Extra Mixes for Ringing in the New Year, Celebrating in Outer Space or Feeling Groovy
​21st Century Holiday Classics October 2023
Isn't it a little frustrating to hear the same small list of holiday tunes over and over again every December? Sure, most of us love the old classics, but we think it's time to celebrate a few newer songs, too! This special bonus mix features 22 first-rate original holiday tunes released after the turn of the last century, and while they may not be classics quite yet, each one of them can hold their own next to "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Feliz Navidad." All but three of these tracks have appeared on one of my previous mixes, and the artists range from the iconic Carole King to The Killers and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Give this one a spin and let's add a few new songs to the holiday playlist.
In addition to the regular annual holiday mixes I circulate each December, I've assembled a number of additional mixes to celebrate New Year's Eve. I've also created a few that focus on specific themes. For example, there's one mix filled with nothing but holiday tunes with an outer-space theme, one focused on songs from the late '60s and early '70s, and one particularly depressing collection I made in anticipation of Mitt Romney's election as president. (Happily, it wasn't needed.) Most of these are aimed at particularly small and narrow audiences. Of course, one can say the same thing about everything on this site. Enjoy!
​Outer Space Santa! November 2007 (revised December 2014)
You've no idea of the incredible number of holiday tunes out there -- or the variety of themes and levels of quality that exist. Most of these songs tend to reflect the times in which they were recorded, and during the 1960s, an awful lot of them had to do with outer space. This collection includes 26 space-themed Christmas songs you have to hear to believe. Originally put together in November 2007, it was re-released in December 2014 with eight bonus tracks, including a little something from quintessential '60s celebrity Tiny Tim. This one's totally cosmic, man!
​Happy New Year! December 2007
I marked the end of 2007 by putting together this little collection of New Year's themed tracks after stumbling across two tunes I'd never heard before -- "Happy New Year," by Spike Jones and His City Slickers and "Happy New Year, Happy New Year," by Charley Weaver. Those two songs are better than any pill or potion at chasing away the blues, and together with the other 17 tracks on this mix they'll give you plenty of juice to ring in the new year . . . or anything else you please.
​Ringing In a Brand New Year! December 2012
I've been quietly setting aside whatever additional New Year's themed music I've run across since I put together my "Happy New Year!" mix at the end of 2007, and having amassed a pretty good collection, by the end of 2012, the time seemed right for a sequel. This one has 30 tracks in all and lasts just under 80 minutes. The content spans exactly 100 years of New Year's festivities, and includes material from Ben Grauer, Johnny Carson, Dick Clark, Gene Rayburn and Richard M. Nixon. The music runs the gamut, too, from the Prince's Orchestra to Death Cab for Cutie. Ding dong, ding dong!
​Christmas Is Cancelled This Year December 2012
I recorded this mix during a brief depressive episode in October 2012 when it appeared Mitt Romney might in fact be elected president. Knowing an upbeat mix would be inappropriate under those circumstances, I set out to create the most depressing collection of holiday schlock imaginable. This is what I came up with. Fortunately for everyone concerned, the world was spared a Romney presidency. But I decided to release this horrifying monstrosity in any case to serve as a warning of what might have been. WARNING: Not intended for minors, Republicans or those with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
​The NOW Sound of Christmas! November 2013
This one's for members of the Woodstock generation – folks who prefer to celebrate the holidays to the groovy sounds of the Summer of Love. Inspired by a couple of military recruiting discs from the late 1960s, this mix is built around seasonal selections recorded by the U.S. Air Force Dance Band and their special guests The Free Design, a Canadian soft rock band whose music is imbued with the spirit of the counterculture. The result is so far out, it'll blow your mind!
​We Know What You Did Last New Year's Eve December 2014
Yes, here comes another collection of New Year's tunes, but while this one has a few party-style songs to get your party going on December 31, the overall tone is more mellow and contemplative. It's the perfect mix for the morning of January 1, as you sit amongst the rubble and wonder what the hell you're doing with your life. There's music from Rufus (featuring Chaka Kahn), The Eagles, The Go Find and David Gray, along with classics from Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee. Even Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev stop by to say hello. Check it out and take it easy this year.
​Hooray for Santa Claus! February 2007
This CD was something I put together for the annual holiday charity auction at a firm where I used to work. For some reason the December 2006 auction was rescheduled to February 2007, and I had enough leftover tracks from the 2006 mix I'd recently completed to put together this bonus collection. The content of this mix still leans heavily in the direction of "so bad it's good," with such numbers as "Put the Loot in the Boot" from Mae West, "I Want Elvis for Christmas" by The Holly Twins, and Heather Noel's "Santa Came on a Nuclear Missile." There's also a couple of great political tunes by The Capitol Steps, holiday greetings from Axel Rose and Dom DeLuise and Paddy Roberts' classic "Merry Christmas You Suckers."