Merry Synthmas! 3 MORE Holiday Classics

In 2023 I covered 5 quirky, obscure Christmas songs that deserved a do-over, you can find that article here:

https://sonicstate.com/news/2023/12/20/merry-synthmas-5-holiday-classics/

Anyhow, we're back with more festive oddities! Hop on your sleigh and lets get going...

1. Band Aid: Do They Know It's Christmas (12" Version)

This cut features that recognisable mix of bright and cheerful synths and guilt-inducing lyrics until 2:22, where Phil Collins goes on a storming semiquaver drum derailment - accompanied by foreboding, reverberant stabs (synth/guitar/orchestra hit?). Spoken messages from various stars play as Phil continue to assault that kit.

And then it happens, Holly Johnson of Frankie goes to Hollywood leaves a barely decipherable phone message: "Feed the world, HA HA HA HA HAAA!" - I laughed so much I fell off my chair. Ow.

After more messages and a big count in, we're back in the room - like it never happened.

2. Cristina - "Things Fall Apart"

I guess you might call this an anti-Christmas song? Things fall apart kicks off with delicate, twinkly Christmas bells, before tape delay feedback gives way to a real slice of New York noise. The characters within seem like fairly broken people - "And then one year to reach up high, to hang an angel from the tree became a painful thing." As a member of the seasonally depressed I applaud this - it's so easy to think that we're the only ones struggling, and it's simply not true! Killer bass line also! :D

3. James Brown - Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

Ok no synth this time, but there is a piano and (I think) a percussive Hammond Organ! So here's an absolutely stonking up-beat bluesy number. Oft-noodling around the tonic; there are, nevertheless, some lovely little chord runs. The musicians are locked into a swinging groove, and a highly-syncopated brass section turns up the spice. It should be everywhere, a ubiquitous Christmas hit - I guess that the song's overt messaging was too politically charged to for some. Shame, a great song!

Remember to check out the previous article if you haven't seen it before, and season's greetings to you <3

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