Christmas

John Kell Vs Santa – December 22nd 2014
I’m not doing any radio shows over this holiday period, but here’s my Christmas special from last year. As my show was always called John Kell Vs Satan, the Christmas edition was inevitably John Kell Vs Santa. This is the only one of the shows from 12 months ago that I’ve put on Mixcloud so far. The others might follow, but I’m particularly fond of this one, and especially the second hour – I don’t think you’ll quite hear this mix of Christmas music on any other show, and I was also really pleased with the jingles (on their own underneath the Mixcloud widgets – for bonus points, name the sitcoms!).



Full tracklisting
Hour 1
Severe – Stop the Cavalry
Cornshed Sisters – Have A Good Christmas
The Singing Loins – Ding Dong Merrily On High
The  Gresham Flyers – Perfect Christmas Snow
Paper Tongues – Carol of the Bells
MJ Hibbett and the Validators – Easy Christmas
Plans and Apologies – Pandaz Xmas
Geoffrey and the Livingstones – Communist Christmas
Mitch Benn – Broke the Bank This Christmas
Fever Fever – Hallelujah Carol
The Fall – No Xmas for John Quays (Since You’ve Been John)
Balor Knights – Gaudete
Tralala – Christmas Never Comes When You’re Alone
Belle and Sebastian – O Come O Come Emmanuel
Mary Epworth – The Wolf and the Woods
Hour 2
Cuckooland – Silver Bells
The Long Blondes – Christmas is Cancelled
TV Smith – Xmas Bloody Xmas
The Low Countries – Carry on Christmas
Piney Gir – Christmas Time / Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow
Radio Orwell –  Last Christmas
Magnuson – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Just Joans –  Card from a Multipack
Seymour Swine – Blue Christmas
Slow Club – Christmas Baby Please Come Home
Frankie Machine – I’m Going To Kill Myself for Christmas
Christa Rebecca – You Still Come Home For Christmas
Bill Botting – Acting Without Acting
HT and the OJs – Just Say No To Christmas
Church Library –  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Christmas mixes – round-up

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Christmas mixes I’ve been putting up over the last week. There will be more mixes soon, as I’m working on my albums of the year list…

As an aside, full marks to 8tracks for making their mixes embeddable on WordPress.com, which they weren’t this time last year. Their uploader still isn’t totally reliable, but I’d definitely recommend the service if you want to share music online.

Anyway, this post is a one-stop-shop for all the festive mixes.








Christmas mix (8) – Christmas covers

Here’s the final Christmas mix – one of my favourites, showcasing cover versions you may not be familiar with (unless, in some cases, you listened to the version I put up last year).

  1. Severe – Stop The Cavalry
  2. Slow Club – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
  3. The Joyzine Christmas Band – Walking In The Air
  4. The Just Joans – Last Christmas
  5. The Vichy Government – Christmas Is Cancelled
  6. Six By Seven – I Believe in Father Christmas
  7. Tigercats – Santa Claus
  8. DJ Downfall – 2000 Miles (Meek Mix)
  9. Keith Top of the Pops and His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band – Lonely This Christmas
  10. Hong Kong in the 60s – Walking in the Air
  11. The Momeraths – Stop the Cavalry
  12. The Ei8ht – Stay Another Day
  13. The Professor – Thank You
  14. Radio Orwell – Last Christmas

Christmas mix (7) – Un-Christmas songs, part two (NSFW)

I don’t know why it always takes me by surprise that these un-Christmas selections are a bit of a downer – the idea was to select the very best sad / cynical Christmas songs, after all. But the overall effect may be a bit miserable – if you’re not feeling completely robust, maybe try one of the other mixes.

Still, here’s the second lot – again, not safe for work unless you work in a very liberal, broad-minded office.

