A Christmas Yuleblog

Just a mere five days ago (equalling ten Christmas comps since), we brought you " Progressive Christmas V4 ", a 2005 disc based on a format that Martin Johns once had to follow in his radio days. This is the 2006 follow up CD which can, at any given moment, veer off into musical directions you wouldn't normally think of when listening to a regular comp. To quote from Martin's insight from "Progressive V4": "'Progressive' was a college radio station format I worked in. The 'rules' were... an equal balance of music 'categories' (Category 1 - Jazz / Category 2A - Soul, Blues, R&B / Category 2B - Country, Folk, Bluegrass / Category 3 - Rock & Pop / Category 4 - Classical, World Music, and everything else including the stuff that defied definition) and about 80% were supposed to be new releases. "I grew to love the format, which was generally a tough sell to DJs and listeners alike. If you were really good at it,...

If you've been reading the yuleblog for the past two weeks, you've probably seen every format under the sun created by Christmas comp master Martin Johns . Today, we head for the tropical climes of sunny Jamaica to let down our dreadlocks and kick back on some Christmas reggae. Of all the subgenres in my collection, reggae Christmas ranks very low. Currently, I have about four reggae Christmas CDs in my collection: " Reggae Christmas " (1988), " Reggae Christmas From Studio One " (1992), Yellowman's " A Very Very Yellow Christmas " and " Natty & Nice: A Reggae Christmas " , both from 1998. I was glad to see this arrive - it will point me in the right direction for some more reggae Christmas CDs in the near future. For more, we ask Martin for a special insight about the making of this comp in a segment you longtime readers of the yuleblog already know as... STUBBY SPEAKS : I dreaded this one ( CAPT'S NOTE : GREA...

This yuleblog entry will probably bring in hundreds, if not thousands of people who are looking for references to Tikrit, President George W. Bush, and the war in Iraq. I welcome you all and hope you read the mission statement above about this site. The blog community has changed the very face of American politics. More views and statements were released by politicians via the Internet in the last election than any other in recent past. Expect that trend to grow. The voice of the people finally have an outlet to express their views, their demands, their concerns, and their differences of opinion. Their voices are reaching all the corners of the United States and all around the world. I would like to stress that this yuleblog is NOT a part of that community. I only give my views and opinions on Christmas music, nothing else. If you're looking for an argument or something else politically, you're in for a major disappointment. This Christmas CD was sent to us by Ma...

One of the reasons I chose to review homemade Christmas comps is because of the personal touches each compiler brings to the table. While others dazzle with graphics, others astound us with the music. Some create comps for family and friends unlike others who create for themselves. Many are sent personally by mail while a majority post them online. However, the one constant throughout it all is the planning, the care, the execution that goes into making a comp. The personal side of the individual pushes the direction in which the comp will take shape, showcasing not only their creativity and ear for music but their very own personality as well. This Christmas comp that Martin Johns sent us via the P.O. Box is a very personal one. This one has family written all over it. For more on this, I'll let him doing the talking as... STUBBY SPEAKS : Every year, I try to work up a Country mix for my father. As it happens, there's a much larger constituency for Christmas Count...

We're still looking at comps created by Martin Johns of Greenville, South Carolina and this is the last of three comps dealing with all vinyl Christmas music. This might be my favorite cover of the whole Johns lot. Not because of the laissez-faire attitude of the record clerk. Not because of the glorious stacks and stacks of vinyl. Not because of the Arthur Godfrey album (which I now own in my vinyl collection) or "A Christmas Record" located above the record clerk's head. I love this album cover because of the PhonoLog on the counter. In this day and age of the Internet and online databases that can find someone or something with a few clicks, it's good to see those glorious yellow and gold pages awaiting someone to unearth its treasures. That and the "Help Stamp Out Opera" sign are just priceless. For more on this all-vinyl comp, we ask Martin yet again for his special insight revolving (get it?) around this one in a segment we call... ...

To use a familiar quote: "Opportunity knocks, but doesn't always answer to its name." In this case, thy name is Martin Johns . For some time, I've been trying to find a comp that would not only showcase its music but also its dynamic artwork / liner notes that Martin puts just as much energy into creating. I wasn't sure if I'd find the right comp until this this 2-CD set came along. It's the second double disc set that Martin had sent to me; the first being the " Holiday Festival Of Music ". This set also came without a track listing - Martin had printed extensive liner notes with the year of release and web links of each song - what I've been doing all along in my track reviews! Therefore, there's not much to type any more (cue the wild cheering and enthusiastic applause). Here is Martin's special insight about this comp... better known as... STUBBY SPEAKS : Free Internet Downloads! It started innocently enough. Mist...

Martin Johns and his comps have covered quite a lot of musical ground to this point. His themed comps include Christmas swing, rare Christmas vinyl, Christmas beach music, Hawaiian Christmas music, Christmas blues, Christmas bluegrass, and Christmas rock. This comp is quite unique. Not only does it have the least amount of tracks of any of Martin's comps (a mere 17), but it focuses on the spiritual side of Christmas. After all, whose birthday are we celebrating at Christmas? It might be easy for some to put together a comp with a theme like this. Stock up on the contemporary Christian artists, pull some classic spirituals, and treat it very reverently. However, with a diverse artist list of Cliff Richard, Grover Washington Jr., and Joan Osborne, something tells me different. Let's call in Martin and ask him for his special insight on this comp in a section reserved just for him called... STUBBY SPEAKS : I've found that my "Traditional" mixes are ...

We've reached the midway point at our look at the 21 comps Martin Johns sent to our P.O. Box. This is comp number 11 - ten more to go over the next five days (I think I can, I think I can...). This comp was chosen out of all the rest by my wife who stood in utter disbelief when I brought home the shoebox full of Christmas comps. She looked at it and was impressed by its lineup and graphics. Instinctively, she went to our kitchen CD player and played parts of it. I don't remember much of what I heard on that first listen - I was too busy cataloging and categorizing all the other comps. I do remember the sound - sharp, strong beats, heavy guitar. It was a Christmas rock comp after all. And looking at the artists, it should be a cut-above-the-notch comp at that. This is the part of the review where I ask Martin about his special insight into the comp. It's reserved for him here in a segment called... STUBBY SPEAKS : This one was a gift, though I doubt he re...

The cover scan of this Martin Johns comp doesn't do it justice. It's a rich paper with silver snowflakes impressed into the border along the top - warm touches indeed! On the inside cover of this comp (see below) is an explanation behind the term "breaking up Christmas": "Every Christmas, for 150 years or more, the mountain families of western North Carolina and Virginia have gathered in the simple homes of their neighbors. "They eat, drink, and dance to the music of the banjo and fiddle players, stationed in the doorway between rooms - for TWO WEEKS, thru little Christmas (January 6th). "They call their celebration 'Breaking Up Christmas'." You learn something new everyday! Thank to the almighty Google, I've found there are not one but two online sites which discuss this further. Amazing but true! Scanning over the playlist, this looks like a Christmas bluegrass / mountain music extravaganza! Which is good considerin...