The Celts - Enya

Enya is best known for her hit 'Orinoco flow'. This song is not very different from the rest of her repertoire: layered vocals, subtle synths and vague lyrics in English, Latin or Gaelic. It's no surprise, then, that even the Gaelic version of 'Silent night' holds no surprises. Recorded by Enya in 1988, it has since been re-released almost every year.

In 1992, WEA records released 'The Celts' on the A-side, with 'Oiche Chiún' on the B-side. It reached no. 29 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2268

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 8, 1995

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'The Celts' / 'Oiche Chiún'
Download: here

Rockin' around the Christmas tree - Mel and Kim

'Rockin' around the Christmas Tree' is a Christmas song, written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958. Although Decca released it in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960; that Christmas season, it hit #16 on the Billboard pop chart and turned into a perennial holiday favorite.

Kim Wilde recorded this track together with Mel Smith in order to raise money for Comic Relief. Some extra comedy material was added to the track, written by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys-Jones. The duo named themselves 'Mel & Kim' after the then popular duo Mel & Kim.

My collection: 7" single no. 604

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Rockin' around the Christmas tree' / 'Deck the blooming halls'

Download: here

Happy Xmas (War is over) - John Lennon & Yoko Ono

'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' was recorded by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the The Plastic Ono Band at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October of 1971. The track was produced by Phil Spector. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir and are credited on the song's single.

The song was John Lennon's reaction to the war in Vietnam. Although the song is a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas albums. The 2003 re-release was a limited edition 7" on green vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 3403

Found: HMV, London, December 2003

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Happy Xmas (War is over)' / 'Imagine'

Stop the cavalry - Jona Lewie

Although now one of Britain's most familiar Christmas singles, 'Stop the Cavalry' was not originally intended as a Christmas song – indeed it was a no. 1 Gold Record in France in the summer! In England, however, it was released in late November after the record label spotted the line referring to the festival: 'I wish I was at home, for Christmas'. Not only this but the specific style of the brass instruments and bells in the chorus are very noticeable as a 'Christmas' style theme.

It gave Jona Lewie a big hit, reaching number three in the UK singles chart and subsequently reaching number nine in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2087
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 30, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Stop the cavalry' / 'Laughing tonight'
Download: here

Free as a bird - Beatles

'Free as a bird' was originally recorded as a demo by John Lennon. In 1994, the three remaining Beatles used the demo to create a new track to promote the Beatles Anthology that was released as a book, three double cd's and a dvd box set in 1995.

On the B-side was the track 'Christmas time (is here again)'. In 1967 fanclub members got a version of this song as a flexi disc, interrupted by sketches. Issued on this single for the first time was an uninterrupted version of the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 2571

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Free as a bird' / 'Christmas time (is here again)'

Download: here

Mary's boy child - Boney M

'Mary's boy child' was written by Jester Hairston in 1956. It was first recorded by Harry Belafonte for his album 'An Evening with Harry Belafonte'. It was recorded, also in 1956, by Mahalia Jackson.

The most famous cover of the song was made by Boney M in 1978. Coupled with 'Oh my lord', a segment written by Frank Farian, it rose to the top of the charts in the UK in December of that year. In Holland, it did almost equally well, reaching number three. I bought my copy of the single for a discount price in the summer of 1979.

My collection: 7" single no. 16

Found: London, 1979

Cost: 10p

Tracks: 'Mary's boy child' / 'Dancing in the streets'

Download: Album 'Nightflight to Venus', including both tracks

Wonderful Christmas time - Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney: living legend or schmalz-king? The question comes back regularly. Between songs like 'Live and let die', 'No more lonely nights' and 'From a lover to a friend' there's always strange duds like 'We all stand together' and this, 'Wonderful Christmas time'. It is an original, but a bit repetitive, Christmas song. The B-side, an instrumental version of 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer' is even weirder.

It's a great little ditty, though, and so useful for the Christmas season.