  1. TV Smith – Xmas Bloody Xmas
  2. The Long Blondes – Christmas is Cancelled
  3. The Just Joans – Card from a Multipack
  4. Tralala – Christmas Never Comes When You’re Alone
  5. The Pocket Gods – Wnking for Xmas
  6. Velodrome 2000 – Christmas Sucks
  7. Jessie Torrisi – I Lose a Little Bit of You
  8. The Vatican Cellars – Christmas Island
  9. HT and the OJs – Just Say No To Christmas
  10. Little My – Xmas Song
  11. [keyop] – (I’ll be) Dead by Christmas
  12. Ste McCabe – Christmastime for Sanctimonious Swine
  13. Ten Benson – Black Snow
  14. Rotifer – December 12 2021
  15. Viv Albertine – Home Sweet Home At Christmas
  16. Frankie Machine – I’m Going To Kill Myself For Xmas

Christmas mix (6) – Christmas originals, part three

This is the last mix of original songs, and ends with a couple of very sentimental, but lovely, indiepop songs. You’ve been warned.

  1. Half Man Half Biscuit – It’s Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas
  2. Low – Just Like Christmas
  3. The Hornblower Brothers – Christmas Song
  4. Jessie Torisi – Christmas Don’t Be Late
  5. Stars in Coma – Three days off
  6. Tralala – Holiday Hearts on Fire
  7. Helen Arney and Paul Richards – Christmas 1994
  8. Mitch Benn – Christmas Single
  9. MJ Hibbett – Thank Goodness for Christmas
  10. Chandler D Obelisk – Away in a Pret a Manger
  11. The Frightened Prisoners of the Kraken – June In December
  12. The Pipettes – Santa’s On His Way
  13. Blue Skies for Black Hearts – Maybe Next Christmas
  14. Petter Seander – How I Feel For It
  15. Bears – I’m a Snowman
  16. A smile and a Ribbon – Heavenly Christmas
  17. The Gresham Flyers – Perfect Christmas Snow

Christmas mix (5) – Christmas classics

Quite a short mix today, and mostly American songs – not quite carols, but well-established Christmas songs that don’t really count as covers, even if the version is very new.

  1. The Ronettes – Frosty The Snowman
  2. She and Him – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
  3. Sophie Barker – Winter wonderland
  4. Cuckooland – Silver Bells
  5. The Ronettes – Sleigh Ride
  6. Foxes! – Jingle Bell Rock
  7. Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
  8. Booker T and the MGs – Winter Wonderland
  9. Church Library – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Christmas mix (4) – Christmas originals, part two

I allocated songs between these three mixes randomly, but this has ended up with the fewest old standbys and the most songs that are still fairly new and unfamiliar to me… which probably means it’s the most obscure of all the mixes. Enjoy!

  1. Climber – Holiday Hoopla
  2. Sunturns – Hallelujah (Christmas is here)
  3. Action Biker – Vinden Susar i Advent
  4. The Low Countries – Carry on Christmas
  5. Paul Hawkins & the Bleak Midwinters – Tonight I Will Be Santa
  6. The Understudies – Midnight Mass
  7. Eux Autres – Teenage Christmas
  8. Nathaniel Forrester – My Snowman
  9. The School – Drummer Boy
  10. Ballboy – Merry Christmas to the Drunks, Merry Christmas to the Lovers
  11. Glam Chops – Countdown To Christmas
  12. The Violin Heirs – The Sound of Christmas
  13. Gruff Rhys – Post Apocalypse Christmas
  14. Ooberman – Why Did My Igloo Collapse
  15. The Werewandas – I’ve Got A Great Big Christmas Tree
  16. Bill Botting – Acting Without Acting
  17. The Very Foundation – All Lit Up For Christmas
  18. MJ Hibbett & The Validators – The Flashing Santa
  19. The Mountain Parade – Salvation Army Band

Christmas mix (3) – Un-Christmas songs, part one (NSFW)

Not every Christmas song is filled with festive joy. Some of the best are utterly miserable; others document the downsides of Christmas, are cynical about the whole thing, or are just so gloriously vulgar they’re almost completely un-Christmassy.

I’ve selected about three dozen of my favourites – here’s the first half of them… Be aware, it’s not safe for work!

