Christmas Is A Coming (Chicken Crows at Midnight) by Leadbelly

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. The song of the day for December 28, 2012 is 'Christmas is A-Comin (Chicken Crows at Midnight)' by Leadbelly. This song was recorded in the 1940s and is featured on the album Leadbelly Sings For Children.

I just discovered this song today and it is wonderful. Leadbelly is a blues legend and I'm going to see if I can purchase the Leadbelly album from Smithsonian Folkways. If you don't know Leadbelly then shame on you! Take a listen to the song below and enjoy.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Baby please come home. The song of the day is 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home' by Darlene Love. This song was released in 1963 and was featured on a Christmas compilation album.

Never overlook the brilliance of early 1960's pop music from New York City. The Brill Building was a place where great singers, songwriters, and producers came together to create some memorable music. Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry wrote 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' with Phil Spector who also produced the song. This is my favorite version and shame on my local music station for not giving Darlene Love a spin this holiday. Enjoy this classic and I hope you are enjoying this Christmas holiday.

Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Oh my my! Oh hell yeah! The song of the day for December 26, 2012 is 'Christmas All Over Again' by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. This song was released in 1992 and is featured on the album A Very Special Christmas.

When you blend Christmas music with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers then you have a winner. I had a great Christmas yesterday, and I hope all of you Lost Soul fans survived Christmas. Enjoy. 

Father Christmas by The Kinks

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Father Christmas, give us some money! The song of the day for December 21, 2012 is 'Father Christmas' by The Kinks. This song was released as a 7" single in 1977 and is also on the remastered version of Misfits.

This is another one of those Christmas songs that deserves more airplay. You can't go wrong with The Kinks, and don't think these guys were just a 60s act because they had some damn good music in the 70's. 'Father Christmas' is a fun song, so enjoy the song of the day.

It's Christmas Time by Yo La Tengo

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. It's Christmas time. The song of the day for December 20, 2012 is 'It's Christmas Time' by Yo La Tengo. This song was released in 2002 and is featured on the album Merry Christmas From Yo La Tengo.

Take a listen to Yo La Tengo and your day will be much better. Hoboken's indie darlings have had a pretty solid career and I highly recommend you check out I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. I don't have much else to say today, so enjoy the song of the day.

Christmas With The Devil by Spinal Tap

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Turn this baby up to eleven. The song of the day is 'Christmas With The Devil' by Spinal Tap. This song is featured on the album Break Like The Wind (1992).

All hail Spinal Tap. You can not dismiss the brilliance of "England's loudest band" and 'Christmas With The Devil' is another gem. If you have never watched This Is Spinal Tap then you are missing out on a brilliant movie. Enjoy.

Jesus Christ by Big Star

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Jesus Christ was born today? I don't think so, dude. The song of the day is 'Jesus Christ' by Big Star. This song was released in 1978 and is featured on the album Third/Sister Lovers.

Big Star is one of those bands that the indie kids love. I'm not hating because they were a great band that sadly were mismanaged and were popular long after they disbanded. Led by Alex Chilton, this Memphis band blended the British Invasion with American folk pop. I highly recommend newbies check out their material from #1 Record and Radio City. 'Battle of El Goodo', 'Back of a Car', and 'September Gurls' are classics. Third/Sister Lovers is for those who have embraced Big Star because this release is a bit odd. 'Jesus Christ' is a fine example of the oddities from this album, so check it out. Enjoy.

River by Robert Downey, Jr.

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I wish I had a river I could skate away on with Iron Man. The song of the day is 'River' by Robert Downey, Jr. This song was originally recorded by Joni Mitchell, but this cover is from the A Very Ally Christmas which was released in 2000.

Ally McBeal was a show where sexy lawyers took on feel good cases and then ended the day with a trip to the bar to sing songs. Fans of the show might recall the A Very Ally Christmas album. My wife is a huge fan of the show and has a copy of the Christmas album. I remember the first time I heard 'River' by Robert Downey, Jr. I had never heard the song until that moment, and since then I have called it "The Choppin' Down Trees" song. Please don't get "The Choppin' Down Trees" mixed up with this comedy classic. 

Christmas in Hollis by Run-D.M.C.

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Christmas Rocks, y'all! RIP Jam-Master Jay. The song of the day for December 13, 2012 is 'Christmas in Hollis' by Run-D.M.C. This song was released in 1987 and featured on A Very Special Christmas, a benefit album for Special Olympics.

