Can anyone put together a santatacular set of rock and roll/Americana/roots-rock/whatever Christmas songs? Hell, yeah someone can. I’m your guy.
Between this moment and when Santa comes down your metaphorical chimney, we’re gonna take a look and a listen to the best, oddest, dustiest, loudest, semi-legendary holiday rock music. Stuff you can sing along to everytime you hear the damn thing, and stuff that should have been more than a just a holiday lost classic – but then again, a lot of lost songs have been found again on YouTube.
That’s our deal. Tell your friends over at the Facebook franchise. The holiday party’s right here. Free beer. It’s the Christmas Song Santa-tacular Rock and Roll Countdown ’09.
So, as Casey Kasem (psst, kids – he’s an old radio guy) would always say: “And the Countdown rolls on…”
In the 1970’s in England, there weren’t many bands bigger than Slade. Goofy, bubblegum Chuck Berry-ish guitar rock and roll with a whole bunch of shouted choruses. America never thought as highly of them. Here’s what wikipedia says: They were the first act to have three singles enter at #1, and had six chart-topping stompers. Their best selling single, “Merry Xmas Everybody“, sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.
Best known in the US for influencing and sharing songs with Quiet Riot at the initial blast of the heavy metal era in the early 80’s. They had a couple MTV hits (“Run Runaway” probably the best remembered).
At #20, its “Merry Christmas Everybody”, in all it’s lip-synching, live-action cartoon glory.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A8KT365wlA]