Getting into the spirit

You might just have to be from South Yorkshire to get this! / Potser si no ets de South Yorkshire, no agafaras l'humor!

The Party's Over - Doris Day #BackToNormality

Bé, ja està, s'acaben les festes i demà a treballar i/o anar a l'escola. Tal com deia en posts anteriors, és només el 3r cop en 25 anys que he passat el nadal aquí - i he fet una petita llista de coses dels nadals anglesos que, no diria que enyoro perque m'agrada adaptar-me i acceptar la vida allì on estic, però si que he notat la seva ausencia!

Bé, s'ha confirmat les meves sospites. Igual com al altres mesos de l'any, he dormit poc. Aqui es va a dormir molt tard, i això es nota. He menjat molta xocolate però encara així, mmm, no he menjat Cadburys :( La tele - no és que he tingut gaire temps per mirar-ho, ja que hem anat de dinar en dinar, però tinc l'impressió que la programació televisiva aqui no té la mateixa importancia que a Anglaterra on tothom s'asseu a la mateixa hora per mirar l'episodi especial de Doctor Who o Gent del barri, per exemple. 

Caminar. De dinars grans i molt de festa, a casa mons pares només en fem el 25 i potser el 26 però despres tenim molts de dies on anem a caminar. No vull dir caminar en el sentit d'agafar el cotxe per anar a un lloc i posar-nos botes i roba del Decatlo, sino surtir de la porta de casa i caminar per on volem fins tornar a casa - o parar a un tea-room. La xarxa de camins publics per fer això és molt gran a Anglaterra i algo que aqui noto a faltar.

Una altra cosa que he notat més que mai aquest any, amb els xiquets una mica més grans - i si heu seguit el bloc des de fa temps, sabreu que és una petita obsessió meva - les deures. Deu-n'hi-do la quantitat de deures que ens han donat aquestes festes. Jo no donaria cap.

Coses que no he enyorat gens - el fred d'un nadal anglès o, pitjor, la pluja, vent, fang, i neu de ciutat (tot gris i groc ple de excrements de gossos i contaminació). I les cues per anar de comprar cada dia cada hora.

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So, Christmas is well and truly over now. It dragged on till today, as kids have the 7th off school, but tomorrow it's back to school and back to work for yours truly. As I said in an earlier post, it's only the 3rd Christmas I've spent in Catalonia despite living here for 25 years. And the first one I've blogged about.

So , have I missed anything from the English Christmases? Well, I wouldn't say "miss" as I'm easily pleased and adapt myself to virtually anything, but I can remark on a few notable absences ... Cadburys' chocolate. I've eaten vast amounts of chocolate these past two weeks, but no Cadbury's. Decent TV. It's not that I'd have had much time to watch TV as our Catalan Christmas has been a very family-meal orientated one, but that moment when 95% of the country gather round the box to watch the Doctor Who or soap opera Christmas special (or new Sherlock!), well, it doesn't happen the same here.

Sleeping. As predicted, I haven't slept much. Too many late nights - and that's without going out drinking, just chatting, playing games, and ...eating! till late every night.

Walking. I don't mean "get in the car, put on expensive boots, and walking trousers" type walking. I mean, "open t'back door and just set off from public path to public path till you find a tea-room" walking. I like walking like this, no planning, no objectives. But it's difficult to fit into a Catalan day, and even more difficult to fit into a Christmas like the one we've had.

One gripe I do have - and again, regular readers will remember it's one of my pet hates - homework. The amount of homework our kids were given to do over the break was unbelievable. 

And three things I haven't missed - bad weather; the rain, wind, sleet, damp, "town snow" coloured yellow and grey with dog poo and car exhaust fumes. And shopping. And adverts for sofas on TV.

Christmas and New Year and so on, Catalonia/England (2) - with a bit of Prince

Més reflexions desordenades sobre aquests dies de festa ... el dia de nadal, el 26 de desembre és diu Boxing Day a Anglaterra, suposadament perquè era el dia que els rics donaven una caixa (a box) amb un regal als servents i/o als pobres. Tal com he dit en el post anterior, és típic aquell dia anar de visites a la família, o anar al pub. També hi ha gent que prefereix una llarga caminada per a gastar les calories del dia 25.

Però, pel que veig a les noticies, l’activitat més habitual avui en dia a Anglaterra és anar a les rebaixes! Cues enormes de gent pegant-se entre ells per a aconseguir una ganga. El tema de les botigues i les rebaixes està totalment liberalitzat a Anglaterra. Poden començar les rebaixes quan volen – algunes botigues comencen el dia 24. I els dies que obren també – durant l’any, la majoria de grans botigues sempre obren en diumenge – i al meu poble, l’any passat vaig vore que per primer cop van obrir el supermercat el dia de nadal.

Passat el 26, hi ha una pausa en la festa – per a continuar comprant – fins la nit del 31, quan, o surts als pubs a beure i cantar, o et quedes a casa mirant una tonteria a la tele i potser fent una copeta d’alguna cosa més forta. Però, per molta gent, no és la festa que era fa anys, i molta gent no fa res. A casa de mons pares, fa anys ja que fem algun joc o mirem la TV, però anem a dormir abans de les 12.

Un altra cosa que és evident és que aquí a Catalunya preneu el tema dels menjars molt més en serio – lo menjar sempre ha  de ser perfecte, i amb un cert grau de formalitat que a Anglaterra no tenim. Allí, els records de nadal normalment es basen en el nadal que vam menjar entrepans perquè el gall d’indi no s’havia descongelat. O l’any que vam cremar les verdures etc. També, típicament portem tots el típic sueter de nadal o els barrets de papa noel o banyes de ren.

Quan els anglesos surten al pub, normalment marxen de casa (a peu, perquè això si que tenen clar, no agafen el cotxe si han de beure – en general) en mini-falda, i samarreta de maniga curta etc per no haver de vigilar l’abric tota la nit. Veig que els catalans es vesteixen més apropriadament per les temperatures de l’hivern!

I ja està, no hi ha cap celebració el dia de reis. Un cop entrat l’any nou, la gent comença a tornar al treball i els xiquets al cole, normalment el dia 3 o 4.

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So, making the most of the post-Xmas, pre-New Year lull, here’s another blog post. As I said previously, Catalans typically have great meals on the 24^th, 25^th and 26^th , with different members of the family – usually with extended family, aunts, in-laws, you name it .... one big difference I’ve noticed is that although everyone has a really good time, the meals are much more formal affairs than the ones I’m used to back in England. Formal, in that the food has to be perfect and is planned and prepared for days in advance. No “frozen turkey” or “burnt sprouts” jokes here to remember Christmases-past. People tend to take the whole thing more seriously making sure the food and drinks are spot on perfect – and there’s no cracker jokes, reindeer hats, Christmas sweaters, or drunken grannies either :(

Oh, I’ve also found out that Catalans celebrate Boxing Day (St Stephen’s Day), but the Spaniards don’t – one more reason for independence!

I’ve also noticed that in England, even in sub-zero temperatures, people wander the streets from pub to pub in mini-skirts or short sleeved t-shirts. Catalans don’t. They dress appropriately for the winter temperatures.

In the middle of the Christmas week, the Catalans celebrate their version of “April Fools’ Day”, on the 28^th. This was the day that, according to the Bible, Herod ordered all the infants to be slaughtered so as to make sure he’d do away with Baby Jesus. Apparently many parents used their wit and different tricks to hide their babies, and this is the origin of this day being a day to play tricks on each other.

Next on the calendar:  New Years’ Eve – this is a big event in Catalonia, celebrated once more with lots of food and drink. The English also drink plenty at major festivities but in my experience they’re happy to accompany the drink with a sandwich or a few cocktail sausages – Catalans aren’t. Food is first. Anyway, people either go out to restaurants or organised events, or hold grand meals at home – usually eating up till midnight at which time they eat 12 grapes, one with each chime of the midnight bells. Eating all 12 while the clock chimes 12, means good luck for the coming year. The party then usually continues until late, or early depending how you look at it.

Last but not least in this trilogy of posts will be coming soon – watch this space! Meanwhile, Happy New Year!!

Christmas in Catalonia and England

 Our Nativity Scene.

Our Christmas Log

Aquest nadal ho passarem a Catalunya – crec que és només el tercer cop en 25 anys que veig un nadal català. El fet és que normalment anem a Anglaterra perquè (a) decanses de veritat només si marxes de casa, (b) és dels pocs moments a l’any quan podem veure la família anglesa, i (c) el nadal és una mica més bonic allí (per mi!).

Però, segur que aquest any ho passarem de meravella –ja tenim l’agenda plena d’activitats i moments socials, a més a més de les ganes de celebrar TOT.

Bé, m’han demanat que expliques una mica les diferencies entre un nadal català i un d’anglès. Recomano llegir el post tan en català com en anglès, perquè potser diré coses diferents.

En la meva experiència, el nadal comença molt més aviat a Anglaterra. Des d’octubre, la gent ja pensa en regals i les botigues en van plenes.

El temps. Allà sempre fa fred i el cel és gris. No neva gaira a la meva zona – Yorkshire – però algun any si, i els dies són molt curts. Si vols veure una mica de llum de dia, t’has de espavilar a matinar, i pensa que a partir de les 12 el sol ja va de baixa. Són dies per estar dins de casa, mirant un sense-fí de pel·lícules de nadal o estrenos de novetats de Disney etc.

A Anglaterra es menja molt, però aquí també. Potser fins i tot aquí es posa més emfasi en el menjar – al UK el dia de nadal, fem com un gran dinar de diumenge però amb quantitats doblats. El típic són el gall d’indi, “stuffing”, i moltes verdures fetes de diferents maneres. De primer, una sopa o un cocktail de gambes. I molts de postres, sobretot Christmas Pudding, que pot sortir cremant si ho fem bé (inundat amb cognac). Però, sigui com sigui, en una hora hem acabat i estem al sofa dormint.

A casa meva, la nit del 24 no fem res d’especial, com a molt bevem un licor més original i anem a dormir aviats. El 25 ens llevem aviat i trobem tots els regals baix l’arbre. Quan ja els hagim obert i muntat, i hem esmorzat, potser sortirem tots (menys la mare – ja se sap que li toca ...) a passejar, a escoltar musica pel carrer i/o a visitar algun tiet. Natros dinem entre l’una i les dos, només la família directa, i passem la tarde a casa jugant, mirant la tele, i dormint. De vegades venen tiets, iaios, o amics a l’hora de sopar (5 o 6) i fem entrepans del gall d’indi que ha sobrat i continuem jugant.

És bastant típic el dia 26 anar també a visitar els tiets i iaios que queden per a veure. De casa en casa, i a cada casa un got de jerez o una cervesa, o una tassa de te. A les cases que arribàvem a l’hora de dinar o sopar, pos, entrepans i snacks.

Que més? Si, el nadal potser una bona època per gastar diners. Però (a) no passa res per gastar si en tens (tampoc és que t’ho emportaràs a l’ataud), i (b) cada u és lliure de consumir tant o tant poc com vol – segur que hi ha famílies que no gasten tant en regals, i/o que pensen en altres aspectes del nadal.

Evidentment, sent anglesos, també es beu molt – però cada cop menys diria jo, degut als preus i una mica de sensibilització! Quan jo era un nen, recordo que mon pare en plegar de treballar el dia 24, ell i els amics anaven sempre directes al pub i no teníem mai ni idea de l’hora que arribaria a casa ni en quin estat. Quan li despertàvem el dia 25 a les 6 del matí, normalment es podia calcular com li havia anat ...

Lo que jo enyoraré aquest any, a banda de tot això – pos, lo dormir! Dormim molt més a Anglaterra!  A casa nostra estrany és la nit que anem a dormir més tard de les 10.30 :)

Per cert, jo he explico com un anglès que viu a Catalunya, però per a saber lo que diu una catalana que viu a Anglaterra, recomano visitar aquest blog!

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So, only the third Christmas we’ve spent in Catalonia in the last 25 years. Normally we go “back” to Yorkshire to see family and friends – and also because, let’s face it, you only really rest when you get away from it all. So, what’s a Catalan Christmas? Well, here’s my personal highly subjective view on a small town (Tortosa has a population of 35,000) Catalan festive season. I suppose life in the big city of Barcelona is more cosmopolitan and a mixed bag of Christmas festivities, but here in Tortosa it’s still relatively traditional.

Firstly, Christmas shopping and spending money is obviously common here but not to the extent that it is in England. The whole thing doesn’t really kick into action until December, whereas in England the shops are full of Christmas stuff from September onwards! Another example, today, the 23^rd, the supermarkets opened at 9.15 as usual and the shops I wanted to go to didn’t open until 10 am, as usual!

The weather – contrary to popular belief it does get cold in Catalonia. All those British ex-pats emigrating here as you don’t need to spend money on central heating – well, you do! But, obviously it never gets as cold as England, and 90% of the time we get blue skies which is great (but not very Christmassy). Yesterday we were around 12º in the daytime, maybe 5º at night. I remember, though, having Christmas dinner outside on the verandah in 2003, at about 20º!

