm animals from time to time.

(While searching for that link, by the way, I was happily surprised to find that someone had posted a recent comment, saying that he, too, was at the show I describe. Which is really freaking cool. Gave me chills as he described his own experience. I'll have to contact him.)

I buy one Christmas album a year, and this year's pick is a good 'un.

'Carla's Christmas Carols,' from the great jazzbo Carla Bley.

Jazz and Christmas don't usually work well together: if it's jazz, you can't sing along, (off key and egg-nogged) and if you can sing along, it usually isn't very good jazz.

This one walks the line very nicely.

s.

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I buy one Christmas album a year, and this year's pick is a good 'un.

'Carla's Christmas Carols,' from the great jazzbo Carla Bley.

That's our Recording of the Month for January 2010!

AND...I went back to the Flaming Lips blog entry mentioned earlier, and discovered that Michelle (my ex-girlfriend, dudes -- the one from the entry -- who I haven't spoken to in years!) also just posted a comment TODAY.

How weird is that?

Extremely weird.

Ed Gerhard's "Christmas" Amazon.com An amazing guitarist.

Aimee Mann's One More Drifter In The Snow
Chris Isaak's Christmas album

All of these seem to please kids, indie parents and grey-haired grandparents alike- no mean feat.

I really enjoy Aimee Mann's album "One More Drifter in the Snow." Good list of classics and some different picks and she gets just the right old-school feel in there. The Bare Naked Ladies Christmas album is great, and throws in some funny alt holidays in there too. It's an odd blend of almost straight up carols/songs with a few send-ups, but it works. And Harry Connick, Jr. - "Harry for the Holidays" is a good one with obviously a "bigger" sound. And of course: A Charlie Brown Christmas" is still a classic and pretty much the only way to sneak in some jazz in the mix.

I have about 10 good one's I usually mix up and work well for parties and family gatherings. I avoid albums that try to hard to be "different" as it sounds forced and for Pete's sake if Christmas gatherings aren't pretty much ALL about trying to create a gauzy, traditional, idealized version of childhood memories, I don't know what are.

Cheers and enjoy All!

My wifey gave me the Bob Dylan Christmas album and I gotta say, when you listen to Bob singing "Do You Know What I Know" it ceases to be a Christmas song and becomes political.

Ya gotta try it!

Mel Torme: The Christmas Song
Vince Gill: Breath of Heaven
John Denver: Christmas Like a Lullaby
City On A Hill: It

Low - Christmas

An understated bulldozer of album.

Low is a great band. Everything they do is an understated bulldozer.

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My wifey gave me the Bob Dylan Christmas album and I gotta say, when you listen to Bob singing "Do You Know What I Know" it ceases to be a Christmas song and becomes political.

He makes Here comes Santa Claus sound like a threat.

After listening to his version of Do You Know What I Know? I am very glad I don't.

This album puts the fear back in Christmas.

Ariel Ramirez: Misa Criolla (Navidad Nuestra) w/ Jos