ALBUM REVIEW: A Damaged Christmas Gift For You (Damaged Goods Records)
Christmas songs have a bad reputation, and deservedly so. For every classic (The Pogues, The Waitresses) there’s dozens of schmaltzy pieces of crap that get played year after year.
But those lovely people at London indie label Damaged Goods Records have the answer right here, with a selection of 15 alternative festive tunes to make you forget all about Wham!, Shakin’ Stevens and Cliff fucking Richard.
They’ve picked bands and artists old and new from their archives, and come up with one of the best Christmas albums you could wish for.
It kicks off with Wild Billy Childish And The Musicians of the British Empire’s off-kilter Christmas 1979 and I guarantee the chorus will have you humming ‘Merry fucking Christmas to you all’ after just one listen.
The Courettes – a Brazilian/Danish garage rock duo who released excellent third album Back In Mono this year, contribute Christmas (I Can Hardly Wait), and it’s a super slice of ’60s-tinged garage rock mixed with girl group glam.
Holly Golightly’s Christmas Tree On Fire is a tongue-in-cheek country number, and she also teams up with The Greenhornes to bring us Little Stars, and has a hand in Thee Headcoatees’ marvellous Santa Claus.
City Of Christmas Ghosts by Goldblade featuring Poly Styrene, takes on added pathos when you consider what a talent we lost, while old punk TV Smith deconstructs the idea of an idyllic family gathering with Xmas Bloody Xmas.
A couple of Christmas classics rear their heads too; Wat Tyler’s take on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is almost guaranteed to offend someone, and for that reason alone should be played as often as possible, while Ding Dong Merrily On High will never sound the same again after The Singing Loins have had their hands on it.
Others featured include cult Welsh pop-punk band Helen Love, who cover the Ramones’ Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight) – see how many bits of other songs you can spot in it!
There’s also tracks by The Cute Lepers, Monkhouse, The Buff Medways and Cuckooland, most of which you’ve probably never heard of.
It’s a hugely enjoyable album, but my favourite track of all is a great punked-up version of Jona Lewie’s Stop The Cavalry by Severe, who I’ve never heard of, but intend to find more from.
There’s still time to snap this up on vinyl from your local indie record shop. You won’t regret it. 8/10.