Catalans are not big on Father Christmas, although he has joined the party recently. A more traditional and common activity is the “Christmas log”. Families search for these logs in the forest (or in a supermarket if you live in a city). They then cover them with blankets to keep them warm and spend the days before Christmas feeding the log mandarin peel or carob beans. Kids leave the food at night, and while they sleep, the log eats! Then, on Christmas Eve, the family gather around and take it in turns to hit the log with a stick while singing a song. One of the songs talks about hitting the log until it (literally) pisses white wine and shits sweets and treats. And yes, the log does sh*t little presents for all the family. You continue beating it and looking under the blanket until the poor log has nothing more to give up and merely excretes a toilet roll (or an onion). 

Which brings us on to the typical tradition of setting up a nativity scene at home. You can buy or make all the necessary elements – the barn, animals, chief characters, flora and fauna etc. Even atheists like ourselves do it! However, the most surprising element for a non-Catalan is to see one of the ever-present characters, the “crapper” – el caganer. A guy who has been taken short at just the wrong moment, and while Baby Jesus is being born, he’s hiding behind the bushes having a cr*p!

As you’re beginning to see, the Catalans are a very scatological people with what I’d call a toilet sense of humour – in fact I only discovered the word “scatological” when I first came to Catalonia and read am English book explaining Catalan customs and character.

Here’s Stephen Fry on the subject, and the following song is a Christmassy song devoted to the “caganer”.

 Which neatly links to another aspect; for me, Christmas in England is music – Christmas songs, modern and traditional, everywhere you go, radio, TV, shops, people’s houses. It’s a significantly less present aspect of the Catalan Christmas, although some shops seem to have cottoned on to the idea that if you pipe festive tunes in to the customers, they may spend more!

Christmas Day and Boxing Day are usually taken up with big family meals – with all the family, and go on for hours. Food can be a sort of pasta shape soup, canalones, sea food, and so on. I’ll let you know more in a couple of days!

New Years’ Eve and the “Arrival of the Three Wise Men” are big events, also to be blogged about soon.

Having said all that, by coincidence today I’ve found an excellent blogpost by an “internet friend”, a Catalan who lives in England, who can explain Catalan customs much better than me – please visit her here :)

Bon nadal!

3 Christmas songs

Ja ho he dit més d'una vegada - m'encanta nadal (m'encanta qualsevol festa), i m'encanten les cançons de nadal. És una tradició molt britanic, o anglosaxo, aixo de fer cançons de nadal de l'estil pop, jazz, soul, country, metal, punk .... i veig que els catalans també estan començant a fer-ho cada cop més. Les cançons de nadal, molt lligats a un determinat moment en la vida sempre porten records. Durant els 4 anys del blog he penjant una vintena d'exemples, i avui faré una cosa que normalment no faig - repetir cançons.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Christmas (and anything else you can celebrate) and I love Christmas songs - traditional ones of course, but now I'm thinking pop music, soul, country, rock, punk, all those Christmas songs that any artist worth their salt brings out at this time of year. Christmas songs are obviously closely connected in your mind to a certain moment in your life, and in this way they usually evoke memories in a way that "normal" songs perhaps don't.  I've posted over 20 of my faves during this blog's lifetime, and today I'll do something I vowed (almost) never to do - repeat songs.
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1. Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

Aquesta em recorda les nits de nadal quan anavem al pub amb els amics de l'institut als principis del 80. Quan encara no tenies l'edad legal i el més gran de la colla havia de comprar les begudes. Ballant i saltant i cridant com un boig tan aviat comença aquesta joia. Buscant el famos "christmas kiss" d'alguna noia de classe en qui mai més tindries la valentia de parlar.

This one reminds me of the nights in Hoyland pubs in the early 80s, as underage drinkers with my comprehensive school mates - oldest-looking one getting the drinks in - screaming and jumping about like mad folk as soon as this song kicked in - trying to sneak a "Christmas kiss" with a girl from school who you'd probably never be brave enough to talk to again.

2. Fairytale of New York - Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues
Aquesta potser la millor cançó de nadal mai gravada. Té de tot.
Maybe the best Christmas song ever - it has everything - judge for yourselves.




3. Silver Bells - Jim Reeves
Aquesta em recorda quan era molt però molt jove, és dels primers records que tinc, veure el LP de cançons de nadal de mons pares - un disc de vinil en una tapa que obries i formava un escenari de nadal en relleu. Vam passar hores jugant amb això i posant aquest disc.

This is one of my earliest memories, Christmas-time or any-time, mum and dad's Christmas LP, a pop-up Christmas scene within the album cover, playing with the scene over and over, putting the record on the old record player - I've not got much of a memory, but this image seems like yesterday ....



So, just three songs - but if you are one of those people who doesn't have an extense knowledge of Christmas songs (you'd be surprised but these people exist) don't hestitate to check out my other posts!

Sweet Bells - Kate Rusby #Barnsley

Res més complicat que la pregunta "d'on ets?". No ho sé. Mons pares i mons iaios vivien a un poble petit anomenat Blackerhill, i jo vaig viure allì fins als 7 anys. Però no vaig neixer allì, vaig neixer a un altre poble que es diu Chapeltown. Vam marxar de Blackerhill per a viure al poble del costat, Hoyland, i vaig viure alli fins els 18 anys - i mons pares encara hi viuen. Però si algu de fora de la zona vol saber d'on soc, sempre havia de contestar Barnsley, la ciutat "mare" d'aquests pobles, ja que no son gens conegut un cop surts del condado de South Yorkshire. Per tant, passo, o passava, la vida dient que era d'una ciutat que era una mitja-veritat. Del 18 als 21 anys, vaig viure a Birmingham per anar a l'universitat, i dels 21 fins ara a Tortosa, Catalunya. Aqui si algù em pregunta d'on soc, no puc dir ni Barnsley - com a molt els sona Yorkshire, o frases tipus "a prop de Manchester". 

Bé, tot aixo ve perque volia fer 4 frases sobre Barnsley, però he trobat una entrada a un altre blog que ho explica molt millor que jo, per tant, li he demanat permis per fer un "copiar i pegar" i ho verem a continuació - en anglès.

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So, where are you from? Such an easy question but I have such a variety of answers. My grandfolks and parents lived in Blackerhill, as did I until the age of 7. However, I was born in a nearby village called Chapeltown. When I was 7, my family moved to the neighbouring town, Hoyland. However, outside a radius of 20 miles, these places are unknown so I usually just say/said I was from Barnsley - the "mother" city of these places, and a well-known town in England - for many reasons!

From 18 to 21 I lived in Birmingham trying to work out why I'd gone to university. Since then, I've been in Tortosa, southern Catalonia. In fact I've now lived here longer than in England. Nowadays, over here, I can't really say I'm from Barnsley either as a quick answer - the easiest solution is to say Yorkshire (the county), or something vague like "north of England", "somewhere near (but not too near I hope) Manchester".

Anyway, all this waffle is because I was going to write about Barnsley - but someone's beaten me to it, and wrote a much better description than I could ever do. So, with the author's permission, here goes:

Barnsley is a town of some 75,000 souls situated twelve miles north east of Sheffield. It was once the capital of the Yorkshire coalfield - a hard-working town for which the saying "where there's muck there's brass" was probably created. 

I have rarely had  reason to visit Barnsley. Once, when I was little, Dad drove us through the town and I observed first hand the black "mountains" that appeared to surround it - giant slag heaps made up of spoil from the local coal mines. It was a very different landscape from my rural birthplace in East Yorkshire. There was something of the "dark satanic" about Barnsley whereas we looked out over green or golden arable fields that stretched across the Plain of Holderness all the way to the Yorkshire Wolds. I could hardly imagine what it might have been like to grow up in all that muck and industry as my mother's family had done....

..... and now VISIT the full Barnsley description blogpost HERE and that way you can see the photos too :)

But remember to come back here to hear the Barnsley Nightingale ...

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer - Ella Fitzgerald

I promise all my regular readers (both of you) that normal service and rants will re-appear in 2013, but as for now, a well-deserved rest - Time Out and Have a Great Christmas!!

Spotlight on Christmas - Rufus Wainwright

I wish it could be Christmas every day - Wizzard

Ja es pot? A partir de quin dia es poden penjar cançons de nadal als blocs? Per mi, les ficaria tot el mes, ja que en sóc un gran fan de tota la musica que s'ha inspirat en aquestes festes o l'hivern en general. M'agrada la musica ben pensada i ben feta, amb un ambient d'hivern, però sobretot m'agraden els classics "sing-alongs" com aquesta ...

