THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM

Side One celebrates the season with pop classic after pop classic. Queen kick things off with ‘Thank God It’s Christmas’ followed by timeless ’70s smashes: Elton John’s ‘Step Into Christmas’, Slade with ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, Greg Lake’s epic ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ and Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’. It then draws to a close with the 2-million selling ‘Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord’ from Boney M. and Johnny Mathis’ #1 ‘When A Child Is Born’.

The biggest selling Christmas single of all time gets the second side underway, Band Aid with ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, and leads into the single it replaced at #1, the stunningly beautiful ‘The Power Of Love’ from Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Jona Lewie’s ’Stop The Cavalry’ and Mel (Smith) and Kim (Wilde) with their take on ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ give way to some of the best soulful seasonal tracks from The Jackson Five, The Ronettes and Darlene Love and finally on this side, The Waitresses’ ‘Christmas Wrapping’ a true contemporary classic.

Side Three rejoices in the biggest names in music, from John Lennon’s inspirational ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ to Bing Crosby’s surprising and hugely successful duet with David Bowie, with Mike Oldfield’s celebratory ‘In Dulce Jubilo’ sat alongside the rock n roll and retro styles of Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys and one of the biggest Christmas hits of the ‘80s from Shakin’ Stevens. David Essex scored a big hit with ‘A Winter’s Tale’ and Whitney Houston gives a defining version of ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ and although not strictly about Christmas, ABBA’s beautiful ‘Happy New Year’ is perfect to close this side.

Our final side is packed with the cosiest and coolest Christmas songs ever; ‘It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’, ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ , ‘Pretty Paper’,  ‘Let It Snow!’, ‘Santa Baby’, ‘Ring Christmas Bells’ and the original ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ are stacked up to give you the greatest Christmas sing-a-long ever!, just leaving time for one more mince pie while Nat King Cole sings ‘The Christmas Song’, and Bing Crosby signs us off with the incomparable ‘White Christmas’.

Side A

1. Queen - Thank God It's Christmas
2. Elton John - Step Into Christmas
3. Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
4. Greg Lake – I Believe In Father Christmas
5. Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
6. Boney M. - Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord
7. Johnny Mathis - When A Child Is Born

Side B

1. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?
2. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love
3. Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry
4. Mel & Kim - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
5. The Jackson 5 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
6. The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman
7. Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
8. The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping

Side C

1. John Lennon & Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band & The Harlem Community Choir - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
2. Bing Crosby & David Bowie - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy
3. Shakin’ Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
4. Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas
5. The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
6. Mike Oldfield - In Dulce Jubilo
7. David Essex - A Winter's Tale
8. Whitney Houston - Do You Hear What I Hear?
9. ABBA - Happy New Year

Side D

1. Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
2. Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters with Mitchell Ayers & His Orchestra - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
3. Darlene Love - White Christmas
4. Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
5. Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock
6. Ray Conniff & The Ray Conniff Singers - Ring Christmas Bells
7. Roy Orbison - Pretty Paper
8. Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby
9. Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
10. Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song
11. Bing Crosby – White Christmas

https://youtu.be/w9QLn7gM-hY