Little Mary Christmas-Roger Christian

Here's Roger Christian with yet another sad(very) little orhan's tale this Christmas...'Little Miss Merry Christmas', yep, we get it...

Santa Claus Is A Black Man-Akin And The Teddy Vann Production Company

It's true you know, if you want it be...great track,great voice...

Father XXXmas-The Goodies

A rather dodgy offering here from comedic trio The Goodies. Yes, before Bill Oddie was 'birding it' he was writing, producing and playing on the records associated with their hit TV show. Good on yer B.Oddie!

The 70's were just plain odd...

White Christmas-Melt Banana

Melt Banana with their classic 'White Christmas'...as for the Santa pic, simply terrifying...

Christmas+Suzy Snowflake-Little Marcy

Ah, fundamentalist Christianity from Little Marcy (Marcy Tigner)...well, it is Christmas after all...

I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek-The Go Go's

Great track from The Go Go's (no not those Go Go's...) from the superb 'Who Is Dr Who' album which I can't recommend highly enough, and not just for Dr Who fans!

Some great but quite bizarre lyrics about kissing Daleks on the toe and twiddling with his eye!

Who'd have thought it?, a loved up Dalek under the mistletoe...

...as for our Santa pic today, well it's all in the eye's isn't it...joy!

Remember (Christmas)-Harry Nilsson

The superb Harry Nilsson here with a track from his 'Son Of Schmilsson' album. Very Christmassy without mentioning it once!

I'm guessing the Santa in the pic above is from another dimension or something...perhaps a precursor to a character in The League Of Gentlemen?

Here Comes Fatty Claus-Rudolf and the Gang

Carrying on the cynicism with an exceptionally anti-Christmas...or maybe just anti the commercialism aspects of a once significant religious event...it's in a country stylee, so grab your Ho's and a one-two-three-four...'here comes fatty with his sack of shit...'

I'll also be posting a bonus series of 'Scary Santa pics', first of which is above and is quite terrifying...enjoy!

Merry Christmas You Suckers-Paddy Roberts

Refreshingly cynical or realistic, depending on your point of view, here is Paddy Roberts with his sharply observed take on Christmas from the late 50's mind you. Paddy was also known for his 'Ballad Of Bethnal Green' and the wonderfully titled 'Songs For Gay Dogs', from which the image above is assembled I think.

They don't make em' like that anymore...or do they?

'Hang Your Balls On The Christmas Tree+Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball+I know What He Wants For Christmas'-Kay Martin

Here is the superb Kay Martin and her Body Guards, (yep, right, we get it...hubba hubba etc...) with three stupendous tracks from her Christmas album 'I know What He Wants For Christmas..but I don't know how to wrap it!'

Innuendo filled genius with the scarcely believable 'Hang Your Balls On The Christmas Tree' and it's outrageous lyrics and great voices...how did they get away with it, the 50's eh?

Brand New Christmas-Hot Chocolate

Yeah,yeah, woop, woop, that's what we need, 'A Brand New Christmas' and while we're at it let's get a brand new Jesus too...and not one of those wishy-washy 'let's all love each other' one's this time...get me some old testament style wrath and let the new Jesus smite the heathen's.

One of the 'Chocs' lesser known tracks...

R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas-Star Wars Christmas Album

Taken from the legendary Star Wars Christmas album and a welcome guest at any Christmas party... below is a link to the equally, if not even more legendary, Star Wars Holiday Special (sponsored by General Motors)...just check out Chewie's family 'and warm your little wire'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNGjKnTzaQ

Mom+Daddy Please Don't Steal For Me This Christmas-Suzannah

Perhaps my favourite Xmas song at the moment is this sad tale from little Suzannah...brings a tear to the little eye...

'Non-Stop Christmas Disco'-The Roller Disco Orchestra

It's the 70's, it's Christmas...so what better than a non-stop roller disco to work that fat off!?

Fat Daddy-Fat Daddy

Here's a great track about the big 'Fat Daddy' himself...spreading his Christmas joy to the world...for all the wonderful children...

What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby+Good King Wenceslas+Little Drummer Boy+Oh Come Oh Ye faithful-The Children Of The Inpatient Music Therapy

Christmas comes but once a year, to the great relief of many and the abundant joy of others.

It's also a time we receive a slew of 'xmas recordings' to delight us, and so, for the next few weeks I will share a few favourites...
Childrens/School recordings are often a source of such joy and 'The Children Of The Inpatient Music Therapy Program_Christmas' recording is no exception. I guess it's not quite up there with 'The Langley School's Music Project' but it's certainly a goody and it is certainly seasonal...great cover too,really brings it to life,though I must admit to being a bit spooked by the first track 'What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby', as the title suggest's a New York Dolls/Iggy Pop track rather than a paen to our Lord Jesus...

Apples and Oranges+Candy and a Currant Bun+Lucifer Sam-Pink Floyd

Sometimes some things are so obvious they just past you by, which is almost what I did with 'Syd's Pink Floyd' tracks here. 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' was the album that got me into psych music and the possibilities for 'something a little differrent' in sound, lyrics and melody...these are the mono mixes of the tracks and they still have that magic and charm all these years later, shine on indeed...

Feathered Fish+Saturday's Child'-The Sons Of Adam

Absolute classic track from'The Sons Of Adam'. Feathered Fish was written for the band by 'Love' main man Arthur Lee...and it shows with it's punky riffs,obscure time changes and lyrics...not to mention top guitar solo...I've paired this with Saturday's Child...a kind of proto '7th son of a seventh son...

Ego Trip+Baroque Number One-Ultimate Spinach

Great name, great cover and great self-titled debut from Boston band, Ultimate Spinach.

The record is a real psychedelic treat and fairly easily available from the usual sources...