My collection: 7" single no. 43

Found: Rapsody, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Wonderful Christmas time' / 'Rudolph the red-nosed reggae'

Download: here

Silent night - Sinéad O'Connor

For a while in the nineties, Sinéad O'Connor was as daft as a doorknob. She was always in the news with strange stories and weird incidents. In 1991, she was recording with Peter Gabriel in his Real World Studios. And of course, news reports started coming that she'd fallen in love with him.

Whatever that was all about, it resulted in her performing back vocals on Gabriel's album 'Us', and this single: a rendition of the traditional Christmas song 'Silent night'. The B-side, 'Irish ways and Irish laws', was recorded live in Holland.

My collection: 7" single no. 2166

Found: Record Exchange, London, September 26, 1994

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Silent night' / 'Irish ways and Irish laws'

Download: here

Peace on earth/Little drummer boy - David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby was born on May 2, 1903. He will always be remembered for his rendition of 'White Christmas' (1954). In 1977, he recorded his last television Christmas special in England. Special guests during this occasion were model Twiggy and singer David Bowie. His duet with Bowie generated so much interest that it was released as a single. It become a regular holiday classic.

At the end of the century, the American magazine 'TV Guide' listed the Bowie/Crosby duet as one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th century television. Even if the two seemed a bit awkward together...

My collection: 7" single no. 3044

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 12, 1998

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Peace on earth/Little drummer boy' / 'Fantastic voyage'

Download: Peace on earth/Little drummer boy

Merry Christmas mr. Lawrence - Ryuichi Sakamoto

Not a Christmas song, but the theme from the movie of the same name. Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the soundtrack and this theme was released as a single. It didn't make the charts. However, a vocal version released after this, became a big hit. It was Sakamoto and David Sylvian's 'Forbidden colours'.

Although not a Christmas song, it is still a very beautiful melody which I like to play during this festive season.

My collection: 7" single no. 3111

Found: Big Company records, London, May 13, 1999

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' / 'Sowing the seed'

Download: here

One Christmas catalogue - Captain Sensible

Captain Sensible, formerly a member of the English band The Damned, made a Christmas single that sounded nothing like a traditional Christmas track in 1984. Produced by Tony Mansfield, formerly a member of the synthpop band New Musik, produced 'One Christmas catalogue', a track laden with synths and vocal samples. It wasn't a hit anywhere and the only reason I got to know it was because the local radio station was playing it a lot during Christmas 1984, 1985 and 1986.

The B-side includes a cover of 1984's biggest hit: 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This, too, was produced by Tony Mansfield and sounds very different from the original...

My collection: 7" single no. 2720
Found: August 10, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'One Christmas catalogue' / 'Relax'
Download: here

Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid

The song that embodied the Christmas spirit in the Eighties was Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas?'. The project initiated by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof started when the two met up and worked out this song Bob had written in a rather rudimentary way. They phoned up the musician friends they knew and before you knew it you had a media spectacle of unprecedented size.

I bought the single as soon as it came out, although, strangely, I didn't like the song that much. There were just so many of my eighties idols participated that I felt I couldn't pass up on this historic single. Two decades later, it's somehow reassuring (or troubling) that everything has stayed the same in Africa: it's still a continent of war, hunger and drought.

My collection: 7" single no. 249

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Do they know it's Christmas?' / 'Feed the world'

Download: 12" single 'Do they know it's Christmas?', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com )

Christmas was a friend of mine - Fay Lovski

Somehow Dutch singer Fay Lovski managed to create a Christmas classic without even having a big hit with it. 'Christmas was a friend of mine' entered the Dutch top 40 on January 9, 1982, reached number 37 and left the chart after only two weeks. But still, when you're in Holland during this festive season, you will hear the song on the radio daily.

Admittedly, it is a beautiful song. Perhaps it was a bit too complicated for the general public to appreciate, though. I didn't mind buying the single for a discount price, a few years after it came out.

My collection: 7" single no. 361

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Christmas was a friend of mine' / 'All the same'

Download: here

Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy) - Max Headroom

After the TV character Max Headroom had a hit with Art of Noise in the summer of 1986 ('Paranoimia'), I guess some people got a bit overboard. They thought, 'a Christmas hit with Max Headroom - now there's a possibility'. And so this song was created. It's an over the top ode to Santa Claus, complete with orchestras, a singing choir and of course the stuttering mutterings of that computer generated person, Max Headroom.

