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Classic Vinyl

With John Gardiner

I'm dreaming of a Spott Farm Christmas

Tuesday, December 24, 2002

Now, hold on there classic rock lovers – no, I've not flipped my wig. That's right, though – those are album covers featuring the likes of Burl Ives and Der Bingle over there accompanying this edition of Classic Vinyl. And if you keep reading along, you'll soon find out why I've got those particular album jackets over there.
I mean, when was the last time you heard a classic rocker do a decent version of a classic Christmas song. When I brought this up around the dinner table the other night, my wife suggested that Stevie Nicks did a nice version of some Christmas favourite. I told her I wasn't sure Stevie Nicks really qualifies as a classic rocker – so there you go.
It's funny, though, because nearly every pop and rock artist in the history of music has tried a Christmas record or two or even three. Most are entirely forgettable, but occasionally someone hits with a good one. But for my money, the California Raisons have as much chance of getting it right as Bruce Springsteen.
And even though there have been a few good efforts at doing Christmas favourites, there certainly haven't been many noteworthy ones in the Christmas songwriting area. Try to think of a memorable Christmas tune that's been written in the last 40 years. Jingle Bell Rock comes to mind and maybe I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, but there sure haven't been many.
But here I get a chance to plug my favourite singer-songwriter of all time – John Lennon. His Christmas tune, Happy Christmas, is about as good as it gets from any era. It is heartfelt and lyrically rich and is everything that every Christmas song should be. I highly recommend it as a must listen before you go to bed on Christmas Eve – it will make sure you have visions of sugarplums dancing in your head as Santa slips down the chimney – but more importantly, it will remind you what it's supposed to be all about.
Still, though, back to the topic and the topic is Christmas music and how rock stars aren't really all that good at doing it. The reason I've got guys like Burl Ives and Nat King Cole and Der Bingle featured as my album covers this week is because these guys are really good at doing it – I mean performing classic Christmas music. You really can't get into the true spirit of Christmas without a rendition of Bing's White Christmas, or perhaps a wonderful version of Burl Ives' Holly Jolly Christmas.
And I couldn't find it when I was looking (which is odd for me), but even ol' Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, did some great Christmas tunes in his day. It just seemed that the style of music that was popular in other eras seemed to suit the great Christmas songs better than howling singers and soaring guitars – somehow the two just don't seem to go together. Van Halen just can't do Silent Night.
I remain a huge fan of Christmas music and our house is filled with it from early December on. Somehow, it's a very important part of the whole Christmas experience for me. But it's gotta be traditional. In fact, nothing moves me more than standing in a church and hearing an entire congregation sing Away In a Manger – or especially Silent Night.
My very favourite Christmas recording, though, is by a band that only a few of you will have heard of. Spott Farm were a bunch of local guys from up Hanover way. They were our hippie-commune band back in the old days – very spiritual bunch and that carried into their music.
Anyway, they did a Christmas record one year. It featured Little Drummer Boy on one side and a medley of Christmas music on the other – it was just a 45 rpm – remember? I still have mine, scratched in a merciless way, and I try to give it a listen each Christmas Eve just before bed. And it reminds me of the old days when we were young and fresh and innocent and filled with hope. Those were the days, my friends.....those were the days.



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.