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Christmas traditions on Boston radio

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

Jerry Williams reading A Child's Christmas in Wales. He's no longer with us to do it live but hear
it here (via JerryWilliams.org)

http://microfurry.250free.com/misc01.m3u

Mark Parenteau inviting a bunch of harmonica players to his WBCN show to play Christmas carols

The WJIB Christmas Festival of Music ("FM 97"--and I'm sure Bob Bittner's AM incarnation will do
something similar just before the holiday)

Any others people can remember? Did Norm Nathan, Larry Glick, or others do something similar
this time of year?
 
(Well I'm sure scared to post this... with the Venom around here...)

But my favourite always was is Oedipus's Christmas Eve's show. And I was so surprised to find it on again last year even after his departure and the studio move. I hope it will be back this year?? I'm typically a Christmas music hater but Oedipus's collection of Christmas tunes or related gems always puts me in the spirit. I love the way the format goes right out the window and everything from Classical, Folk, Punk, Country, Blues, Gospel etc is hit. With a spattering of the classic Christmas rock gems.

Now I can hear all the attacks coming and I'm sorry if my post causes this thread to go off track as unfourtantly it probably will. But it's always been my favorite at Christmas time and I believe only an amazing true fan of music could have a collection of songs like this.
 
I have thrown Christmas cuts into the blues (and other music) at WMWM this time of year. Does anybody remember a group called Rash of Stabbings? The name was kind of interesting--"Rash of Stabbings In
Providence!"--but they did "A Christmas Song", a 12" single: "It's commercial time, it's Christmas time again,
right from the start." It goes on to say that the holiday has gotten too commercial and points out the story
of Jesus' birth is really what the holiday is about.

I also have played cuts (Varulven, chime in here!) from the Boston Rock Christmas EP which had stuff like
"Do You Hear What I Hear" by Native Tongue. We still do have some Christmas vinyl at WMWM but in all
honesty people have wrecked the needles of the turntables, making such things tough to play. But we
still do have some interesting stuff on CD.

I also used to play a 45 by the (Irish) Rovers of "the Unicorn" and "Wasn't That A Party" fame. It was on
the Attic label out of Toronto. Side A was their version of Elmo and Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By
A Reindeer" and I think I liked their version better. On the flip, "Merry Bloody Xmas", a jaunty country
tune. "Merry X-mas, to me/ My dog threw up all over the X-mas tree/They repossessed me color TV/
Oh, merry bloody X-mas to me" etc. Sadly I couldn't find that 45 in the box of Christmas stuff at WMWM
as of last year...

We used to also have stuff like Bob and the Dylantones, which was a guy singing "White Christmas"
imitating Dylan's voice, and Tommy and the Greyhounds' novelty hit "It's A Technicolor Christmas
when you're Jewish (Because the Moviehouses Never close)". "While other people carol in an open
sleigh/We've got a date with Yentl on this special day"
 
well... if we're doing a bit of self-promotion, I do a holiday show as well and mine will be on X-Mas Day... punk rock songs and both sides are presented. I play Fear's "F**k Christmas," Showcase Showdown's unforgettable "Merry Christmas, I F**ed your Snowman" and, uh, more positive fare--the Dickies' "Silent Night," for instance.
 
I do remember there was that F--- Christmas song.
And of course there have been many novelty songs with titles like "I Found the Brains of Santa Claus
Underneath My Bed"

I heard Mike 93.7 play a novelty song a couple weeks back that had a female singer, backed by a pianist,
attemping The 12 Days of Christmas and she keeps dropping the names of brands of booze. Toward the
end of the song she's really drunk!
 
WBZ does a presentation each Christmas Eve of A Christmas Carol, performed by station staff, on-air and otherwise.
 
raccoonradio said:
I have thrown Christmas cuts into the blues (and other music) at WMWM this time of year. Does anybody remember a group called Rash of Stabbings? The name was kind of interesting--"Rash of Stabbings In
Providence!"--but they did "A Christmas Song", a 12" single:
Click to expand...

