I’m not sure what it is about Glam Rock and Christmas but I’ve always appreciated how many contributions to the Christmas song canon have big drums, fuzzy sax and ’50s via the ’70s Yuletide vibes.
My vote for the best Glam Rock Christmas song goes, hands down, to Slade with their never-tiresome-no-matter-how-many-times-you-hear-it classic, the misspelling free “Merry Xmas everybody.”
Sadly, there’s no proper footage of T. Rex‘s “Christmas bop” but you can just imagine Marc and Gloria Jones frolicking in the… snow.
No doubt eager to cash in on the success of Wizzard and Slade‘s Christmas successes, the less-inspired but still enjoyable Mud give us this Showaddywaddy-esque version of “Lonely this Christmas.”
Even before Gary Glitter got himself in all sorts of inexcusable scandals, he was always extremely creepy with his blink-punctuated stare and heaving and hoing hairy barrel chest. But what’s been forgotten by many is that the Glitter Band were an ace band. Check out “Another Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas” for further proof.
Here’s Marc Bolan, again with the Christmas music, this time in Elvis (or Mud) fashion.
Who’s that at the door? Oh, it’s that leper messiah, Ziggy Stardust! Come in and, I don’t know, let’s sing ‘Little Drummer Boy,‘ yeah?”
T. Rex again. This time with a fried sounding Christmas number sort of in the Space Rock vein.
Wizzard with “I wish it could be Christmas everyday.” I like that Roy Wood opted for a Father Frost look, and not Santa… but making that kid kiss him on the cheek probably scarred ’em deep.
*****
Eric Brightwell is an adventurer, writer, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener who is always seeking writing, speaking, traveling, and art opportunities — or salaried work. He is not interested in writing advertorials, clickbait, listicles, or other 21st century variations of spam. Brightwell’s written work has appeared in Amoeblog, diaCRITICS, and KCET Departures. His work has been featured by the American Institute of Architects, the Architecture & Design Museum, the Craft & Folk Art Museum, Form Follows Function, Los Angeles County Store, Skid Row Housing Trust, and 1650 Gallery. Brightwell has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Magazine, LAist, Eastsider LA, Boing Boing, Los Angeles, I’m Yours, and on Notebook on Cities and Culture. He has been a guest speaker on KCRW‘s Which Way, LA? and at Emerson College. Art prints of his maps are available from 1650 Gallery and on other products from Cal31. He is currently writing a book about Los Angeles and you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Click here to offer financial support and thank you!
Eric Brightwell 