Billy Blagg's 19th Annual Advent Calendar of Christmas Songs

[Billy Blagg]

It's back for yet another year. From December 1st - 25th, the usual smorgasbord of chestnuts, turkeys, tasty morsels and stomach-churning leftovers.

As usual, there is a page for the 19th Calendar at:
https://blaggadventcalendarchristmasson ... gspot.com/

The Home page for access to all the Calendars, plus Spotify lists, is at:
https://www.billyblaggsannualadventcale ... ngs.co.uk/


 

[Billy Blagg]

 'On This Christmas Day' is a track from the Moody Blues sixteenth and last album 'December', written by bassist John Lodge, who sadly passed away this year. 

Few bands rode the Zeitgeist of the Sixties like the Moodies, riding it so hard and for so long they were still carrying their anachronistic, lush, mellotron-based, wry observations on life, love, eternal peace and understanding well into the 21st Century.

Lodge contributed two tracks to 'December', the other being 'The Spirit of Christmas', which features the awful line, 'Where did the spirit of Christmas go? / Lost in the desert all covered in snow, leaving me little option but to plump for 'Christmas Day' as the track of choice. Still, the old LCD trippery can still see me enjoying Justin Hayward's  'Don't Need A Reindeer' which appeared on Day 10 of the 2008 Calendar for any of you still brave enough to venture there.


 

[honky cat]

Thats a nice sunday carol, i hadnt heard eliza and jon before - will check them out.

But no ships sailing by here this morning, orange wind warning. So music and sport all day it is..

They were just playing a breathy slow melancholic version of merry xmas everybody on the radio, young woman singer. Nobody really writes the christmas tunes anymore, it seems to have disappeared with top of the pops?

[Billy Blagg]

I was going to see Jon Boden & Eliza Carthy this week, but never made it due to traffic, which was pretty annoying. Still, they've at least made it onto the Sunday Calendar this year with this offering - a carol which hasn't appeared on the Calendar before - from their 2023 'Glad Christmas Comes' album. It features a lovely silver band, which is pretty much guaranteed to get me onside any December.

[Mex Martillo]

Excellent tune, reminded of Elvis or Shaking Stevens!

[Billy Blagg]

It's Christmas shopping Saturday, and here's Little Charlie - Charles Baty - and his Nightcats exhorting you to spend, spend, spend - like you were going to be doing anything other than that anyway.

Out of Sacramento, California, Charlie and his band were active from 1976 to 2008 with an excellent rendition of jump and electric blues. The band performed internationally at various blues and jazz festivals, before sadly, Charles died from a heart attack in 2008.

Fortunately, his spirit lingers on here in the BB Calendar.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Way to go Billy, great to see you for another year.
I'm looking forward to having a good listen to this year's selections.
I missed you as I rarely leave the football forum these days.
Did you see the WHO clock works? How times change. Not our football through, as bad as ever. However, as we are so good at helping end losing runs, I fully expect us to end Villas winning run on Sunday. Makes sense. Ha ha ha

Yea ...all seems  right in the world when Billy rolls around 

[Billy Blagg]

It's the second Christmas party night of Advent, so put this on the jukebox and grab the woman in the fur coat, PVC dress and thigh boots and off you go. Sorted! Thank me later.

[Mex Martillo]

Way to go Billy, great to see you for another year.
I'm looking forward to having a good listen to this year's selections.
I missed you as I rarely leave the football forum these days.
Did you see the WHO clock works? How times change. Not our football through, as bad as ever. However, as we are so good at helping end losing runs, I fully expect us to end Villas winning run on Sunday. Makes sense. Ha ha ha

[Billy Blagg]

For those of a certain vintage, Eddie & the Hot Rods anthemic 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' is still a call to arms like no other.

You could have spent those years since 1977, running your own IT company and you have a decent mortgage-free house in a north Essex village; your kids might have gone to Uni and done very well for themselves, but when you're driving your Merc down the M11 and that line 'Why don't you ask them what they expect from you / Why don't you tell them what you are gonna do' comes up, you press that button to get the window down, and shake your fist out at the passing traffic like you're a snotty teenager in skinny jeans who's lost a safety pin out of his T shirt.

...errr... or so I've heard anyway.

This isn't that version of the Hot Rods, sadly, as the great Barry Masters passed away in 2019, but 'It Feels Like Christmas' has still got an anthemic punky edge and a great guitar riff. Oh, and bells and kids....yes, bells and kids.

Still, I've had my eyes lasered, and I don't need no optician to tell me what I oughta see.

[easthammer]

Billy
You must be really busy or you just haven't heard of AI


The band "Count Sidney and his Dukes" was the stage name used by musician Sidney Simien (known professionally as Rockin' Sidney) during the mid-1960s when he recorded for Goldband Records. The band was primarily a recording and touring outfit, and specific personnel varied over time. 
The band members' names are not consistently documented across sources in the same way a fixed group would be, largely because Rockin' Sidney often played many or all instruments himself in his home studio, and personnel for live performances or specific recording sessions frequently changed. 
Key individuals involved in his career and some of his recordings included:

• Sidney Simien (Count Rockin' Sidney) - Vocals, accordion, and multiple instruments (on later recordings).
• George Lewis - Harmonica player on early R&B sessions.
• Katie Webster - Pianist who performed on his early sessions.
• Clifton White and Chester Randle were also local band leaders in the Louisiana area during that era whose groups (the Royal Knights and the Soul Senders, respectively) had connections and overlapping personnel within the local music scene. 

His band, "The Dukes," was more of a fluid group of supporting musicians for live performances and studio work rather than a fixed ensemble with a constant lineup. 
Would you like to know more about the specific songs they recorded together, such as "Feel Delicious" or "Put It On"? We can look up their discography.
AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

Anyway, for reasons other than the pressure of time, I have only just caught up with this year's calendar
Yet again, you provide a varitable musical feast but being even older this year than last, Dickie Valentine's Christmas ABC brought back some great childhood memories thanks.

[Billy Blagg]

I can tell you absolutely nothing about Count Sidney nor his Dukes, but that doesn't matter because he wants you to go shing-a-linging, and I'm a bit busy, so I'll just leave this here.

[honky cat]

A good find Chang Loo. 
Take a chance with mashed potatoes? Lol

[OK_Guy]

you just picture Chang Lou singing this in a Bob Hope or Dean Martin musical from the 50/60's.

 

[Billy Blagg]

How have we got here, eh?

You know, there was a time on this blog where discovering an obscure U.S. Christmas hit from 1958, recorded in Spanish and English, by a man born in New York from Puerto Rican parents, would have been considered a 'bit of a find' and immediately been added to the Calendar.

Now, 19 years into this nonsense? Absolutely, no way.

It was Augie Rios who had the original hit, and you can easily find that version should you wish - and, please don't let me stop you! - but I've discovered this wonderful version by Chang Loo (or Zhang Lu as we should probably call her, or perhaps even 张秀英) from her album 'An Evening with Chang Loo'.

Zhang was a Suzhou-born singer and actress who made her name in Chinese Pop music covering songs from Western artists in Mandarin, but she became an International success when EMI signed her and got her to record in English. Her fame grew when she appeared in a few Hollywood films.

Zu eventually married a Filipino musician she met singing in Singapore, they had two boys, living in Canada and Hong Kong before retiring. Zhang sadly left us in 2009.

If, when Christmas is over, you fancy following this thread further, then Zhang's versions of 'Danny Boy', 'Lipstick On Your Collar' and 'Jambalaya' are a treat and you should definitely pencil them into your '26 listening library. If nothing else, imagine what your Spotify Wrapped will look like next December!

Me? I'm thinking of those two people in China who show up in the Calendar stats every year as regular visitors to my Blog. Let's not forget they must do this illegally.

聖誕快樂 to you! (Be careful, it's really not worth it, you know!)

[Billy Blagg]

A bit of humorous East London Grime from Richard Cowie Jr. And what's wrong with Shirley, anyway? I always quite liked her.


 

[Billy Blagg]

It's Sunday on the Calendar, so it's time for the pointless Blagg self-imposed rule that the song has to be a Carol.