They were a very good band in their day. You'd never guess that Bob Hymers had such a soulful song in him. Hymers has chronic back problems which prevent him from playing anymore. Bassist Karl Fidrych is apparently still around Providence, but no one has seen him in several years. Bob Guisti now drums for The Schemers. That is one of my very favorite Christmas songs.
 
Thanks for that bit about Rash of Stabbings!
The zany Mojo Nixon did an album called "Horny Holidays" that featured his version of "Mr. Grinch" and
revised lyrics to "We three Kings": "We were drinking for three days straight/Sounding like we were
Tom Waits/" (and then he starts moaning a la Waits); another EP he did had "Son of Santa and the
reindeer rockin'/Just got out o' jail, nothin' gonna stop him...hey, rockin' in the New Year get me some
more beer, you can't buy the record at Sears..."
 
Fortunately I have one of the original cuts Jerry made of "A Child's Christmas in Wales" from Christmas 1981 when he read it for the first time on WRKO.
Jerry did it as a cold read then. What a talent. Privileged to be there in the studio and watch him do it.

He later recorded it because it is a very difficult piece to get all the nuances correct and being the perfectionist that he was, Jerry was never satisfied.

It would be nice if someone at WRKO would rebroadcast it this year but it might show to all how far the station has fallen.

Also, does anyone have a copy of Jess Cain's reading that he did every year just before Christmas. It was outstanding and I wish I had a copy of it.
 
Lander has played the drunk lady 12 days of christmas for years - others have just jumped onboard
 
Well they did rerun the Radio Hall of Fame Nancy/Sandy had done during that 25th Anniversary edition of Howie's show. Who knows, maybe he can rerun it. in the meantime, I put a link to it on the Free Republic Howie Carr
ping list which I run and it's also on my slowly growing (someday I may add more airchecks) site
http://www.raccoonradio.com
 
Johnny said:
(Well I'm sure scared to post this... with the Venom around here...)

But my favourite always was is Oedipus's Christmas Eve's show. And I was so surprised to find it on again last year even after his departure and the studio move. I hope it will be back this year?? I'm typically a Christmas music hater but Oedipus's collection of Christmas tunes or related gems always puts me in the spirit. I love the way the format goes right out the window and everything from Classical, Folk, Punk, Country, Blues, Gospel etc is hit. With a spattering of the classic Christmas rock gems.

Now I can hear all the attacks coming and I'm sorry if my post causes this thread to go off track as unfourtantly it probably will. But it's always been my favorite at Christmas time and I believe only an amazing true fan of music could have a collection of songs like this.
Click to expand...

I haven't lived in Boston for many years, but I'm sitting here in Los Angeles right now listening to a tape I made of "Back to the Future," hosted by Tom Sandman Christmas Day on WBCN. Haven't listened to this tape in at least 10 years. This must be from the late 80s or early 90s. What a great mix of music! He opens with three versions of "Merry Christmas Baby." Otis Redding, Charles Brown, and Bruce Springsteen. Then a Rudolph song by the Crystals into one by Dave Edmunds....

I used to listen to Oedipus' Christmas show as well, and it was excellent. Best radio of the year. I'm really happy to hear you say he still does it, even with the "real" WBCN gone for over ten years now. Maybe it's streamed and I'll try to listen this year.
 
Casablanca, your friend senator Hedlund did a segment yesterday with some author on new england christmas traditions and played a clip of jerry williams doing A childrens Christmas in Wales. It brought back many memories.
 
from WBCN.com


WBCN Oedipus Christmas Eve Show!
Listen up Count as Oedipus brings you the Christmas spirit at 7:00PM this Sunday! Every year Oedipus dives into his own private stash and plays you songs that you normally wouldn't hear for Christmas. Make sure to tune in and cheer up, because it wouldn't be Christmas without it!
 
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