SANTA RECOMMENDS... EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

While I am only one man, I hope to have made a difference over the years.  Every year at this time, the world is believing in and relying on me. But, in my heart, it's never been about me: it's always been about YOU.  For it is you that has filled this old soul with the wonderful joy that keeps pushing me forward.  It is YOU that puts a smile on my face, a laugh in my belly and absolute love in my heart.  I exist only because of you.  If you didn't believe in me, then I'd be nothing more than just a lost and lonely soul making his way through life with nothing to look forward to.  But because of you, I can make miracles happen.  Because of you, there is magic and electricity in the air.  Because of you, the joy of Christmas burns brighter than the colored lights on your magnificent tree.  So, as I prepare for this wonderful journey that I shall take tomorrow, I want to thank you for believing.  In me.  In life.  In love.  In magic.  And this Christmas, think and feel with your heart, for it has received and will continue to receive the greatest gift of all: unconditional love.  Feel it.  Live it. Don't ever take it for granted.  Even if you don't get Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Monopoly or Lite Brite under your tree this year, I have many surprises up my sleeve for you in the coming years.  Merry Christmas to all....

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those deliciciousf fizzle wizzle cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...BOW WOW WOW

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

BOW WOW WOW

BOW WOW WOW (2CD)

 

First things first: there was more to Bow Wow Wow than "I Want Candy"!  Did you know that the male members of the band were originally early members of Adam & The Ants?  Did you know that former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren was their original manager?  Did you know that they released oodles of great music besides "I Want Candy"? Well, while this double CD set doesn't take in all of their recordings, it does include their finest longplayer, See Jungle..... plus a bonus CD containing 10 additional tracks from the same period (including "I Want Candy").  While the band's releases can be quite confusing (import and U.S.  releases were often very different and/or exclusive to their respective countries), I must say that this fine release rectifies this period in their career (1981-82) and offers up 23 delicious slices of burundi-influenced New Wave Pop/Rock. The quartet did make another fine album after this, but I have to admit that THIS is the Bow Wow Wow CD you need. 

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...ONE NIGHT ONLY

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

ONE NIGHT ONLY

ONE NIGHT ONLY

This band of young British whippernappers put out a fine album back in 2008 called Started A Fire, which blended right in with the rest of great music coming out of the UK during that period (like The Kooks and The Wombats).  But two years on, these boys have either learned their chops or have been replaced by music industry-created robots because this album is a HUGE leap forward from songwriting to production.  In fact, it could almost be an entirely different band!  Filled to the brim with great songs that sound great in the headphones and your car stereo, this self-titled release is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in modern British music.  Sure, at times, it may sound a little too polished and clean, but the songs and the energy of the album totally make up for it. Yours truly will be cranking this one up as I take my sleigh out for a test drive before the big day.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious Russian Tea Cakes and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...ONE NIGHT ONLY

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

ONE NIGHT ONLY

ONE NIGHT ONLY

This band of young British whippernappers put out a fine album back in 2008 called Started A Fire, which blended right in with the rest of great music coming out of the UK during that period (like The Kooks and The Wombats).  But two years on, these boys have either learned their chops or have been replaced by music industry-created robots because this album is a HUGE leap forward from songwriting to production.  In fact, it could almost be an entirely different band!  Filled to the brim with great songs that sound great in the headphones and your car stereo, this self-titled release is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in modern British music.  Sure, at times, it may sound a little too polished and clean, but the songs and the energy of the album totally make up for it. Yours truly will be cranking this one up as I take my sleigh out for a test drive before the big day.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious Russian Tea Cakes and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...MADNESS

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

MADNESS 

WONDERFUL (Deluxe 2CD Edition)

 

Last year, the lads in Madness released a new album and achieved more accolades and acclaim than they have in years. While the band have not been a full-time, prolific unit like they were in the early '80s, they have managed to chalk up quite a few tours since reuniting in the mid '90s.  Wonderful, released in 1999, was their first studio album since 1985's Mad Not Mad and was an absolutely brilliant return to form for them.  It's a shame that nobody actually noticed! You see, many folks love the whole nostalgia thing and they want to hear the hits (and believe me, Madness have plenty of them) so a 'new' Madness album didn't matter to the general public.  But for the Madness fan, it was a dream come true. Living up to it's title, Wonderful was perhaps the band's best album since the 1981 album, 7. Now, a decade later, we have an expanded two CD edition to cherish.  Enanced with videos and bonus tracks (a whole CD of them), they should have changed the title to Wonderfuller!

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious sugar cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE COLOURFIELD

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest these?

