BRANDED
8:14 Sun Dec 23
Re: Day 23 - 'What Child Is This' - Rod Stewart
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Iove easy and can indulge in it all year. There's easy and then there's scmaltz. Still. He layers it thick and even.
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Billy Blagg
8:11 Sun Dec 23
Re: Day 23 - 'What Child Is This' - Rod Stewart
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BRANDED 11:42 Sun Dec 23
And that's the beauty of it. isn't it? The rest of the year we wouldn't give these house room and here you are on your 15th tissue (I think that was what they were for, wasn't it?)
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BRANDED
11:42 Sun Dec 23
Re: Day 23 - 'What Child Is This' - Rod Stewart
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He's got an amazing voice but this is smaltz layered with smaltz with an extra dollop of smaltz. Those music memories are often the best.
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Coffee
8:23 Sun Dec 23
Re: Day 23 - 'What Child Is This' - Rod Stewart
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Hadn't heard this before and it's far from what I expected. Henry VIII would approve, I'm sure. Listened twice. May do so again.
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Billy Blagg
2:35 Sun Dec 23
Day 23 - 'What Child Is This' - Rod Stewart
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We're in the home straight now - don't forget there are 25 windows on the Blagg Calendar - so expect things to get highly emotional.
Lady B loved Rod and we stayed an extra Saturday night in Vegas a few years back to see him perform at Caesars Palace. I pointed out the whole thing cost about 500 ton after taking in the meal at Gordon Ramsey's, when Rod only lived down the road and was playing the O2 later in the year and Ramsey has a pub in Limehouse, but so glad now we did what we did.
This is a track not found on Rod's 'Merry Christmas Baby' album; don't know why as its packed with feeling and quite lovely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2TzHabvmOA
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Alfie
2:50 Sat Dec 22
Re: Day 22 - 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' - Doris Day
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Stille nacht
Heilige nacht
Alles gut
Alles schacht
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Billy Blagg
2:46 Sat Dec 22
Day 22 - 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' - Doris Day
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L.A. based singer J.C. Bentley (https://jcbentley.com/) has been a good friend to Blagg Acres since the days before there was even a Blagg Acres. J.C. was devastated by Gail's passing in July and has been hugely supportive to me, probably running up a fortune in transatlantic phone calls.
Earlier this month J.C. presented a Christmas in the UK show in LA and sung this song for Gail and dedicated it to both of us. The idea was that the whole thing was filmed so I could add it here but, sadly, the ghost got into the machine and nothing was recorded.
I couldn't leave it off the Calendar this year though, but then choosing a suitable alternative version was so hard as there are dozens of excellent ones out there. I plumped for Doris because ... well, because you should always plump for La Day given the opportunity!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvHsKMz4so0&t=91s
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Billy Blagg
2:59 Fri Dec 21
Day 21 - '364 Days' - Murder City Devils
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All the way from Seattle come the Devils and if this doesn't have you placing the Eggnog back in the drinks cabinet and declining another Heston Mince Pie then nothing will.
Saint Nicholas, Saint Nicolas at the North Pole / 364 days spend all alone / Take off your boots, pour a drink / Try not to cry, try not to think.
Merry Christmas lads!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA6Uel6RwqY
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Coffee
7:13 Thu Dec 20
Re: Day 20 - 'Christmas In Jail' - The Youngsters
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I don't much care for country music, but this is fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Xmp2C6sW0
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Billy Blagg
2:26 Thu Dec 20
Day 20 - 'Christmas In Jail' - The Youngsters
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This is what happens when you drink and drive kids! Just say NO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM38kN4AOys
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Billy Blagg
3:57 Wed Dec 19
Day 19 - 'Six Days To Christmas' - Betty Lloyd
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Ms Lloyd - about whom I know absolutely nothing - with a gorgeous seasonal soul ode that also doubles as 'Snowflake' on another label and with a different songwriting team even though the song is identical. At least you have six days to work it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ka-3FC_yaU
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Billy Blagg
1:50 Tue Dec 18
Day 18 - 'Lonely This Christmas' - Mud
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The original idea of the Calendar was to get away from the usual Christmas fare but, over the years I've included a few of the hoary old chestnuts as a nod to the season and because I like to think that everyone can find something here they can relate to.
This Yuletide standard always had its tongue too firmly in its cheek for me, but it finds its way onto the Calendar this year though because, for the first time ever, I've found something in the lyrics I'd not heard before.
Since 1974 when this first got to Number One, I'd always assumed that poor old Les's woman had up and left him for another but, with newly grieving ears, I've found a whole other, much more poignant meaning to this in 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6kJ7GWtv0
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Coffee
1:02 Mon Dec 17
Re: Day 16 - 'The Wexford Carol' - The Chieftains with Nanci Griffith
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Billy Blagg 2:02 Sun Dec 16
That's a fabulous painting at 0:15 - the artist has got the light, shadows and colours spot on and you can just feel the chill.
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COOL HAND LUKE
12:21 Mon Dec 17
Re: Day 17 - 'A Christmas Fucking Miracle' - Run The Jewels
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The Canned Heat track took me off on a jaunt through Al Wilson, Jimi, Janis, then on to Stephen Stills... 'Blues Man' and 'Black Queen'...
The meandering beauty of the internet...
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COOL HAND LUKE
11:50 Mon Dec 17
Re: Day 17 - 'A Christmas Fucking Miracle' - Run The Jewels
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Heheh! Like it...
Not 'my music' tbh but I did enjoy this... you gotta admire the lyrics, whatever your bag.
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Billy Blagg
4:55 Mon Dec 17
Day 17 - 'A Christmas Fucking Miracle' - Run The Jewels
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EL-P and Killer Mike with a festive video of sorts; a track from their 2013 debut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ5rI461KNE
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Billy Blagg
2:02 Sun Dec 16
Day 16 - 'The Wexford Carol' - The Chieftains with Nanci Griffith
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A gorgeous rendition of the Wexford Carol by the Irish traditionalists who, staggeringly, have now been performing since 1963. Here the additional vocals of Texan Nanci Griffith just add to the Celtic atmosphere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qzz7Hu4I8Y
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Billy Blagg
4:46 Sat Dec 15
Day 15 - 'Call Me For Christmas' - Gary U.S. Bonds
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Apparently, due to 'circumstances beyond his control', our Gary had to part from his woman in 1967 and this is him calling her home. At least she's out there to call back Gaz, me old festive china.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C9KQYapBNk
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Westham67
6:12 Fri Dec 14
Re: Day 14 - 'A Christmas Carol' - Tom Lehrer
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Yes nice one
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Coffee
6:05 Fri Dec 14
Re: Day 14 - 'A Christmas Carol' - Tom Lehrer
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Excellent!
So it was always thus.
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Billy Blagg
2:28 Fri Dec 14
Day 14 - 'A Christmas Carol' - Tom Lehrer
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Ninety years of age and still with us, Tom Lehrer was known for his satirical output and they don't come more so than this song about 'the true meaning of Christmas... money!'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZR3lJobjw
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