Bad Santa VIII

Lord help me, is it that time of year again...?

Something that seems to have become an annual tradition, it's the last Sunday before Christmas and here's another Bad Santa selection, 25 tracks in just under an hour and cheaper than an inflatable reindeer to stick in your front garden.

I'll continue to post throughout the festive season and hopefully I will get to replying to your lovely comments...thanks for your patience!

1) Away In A Manger (Cover of traditional song): Josh T. Pearson (2011)

2) Last Christmas (Instrumental): Wham! (1984)

3) Holiday I.D.: Bullet Boys (1988)

4) Christmas Boogaloo: Big Boss Man (2000)

5) Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Single Edit): Boney M. (1979)

6) Blue Christmas (Remix): Dead Or Alive (2000)

7) One Christmas Catalogue: Captain Sensible (1984)

8) Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop): Adam Faith (1960)

9) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Cover of Darlene Love): Holiday Sidewinder (2018)

10) Frosty The Snowman (Cover of Gene Autry & The Cass County Boys): Cocteau Twins (1992)

11) Got A Cold In The Node For Christmas: Gayla Peevey (1954)

12) Back Door Santa: Clarence Carter (1968)

13) Xmas In Motherwell: The Plimptons (2011)

14) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Cover of Judy Garland): The Beths (2019)

15) All I Wants Is Truth For Christmas (Demo): The Anchoress (2024)

16) Eggknock: Jonwayne (2018)

17) Child's Christmas In Wales (Album Version): John Cale (1973)

18) Father Christmas (Cover of The Kinks): The Joyzine Christmas Band (2025)

19) It Will Still Be Christmas: The Boy Least Likely To (2020)

20) Christmas Ain't Christmas, New Years Ain't New Years Without The One You Love: The O'Jays (1973)

21) Christmas Alone: Yacht (2020)

22) Frosty The Snowman: Santa Sabbath (2015)

23) A Christmas Message From John & Yoko: John Lennon & Yoko Oko (1971)

24) Christmas Lullaby (Full Length Version): Shane MacGowan & The Popes (1996)

25) Seasons Greetings: Jonwayne (2018)

Bad Santa VIII (56:43) (GD) (M)

And, if you are a glutton for punishment, here are the previous Bad Santa selections from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017 and 2016. 

Links are currently inactive, but I will have them up and running in the next day or so...

Pogue, Pope, Poet

Celebrating Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan, 25th December 1957 to 30th November 2023.

 

I had originally planned to post this on Friday, but I just couldn't get the selection finished in time. And there's the dilemma: what to choose, when Shane MacGowan was responsible for writing some of the greatest songs of the last 100 years? And with The Pogues not just reviving but electrifying the Irish folk song tradition, bringing it crashing, flailing and cussing into contemporary culture in a way that has left an awe-inspiring legacy.

When my brother came home with The Pogues' second album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash in 1985, this 14-year old hadn't seen or heard anything like it before. The cover itself was morbidly fascinating. My Art 'O' Level class hadn't got anywhere near the work of Théodore Géricault (in fairness, neither did my 'A' Level) so I knew nothing of his most famous painting, The Raft Of The Medusa. However, the sight of various members of the band, stark bollock naked or in various states of distress was an arresting vision. Then there was Shane, shades on, sitting calmly amidst the chaos. 

The music within, produced by Elvis Costello, was a revelation. Much as I love the Shane-era Pogues albums that came before or after, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash is my favourite, encapsulating everything that is great about the band and Shane. Unsurprisingly, today's selection draws heavily from this album, although I've included some single and live versions to mix it up a little.

Half of the Poguetry In Motion EP also appears with two of the finest Pogues songs on record in The Body Of An American and A Rainy Night In Soho. I could have included more from third album If I Should Fall From Grace With God, but I had to make some ruthless cuts to get the selection to 45 minutes...which I ultimately failed to do. Then again, if you can't say fuck it to the 'rules' when compiling a tribute selection for Shane MacGowan, when can you?

I've intentionally left off Fairytale Of New York as I suspect we'll be hearing it even more than usual at this time of year and hopefully because it will get to be this year's Christmas #1 in the UK, surpassing it's original peak of #2 in 1987.

 

There have been lots of tributes to Shane in the past couple of days, including the always excellent Charity Chic Music and My Top Ten so I'm not sure what I can add that hasn't already said. But bloody hell, what an incredible life, talent and legacy.

Raising a glass to you, Shane, at peace but undoubtedly not resting!

 

1) Wild Cats Of Kilkenny (1985)

2) Boys From The County Hell (Album Version) (1984)

3) The Body Of An American (Single Version) (1986)

4) Sally MacLennane (Live @ Barrowland, Glasgow) (1987)

5) If I Should Fall From Grace With God (Live @ Brixton Academy, London) (2001)

6) A Pair Of Brown Eyes (Single Version) (1985)

7) Whiskey In A Jar (Long Version): The Pogues & The Dubliners (1989)

8) The Parting Glass (1985)

9) White City (Album Version) (1989)

10) Greenland Whale Fisheries (1984)

11) Thousands Are Sailing (Album Version) (1988)

12) A Rainy Night In Soho (Single Version) (1986)

13) Dirty Old Town (Live @ Brixton Academy, London) (2001)

14) The Old Main Drag (Album Version) (1985)

 

1984: Red Roses For Me: 2, 10

1985: Dirty Old Town EP: 8

1985: A Pair Of Brown Eyes EP: 6

1985: Rum, Sodomy & The Lash: 1, 14

1986: Poguetry In Motion EP: 3, 12

1988: If I Should Fall From Grace With God: 11

1988: If I Should Fall From Grace With God EP: 4

1989: Peace And Love: 9

1989: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah EP: 7

2005: The Ultimate Collection/Live At The Brixton Academy (ltd 2x CD): 5, 13

 

Pogue, Pope, Poet (48:03) (KF) (Mega)

Shame, Shame, Shane

It's Monday and there can be no other choice than Shane MacGowan with The Pogues.

 

BBC News had an interesting piece on Saturday about David Holmes' forthcoming album, Blind On A Galloping Horse. Despite David's own not inconsiderable talent and body of work, both the headline and the opening half focused - perhaps predictably - on Sinéad O'Connor and their work on what sadly proved to be her last recorded album.

 

However, a comment by BBC entertainment reporter Paul Glynn further down then caught my eye: 

 

"The pair originally met at the funeral of another Irish music star, Shane McGowan" (sic).

 

Whaaaaat?!

 

Going back to the item now, there's no longer any reference to how David and Sinéad met and I initially thought I may have misread it. However, much as one may wish to quietly edit and remove errors, there will invariably be a corner of t'internet where it can be found...

It says as much about editorial oversight as journalists themselves when errors like this manage to slip out there. As an aside, a regular BBC News feature is to 'fact check' statements and assertions made by politicians at home and abroad. I'm now wondering who fact checks the fact checkers...

 

The actual meeting reportedly took place at a concert in January 2018 celebrating Shane MacGowan's 60th birthday.

 

Shane has been in poor health and has been in hospital for a significant part of this year, the last official statement from Victoria May Clarke in September that she hoped Shane would be well enough to be home for Christmas. Shane will be 66 on Christmas Day so here's wishing him all the best for his recovery and return home in time to celebrate with his loved ones.