THE COLOURFIELD

VIRGINS & PHILISTINES (SPECIAL EDITION)

DECEPTION (SPECIAL EDITION)

Let me start out by saying this: I have NEVER given Terry Hall a lump of coal in all the years I've been delivering gifts to him, so I have no idea why he seems so miserable all the time! Well, those of us that love him know that his dour demeanor hides a wicked sense of humor, so all is forgiven.  While many in the mainstream may not know him by name, you'd be surprised at how much wonderful music he has released over the past three decades. He fronted The Specials for two albums before leaving to form Fun Boy Three.  After two albums with them, he split and formed The Colourfield.  Originally a trio, the Colourfield's wonderful 1986 debut album, Virgins & Philistines, was a wonderful mixture of '60s Folk Pop and '80s modernism.  Great tunes and a fairly positive vibe made it the most upbeat of his recordings thus far.  This CD edition adds loads of bonus tracks, making it a must-have for Terry Hall and intelligent Pop fans alike.  By the time Deception was released in 1987, The Colourfield was essentiall Terry with backing musicians.  While the album is not as half-heartedly cheery as the debut, it's still a wonder to listen to. Far more 'modern' sounding than Virgins..., Deception's cold atmosphere sounds more refreshing nearly 25 years later. Besides, the album contains some of Terry's finest vocal performances.  Again, loaded with bonus tracks, this is a near-essential purchase.

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious oatmeal raisin cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...RED BOX!

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

RED BOX

PLENTY

PLENTY (DELUXE 2CD EDITION)

Well, I must admit that I never thought I'd ever see an honest to goodness NEW Red Box album! Their majestic debut album, The Circle & The Square, was released in the mid '80s, and it took another four or five years for the second album, Motive, to hit the shops in 1990. Since then, myself, the missus and most of the elves have been hoping for a third album, which is finally here!  Leader Simon Toulson-Clarke still writes fantastic melodies that are filled with melancholia, joy and wonder.  While the band has mellowed with age, they are also more focused.  This is an album that feels like a complete whole as opposed to just a batch of songs that were thrown together.  It's an emotional album that is warm and inviting, honest and moving.  P.S. There's also a two CD version that contains an additional 6 tracks so jump on that one if you can!


I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious gingerbread cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...RED BOX!

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

RED BOX

PLENTY

PLENTY (DELUXE 2CD EDITION)

Well, I must admit that I never thought I'd ever see an honest to goodness NEW Red Box album! Their majestic debut album, The Circle & The Square, was released in the mid '80s, and it took another four or five years for the second album, Motive, to hit the shops in 1990. Since then, myself, the missus and most of the elves have been hoping for a third album, which is finally here!  Leader Simon Toulson-Clarke still writes fantastic melodies that are filled with melancholia, joy and wonder.  While the band has mellowed with age, they are also more focused.  This is an album that feels like a complete whole as opposed to just a batch of songs that were thrown together.  It's an emotional album that is warm and inviting, honest and moving.  P.S. There's also a two CD version that contains an additional 6 tracks so jump on that one if you can!


I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious gingerbread cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE BEE GEES

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

BEE GEES

IN OUR OWN TIME

DVD

BLU-RAY

For as far back as I can remember, every single one of my summer vacations has been soundtracked by music that keeps the 'ho ho ho' in my heart even when I'm not preparing for my Christmas journey.  Inevitably, the music of The Bee Gees is always there somewhere.  Whether it's "Nights On Broadway", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "One" or a few dozen other titles, the Bee Gees add that extra 'ooomph' to the good times.  This DVD manages to put the brothers Gibb's career into perspective, offering up plenty of music, performance clips, interviews and more.  It's the ultimate documentary on Barry, Robin and Maurice (plus Andy) and offers up triumphs, heartbreak and plenty of emotions in between.  While I have delivered many gifts to all of their households over the years, the Gibbs never fail to amaze me with their natural talents. I believe that one watching of this documentary will bring some much-needed love into your life!

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious M&M cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE CUTE LEPERS

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

THE CUTE LEPERS

SMART ACCESSORIES

Some people are quite surprised by the fact that yours truly is a huge Punk Rock fan.  But you have to remember that I'm the one who gave Johnny Rotten his first lump of coal and altered the direction of music all those years ago (when I knew him as little Johnny Lydon).  But anway, I've handed out plenty of Punk Rock albums over the  past three decades and this year, stockings with be stuffed with Smart Accessories, the latest platter from The Cute Lepers.  When The Briefs decided to take a break, Steve E. Nix and Stevie Kicks formed this outfit, who sound pretty much like....er... the Briefs!  And that is OK by me.  How can you go wrong with a band that mixes the melodic edge of classic Punk Rock (the Damned, Buzzcocks, The Clash, etc) with a modern edge.  And thankfully, they still sound unique and NOTHING like the so-called Punk that all the kids have been buying over the last decade (Blink 182, Green Day and their spawn are about as Punk Rock as Punky Brewster).  So, kiddies, listen and see how it's done!

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious gingerbread reindeer and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa