'Twas the night before the night before Christmas and all though metro northwest Boston not a creature was stirring....unless you count the hordes of last-minute shoppers clogging the surface roads and making the simple task of picking up a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper and some trashbags from Target a maddening ordeal.
At this point I'd be content to just flop down on the bed and snooze straight through to Boxing Day. ("But Americans don't celebrate Boxing Day," I hear some of you saying. My point exactly.)
John Baker - Christmas Commercial (from BBC Radiophonic Music, 2002) - An interesting rendition of "O, Come All Ye Faithful" that concisely and uncomfortably captures the contemporary essence of the holiday. It's a product of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a now-defunct branch of the government-funded broadcasting firm whose other pioneering work in the field of synth and electronic music included the legendary Dr. Who theme (a Ron Grainer composition "realized" by Delia Derbyshire).
Milton DeLugg - Horray for Santa Claus (from The Golden Turkey Album, 1985) - Some of you will recognise this as the theme to Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, the 1964 film that set the precedent for other cinematic holiday treats such as Santa Claus: The Movie, Jingle All the Way, and Fred Claus. Milton DeLugg, besides being the man responsible for this aggressively chirpy ditty, was an industry veteran who produced Buddy Holly's immortal classic, "Rave On" and served as the bandleader (and an occasional comedic foil) on The Gong Show.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
12 Days of Christmas - Day 10: wake me when it's over
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4 comments:
Just a quick pedantic point—the DOCTOR WHO theme was actually composed by Ron Grainer (who also wrote the theme tune to THE PRISONER, among others). Delia Derbyshire "realized" the theme from Grainer's score—basically performing and producing, although it goes beyond that; she was creating sounds and instruments from first principals.
I think of Ron Grainer as falling under the george kucas rule—that is, his creations work best when someone beside himself has real creative control. I've got a recording of Grainer's own interpretation of his DOCTOR WHO theme—performed in his inimitable Mod disco style, heavy on the horns and syn-drums—that is hilarious in its absolute Wrongness.
Pedantry is fine when correctly applied, as it was in this case. My Whovian knowledge is rather limited, I must confess.
I must now seek out the Ron Grainer version for purposes of comparison
Check you GMail.
BA - have a swinging Christmas and a rocking new year.
Thanks for the festive funky nuggets
I'm already already buzzing for next years 12 days of Christmas.
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