For The Fan’s Guide To Alternative Christmas Records

For The Fan Presents: 

A Guide To Alternative Christmas Records

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The holidays are upon us and there is a ton of annoying music being played right now. Go anywhere in public and you will hear the choice songs that make everyone cringe. Not only that, they are usually bad renditions of them. How many times are we going to hear that Mariah Carrey song? Or worse than that, when will they stop playing Kenny G’s Christmas records? 

The short answer is, never.

So for those of you with smartphones, unlike myself, you may want to grab a handful of the following recordings. After a lot of listening, and yes, a LOT of listening, we narrowed down the top 5 alternative Christmas records worth a listen. These are all straying away from the traditional, even though “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on vinyl doesn’t get old. Heck, Sir Jorge even plays it in July. Granted, he’s usually alone and sad, but hey, wasn’t Charlie Brown always sad? We digress.

So here you go, 5 alternative Christmas records you’re going to absolutely want to put on instead of that lousy compilation your mom got you 2 Christmases ago from a Target end cap.



5. Brian Setzer Orchestra “Christmas Alive”

Those that can recall the Stray Cats will immediately recognize Brian Setzer. Those that remember the swing craze that hit the late 90s than you again will remember this guitar genius. He’s been bringing swing back for a long time, and while some call it rockabilly, I usually say it’s more of a big band type of swinging rock and roll that he throws out quite well. In this Christmas record he plays through a melody of old and new tunes with a full big band and done right. You’re not only going to enjoy this record for the holidays, you’re going to rock out any time of the year. Setzer brings to life a whole new way to appreciate Christmas music, without pretense. The live album also comes with a DVD performance which is far cheaper than buying tickets to his annual shows. 

http://amzn.to/1jJP0k8

4. MxPx “Punk Rawk Christmas”

Every year the mighty punkers from Bremerton, Washington release a special tune for their fan club members. After some years and a lot of requests, they decided to put out a full album of their singles and new tracks that were all holiday themed. This is not your average record of Christmas tunes, it’s poppy, it’s fast, it has zombies! Oh and Mike Herrera and crew also rap, but it’s not done in a bad way, it’s actually quite good. Turn up the volume and you will get into a frenzy of holiday cheer, on this really good compilation of tracks for the holiday season. 

http://amzn.to/18zLSzI

3. Trojan Box Set: Reggae Christmas

This 3 disc set is one of the most compelling examples of how you can take the traditions of the holiday season and turn it into an amazing kaleidoscope of cool, as only Jamaica can. Trojan releases a lot of music from the vaults of ska and reggae from years past and this is one whopping set to listen through. You absolutely have to love reggae and ska because this is nonstop traditional sounds from Jamaica. If you don’t like traditional reggae, you will hate this record, guaranteed. 

http://amzn.to/1bu4DEB

2. August Burns Red “Sleddin’ Hill: A Holiday Album”

Out of all the records that you probably will hear, this is the one that will change everything for you. The metalcore band here turned traditional Christmas music into a metallic feast. Dueling guitars, percussion that is spot on, and production value that is just perfect, you’re going to find a hard time finding another record for the holidays that rocks this hard and heavy. It’s heavy, with the only drawback being that it’s instrumental. Then again, you may not need anything else to make this perfect.

http://amzn.to/1gmILCU

1. Vandals “Oi To The World”

The Vandals put out a Christmas record when it wasn’t exactly cool to do so, then followed it up with an annual throwdown of it live. The compilation of tracks from this album are not only compelling, they are down right fun and punk rock. You may recognize the famous tune “Oi to the World” as it was covered by No Doubt in the 90s, but it’s the Vandals that wrote it. It’s a very “punk” take on things, well worth listening to every year. If you can track down the vinyl record release of this, especially the first pressing, you’re going to want to snatch it up, it’s rare and expensive.

http://amzn.to/18kGJR9

Honorable Mentions

Compiling this list was not easy. There’s a lot of great alternative records that you can pick up and get into the spirit of the season. Here are a few that are definitely worth checking out, and just made it out of our top five above.

Various Artists “A Santa Cause 1 & 2” – Compilation of punk, ska, and metalcore with profits going to charity.
http://amzn.to/1gmIVKM

The Almost “No Gift To Bring EP” – If only for the best rendition of Little Drummer Boy ever.
http://amzn.to/1jJPVBe

Bad Religion “Christmas Songs” – Tongue and cheek Christmas from Bad Religion? Whatever, it still rocks.
http://amzn.to/1f4UhPK


Of course, there are a lot of hits out there, so if you have a favorite, drop a comment and let us know your favorites.

Written by Sir Jorge