TONIGHT AT THE SLACKFEST SIDE STAGE

If you're of a certain age, you probably recognize the horn intro to Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis". MTV played the shit out of it back in the day, using it for holiday commercials and bumper music a thousand times a day. It might have been a year or two but it seems like much longer because it's so ingrained. Run DMC's choice of a sample from Clarence Carter's "Backdoor Santa" was somewhat of a deep pick, particularly because the sample itself, without being from a well recognized Christmas song, was still from a Christmas song. It's the most dominant sample in a song that also includes pieces of "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bells", and "Joy to the World". For as little known as Carter's song was, they could have used a sample from any song and most people wouldn't have noticed one way or another. But had they done that, I wouldn't have been able to ramble on about their sample choice thirty years later. You gotta hand it to them, that blast of horns makes the song.

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Listen:
Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis mp3 at AM Then FM
Clarence Carter - Backdoor Santa mp3 at AM Than FM

PLUG SIDE

Last night I was in the mood for a walk to the main drag a few blocks away. I brought a radio with earbuds (surprisingly good sound for a $15 radio and earbuds found on the beach). I tuned into the jazz station. Blech. I'd forgotten that it was time for the blues show, this particular one my least favorite. It was playing guitar slinger type blues along the lines of the dreaded Blueshammer. I love blues as much as the next guy, but not when some peacock of a guitar player is strutting his stuff. So I switched stations to the r&b station and let me tell you, it was a yowza moment. The opening beats of Run DMC's "It's Like That" from their first LP. Man, I love vintage Run DMC. I worked in a restaurant when it came out, and the dishwasher played it non-stop for months. I remember thinking at the time that it was a turning point in rap. It was stripped down and powerful. No disco beats. That first Run DMC LP is right up there with the Sex Pistols debut inasmuch as it was raw and it took things in a entirely different direction.

After I got home it occurred to me that it was about the time of year to hit "Christmas In Hollis" again. Many of you will know that the horns sampled in it came from Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa". Those of you who don't, should stop and appreciate that the most prominent sample in the song, the horns, came from another Christmas record and the key thing is, they didn't have to do that. No one would have known one way or another. For whatever reason, I find it cool that they took that extra step..

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Listen:
Run DMC - It's Like That (streaming) at YouTube
Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis mp3 at Said the Gramophone
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa mp3 at AM Then FM
More Christmas hip hop:
Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin' (streaming) at YouTube
Run The Jewels - A Christmas F*cking Miracle (video) at YouTube
Snoop Doggy Dogg ft. Daz Dillinger, Nate Dogg, Tray Deee, Bad Azz - Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto (video) at YouTube

KICKING AND SCREAMING

Okay, so I go, begrudgingly, to the Christmas bin. As is the case with holiday themed posts, there's going to be quite a few that have been posted before. To you locals who have been lurking for a year or more, I apologize in advance for posting some stuff that I have in the past. But I will try to keep you homeboys on your toes. So, lets do this.

First up is Clarence Carter's "Backdoor Santa", sample fodder for Run DMC's "Christmas In Hollis". What hadn't occurred to me before was that this choice of sample was somewhat of a deep pick, particularly because the sample itself, without being from a well recognized Christmas song, was from a Christmas song. It's the most dominant sample in a song that also includes pieces of "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bells", and "Joy to the World". For as little known as Carter's song was, they could have used a  sample from any song and most people wouldn't have noticed one way or another. But had they done that, I wouldn't have been able to ramble on about their sample choice some twenty nine years later. You gotta hand it to them, that blast of horns makes the song.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa mp3 at AM Then FM

Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis mp3 at Said the Gramophone

MORE HOLIDAY FODDER

Don't get all worked up in a fuss over there. There's nothing by Kiss here. That image up there was just too easy, too stupid, to not do. Anyway, here's a mixed bag of various holiday songs. Do listen to the Lee Perry songs back-to-back, and hear him go from reggae producer to space cadet. I think his "Santa Claus" is fast becoming one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. Yeah, have another Scratch!

