A Very Disco Christmas

Since it is Friday and the start of the pre-holiday weekend, I was looking to find some music that might propel us into the weekend and the holiday spirit, all at the same time. And I was lucky enough to find a track I didn't even know existed to kick off the proceedings. I thought I knew all the songs released by the Village People, and, in fact, had most of them. Well, they fooled me, for I was not aware of a Christmas release, and could only find a version of "Disco Santa Claus", a campy take on their hits "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man". After a bit of research, I discovered it wasn't the Village People at all, but a sound-alike group called Holiday Express. They have adapted the lyrics, and spell out "N.O.E.L.", although I am not sure I would know the arm motions to spell it out! Please enjoy the Village People singing "Disco Santa (Santa Claus/N.O.E.L.)".

My remaining selections for the come from bands not nearly as well known, but still making sparkling Disco nonetheless. The Roller Disco Orchestra take on a song written in 1934 by composer Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith, "Winter Wonderland". The song has been sung by many, but none with quite the flair in this recording. I hope you enjoy the recording of "Winter Wonderland" by the Roller Disco Orchestra.

The Hit Crew was a name used by a record label who put out many sound-alike covers of songs, and released on cheaper albums of so-called hits. But they also seem to want to take advantage of more than just the summer hits, for they did some interesting holiday covers as well. They did a Disco cover of "Silver Bells", the holiday classic written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, and first introduced by Bob Hope in the 1950 film, 'The Lemon Drop Kid'. I hope you enjoy this cover of "Silver Bells" by The Hit Crew.

Finally, there is also a Disco version of the Rock=influenced "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree", a song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. The song combined the sound and feel of Rock and Pop music, with a nod to the contemporary Christmas songs being made at the time. A couple of decades later, the holiday themed Mistletoe Disco Band added the song to their repertoire, and gave the Christmas classic a new sound. This is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by the Mistletoe Disco Band.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Night Disco Christmas

The Hit Crew made a name for themselves making sound-alike versions of hit songs in the 90s and 2000s. They also made some specialty albums, like the Christmas Disco Party album, with a relatively generic disco sound, taking some traditional Folk and Pop classics to a new genre, Disco. The first to sample is "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".



Who hasn't wanted to get their groove on to the Irving Berlin song, "White Christmas". Sure, it was made famous by Bing Crosby, and sung by countless others, but this is unlike any of the others.



It is interesting, but no one had heard of Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer until he appeared as a poem by Robert L. May in 1939. His brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, enjoyed it so much, he put it to music in 1949. It became a big hit for Gene Autry, and, several years later, by Burl Ives. In 1972, it became the center of a holiday special, using stop-action. And now, it can also be a disco song! Here is "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer".



Silver Bells is a song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and first performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the motion picture "The Lemon Drop Kid", released in 1951. It was written as a slow ballad, and quickly became a standard during the holidays.



You can find these great disco Christmas favorites on iTunes, and on Amazon.

Christmas Cheer

Clockwise: Kate Smith; Doris Day; Ella Fitzgerald; and Rosemary Clooney.

I just put together what I think is an interesting collection of songs and singers to add to your holiday cheer. I will start with a singer who had perhaps most known to me for singing God Bless America. The song was first played before a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game in 1969, and was played before certain home games. Legend grew, and it was thought that with the power of Smith nd that song, the Flyers were nearly unbeatable. I grew up hearing that. So I was quite pleased to find this clip of Kate Smith singing her RCA Victor recording of Christmas Eve in My Home Town on the Bing Crosby Hollywood Palace Christmas Special.



The Doris Day Show feature the forever beautiful and pure actress from 1968 to 1973. Each season, of course, they would do a holiday-themed episode. In 1970, Day sang Silver Bells, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for a movie soundtrack in 1951. It quickly became a favorite of singers and audience alike.



As if making the 1954 movie musical White Christmas wasn't enough to make her a regular part of the holiday season, her silky-smooth voice singing jazz standards would do the trick. Here she is, singing The Christmas Song on 1965.



Is there ever a time that listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing is not a great thing? No, I didn't think so. I could listen to Ella ever day, and never get bored. So It was a no brainer that she be a part of the holidays. In this clip, she sings Good Morning Blues.

Christmas Music - Rockapella

The A Capella group Rockapella has put out a couple of holiday-inspired albums, bringing their combination of doo-whop and jazz to all to hear. They came together in 1986, although none of the original members are still part of the group. The Christmas music is pure joy.







For more information about Rockapella, check out their website here.