Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/428873
CHRISTMAS ROCK did ma ke it to the stores was The Beach Boys' Christmas Album in 1964, conta in- ing, yes, both "Blue Christmas" and "White Christmas." James Brown, Booker T. & the MGs, The Four Seasons, The Supremes and Jackie Wilson also delivered holiday LPs. "The Lit tle Dr ummer Boy," like " Blue Christmas," was a sweet, unassuming story. It wa s about a poor boy whose on ly g i f t to infant Jesus was his slow tapping on a drum, and it has been a favorite since the '50s among pop and rock fans. Based on a tradi- tional number titled "Carol of the Drum," the song was recorded in 1955 by the Trapp Fam- ily Singers of The Sound of Music fame, but it wasn't until the Harry Simeone Chorale recorded it three years later that it achieved national attention. Subsequently, versions were recorded by Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Supremes, Joan Baez, Stevie Wonder, Joan Jett and (in 1982) the unlikely duo of Bing Crosby and David Bowie. The most striking rock Christmas record- ing since Spector's album, however, didn't ar- rive until the early '70s when John Lennon and Yoko Ono, looking to showcase their message of peace during the holiday season, teamed with Spector on "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." The recording combined Spector's "wall of sound" splendor and such idealistic lyrics as: "A very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear." It d id n't sel l t hat much bet ter t ha n t he Spector Christmas album, so holiday rock records continued to be a low priority in the record business in the 1970s, even though artists as varied as Commander Cody, Paul McCartney and Prince released them. T wo equa lly fa rsig hted men — one, a musicia n a nd activ ist f rom Irela nd; the other a record producer from Brooklyn, New York — were responsible in the 1980s for reviving commercial interest in Christmas rock. Bob Geldof, leader of the punk-leaning rock ba nd The Boomtow n R ats, wa nted in 1984 to enlist the rock community in a campaign to raise f unds to assist famine rel ief i n Et h iopia . His f i r st step w a s to w rite (w ith Midge Ure) a compassionate Christmas rock song, "Do They Know It 's Christmas?" and record it with an all-star 8 6 D EC E M B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ANALYTICS A partnership with Mays Business School. s Prestigious faculty s The Aggie Network s A modern skill set s Taught at Houston CityCentre Enrollment is limited. Apply Today: analytics.stat.tamu.edu ©2014 MacNeil IP LLC For US Customers : WeatherTech.com For Canadian Customers : WeatherTech.ca For European Customers : WeatherTechEurope.com WeatherTech.com · 800-441-6287 A u t o m o t i v e A c c e s s o r i e s Available in Black, Tan and Grey for over 900 Applications FloorLiner ™ Laser Measured