  1. Helen Arney and Paul Richards – Traditional Family Christmas Argument
  2. The Just Joans – Christmas Teardrops (‘Neath Mistletoe)
  3. Departure Lounge – Christmas Downer
  4. Low – Blue Christmas
  5. Buck Owen and the Buccaroos – Blue Christmas Lights
  6. The Wave Pictures with Darren Hayman – Christmas Blues
  7. Shrag – Stop The Revelry
  8. Shawn Lee – I’ll Be Fucking You This Christmas
  9. Slow Club – It’s Christmas and You’re Boring Me
  10. The Hi-Life Companion – Brockweir Winter Reverie
  11. Erin McKeown – Christmas Waltz
  12. Pictures of Then – Presents In June
  13. Steveless – Madvent
  14. Wild Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire – Christmas 1979
  15. The Paraffins featuring Chloe Philip – Christmas in Glasgow
  16. Christa Rebecca – You Still Come Home For Christmas
  17. Gruff Rhys – Slashed Wrists This Christmas

Christmas mix (2) – Christmas originals, part one

I’ve accumulated about 300 Christmas songs worth listening to over the years, my MP3 library tells me – many of them originals by indiepop bands and others, and almost entirely eschewing the Slades and Whams of the Christmas song world. I’ll be putting various 8tracks mixes of these on the blog pretty much every day over the next week.

I’ve selected about 50 of the best original songs and spread them over three 8tracks mixes. Here’s the first, starting of course with MJ Hibbett’s Advent Calendar of Fact…

  1. MJ Hibbett and the Validators – Advent Calendar Of Fact
  2. Piney Gir – Christmas Time
  3. The Cornshed Sister – Have A Good Christmas Time
  4. Misty’s Big Adventure – Where Do Jam Jars Go At Christmas Time
  5. Geoffrey and the Livingstones – Communist Christmas
  6. Mitch Benn and the Distractions – Broke the Bank This Christmas
  7. Caravan of Thieves – I Dont Want Anything for Christmas
  8. Fever Fever – Hallelujah Carol
  9. Jeff Mellin – Every Year
  10. Chalk and Numbers – Happiness This Time Of Year
  11. The Futureheads – Christmas Was Better in the 80s
  12. Diana Ross & The Supremes – Little Bright Star
  13. The Gresham Flyers – Mistletoe Misadventure
  14. The Rockey Nest – Five Golden Rings from the Hi Five Kings
  15. The Lollies – (You Can Make An) Angel Sigh
  16. Paper Tongues – Carol Of The Bells
  17. Otalgia – Empty Boxes
  18. The Black Arts – Christmas Number One
  19. Pretenders – 2000 Miles (It Must Be Christmas Time)

Christmas mix (1) – Carols (NSFW)

Last year I put some festive mixes up on 8tracks. I’m revisiting them this year, and making most of them longer – partly because I’ve encountered more great Christmas songs since then, and partly because I left some obvious-ish (to me, anyway) choices off, probably because they’d been on podcasts the year before. So, here’s the first: carols. Be aware the last track is NSFW – the rest are fine…

  1. Broken Dog – Joy to the World
  2. The Weisstronoauts – Jingle Bells
  3. Johnny Domino – I Saw Three Ships
  4. The Pocket Gods – Silent Night
  5. Belle and Sebastian – O Come O Come Emmanuel
  6. The Pipettes – In the Bleak Midwinter
  7. Elastica – Gloria
  8. Geoffrey and the Livingstones – Little Donkey Kong
  9. John Fahey – Silent Night
  10. Fat Man Rhythm Section – Unemployment Rock
  11. Balor Knights – Gaudete
  12. The 10p Mixes – Away In A Manger
  13. Plans and Apologies – Pandaz Xmaz
  14. Frank Sinatra – Adeste Fideles
  15. The Singing Loins – Ding Dong Merrily on High
  16. Magnuson – O Come Emmanuel
  17. Camera Obscura – Little Donkey
  18. The Weisstronoauts – Silent Night
  19. The Hidden Horses – O little town of Bethlehem
  20. Wat Tyler – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen