Dancing in the Snow

A cornucopia of ten seasonal singles to keep your ears warm during the Holidays.

It’s snowing outside as I write this, which means that it’s time for another edition of my yearly dive into some fave seasonal singles and Christmas records to spin this holiday season. For anyone who missed last year’s post, Here 'tis.

So in keeping with tradition, here’s a batch of ten more selections bound to keep your ears warm this winter season!

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Felice Taylor - “It May Be Winter Outside” (Mustang, 1966)

Gorgeous soul stirrings from the underrated Taylor, bound to warm your heart on a frosty day this season. Released on Bob Keene’s Mustang label (home to hitmakers Bobby Fuller Four), the single was produced and arranged by a young Barry White.

The Avalanches - “Winter Wonderland” (Warner Bros, 1963)

A reworked, surf-style twist on this Yuletide chestnut. The Avalanches recorded output consists of their lone album (1963’s ‘Ski Surfin’), recorded to cash-in on the ‘winter surf’ craze. (Yes, this was a thing, as anyone who’s seen the AIP ski surf films can attest to.) But unlike AIP’s shameless shilling, the Avalanches album actually rocks, thanks to the crack band providing the music - David Gates on bass, Tommy Tedesco and Billy Strange rocking the guitars, and Hal Blane, ‘the world’s greatest drummer’ working the rhythm. Yes, it’s a Wrecking Crew Christmas!

The Eighth Day - “Long Winter Nights” (Kapp, 1968)

Here’s an obscure one, but another seasonal fave. The Eighth Day’s lone self-titled album is a soft pop chestnut from ‘68 is chock full of sixties pop gems waiting to be discovered, none more so than the song in question. The Eighth Day’s story is too long and confusing to parse out here, but the band formed in Ohio, went to New York to record their album, then disbanded….whilst recording said album! A second lineup took up the project, with much assistance from songwriter and vocalist extraordinaire Ron Dante…who just happened to pen this song, with fellow songwriter Bob Feldman (of Brill pop/girl group/Strangeloves fame).

Slim Gaillard - “Down By The Station” (1940s)

Nothing says the holidays quite like my man Slim. To be fair, I may be the only one who thinks that, but any excuse to celebrate the brilliant and multi-talented Gaillard I’ll gladly accept. A brilliant wordsmith, musician, singer, hep cat and jazz surrealist (to name but a few talents), Slim Gaillard was light years ahead of his time….and we’re still trying to catch up. It’s not a traditional Christmas song, but I always associate his charming ‘Down By The Station’ with waiting for a train in the winter, watching the conductors calling the stations. Just make sure you don’t miss Vicksburg, ‘cause that’s bassist Bam Brown’s stop! (and yes, I know I included this one last year, but it’s too good not to warrant another mention!)

Little Joey Farr - “Rock ‘n’ Roll Santa” (Kangaroo, 1959)

From deep in the heart of Texas comes this savage rocker extolling the praises of the rockin’, boppin’ Santa Claus. Originally released on the Kangaroo label in ‘59, it apparently drew enough interest for the Colorado-based Band Box label to have Farr re-record it for a 1961 re-release.

Paul Revere & the Raiders - "Macy’s Window” (Columbia, 1967)

By 1967, Paul Revere & the Raiders were rock superstars, having built up a following with hits like “Just Like Me” and “Kicks”, and thanks to regular appearances on American Bandstand and Where the Action Is, they’d merged into teeny pop territory, as far as their fanbase, with cover stories in all the teen mags. Musically, however, was a completely different story: namesake Revere and vocalist Mark Lindsay, together with the then-lineup of the group, wanted to push the envelope further in the studio. Together with producer Terry Melcher, they decided to record a Christmas album, which no doubt delighted the Columbia brass, seeing as how Xmas records are practically an excuse to print money up for a major label. The resulting album, however, was much stranger than any of the chiefs at the label could have imagined. A mix of experimental music, sound collages, comedy skits and, yes, some actual songs, including the catchy number above. Nearly sixty years, the album seems to fracture fans, with some considering it an embarrassment, and others (like myself) enjoying the album for what it is (original and creative), and what it doesn’t pretend to me (an album of re-worked Christmas standards.)

They Might Be Giants - “Santa’s Beard” (Bar/None, 1988)

From those beacons of love from Brooklyn comes a modern-day holiday classic (well, comparatively modern compared to what’s on this list). If the two Johns had been born a few decades earlier, it’s not impossible to imagine them penning this as Brill Building songwriters for an aspiring girl group.

The Boys Next Door - “The Wildest Christmas” (Bad, 1965/Atco, 1966)

Yeah, it’s goofy but it’s also fun. No, it’s not the best holiday record ever made by a long shot, but the Boys Next Door’s ode to a wild, wild Christmas will always get play from me on my radio show around the holiday season. The Indianapolis band modeled their stage image on the Beach Boys style, judging by photos of the group; not exactly the hippest image for a rock band in the mid-sixties. But underneath the surface, they were hipper than expected, cutting a stack of sides for indie labels, and major labels Cameo and Atco. (My fave of their singles is their Atco side of Byrdsian jangle ‘One Face in the Crowd’, penned by Brute Force.)

Brute Force - “O Holy Night” (Brute Force, 1971)

….and speaking of the songwriter himself, here’s Brute Force (Stephen Friedland) with his joyous and cosmic take on the seasonal standard. Recorded in the early seventies at Two:Dot studios in Ojai, California, it’s a gorgeous rendition of the song that should be on everyone’s holiday jukebox this time of year.

The Leopards - “Dancing in the Snow” (Moon, 1978)

No holiday playlist is truly complete from me without this wonderful ode to the Winter season from Kansas City’s very own Leopards, off their gem of an album ‘Kansas City Slickers’. If you’re hearing it for the first time, you can easily be mistaken for thinking you’re listening to a Kinks outtake, for Dennis Pash and the boys had the rare ability to capture the essence of the Davies brothers stylings, but with a humor and sharpness all their own.

And though the snow may have trailed off as I wrap this piece, I know that winter is still on its way, quite possibly to you as well. Wishing all of my readers a happy and healthy and wonderful Holiday season. Looking forward to more posts and exchanges here on New Dimensions!