We sadly lost the great Danny Thompson this year; a multi-instrumentalist, but best known for his double bass, Danny made significant contributions to work by John Martyn, Richard Thompson and Nick Drake, as well as being an important part of the excellent Pentangle, all while pursuing his own solo career. Thompson's status in the music world also saw him contribute to albums by artists as diverse as ABC, T.Rex, Kate Bush, and Cliff Ricard - over 50 albums are listed on his Wiki page - but it's the fact he even played on the original Thunderbirds theme that really sets the bar high.

'Rise up, Shepherd' is a Carol, a Spiritual and a folk song that probably has its source in the plantations of the American South, which is why this doesn't sound like the more traditional fare you're likely to hear this Christmas. This track is from 'Songs of Joy for Christmas', an album Thompson recorded with old Pentangle cohort Jacquie McShee and guitarist Vic Abram, but it's probably Tony Roberts' clarinet work that makes this rock out. 

up Shepherd - Song of Joy for Christmas. An Album of English Carols

 

[OK_Guy]

wonder if they're related to Susan Tedeschi ?... Tedeschi Trucks Band 

[Billy Blagg]

The Cords are the Tedeschi sisters, Eva, vocals and guitar, and drummer Grace. They come from a village just outside Greenock, and feature a very discernible Scottish Indie feel. Their self-titled debut album was released earlier in 2025, and they've already highlighted sessions on 6Music, as well as playing support to compatriots The Vaselines and Belle and Sebastian.

'Favourite Time' is an energetic, punky 2'45" that reminds me of The Primitives. An ideal accompaniment to your Saturday night Waitrose party food.

Time - YouTube

[Westham67]

Thanks, BB, 

[Billy Blagg]

It's the first Friday of Advent, and that means it's Christmas party night! And I'm not talking about one of these 21st Century parties where we all make small talk and chuckle politely over the hors d'oeuvres; I'm talking about the type of parties I used to organise in the 80s that echoed the worst excesses of Roman bacchanalia. And towards the end of that evening, you're going to want to slow things down, a sort of slow blues and soul type thing, the type of thing that Robert Finley delivers in this gorgeously festive groove. Don't let the bed bugs bite.

Finley - "Merry Christmas, I Love You" [Official Video] - YouTube

[BRANDED]

You thought yesterday was a bit populist, perhaps? Well, prepare yourself for Day 2. 

'Christmas Alphabet' was not only a massive No: 1 hit but, providing you don't count the previous year's No: 1, Winifred Attwell's 'Let's Have Another Party,' as a Christmas Record - and I don't think we should - then Dickie scored the UK's first ever Christmas themed chart topper. 

Topping the chart for 3 weeks in 1955, Valentine - or Richard Maxwell as his mum probably called him - was a singing sensation and won the NME poll as best male vocalist that year; in fact, he won the title consecutively from 1953 to 1957. Although the rock 'n' roll and Beatlemania tide inevitably caught up with his career during the 60s, Valentine was still a popular club singer when he was tragically killed, along with his pianist and drummer, on a single-lane bridge travelling home after performing in Caerphilly in 1971.

The bridge in Crickhowell - later replaced with a new bridge - had a commemorative plaque unveiled there in 2021. An honour surely due a man who had every Cliff, Slade, Shaky and Geldof trailing in his wake.

Dickie Valentine - Christmas Alphabet ( 1955 ) - YouTube

Right up my Denmark alley this one

[Billy Blagg]

---

Billy hope you don't mind me putting this up?

 

Ahhh Ms Dean and family - formerly of this Parish or have I lost the thread here? It's a free for all here and thanks for telling me about it. When was this?

[Far Cough UKunt]

---

Billy hope you don't mind me putting this up?

[honky cat]

 A great bit of Trojan reggae from brothers Cebert & Lloyd Bernard, who together with Lloyd Kerr, formed the Kingstonians in 1966. They want to wish you a Merry Christmas, and this is three minutes of them not doing much more than that, but with a sound like this, who the hell cares?

The Kingstonians – Merry Christmas (Official Visualiser) #2 - YouTube

 

 

Ive unliked spizz energy and liked this instead. Hope thats ok
(i didnt like spiz at all - but liked it as no one else did  -but its now got a like from someone else - so all good)

[Billy Blagg]

Self praise is no praise 

I'm not praising me, I'm praising the music. I just collect it.