In The Year 2525_Overture+During Rem+Candy MAchine-Zager and Evans

Pretty much everyone knows the monster smash that was 'In The Year 2525' by Zager and Evans but not so many are familiar with the superb album that accompanied it. So here are four tracks from a moog driven future concept pop-psych album of the highest order...it would have made a great film along the lines of Barbarella et all...

Artificial Energy+Space Odyssey-The Byrds

Artificial Energy has got to be one of the very best drug song's from one of the USA's very best bands, The Byrds. From early chiming Dylan-rock to spaced out cowboys The Byrds epitomize a lot of that 60's West Coast American dream....as well as turning out some amazing records...

Morning Sun Version 1-Cornucopia

Maybe a little too proggy for this post, but what the hell, we're all friends aren't we and it's a lovely sound and well, I really like the cover and name. Genius. This is perhaps the shortest track on a fairly rare album that's well worth a listen.

The American Metaphysical Circus+HArd Coming Love+Coming Down-The United States Of America

The United States Of America were an experimental electronic/psych band from LA. These three tracks are from the self titled classic from 1968. Great fuzz guitar, organ and electronic sounds.Great album.

Dreamworld+Shades Of Orange+Lovins Sacred Loving-The End

Three tracks from the superb album 'Introspection' by 'The End. Produced by Bill Wyman of The Stones it's a poppy, trippy record with great songs, strong vocals and a great sound. Shades of Orange is perhaps the best known track due to appearing on various compilations but the whole album is worth hunting down and checking out.

Children Of The Sun-The Misunderstood

Not quite sure how many 'greatest lost bands' they're are but 'The Misunderstood' claim to be one. I love this track and the first six tracks are great too...the rest is earlier, more basic Yardbirds type stuff and while good, not in the same league as the first few tracks.

In The Past+I Ain't No Miracle Worker-The Chocolate Watch Band

'Stonesy' psych from San Jose, California, The Chocolate Watch band here with two tracks. Rhey went through quite a few incarnations and appeared in a couple of films including 'Are you Gonna Be There(At The Love In?), well what else would you do on the West Coast...

Heatwave-Ruby Rats

Not sure where this cover of Heatwave is from (Germany or France is my guess) or who Ruby Rats were but I love the vocals and reedy organ blasting through it.

Peculiar Hole In The Sky-The Valentines

Aussie Psych from 'The valentines' with 'Peculiar Hole In The Sky'...pretty good compilation featuring and named after this track, rounding up various Aussie bands of the period.Worth tracking down.

Come And Have Some tea With Me+Love Could Make the World Go Round-The Tea Company

I'll have a brew of what they're having...two tracks from 'The Tea Company'. Hailing from New York in 1968 comes this album which already places Lennon up there in pantheon of Gods (and yeah..even Dylan too) in their own words:

"an assemblage of possessed rock performers; retinue preparing the unusual; alternating with the roots of soul, whose purpose is to cause sensation, due to stimulation of the auditory centres of the brain"

Too right.

The Things That Concern You+If Not This Time+Cauldron+Bad Trip-Fifty Foot Hose

Been thinking we've not had enough acid on this post so here, all the way from San Fransico is Fifty Foot Hose with four tracks from their excellent 'Cauldron' album.

We start off fairly poppy with the first two tracks,pass through my favourite track 'Cauldron' then end on a bad trip...great cover too, quite ahead of it's time,very 80's!

Lady Of Attraction+Green Fly-Krokodil.

Krokodil were Switzerland's very first supergroup in a psych styling...making use of mellotron, flute, organ,harmonica and acoustic guitar to bring us a slightly prog sound from 1969. The blues base is still there but something other also...great drawings on the cover also...

Another Day Another Lifetime+Tell Me More+Mirrors Of Wood-The David

Three great tracks from The David's 'Another Day Another Lifetime' LP from 1967. Nice orchestration, sounds and song-writing on this... Californian 'summer of love' psych.

Maria+Hey Old Lady And Bert-Hampton Grease Band

Two great tracks from Hampton Grease Bands 'Music To Eat' LP from 1971, apparently the second worse selling LP on Columbia records (apparently the worst was some Yoga record...ommm???)

Often dismissed as daft comedy rock, I think the Lp stands up really well in the 21st century with it's tales of teenage loss of virginity and refuse collectors as featured here...they're are obvious Zappa and Beefheart influences but that's no bad thing so grease on..

My Friend Jack-The Smoke

Another great psych single, this time from 'The Smoke'. See what they've done there on the cover...clever eh? 'My Friend Jack' alludes to the practice of putting liquid LSD onto sugar lumps, this was before microdots and the like and all those horrible binding agents... ah well...

My White Bicycle-Tomorrow

One of my favourite singles from the 60's is Tomorrow's 'My White Bicycle', it's just about perfect I guess, so there you go...I'll feature some Keith West stuff soon.

Joe Boyd's excellent book, 'White Bicyles' and accompanying cd should be sought also..it's top, though sadly the cd doesn't feature this monster track!

Talk About It+Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do+Hunters Of Heaven-Harumi

I've read a couple of reviews suggesting this album is bland and a bit average. Well, take no notice cause to these ears it's gloriously wonky and a psych gem. Yep, it's a bit derivative but it's a double album full of soul with sides 3+4 being taken up by one 'experimental' track each.Harumi, a japanese ex-pat who was 'found' by Tom Wilson and put on the Verve label, well worth checking out.

Optical Sound+Love At Psychedelic Velocity-The Human Expression

Couple of great tracks from 'The Human Expression'. I think these can be found on the various nuggets compilations which you all should have,pretty essential if you like this kind of stuff.

Particularly love 'Optical Sound', could listen to that all day...