Alternative Xmas Music

Joy to the world for ‘tis the season to be bombarded by the same dozen overplayed slices of Advent radio fodder!

Or is it?

If you hate the Christmas/Saturnalia/Yule/Midwinter/Channukah etc. season then this post really isn’t for you. However if you don’t take the holiday season too seriously (and probably own a black Christmas tree as well) then this should be right up your street.
Go into any high street shop or listen to any radio station right now and you’ll be guaranteed to hear Slade, The Pogues, Wizard, Mariah Carey, Shakin’ Stevens and all the other usual suspects.

But there are alternatives!

While you may not be able to control what the shops and media try to force feed you with your Turkey and trimmings, you can regain still control of your home play list. And so I present a few alternative albums and songs to spin this season and aleviate yourselves of the Christmas blues.



Albums:

There is an ever growing range of Christmas albums released by alternative bands/record labels every year. A few of them are compilations that hold a few of the tracks in the download list, but more often than not they contain gems that you can’t find anywhere else. Below are some of my favourites.

‘Excelcis Vol. 1: A Dark Noel’
Various Artists
Projekt Records

‘Excelcis Vol. 2: A Winter’s Song’
Various Artists
Projekt Records

‘Mistletoe And Wine’
The Medieval Baebes
EMI Classics

‘Twisted Christmas’
Twisted Sister
Demolition

‘Winter Songs: Halford III’
Halford
Metal God

‘Frohes Fest’
Unheilig
TCM

‘Black Snow – The completely different Xmas compilation’
Various Artists
Black Rain

‘Black Snow Vol. 2 – The completely different Xmas compilation’
Various Artists
Black Rain


Downloads:
Aside from full albums, there have been many bands over the years that have done the odd Chistmas song as well. Some of them light-hearted and fun, some of the serious and others that are simply miserable. Here are a few to scan the download stores for.

Danny Elfman – 'What’s this? / Making Christmas'
The Damned – 'There ain’t no Sanity Claus'
Zombina And The Skeletones – 'Transylvanian Christmas'
MXPX – 'Christmas night of the zombies'
Billy Idol – 'Yellin’ at the Xmas tree'
Depeche Mode - 'Christmas Island'
The Eels – 'Everything’s gonna’ be cool this Christmas'
REM – 'Christmas griping'
Peter Murphy and Tom Waits – 'Christmas sucks'
Within Temptation – 'Gothic Christmas'
Wednesday 13 – 'Buried by Christmas'
Henry Rollins – 'Twas the night before Christmas'
Jimi Hendrix – 'Auld lang syne'
U2 – 'New Year’s day'
Cursice – 'Break in the new year'
Drakkar Sauna – 'A carol before Christmas'
Vandals – 'A gun for Christmas'
Faith & the Muse – 'A winter wassail'
White Stripes – 'Candy cane children'
Bob Rivers – 'Chipmunks roasting on an open fire'
Ulver – 'Christmas'
Tom Waits – 'Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis'
Smashing pumpkins – 'Christmastime'
Jack white – 'Christmastime will soon be over'
Groovy Ghoulies – 'Christmas on Mars'
Black Tape for a blue girl – 'Channukah oh Channukah'
Cocteau twins – 'Frosty the snowman'
James Brown – 'Go power at Christmastime'Queen – 'Thank God it's Christmas'
Nekrogoblikon – 'Goblin Christmas Armageddon Pt .1'
The Cruxshadows – 'Happy Xmas (War is over)'
Winechuggers – 'I was drunk on Christmas eve'
The Ziggens – 'Instant Christmas'
Alien Sex fiend – 'New Christmas music'
King diamond – 'No presents for Christmas'
Rhea’s obsession – 'We three kings'
Type O Negative – 'Red water (Christmas mourning)'
Alice Cooper – 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'
Attrition – 'Silent night'
Lou Reed – 'Christmas in February'The Nulll Collective – 'Silent Night'