WUMB’s Albert O hosts the station’s weekly venture into the music of the ’60’s and ’70’s called Highway 61 Revisited. He usually organizes the show around the birthdays of the artists, but for Halloween and Christmas he devotes the show to songs that fit — four hours’ worth. He seems to have a great archive and store of knowledge on which to draw. Listening to this year’s edition of the show online, I recalled that Albert is the one who familiarized me with several of the tracks that made my playlist yesterday. The station’s site here affords access to online listening.
As usual, on yesterday’s show I heard several tracks I had never heard before. Albert King’s “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'” (written by Mack Rice) tickled me: “It’s time for old Santa Claus to make his midnight creep.” In addition to his own work on guitar, King must have been backed by the great Stax studio lineup doing their thing in the heyday of soul music.
It was exhilarating to hear the voices of Roger Miller, the Everly Brothers, Bing Crosby/David Bowie [!], Rotary Connection’s Minnie Ripperton, Tom Waits, Laura Nyro, Donny Hathaway, Odetta, and so many others Albert pulled from the vault. Looking around this morning, I have found even the most obscure of these numbers on YouTube. I thought some readers might want to check them out or revisit them. This is yesterday’s playlist copied and pasted from WUMB’s site in the reverse chronological order given, without typographical corrections. After further thought and homework I will have to supplement next year’s installment of Christmas songs with a little help from this list.
11:57 am
Bob Dylan
The First Noel (from Christmas In The Heart)
11:51 am
David BowieBing Crosby
Peace On EarthLittle Drummer Boy (from New Wave Xmas)
11:47 am
Angel
The Winter Song (from White Hot)
11:43 am
Jimi Hendrix
Little Drummer BoySilent NightAuld Lang Syne (from Merry Christmas and Happy New Year EP)
11:36 am
Albert King
Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin (from 1974 Single)
11:33 am
Canned Heat
Christmas Blues (from Blue Yule)
11:29 am
Wizzard
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (from Single)
11:26 am
Slade
Merry Christmas Everybody (from Single)
11:21 am
The Who
Christmas (from Tommy)
11:15 am
Greg Lake
I Believe In Father Christmas (from Single)
11:12 am
Big Star
Jesus Christ (from Third)
11:08 am
Doug Sahm and Friends
Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer
11:04 am
Dave Edmunds
Run Rudolph Run (from 1982 Single)
11:00 am
John Lennon
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (from Lennon Legend)
10:58 am
The Beatles
A Saturday Club XmasCrimble Medley (from BBC Saturday Club)
10:53 am
Leon Russell
Slipping Into Christmas (from Single)
10:51 am
Johnny and Edgar Winter
Please Come Home For Christmas (from 1969 Single)
10:47 am
Rotary Connection
Christmas Love (from Peace)
10:43 am
Toots and The Maytals
Happy Christmas (from Natty and Nice A Reggae Christmas)
10:35 am
Cheech and Chong
Santa Claus and His Old Lady (from 1971 Single)
10:32 am
Martin Mull
Santa Doesnt Cop Out On Dope (from 1972 Promo Single)
10:29 am
John Cale
Childs Christmas in Wales (from Paris 1919)
10:26 am
Jethro Tull
Christmas Song (from Living In the Past)
10:21 am
Lindisfarne
Winter Song (from Nicely Out Of Tune)
10:16 am
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
I Believe in Christmas Eve (from Seasons for Miracles)
10:13 am
The Crystals
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (from A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector)
10:09 am
Isaac Hayes
The Mistletoe And Me (from 1969 Single)
10:06 am
Chuck Berry
Merry Christmas Baby (from Have a Merry Chess Christmas)
10:01 am
Elton John
Step Into Christmas (from Single)
9:56 am
Tom Waits
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis (from Blue Valentine)
9:49 am
Laura Nyro
Christmas in My Soul (from Christmas and the Beads of Sweat)
9:45 am
NRBQ
Christmas Wish (from Christmas Party with Eddie G.)
9:41 am
The Band
Christmas Must Be Tonight (from Islands)
9:38 am
John Prine
Christmas In Prison (from Sweet Revenge)
9:36 am
Steve Goodman
Winter Wonderland (from Artistic Hair)
9:34 am
Arlo Guthrie
The Pause of Mr. Claus (from Arlo)
9:29 am
Commander Cody
Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas (from 1973 Single)
9:26 am
The Everly Brothers
Christmas Eve Can Kill You (from Stories We Could Tell)
9:23 am
Merle Haggard
If We Make It Through December (from If We Make It Through December)
9:21 am
Roger Miller
Old Toy Trains (from 1967 Single)
9:15 am
The Royal Guardsmen
Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron (from 1966 Single)
9:13 am
Margo Guryan
I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You (from 25 Demos)
9:11 am
The Beach Boys
The Man With All the Toys (from The Beach Boys Christmas Album)
9:07 am
Donny Hathaway
This Christmas (from Donny Hathaway)
9:05 am
The Chambers Brothers
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (from Single)
9:02 am
The Bee Gees
Thank You For Christmas (from Horizontal)
9:00 am
The Bee Gees
Silent NightThe First NoelHark the Herald Angels Sing (from Horizontal)
8:53 am
Vince Guaraldi Trio
Christmas Time Is Here (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)
8:50 am
Booker T. and The M.G.s
Blue Christmas (from In The Christmas Spirit)
8:47 am
The Ramsey Lewis Trio
Here Comes Santa Claus (from A Jazz and Blues Christmas)
8:44 am
Johnny Cash
Christmas as I Knew It (Live) (from Johnny Cash Family Christmas)
8:43 am
The Monkees
Riu Riu Chiu (from 1967 Christmas Special)
8:38 am
Joni Mitchell
River (from Blue)
8:35 am
Gordon Lightfoot
Song For A Winters Night (from The Way I Feel)
8:33 am
Simon and Garfunkel
7 OClock NewsSilent Night (from Old Friends)
8:31 am
Simon and Garfunkel
Star Carol (from Old Friends)
8:23 am
Roy Orbison
Pretty Paper (from 1963 Single)
8:20 am
The Lettermen
Little Drummer Boy (from For Christmas This Year)
8:18 am
The Kingston Trio
We Wish You a Merry Christmas (from The Last Month of the Year)
8:13 am
Joan Baez
What Child Is This (from Noel)
8:09 am
Joan Baez
I Wonder As I Wander (from Noel)
8:07 am
Odetta
Aint That ARocking (from Christmas Spirituals)
8:05 am
Odetta
Poor Little Jesus (from Christmas Spirituals)
8:01 am
Leo Kottke
Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring (from 6 and 12 String Guitar)
8:00 am
John Fahey
Joy to the World (from The New Possibility)
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.