Des de que escric aquest bloc he intentat sempre no repetir cançons, i de fet hi he aconseguit en un 99% dels apunts, però avu tinc ganes de tornar a penjar aquesta joia. Es un classic - té tot el que necessita una cançó de nadal; els instruments, el piano, el saxo, les campanes; coros de xiquets; una gran chorus tornada de repetir; una musica que creix en alegria, pero no deixar de tenir un petit toquet de melaconia; i sobretot una peça que ens porta bons records ....

Aqui el teniu, del master Roy Wood (membre també del The Move i ELO), el grup Wizzard amb I wish it could be Christmas every day.

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Are you ready children? I am! It's time to start putting on the Christmas songs, those cool winter inspired melodies, and those out and out crazy sing-alongs like this one! I love them all, and my Christmas music collection just keeps growing.

One of the (few) rules of this blog has been to avoid repeating songs, and in fact I've more or less managed it. But not today, as I really want to kick off with this one again. This is a classic - it's got it all; saxophones, bells, piano, good bass line, ace chorus, kids' choirs ... and good memories.

So, here he is , (ex-The Move and ex-ELO) Roy Wood and Wizzard singing ....

4 minuts 33 segons

A l’any 1953 John Cage va compondre la peça “4 minuts 33 segons”· Durant aquesta peça de “musica”, els musics no toquen, ni canta ningú. No són, però, 4 minuts de silenci sinó 4 minuts on només es senten els sons de fondo, de l’entorn. Tal com Cage diu, no existeix el silenci i amb aquesta peça podem escoltar 4 minuts i mig de “musica” externa i interna del cos humà...

Aquesta peça s’ha gravat i “tocat” en concert en diversos ocasions. Fins i tot recordo haver-la vist en un jukebox!

Aquest any un parell d’amics van començar una campanya (en el Facebook, com no!) per a que la gent tornis a comprar aquest single aquest nadal, per així impedir un altre “Christmas Number One” endolcida de la programa Operació Triomf. Al principis de desembre alguns dels artistes més interessants al Regne Unit es van ajuntar per gravar la peça, entre els quals estava Billy Bragg, Pete Doherty, Suggs, Imogen Heap, Orbital, the Guillemots etc

Aquí es pot veure una presentació interessant del BBC sobre la peça i els seus orígens, i a continuació podem escoltar el 4, 33 sencer.

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John Cage first composed and recorded “4 33” in 1953. Four and a half minutes where the musicians were instructed to remain silent. So, it’s 4 and a half minutes of silence then? Not exactly. What Cage was after was the “music” around, and inside, us ... and he pretty much acheived it. Here the BBC explain better than I can.

This year there has been a new recording made in the UK with the likes of Billy Bragg and Suggs taking part amongst many other artists. All proceeds go to charity, and the aim was to beat the Operation Triumph single to be this year’s Christmas Number One. Unfortunately they failed to get there, but it’s well worth a listen – and should have had more airplay.

Last Christmas - Wham!

Bé, arribem al final de l'any, com sempre amb el seus punts alts i baixos. Sense oblidar els problemes reals i grans de la gent, el futbol sempre ens dona una bona dosi de opium i aqui Pique ens recorda 5 de les petites alegries que hem pogut gaudir ....

Avui Wham! amb Last Christmas - quantes relacions es van crear a les discoteques dels 80 amb aquesta bal·lada?

Another year nearly over, as they say. As with most years, there's been good times and bad times. Without wishiing to ignore or minimize the misery and poverty in the world, or more serious problems, as usual football as given us all a good dosis of opium ... and here Barça's Gerard Pique reminds us of 5 small moments of joy!

Music-wise, Wham remind (some of) us of those 80s' discos and Christmas hugs and kisses ...

A Snowglobe Christmas - Pink Martini

Una de més moderna, d'aquest mateix any. Del LP Joy To The World, aquí tenim a Pink Martini amb la cançó A Snowglobe Christmas .

Only just found this Christmas song (thanks to Keep the Coffee Comin), A Snowglobe Christmas by Pink Martini.

Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry

Ahir a casa de mons pares, a Anglaterra, la temperatura va PUJAR fins a un maxim de sis graus baix zero! On està Al Gore quan el necessites?
Per entrar en calor, Chuck Berry amb Run Rudolph Run.

Yesterday, at my parents' in the UK they hit a high of six degrees - below zero!! Come back Al Gore!
Let's warm things up with Chuck Berry.

