Billy Blagg
12:55 Sat Dec 17
Day 17 - Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree - The Magnetic Fields
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According to Spotify Wrapped, my most played track of 2022 was The Magnetic Fields 'All My Little Words' so a Fields Christmas song was bound to find its way on here sometime. With a German chorus and lines like 'If they don't like you, screw them / Don't leave your fortune to them' this is one of Stephin Merritt's more tongue-in-cheek- songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEDyGaqx4PA
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Billy Blagg
2:49 Fri Dec 16
Coffee 7:35 Fri Dec 16
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And that, my old festive chum, is why I do this whole thing! This time next year you'll be listening to Grime 24/7. Perhaps.
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Coffee
7:35 Fri Dec 16
Re: Day 16 - Flyin' In The Air - Newham Generals
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Billy Blagg 3:26 Fri Dec 16
I don't like that kind of music at all, not one bit, but there's something - how to put this? - curiously engaging about that. I listened to the whole thing, all three minutes of it. Twice. Thanks!
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Billy Blagg
3:26 Fri Dec 16
Day 16 - Flyin' In The Air - Newham Generals
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Grime comes to the calendar in the shape of Forest Gate's own D Double E and Footsie doing wonderous things to Aled's hoary old tune. Feel free to stick your arms out horizontally and sway if you must. By the way, Double E was the voice on the rather surprising 2019 Ikea advert.
This isn't available on Spotify yet but some of their other stuff is and 'Burn' is worth catching up with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB7Z22YQ6lQ
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Billy Blagg
12:38 Thu Dec 15
Day 15 - Please Come Home For Christmas - The Eagles
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Back in the olden days of 2011 the original version of this by Charles Brown featured on the blog under Day 21. So ancient was the concept of a loosely based music blog back then it was actually created on MySpace and in converting it to a web page I lost the individual page links. Imagine there was ever such a time!
Anyway, I saw the Eagles in Hyde Park in the summer and they were magnificent so I thought it was time to re-run the song again - and this, from 1978, is by no means a poor substitute. Note how Don Henley acknowledges that 'bells will be ringing the sad, sad news' about spending the season alone, while Brown in the original from 1960 has the bells ringing 'the glad, glad news' that it's Christmas. How times change, huh?
Now actually I'll be spending the season alone but I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me 'cos at least I won't be squabbling with anyone over something puerile - well other than the cats, of course, who will once again refuse to eat the Christmas Turkey treat I got them from 'Pets 'R' Us'.
Ungrateful little buggers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWQYyP2RWVY
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Billy Blagg
11:36 Wed Dec 14
Day 14 - Just a Lonely Christmas - Diana Ross & the Supremes
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Diana Ross played the Legends slot at Glastonbury in the summer to a mixed critical reception. Perhaps some younger fans may have even wondered why she was regarded as a 'legend'. Here's 2' 25" of heartache to remind you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRMugzMXV0Y
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Billy Blagg
2:34 Tue Dec 13
Day 13 - I Can't Have A Merry Christmas, Mary (Without You) - Jerry Lee Lewis
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We lost one of the founding fathers of Rock 'n' Roll this year, Jerry Lee Lewis passing away at the age of 87.
There's been a lot of column inches written about Lee's wild and turbulent personal life but in purely musical terms his early work marked him out as a pioneer whose contribution to the early days of rock are incalculable. Even so Lee may well have disappeared from the pages of music history following the understandable scandal that followed revelations that his third wife was actually his 13-year-old cousin once removed, had it not been for an astonishing re-invention as a Country and Western star.
Between 1968 to 1977, Lewis became one of the biggest and most bankable C 'n' W stars in the world and its from that period that this Christmas song comes.
https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=fQw0aw2vhbY&t=27s
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Coffee
8:59 Mon Dec 12
Re: Day 12 - The Christmas Waltz - Peggy Lee
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Thanks, Billy.
Not sure that has you reaching for anything apart from... let's leave that unfinished.
There's perhaps no time like Christmas for allowing - and excusing - a good old self-indulgent nostalgia trip. This Peggy Lee song, whether you like it or not, is the perfect background accompaniment.
