brilliant play list on the danish radio

Radium: "FREDAG D. 9. DECEMBER
RADIUM ROOTS
V?rt : Alan Klitgaard
WOODY PHILLIPS: 'Jingle Bells'(A Toolbox Christmas)
WOODY PHILLIPS:'Ding Dong Merrily'
(A Toolbox Christmas)
ERIC BOGLE: 'Santa Bloody Claus'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

TOM LEHRER: 'A Chriostmas Carrol'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

TOM CLELLAND: 'The Present'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

ENOCH KENT: 'Christmas Comes But Once a Year'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

ROBIN LAING: 'The Man That Slits the Turkeys' Throats at Christmas'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

BILL BARCLAY:' The Twelve Days of Christmas'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

THE MC.CALMANS: 'The Birthday Boy'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

HIS WORSHIP & THE PIG: 'Mary Christmas'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

CYRIL TAWNEY: 'There Are No Lights on Our Christmas Tree'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

CYRIL TAWNEY: 'The Lone Shepherd'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT: 'Christmas Morning'(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002)

THE GREENTRAX CHOIR: 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'
(Bah Humbug, Greentrax, 2002) "

I actually enjoyed this Xmas music,
after many many carol concerts (too many both as a player and conductor)
I am normally allergic to yule melodies

There are 13 tracks if we count the mad intro track called "The Bells, The Bells." The older track is a fabulously funny Tom Lehrer view on the commercialism of Christmas in his "A Christmas Carol" for a modern age. It is still as relevant -- perhaps more so nearly a half century later. Eric Bogle gives us "Santa Bloody Claus," in which he has little good to say about the jolly man in red.

Claus gets his comeuppance in a track by the fabulously titled group His Worship & the Pig. They are from the Stoke-on-Trent area of England and apparently present a Christmas show each year. Their contribution, "Mary Christmas," has Santa losing his wife to the man from Toys R Us. (It has some minor adult content as the children ask for "Cindy dolls with busts and action men with willies" to give you a clue as to who should get this CD for at Christmas.)

My favourite track has to the one called "The Man Who Slits the Turkey's Throats at Christmas." Robin Laing sings the song written by John Ruddin. As the title suggests, it is not a track to play while you eat but it is very funny without a full stomach. It could become the Christmas vegetarian's anthem.

Like all good comedy the tracks on here resound with emotion and reality. "There are no lights on our Christmas tree" is a comment on the loss of Christmas feeling. Basically, the tree is without lights because the father reckons they interfere with the television. Who can empathize with that? READ ON various artists, Bah Humbug