Please Come Home for Christmas - The Eagles

I els Christmas Hits continuen ...
The Eagles amb Please Come Home For Christmas (aqui en directe).

I'll be home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Comença el countdown ... falta menys dies de col·le, menys dies de feina, per saber si Papa Noel s'ha recordat de natros.

Counting down the days now to see if Father Christmas has remembered us ...

I'll be home for Christmas del Frank Sinatra.

Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes

Si l'any passat vam escoltar el "primer equip" dels hits de nadal (fent clik aqui), aquest any passem al segon equip, casi tan bo com el del Barça!
Sleigh Ride dels The Ronettes, del LP que Phil Spector va produir als anys 60 aplicant el Wall of Sound a cançons festives.

Last year we heard some classic Christmas hits, with Slade, Wizzard, Elvis, Darlene Love among many others. But the hits still keep coming ... here's one from Phil Spector's Christmas Album, with The Ronettes singing Sleigh Ride.

Christmas at the Zoo

L'any passat ja vaig penjar els meus 10 favorits hits de nadal ... però encara queden moltes cançons festives bones !! Aqui tenim als Flaming Lips amb Christmas at the Zoo, del LP Clouds Taste Metallic.

Although I posted my All-time Top 10 Christmas Faves this time last year, there are many more festive tunes I like grooving to .... here's the Flaming Lips with Christmas at the Zoo.

(click here for the real video - aqui és veu el video clip)

Bon Nadal amb la Fairytale of New York - Pogues with Kirsty MacColl

Bé, ja està aquí Nadal. Demà celebrem el naixement del Pare Noel ... ei, és broma, ja sé el que passa a la llegenda, però és que m’és més creïble el naixement de Pare Noel que el del fill de Deu!
Però desprès de tot, ja està bé que cada u cregui el que vol. On estaríem els ateus sense la religió? Seria com ser del Barça però sense el Real Madrid!

I el number one, all-time Christmas favourite (almenys la d'aquesta setmana) és aquesta joia. Cantat per Kirsty MacColl juntament amb els Pogues, la lletra és demolidora, però real. Els tipics immigrants irlandesos arribats a New York, vivint com poden, mentre els seus somnis no s’acompleixin mai. El típic Nadal, bevent, barallant-se, insultant-se ...com xalem! Bon Nadal, i fins al 2010!

Fairytale of New York (Finer/MacGowan) dels Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, de l’any 1987 - i a continuació, la lletra, poesia pura, i dura!



It was Christmas Eve, babe,
In the drunk tank, an old man said to me - won`t see another one
But then they sang a song, the Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away and dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one, came in eighteen to one
I´ve got a feeling this year´s for me and you, so Happy Christmas, I love you baby
I can see a better time where all our dreams come true.

They got cars big as bars, they got rivers of gold, but the wind goes right through you
it´s no place for the old
When you first took my hand on a cold Christmas Eve, you promised me Broadway was waiting for me
You´re handsome, you´re a pretty Queen of New York City,
When the band finished playing they howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging, all the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner and danced through the night.

And the boys from the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay, and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.
You´re a bum, you´re a punk, you´re an old slut on junk lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy fagott, Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it´s our last.
And the boys of the NYPD choir still singing Galway Bay, and the bells are ringing out for Christmas Day.

I could have been someone.
Well, so could anyone, you took my dreams from me when I first found you
I kept them with me babe, I put them with my own, can´t make it all alone, I´ve built my dreams around you
And the boys of the NYPD choir still singing Galway Bayand the bells are ringing out
for Christmas Day.

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

El Christmas Number One a Anglaterra a l’any 1973, va ser Merry Xmas Everybody (Holder/Lea) de Slade, un grup de glam-rock amb bastant fama en aquella època.
Aquesta cançó mereix alguna cosa més que el YouTube i els altaveus del pc, millor ficar-la a la torre de casa, i pujar el volumen fins al 11 !!

I wish it could be Christmas everyday - Wizzard

Bé, a vore si avui tenim sort i Catalunya deixa a l'Argentina de Maradona ben marejats!

Amb foto d’algun lloc de les Terres de l’Ebre nevat aquest cap de setmana, trobem al numero 3 de la llista, I wish it could be Christmas every day (Wood) de Wizzard, grup del ex-component de The Move i el Electric Light Orchestra, Roy Wood.

Aquesta cançó va arribar al segon lloc de les llistes d’èxit per Nadal de l’any 1973, per darrera de ...