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Billy Blagg
3:23 Mon Dec 12
Day 12 - The Christmas Waltz - Peggy Lee
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Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in 1920, her name changed at the age of 17 by a local radio personality who agreed to put her on air for his radio show in her home town in North Dakota.
At the age of 19 she could be found singing in a club in Palm Springs and it was here she developed her sultry purr vocal. When she discovered it was impossible to sing over the general noise of the club, she adapted her voice to sing under the noise, the crowd gradually quietening when they realised they couldn't hear her, eventually falling silent, forced to acknowledge her style and delivery. 'I knew how to reach my audience - softly, with feeling' she later said.
Here she is with a silky smooth Christmas standard that has you reaching for some flavoured cream to go with your Heston Pear and Fig Mince Pie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rFt3GRFtTs
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Billy Blagg
5:34 Sun Dec 11
Day 11 - Mary Had a Baby - Darryl Hall & John Oates
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A 19th-century US gospel carol given a joyous, soulful, string-backed re-reading by Hall and Oates who still manage to retain the original gospel feel. It might lift some spirits after last night. Probably not mine though. Another four years and the clock is ticking...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n74oIczxDYw
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norwaytips
3:28 Sat Dec 10
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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As Ted said, great news Billy. It will kick your whole life back into top gear.
Some great times ahead, I can promise you.
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ted fenton
11:30 Sat Dec 10
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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Brilliant news Billy you'll be a great Grandad and it's just what you need in your life !!!!!
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Far Cough
10:52 Sat Dec 10
Re: Day 10 - Merry Christmas Everyone - Olivia Dean
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Glad to see Blagg back and doing his traditional Christmas music
Billy, yes, I've met Olivia, she's a very nice girl and as good as she is for music her brother is very good with his football, he just might make the grade and hopefully for West Ham.
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Billy Blagg
2:42 Sat Dec 10
Day 10 - Merry Christmas Everyone - Olivia Dean
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It's Christmas shopping day! Yea, like we're going to be in Bluewater rather than spending the day watching World Cup football! Even so it's time for Blagg's own BOGOF.
Here's a sumptuous jazzy version of 'Merry Christmas Everyone' from Amazon Music's 2021 Breakthrough Artist of the Year (and, of course, for old time WHO'ers Tynan's daughter) Olivia Dean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bTCtQBdyUM
And then the obvious Shaky version from 1986; 'cos who doesn't want a Director's cut of an 80s video and see the real purveyor of the Christmas jumper? You can see that on the Blog at:
https://blaggadventcalendarchristmassongs2022.blogspot.com/
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Billy Blagg
2:18 Fri Dec 9
Day 9 - I Got Your Christmas Right Here - Aloe Blacc
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Yay! It's Christmas party night! And being mired in the 80s that means an obscene amount of drinking, some funky music and a certain amount of touching.
I love it when someone introduces me to something that had previously passed me by and that was the case with Aloe Blacc's 'Funky Xmas' album from 2019; something that completely flew under my radar prior to last Monday. Since then it's barely been off the smart speaker. I know someone else who would have loved this.
With only two obvious covers - and both of those are excellent - this is an album from which you can pick any number of tracks but I'm going for the one that was recommended to me, but I urge you to search out the whole thing for a bit of festive funk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnjjvdvEao
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Billy Blagg
10:22 Thu Dec 8
Thanks All
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Thanks for the nice comments both for the calendar and the news from my daughter. Appreciated.
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Mike Oxsaw
6:13 Thu Dec 8
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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Good tidings indeed, Bill-son.
Love a bit of good news, me.
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ironsofcanada
5:31 Thu Dec 8
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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Congrats Billy and fair enough on Santa Baby
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zebthecat
11:37 Thu Dec 8
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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That's great Billy.
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Coffee
11:36 Thu Dec 8
Re: Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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Congratulations, Billy!
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Billy Blagg
2:16 Thu Dec 8
Day 8 - A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
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My daughter announced in November that I am to be a Grandad for the first time. Today she sent me a video clip of the nurse doing a scan and showing the little heartbeat on a monitor. As some of you will know and others may learn, this is sort of special.
'A Spaceman Came Travelling' is my daughter's favourite Christmas song and this is for her.
The rest of you will have to lump it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmZg7tvGN9o
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