Weekly Playlist: Christmas Blues

The first half of this week’s playlist is all about the Christmas blues. I wanted to add the “Santa Rap” from the Beat Street soundtrack, but that gem is unfortunately out of print. Instead, we have some selections from John Waters’s excellently twisted Christmas album, “Christmas Present Blues”–an ancient ’78 from the Where Will You Be Christmas Day compilation–as well as some holiday funk from  In the Christmas Groove. I can’t imagine any readers will make it through Tiny Tim’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” but at least make sure to listen to Winston Tong (of Tuxedomoon fame) doing his own version of “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

Santa! Don’t Pass Me By Jimmy Donley
Christmas in Jail–Ain’t That A Pain Leroy Carr
Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas Rev. Edward W. Clayborn
Christmas Present Blues Jimmy Reed
Papa Ain’t No Santa Claus (And Mama Ain’t No Christmas Tree) Butterbeans and Susie
Santa Claus Is A Black Man Akim and the Teddy Van Production Co.
Rock and Roll Santa Jr and his Soulettes
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Tiny Tim
Santa Baby The French Impressionists
The 12 Days of Christmas Winston Tong