A Christmas post for you

Some tunes that I consider to be Christmassy. I've left this a bit late really - I've nothing against the earlification of Christmas - any time after November 1 is fine by me.

Edwyn Collins: Welwyn Garden City


A b-side to "The Magic Piper", Edwyn Collins' ill fated follow up to "A Girl Like You". Apparently it got nowhere in the charts due to a bar code mix up (or was that the lp?). Anyway, the faint sleigh bell noises in the background mean I'm having it. Welwyn Garden City? I've never been. I've a feeling it wouldn't live up to this track. The sleigh bells and the propulsiveness remind me of "Troika" by Prokofiev - one of the very few classical recordings I own. It's not that I'm scared of classical music - I just hardly know where to start. Music lessons at school were just a doss weren't they? They should have played classical music to us. I'd probably have hated it, but no more so than maths or geography. While we're considering changes to the national curriculum: law and political history should be compulsory subjects between the ages of 11 and 16. That'd sort the country out.

Driving back to London on my own late on a winter's night this next track came on just as I hit a stretch of the M40 where the lighting reappears after miles of cats eyes. The car was very warm and this just washed over me. It's by a guy from My Morning Jacket who, on the strength of this, I was motivated to check out. Totally different but still very good, haven't got round to picking up any of their albums yet. I will though.

Jim James: Sooner