The song didn't reach the UK singles chart and wasn't released in other territories. No further attempts were made. I guess the record company was sensible after all...

My collection: 7" single no. 3493

Found: Record Exchange, London, 2004

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy)' / 'Gimme shades'

Download: here

Everything she wants / Last Christmas - Wham!

For many people, 'Last Christmas' by Wham is the ultimate Christmas song. I didn't like it much when it came out, and these days I prefer the cover version by All About Eve (an edit of which you can hear on this page).

Still, I do own the track on 7" vinyl, because of the early 1985 release of 'Everything she wants', a double A-side with 'Last Christmas'. 'Everything she wants' is an early example of George Michael's songwriting capabilities, which he would develop further as the years progressed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1043

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Everything she wants' / 'Last Christmas'

Download: cd-single 'Last Christmas', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com)

Riu Riu - Chorale

'Riu Riu' by the English group Chorale entered the Dutch Top 40 on December 16, 1978 and reached the no. 28 position. I think the song was performed on some TV shows at the time, but I can't be sure. I am sure, however, that I was completely unaware of this song's religious connotations. A few years later I went to church for the Christmas mass, and heard this song performed by the local choir. I was stunned.

'Riu Riu' is a Spanish composition of the type known as a 'villancico', dating from the sixteenth century. The lyric concerns the shepherds in the biblical Christmas story and observes, among other things, the 'one born today is actually his mother's father and the one who created her is said to be her son.' A good message, now that Christmas is almost upon us. Even for us unbelievers.

My collection: 7" single no. 898

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Riu Riu' / 'Come the night time'

Download: here

Heart and soul - Exile

Exile's most famous song is 'Kiss you all over'. In the UK and the Netherlands, they had two minor hits after this, the last one being 'Heart and soul'. It reached no. 30 in the Dutch Top 40, and as a regular listener of this chart it was no wonder that I got to know this song.

Exile performed pop/rock songs up to this point. In America, they prolonged their career by turning into a country band, even moving to Nashville to achieve this. It's a shame that from that point onwards, they didn't make more great songs like this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 592

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 16, 1988

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Heart and soul' / 'Your love is everything'

Download: here

One step from heaven - The Adventures

During my 1989 shopping spree in London, I bought several singles 'by association'. I'd heard from the artist and assumed that the single I didn't know would be as good as the ones I did know. 'One step from heaven' by the Adventures is one of the best examples. I liked 'Broken land' and 'Drowning in the sea of love', both singles from the album 'The sea of love', but I absolutely loved this single when I finally heard it after the holiday. It's got everything: a good melody, strong drums, powerful vocals. It's a mystery to me why it didn't become a hit anywhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 1039

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'One step from heaven (remix)' / 'The trip to bountiful (When the rain comes down)'

Download: here

Follow you anywhere - Sad Café

The band Sad Café formed in Manchester in the late 1970's. Their best known song is 'Every day hurts', which was a big hit worldwide. By comparison, Sad Café's 1981 album 'Olé' fared less well. Fact is, I didn't even know this song, 'Follow you anywhere', when I bought the single. It was cheap and I was kindof convinced that this band would be able to produce more than one great song. I was rewarded: 'Follow you anywhere' is a powerballad in the best traditions.

My collection: 7" single no. 1668

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 20, 1992

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Follow you anywhere', '# Nine'

Download: here

Uncle - Big Mouth and Little Eve

When Mouth and MacNeal broke up in the mid-70's, Mouth (a.k.a. Willem Duyn) went to look for a different singing partner to continue a successful duo. Ingrid Kup had worked as a singer in the orchestra led by Freddy Golden and took on the guise of Little Eve. They had one hit entitled 'Uncle' in 1975, reaching number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. In 1977 the duo broke up and Willem Duyn went solo.

'Uncle' was one of my first singles. I have no idea why I bought this one, all I know is that it came from the same record store where I bought all my first singles for 1 guilder.

My collection: 7" single no. 4

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1976

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Uncle' / 'Hi, hey, ho and hello'

Download: here