Bing and Bowie

Bing Crosby and David Bowie : Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

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On November 30, 1977 CBS television viewers witnessed one of the most unlikely duets in music history: between the frail 74 year old crooner Bing Crosby and 30 year old art rocker David Bowie. The taping for Crosby's TV special Bing Crosby's A Merrie Olde Christmas happened September 11, a month before Crosby's death.

Mary Crosby remembered the the meeting of two icons with People Magazine:

“The doors opened and David walked in with his wife,” she told the Associated Press in 2014. “They were both wearing full-length mink coats, they have matching full makeup and their hair was bright red,” she told the summer TV critics’ tour Wednesday. “We were thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ ”

 “They sat at the piano and David was a little nervous,” she continued, but eventually, “Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax and then magic was made.”

My Top Ten by Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo

   Yo La Tengo drummer/vocalist/somgwriter Georgia Hubley made my favorite Top Ten list in Spin Magazine's Alternate Record Guide, published in 1995. She helped me discover the classic Pretty Things album Parachute while giving a very nice nod to Christmas, a band made up of two brothers I befriended in elementary school. Pretty sure I was one of the first college radio djs to put Yo La Tengo's debut album, Ride the Tiger, on heavy rotation ( in 1985) so it has all evened out quite nicely.  

1. Syd Barrett : The Madcap Laughs/Barrett

2. Various Artists : The Beat of the Traps

3. Christmas : Ultraprophets of Thee Psykick Revolution

4. The Clean : Compilation

5. Roky Erickson and the Aliens [st]

6. Various Artists: Michigan Brand Nuggets

7. The Modern Lovers [st]

8. The Pretty Things : Parachute

9. Tall Dwarfs : Hello Cruel World

10. Them : featuring Van Morrison

UK Top 10 January 18, 1975

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     The UK charts reveal an unwillingness to let go of Christmas ( There are 5  Christmas songs in the Top 30); of Glam ( 4 Glam rock singles in the Top 10); and the emergence of disco. ( There's even an early K.C. and the Sunshine Band single, "Sound Your Funky Horn", at #30). Wizzard's last Top 10 hit, "Are You Ready to Rock", is climbing the charts -- no doubt helped by the band's preposterous costumes on Top of the Pops. Also, Ralph McTell's classic "Streets of London" peaked at #2.

1. Mud : Lonely This Christmas

2. Ralph McTell: Streets of London

3. Status Quo : Down Down

4. Kenny : The Bump

5. The Wombles : Wombling Merry Christmas

6. Gloria Gaynor: Never Can Say Goodbye

7. Tymes : Ms Grace

8. Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes : Get Dancing

9. Billy Swan : I Can Help

10. Rubettes : Jukebox Jive

Further down the charts:

14. Rod Stewart and Faces : You Can Make Me Dance or Sing or Anything

15. Wizzard : Are You Ready to Rock?

In the US,  "All in the Family" spin-off "The Jeffersons" made its debut on CBS on this date in 1975.

40 Year Itch : The 5 Biggest UK Xmas Hits of 1974

   

  Mud topped off their sensational year by winning the Christmas sweepstakes with "Lonely This Christmas", the #1 song in the UK for four straight weeks. If it sounds like singer Les Gray is parodying Elvis Presley, he is. 

  "I was doing an Elvis on that but it was really a send up of all those smoochy songs. It works because it can also be taken seriously. I remember playing it at the the Liverpool Empire and some of the fans were crying and there were laughing." 

  

  The Wombles also finished their spectacular year with a top 5 holiday song. In the US, there was no race for the top of the charts. Perry Como had the highest charting holiday song with "Christmas Dream" which peaked at #92.

Here's how the UK Xmas songs fared on Christmas week 1974:

#5 The Wombles "Wombling Merry Christmas"

#13 The Goodies "Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me"

#18 Gilbert O'Sullivan "Christmas Song"

#23 Showaddywaddy "Hey Mr. Christmas"

   Honorable Mention : Sparks "Thanks God It's Not Christmas"

40 Year Itch: 1973 in Christmas Songs

Merry Crimbo to the dearest readers in all the land!

While Slade and Wizzard were battling it out for greatest glam rock Christmas single ever in the UK, in the States it was an apathetic Christmas musically. There were a few country singles, a novelty tune or two and a late entry from The O'Jays that couldn't even hit the two minute mark.


1. Red Sovine never wrote a song that wasn't about a truck. "Trucking Trees For Christmas" came out Oct 31st.




2. With the return to the charts of "Monster Mash", Bobby "Boris" Pickett knocked out "Monster's Holiday" which was released November 7th




3. Commander Cody's "Daddy Drinkin' Up Our Christmas" came out November 14th.




4. November 14th is also the same day John Denver released Please Daddy ( Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" from his current album Farewell Andromeda




5. The Canadian Beatles, Edward Bear, shipped out this dull effort, "Coming Home Christmas", November 28th.



6. Elton John also shipped his dashed off "Step Into Christmas" single that date, considered by many in the industry too late to be a hit.



7. Finally, the O'Jays gave us "Christmas Ain't Christmas New Years Ain't New Years Without the Ones You Love" which, despite the long title, ran 1:59.

From a Pagoda The World is So Tidy: Songs for China

The Chinese will decline a gift three times before finally accepting, so as not to appear greedy. You will have to continue to insist. Once the gift is accepted, express gratitude. You will be expected to go through the same routine if you are offered a gift.