All I Want For Christmas Is Christmas (The Band)

I remember 1986 like it was yesterday...

The rock band Christmas had a few things in common with Redd Kross.  Both groups were signed to Big Time Records (which went bankrupt, big time).  Michael Cudahy (Christmas singer/guitarist) cowrote "Annie's Gone" with Jeff & Steven McDonald.  

Both bands had a second act, which (we're told) never happens in American lives.  Redd Kross' second act was their 21st Century comeback. The second coming of Christmas was Combustible Edison.  And there's another similarity: Combustible Edison celebrated lounge music without irony, just as Redd Kross sincerely appreciates the Partridge Family and the Osmonds. 

There are three Christmas albums, each presented here with bonus tracks from singles, compilations and collaborations.  In Excelsior Dayglo was their 1986 debut.  Ultraprophets Of Thee Psykick Revolution followed in 1989 and is my favorite of their albums.  They were at their best as performers and songwriters.  The last Christmas album (Vortex) was completed in 1991.  It went unreleased until 1993, by which time Christmas had disbanded -- or rather, rebranded as Combustible Edison.

I frontloaded the Vortex tracklist, putting my favorites first.  Liz had a great voice.  She and Michael harmonized beautifully.  After the self-immolation of Combustible Edison, Liz sang a Lesley Gore song on the Grace Of My Heart soundtrack (and Redd Kross appeared in the film as "The Riptides"!) Liz also sang "Oahu" with The 6ths (which is included in abbreviated form).

Did you know that Michael Cudahy almost beat Ken Jennings on Jeopardy?  In 2022 he posted two new songs on Bandcamp.   Lots of odds and ends here, including Christmas collabs with Peter Prescott, Pep Lester, Dredd Foole, Ellie Marshall and Lisa Carver.  I wish I had the 1987 demo tape, but a few songs have appeared on Youtube.  As I wrote on my Hypnolovewheel blog post a few years ago, my favorite American bands of the 80's and 90's "made music that was brainy, noisy, eccentric and fun."  Christmas is one of those favorites.