Everyone knows this coming Friday is the first day of the year when it’s universally acceptable to listen to Christmas music. I got a little bit ahead of this and made a new holiday playlist for you…A VERY 80s CHRISTMAS!
It is exactly what it says it is – Christmas music from 1980-1989. Weirdly, almost all the popular public 80s Christmas playlists that exist do not respect linear time and include a lot of music that is not from the 1980s. But I take time parameters very seriously, and so this legitimately captures a distinctly 80s vibe and spirit for two and a half hours.
This includes songs by Wham, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Eurythmics, Run-DMC, Ramones, Erasure, Queen, The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen, “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Waitresses, Paul McCartney, and more.
after 1:30 am, a 2 hour soundtrack-style collection not intended for daylight hours. This one is focused on romantic soul, blues, blues-based rock, and jazz from the mid 20th century, and I like it a lot.
3 HOURS OF GROOVY JAZZ FOR A PARTY, which is exactly what the title says it is – mid-20th century jazz for a fun, sophisticated atmosphere! This includes selections by Charles Mingus, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Wilson, George Benson, Horace Silver, Chet Baker, and more.
NYC STATE OF RAP 1991-1995, a retrospective featuring 5 hours of classics from the golden age of New York City-area hip-hop. This includes music by The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Pete Rock, and more. This will be very nostalgic for people of a certain age, but I hope also educational and/or very listenable for anyone else.
50 Up-Tempo Soul Shakers, a little over 2 hours of danceable R&B from the 60s through the early 70s including a few big Motown and Stax hits sprinkled in among some more obscure bops. It’s a really good time, and I can tell you from experience that it plays very nicely on a car trip.
• I love Carmelia from The Coldest Truth’s review of the Brandy & Monica show in Atlantic City – such a great energy, a lot of drama and enthusiasm, makes me wish I had been there.
• Billy Corgan was a fantastic guest on Track Star* – he has a lot of smart things to say about music he loves, but he’s also prickly and funny in exactly the way you want him to be. I mean, is there any way you’d want him to answer the question “how are we doin’ today” besides “I’m grumpy”?
Well... Thanks for the Christmas playlist. And thank ME for adding it and mindlessly starting the first song on the list. I think this was my quickest Whamageddon ever!
Thanks for the Christmas list. I'm 53 and didn't discover the waitresses Christmas wrapping until a couple years ago. I wasn't truly living-- the bass line alone... gotta admit, the whole love story chokes me up something fierce
Well... Thanks for the Christmas playlist. And thank ME for adding it and mindlessly starting the first song on the list. I think this was my quickest Whamageddon ever!
Thanks for the Christmas list. I'm 53 and didn't discover the waitresses Christmas wrapping until a couple years ago. I wasn't truly living-- the bass line alone... gotta admit, the whole love story chokes me up something fierce