The Yearly Christmas Record

I am ashamed to admit that I've never owned a copy of The Ventures' Christmas Album...until just a couple of days ago. This past Saturday, in search of my yearly Christmas record, I wandered into Bull Moose Music in Portland, Maine (actually, the description would be more accurate as: wobbled into because, at 20 degrees with gusty winds, it was fricken' cold!)

Trans Siberian Orchestra? No, thank you.

December by the Moody Blues? Uh...not this year.

One Wish: The Holiday Album - Whitney Houston? No, don't think so.

Ashanti's Christmas? (It's probably a little bit immoral to get a Christmas CD just for the pictures).

For some reason, The Ventures' Christmas Album cried out to me.

I was not disappointed.

So much fun to hear the classics reinterpreted by these kings of surf. Even more fun to hear snippets of classic pop & rock hits of the 1960's sprinkled in: "Walk Don't Run" turns into "Sleigh Ride", "I Feel Fine" becomes "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty The Snowman" starts off as "Tequila".

Since last year's Christmas CD also had a surf orientation, I may have to break with tradition and go for The Yearly Christmas Record, Part 2.

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)

Article Author: Mark Saleski

Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. He has contributed to Jazz.com and also writes reviews for Blogcritics.org. He produces the weekly feature The Friday Morning Listen. …

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