…and again, Christmas songs played by a rock & roll, boogie woogie big band this time pressed on lush red and white splatter vinyl…we’ve been here before haven’t we ?

Mr Setzer and his Orchestra’s second volume of boogie-woogie-fied Xmas tunes follows the same formula as the first. It’s a selection of Christmas standards (“White Christmas”, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, “Jingle Bell Rock” still getting the picture ?) sprinkled with 3 Setzer originals, his “Santa Drives A Hot Rod” is pretty cool. Some of the selections this time are less obvious which makes it a little more interesting as Xmas albums go.

I gotta point out that both of these albums have fantastic artwork, all very early 60’s comic book style, think The Jetsons and there you have it. This one finishes with a look forward to the New Year too…which is nice…

Santa Drives A Hot Rod - https://youtu.be/ZFoiN_qtPQQ?si=4GBJ6Ooq8usNHclc

OK I realise I just chucked the alphabetical thang outta da window but I own just 4 Xmas albums and I figured what better time to get those outta the way than now…well it is Christmas…

What we have here is Christmas songs played by a rock & roll, boogie woogie big band pressed on lush green and white splatter vinyl…ace! 

This and its follow up, that we’ll get to tomorrow, entered my world only this year. Well that’s not entirely true, I’ve had a download of this one for some years, these records I only acquired in February. They arrived as part of a collection I bought for the shop, both 2019 re-issues of albums originally issued on CD only in 2003 and 2005 respectively. My addiction to all things coloured and vinyl meant I immediately earmarked them as additions to my collection.

For anyone who has been asleep for the last 40 or so years Brian Setzer is the impossibly blonde and be-quiffed singer and guitarist who first made his name fronting Rockabilly Rebels the Stray Cats. After the breakup of that band and a try at a solo career he put together the Brian Setzer Orchestra, a 17 piece Jump Blues and Swing big band with extra added Rockabilly guitars in 1990.

This album is another collection of Christmas (mostly) standards (“Jingle Bells”, “Winter Wonderland”, “The Nutcracker Suite” you get the picture ? Yes we see) with a couple of Setzer originals all revved up to sound something like Cab Calloway or Joe Jackson’s “Jumpin’ Jive” on pharmaceutical grade amphetamines (I am in no way insinuating that any chemical stimulants were employed in the making of this album) all sprinkled with scorching boogie-woogie guitars. Like this…

Jingle Bells - https://youtu.be/juTJQr9WJfY?si=QtVPaLiqhgpDbDxK

And here we are at the last of the M’s in my collection so we are halfway through the alphabet and therefore halfway through this 2023AlbumsThing I committed to. The one certain thing is it will definitely become the 2023/24AlbumsThing before we’ve finished. And if there is anyone out there who has read all of them, kudos to you. Anyways, onward…

My Life Story are basically Jake Shillingford. We’ve known Jake since he was the guy who looked after the door at the Camden Palace in London. We’d show up (when I say we I mean myself and various members of The Wonder Stuff) and Jake would see us, usher us to the front of the queue and up to the VIP bar, ah the joys of having famous mates. He formed My Life Story in the late 80’s and they released their John Barry/Scott Walker/Anthony Newley influenced debut “Mornington Crescent” (the tube station just across the road from the Camden Palace incidentally) in 1995.

“World Citizen” was released in 2019, Jake’s first album in 19 years ! Jake writes big, sweeping orchestral sounding Indie-pop songs with lyrics not quite from the gutter but definitely looking to the stars. First song “No Filter”, a fabulous show tune style torch song, opens with the lyric “You look like a million dirty, filthy dollars” which sets a tone for where we’re going. “Sent From Heaven” is poptastic in the style of “The Size Of A Cow” or something you could hear Madness doing.

“World Citizen” is a very, very good contemporary Indie-pop record. If you like things like The Lottery Winners this will do it for you too. It reminded me what a good songwriter Jake is and has nudged me to replace my long gone copy of “Mornington Crescent”, which I fear is gonna cost me !

Sent From Heaven - https://youtu.be/K52Bh42H_CQ?si=OrJTIfhu1H4RWDmt