I got nothing but love for Run-D.M.C. and 'Christmas in Hollis' is a hip-hop Christmas classic. That's all I've got today, folks. Sit back and enjoy a great song from the best hip-hop group of all time.

The Christmas Song by Weezer

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Did you ever know how much I care? The song of the day for December 12, 2012 is 'The Christmas Song' by Weezer. This song was released in 2000 and can be found on the international release of The Green Album and on The Christmas CD.

I'm amazed that Rivers Cuomo wrote a Christmas song filled with melancholy. Nobody is as happy-go-lucky as Rivers. OK, I'll behave. As a Weezer fan, I wanted to share 'The Christmas Song' with the good kids at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Haters are gonna hate on Weezer, but I'm here to defend their honor. I have the 2013 season of The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll planned and expect to hear a great tune from Weezer's overlooked classic, Pinkerton. Enjoy!

Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. Are you hangin' up a stocking on your wall? The song of the day for December 11, 2012 is 'Merry Xmas Everybody' by Slade. This song was released in 1973 as a single.

Slade is one of those bands that gets overlooked in my opinion. They have some killer songs, and a great example of an overlooked Slade song is 'Merry Xmas Everybody'. This song is incredibly popular in the U.K., but 'Merry Xmas Everybody' does not even make a blip on the U.S. radar. Take a listen to the song below and enjoy.

Christmastime in the Mountains by Palace Songs

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I'm saving all my rage for you. The song of the day for December 7, 2012 is 'Christmastime in the Mountains' by Palace Songs. This song was released in 1995 and is featured on the Hope release.

Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy/Palace Songs is a great American singer/songwriter who has had a career that has been under the radar, but I'm giving you a taste of his catalog today with 'Christmastime in the Mountains'. This is not your typical Christmas song with all of the gosh-golly-gee-whiz added, so be prepared for something different. How many Christmas songs have the line "We need an enemy/I'm saving all of my rage for you"? Take that, Burl Ives. Enjoy.

Silent Night by The Dickies

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Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. All is calm and all is bright. The song of the day for December 5, 2012 is The Dickies cover of 'Silent Night'. This was released in 1978 as a single.

Southern California punk and a Christmas classic? Yes! 'Silent Night' was written during the early 19th Century in Austria by Joseph Mohr and the music was composed by Franz Gruber. The Dickies are considered to be one of the first Southern California punk bands that formed during the late 1970s. Take a classic Christmas song, give it a Ramones like punch, and you have a fun song. Enjoy!



While The Dickies did a great job of covering 'Silent Night', let's see who is out there in YouTube land covering this classic.

First is user ArrtiG who decides to drop an acoustic cover on us. I like that this dude looks like a Jonas brother but decides to give us some Damien Rice flavor. Very nice.


Micki and Debs, aka DaViglio, also have an acoustic version as well. They also do a very good job. I dig the Wonder Woman poster in the background. Girl power!


Listen to the Hawaiian version of 'Silent Night', which is very cool.


Here is a nice instrumental version by HubbardSax. I like the dude sitting in the back wearing the Bill Cosby approved sweater.I'm wondering if the guy in the back wants to be in the video or is waiting patiently to use the computer. If he's waiting to use the computer, then I wonder if he is thinking, "Hey Kenny G, get off the damn computer so I can check my fantasy football stats!"

Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas by Eels

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December is Christmas Rocks at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I love Rock and Roll and I love Christmas music, so I decided to combine the two and rock out for an entire month. Baby Jesus was born to rock. The song of the day for December 3, 2012 is 'Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas' by the Eels.

It was early December some nine years ago when a guy on a music mailing list asked if anyone wanted a mix CD of Christmas tunes. I emailed the guy and a few weeks later the CD arrived. It had thirty great rock and roll Christmas tunes, plus there was a secret bonus song which was 'Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas'. I didn't know who performed the song, but I did an internet search and found out it was the Eels.

Do you remember the Eels? They had the 90s alternative hit, 'Novocaine for the Soul'. That was a song I heard once and it was one time too many.

'Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas' is a really cool up-tempo rocker. The video below was the only one I could find on YouTube. If you are a fan of the Eels and love The O.C. then you are in for a treat. Enjoy.