Best 1950s/1960s Christmas Classic

[admin]

Well as it gets closer to the holiday season I am interested in knowing what your favourite 1950s and 1960s Christmas/Holiday Classic.

Mine is Jingle Bell Rock released by Bobby Helms in 1957. Its lyrics are perfect for ramping up the Christmas spirit and its infectious melody and catchy guitar riffs light up my limbic system for the season. Outside in the frosty air trying to keep one's feet warm is what winter is all about.

Even Roy is getting a taste of a good old Canadian winter so I cannot wait to hear the tune he picks.

Jingle Bell Rock
Christmas Lyrics by Bobby Helms

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air.

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell rock.

[royclough]

Has to be this

[JeffZ]

From the obscure file...no video with this but it's my all time favorite Christmas record. Saturday's Children were out of Chicago, on the Dunwich lable. In late '65, they put out this facinating track, "Deck Five". It's the music from Dave Brubeck's "Take Five", and the lyric from "Deck The Halls". Done very much in the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" style, this is a teriffic curio; the organ solo even quotes from the melody of "We Three Kings From Orient Are"!

Saturday's Children would quickly morph in the Cryan' Shames (not the group from Liverpool) and go on to have a minor hit with a cover of The Searchers' "Sugar and Spice" which I belive Roy posted here as part of the US vs UK thread awhile back.

[JeffZ]

Sorry about the above...though I attached the file it did not upload for some reason...

[jingle_jangle]

Jeff, the Cryan' Shames (Chicago) were actually quite popular in the mid-'60s, with a string of Midwest hits and a really pro style for the day, when garage rock was at its peak. They were definitely NOT "garage" sounding. Tight vocal harmonies and really well-fleshed out instrumental backing were their trademarks, and their songwriting was top-notch.

They hit locally with "I Want to Meet You", "First Train to California", "Up on the Roof", "Mr. Unreliable", "Could Be We're in Love", and are still performing locally as fat old guys.

[JeffZ]

Don't want to get to far off topic, but yeah, the Cryan' Shames were very much on the tight harmony end of the spectrum, although they could rock when necessary; "Mr. Unreliable" would be the best example of their tougher side.

[lennon211]

For me, there's a few that really qualify: The Drifter's "White Christmas," Santo & Johnny's "Twistin' Bells," Booker T & the MG's "Jingle Bells," the whole Phil Spector Christmas album, and of course the Beach Boys' Christmas album. Those are my staples; everything else is just filler.

[sowhat]

That couldn't be described as "unusual". Just a good old song, but frankly, i prefer faster and "heavier" versions.

[JeffZ]

Ok, let's try this again, I found the Saturday's Children cut on YouTube;

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

[paologregorio]

I like the original "Jingle Bell Rock" and the entire Ventures' Christmas album. Blue Christmas is super cool; some of you may recognize that the intro is the Searchers' "When You Walk In the Room." For those unfamiliar with the album, the Ventures start each number with an intro from a popular hit song and transition into a Christmas Carol. Cool stuff! I've done a few of Christmas gigs with friends (not SFD) that consisted of playing the entire album, plus a couple of our own instrumental versions.

I like any of the lounge-y Christmas numbers from this era as well, including Tijuana Brass numbers-fun stuff!

[winston]

Even though it was first recorded in 1942 and then again in 1947 (the 1947 version is the most familiar recording of the two to most people) Bing Crosby's White Christmas (written by Irving Berlin) still holds the record for the most sales for a single. Over $50 million sold. It therefore has to be the best Christmas song ever, at least in my mind

The 1954 musical White Christmas firmly cemented the song as the best Christmas song ever. Apparently when Berlin wrote White Christmas he called his secretary and said "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"

He was right.

[Scastles]

Sinatra's version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, recorded in '57. It's not Garland, but the best male version of the song.

[paologregorio]

Even though it was first recorded in 1942 and then again in 1947 (the 1947 version is the most familiar recording of the two to most people) Bing Crosby's White Christmas (written by Irving Berlin) still holds the record for the most sales for a single. Over $50 million sold. It therefore has to be the best Christmas song ever, at least in my mind

The 1954 musical White Christmas firmly cemented the song as the best Christmas song ever. Apparently when Berlin wrote White Christmas he called his secretary and said "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"

He was right.

Hmm, I wonder if Ian McCulloch from Echo and the Bunnymen is related to Mr. Berlin; McCulloch's two most oft-repeated on-stage lines are "we're the greatest band in the world" and "this is the greatest song ever written" when introducing "The Killing Moon."

[rickendelic]

I don't remember the name exactly but the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song is a classic to me

[royclough]

Here's one on my youtube channel, not 60s but very much a 60s group, what more can I say