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Listen:
Lee Perry & Sandra Robinson - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Lee Perry - Santa Claus mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Billy Childish & the MBE - Santa Clause mp3 at Brooklyn Vegan
Louis Prima - Shake Hands With Santa Claus mp3 at Lil' Mike's
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
James Brown - Santa Clause, Santa Claus mp3 at AM Then FM
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz It's Christmas mp3 at Kick Kick Snare
Tom Waits - Silent Night mp3 at Salad Days Music

LAST MINUTE PARTY SUPPLIES

Here's a mess of last minute background noise for your holiday shindig, and it's a weird mix. Let me preface all the descriptive rambling by saying that I'm not one for playing a lot of holiday music. (It's just not my bag, man.) That said, I know some of you can't get enough of it. So, here's a bunch. Some links, some mp3s, and a couple full mixes; all told about 175 songs. And, if you're going to a family get-together, I'd recommend previewing some first. (Let's just say that no matter what, Eazy E's getting coal in his stocking for life.)

Now, about the songs: I had to start with Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for one big fat reason. It's not often that the hardened semi-geezer that is your host gets choked up. But, it does happen at least once a year, while watching TV of all things. Because, every year, Darlene Love appears on Letterman, on his last show before Christmas (this Thursday, the 23rd). She performs her signature song, in front of a brass section, a string section, and a choir. Now, one of things that gets me all misty eyed is that she does it year after year (twenty three and counting), and I reflect quite a bit in those three minutes. I get to thinking about how many of my friends purchased the Phil Spector Christmas album as their first adult holiday music purchase, a sort of serendipitous rite of passage. And I think about how all of those friends, now far and wide, have probably dug it out for the holidays, somehow linked by their appreciation of Spector's Wall of Sound. That's the big thing, that Wall of Sound. It also hits me, as I watch it, that it is probably the only time I will ever see a Spector produced song performed live, with anything that approximates the same arrangement and backing that was in the studio way back when. It's really something to watch. It's big. It's joyful. It may be corny (specifically, when the sax player appears), but if you're anything at all like me, it can be goosebump inducing. (There's links below to videos of previous performances to give you a taste.)

Now that I've about used up my allotment of wordiness, here's the rundown on the others. The Pogues "Fairytale of New York" is such a melancholy song, and made more so when you consider what a relative mess Shane MacGowan is. It's beautiful, in a very weird way. After that is another Spector produced Darlene Love song. Then there's a little soul interlude, with JB, Carla Thomas and Clarence Carter. Following that is Joey Ramone's version of "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" because it seems a lot more heartfelt than the original by the Ramones proper. The Apoctalyptica cut's in there because you always need a little Finnish cello-metal in a holiday mix. The Reverend Horton Heat song sounds like something out of a Sergio Leone flick. Jimmy Smith is just so cool, nothing further needs to be said. The Deer Tick song, as much as I hate the premise, is some pretty worthy banging. The Stevie Wonder cut is such an amazing anti-war song that I'm embarrassed to say, I never heard it until recently (as in, a couple hours ago). Buck Owens is down there because everybody needs a tear jerking Bakersfield breakdown at some point.

Turn it up guys, and remember: Darlene Love, Thursday night.

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Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) mp3 (plus 9 others) at AM Then FM
The Pogues - Fairytale of New York mp3 (plus 38 others)t Salad Days of Music
Darlene Love - White Christmas mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard
James Brown - Santa Clause, Santa Claus mp3 at AM Then FM
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz It's Christmas mp3 at Kick Kick Snare
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa mp3 at AM Then FM
Joey Ramone - Merry Christmas mp3 (plus a 24 song mix) at Sucka Pants
Apocalyptica - Little Drummer Boy mp3 at Cover Me
Reverend Horton Heat - What Child Is This mp3 at AM Then FM
Jimmy Smith - Santa Clause Is Coming to Town mp3 (plus 9 more) at Review Stalker
Deer Tick - Christmas All Summer Long mp3 (plus 19 others) at Consequence of Sound
Stevie Wonder - Someday At Christmas mp3 at AM Then FM
Buck Owens & Susan Raye - All I Want For Christmas Is My Daddy mp3 (plus 14 more) at My Aimz Is True
Mixes:
A Different Kind of Christmas - 25 song mix at Flowering Toilet
(The Fall, Jack Scott, Johnny Otis, Chuck Berry, Solomon Burke, etc.)
Christmas Wrap - 25 song hip hop mix at Electric Adolescence
(Snoop, Eazy E, 2 Live Crew, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, etc.)
Watch:
Here's a few of the Darlene Love performances from the Late Show With David Letterman. Another post will be about the videos (only so much gushing in one night). For now, here's these:
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), 2009, Letterman at YouTube
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), 2008, Letterman at YouTube
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Compilation of four Letterman appearances, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009 at YouTube