2004 Playlist
All of the 80s intros of this CD are available to listen to. To hear my production skills on the bumpers & breaks, see tracks 37 and 38 of the first disc below.
The 2004 playlist:
DISC 1:
1.) 2004 intro - Pt. 1
2.) Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas Time?
A DJ in Chicago played this on the air exactly one time. I taped it on cassette - the last Christmas song I recorded during the decade of the 1980s. This version was never released officially in America due to legalities.
3.) 2004 intro - Pt. 2
4.) 1980 intro
5.) Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry
One of the first Christmas songs to incorporate the New Wave sound. First heard this on the good Doctor Demento Show.
6.) "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" break
7.) 1980 bumper 1
8.) Mirror Image - Sleigh Ride
Disco officially died in 1980 - this might have been the cause. For more on Christmas disco, check out my review of The Mistletoe Disco Band.
9.) Richard Simmons - Christmas Greeting
I mixed this greeting with the music to "Fame" - appropriate.
10.) 1980 bumper 2
11.) Cheech & Chong - Excerpt from "Moe Money"
Cheech and Tommy poke fun at the emergence of punk music - a headache riddled music exec is subjected to a punk version of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer".
12.) "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" break
13.) 1981 intro
14.) Billy Squier - Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You
Squier reached his peak in 1981 with "The Stroke" - a song that was banned at my school for some strange reason. This 1981 Christmas single still gets radio airplay.
15.) "Jingle Bell Rock" break
16.) 1981 bumper 1
17.) Bob & Doug McKenzie - The Twelve Days Of Christmas
SCTV began its run on NBC in 1981 - this extremely funny track can also be found on the McKenzie's "Great White North" album.
18.) MTV - "I Want My MTV" commercial
The famous commercial that had The Police sing "Call your cable company and say 'I want my M T V!'" to the tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
19.) 1981 bumper 2
20.) The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
From an album that was 10 years ahead of its time - the first Christmas anthem of the 1980s.
21.) President Ronald Reagan - Christmas Address to the Nation (12-23-81)
Nice to know the Reagan Library makes this type of material available to the public!
22.) 1982 intro
23.) The Smithereens - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
I stretched this one - the band first played together in 1982 but this was recorded in 1994. Oops.
24.) Saturday Night Live - Mr. Robinson gets an eviction notice for Christmas
Eddie Murphy's classic parody of Mr. Rogers. From a DVD that captures the best of pre-2003 SNL Christmas.
25.) 1982 bumper 1
26.) Billy Rancher & The Unreal Gods - Happy Santa Claus
Portland band that was on the cusp of going big until lead singer Rancher loses a longtime battle with lymphoma. My favorite 1980s Christmas song of all time.
27.) American Comedy Network - Job Search
I tried to give listeners a feel for what the original Christmas tapes were like - a mix of Christmas music, 1980s tunes, and comedy bits like this from all those morning zoos.
28.) 1982 bumper 2
29.) David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy
At the end of 1982, Bowie left RCA Records after a long successful run. With no new material for Christmas, RCA dug deep into the vaults and came up with this. It was a #2 hit in England and a staple of Christmas radio thereafter.
30.) "Little Saint Nick" break
31.) 1983 intro
32.) George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Rock-N-Roll Christmas
Wicked song from Thorogood - it's a shame this isn't played more often at Christmas.
33.) "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" break
34.) 1983 bumper 1
35.) The Payolas - Christmas Is Coming
Great New Romantic song from 1983 - sounds dated now but it's still better than 1/2 the songs they're cramming down our ears on the radio.
36.) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" break
37.) 1983 bumper 2
38.) 1983 bumper / break 3
39.) A Christmas Story - Santa tells Ralphie "you'll shoot your eye out"
Based on the works of Jean Shepherd - who grew up in Hammond, Indiana - a stone's throw from my boyhood home in Lynwood, Illinois.
40.) 1984 intro
41.) Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue
One of the first songs I captured off radio for my early tapes. The voice at the beginning of the song is young Charles Foster Kane saying "Merry Christmas" from Orson Welles' masterpiece "Citizen Kane" (1941).
42.) Bill Cosby - Christmas Greetings
Mixed this one with the original "Cosby Show" theme from its first season.
43.) 1984 bumper 1
44.) KITT The Amazing Car Of Tomorrow - A Knightrider Christmas
Hasselhoff attempts a Christmas rap... if you can get through to the end, you're much stronger than I am.
45.) Hill Street Blues - Christmas roll-call on the Hill
"Let's be careful out there... and HEY! Merry Christmas!" They released Seasons 1 & 2 of "HSB" on DVD, but haven't released any other seasons. You can watch this episode at Amazon Video on Demand.
46.) 1984 bumper 2
47.) Wham - Last Christmas
Listened to this again and nearly made it through to the 4 minute mark. Richard Cheese was right (see 2007 playlist).
48.) "The Christmas Song" break
49.) 1984 Xmas
This track pre-dates my Christmas tapes by a year. My brother Matt and I were goofing off and created a skit that involved all time stopping right as the ball in Times Square hits one on New Year's Eve.
+ MP3 version only bonus track
I found audio of the world broadcast of "We Are The World" on Good Friday, 1985. I scanned the FM dial to hear dozens of Chicago radio stations playing the song. I switched over to AM and picked dozens more from all over the country.
DISC 2:
1.) 1985 intro
2.) Bryan Adams - Reggae Christmas
If you ever wondered what ever happened to Adams, I think this song did him in... Click on the link if you dare.
3.) "Run Run Rudolph" break
4.) 1985 bumper 1
5.) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Recorded in 1975, radio DJs played bootleg copies of this single until 1981 when a radio-only single was released. The public finally got its hand on this as the B-side of "My Hometown" in 1985.
6.) McGruff The Crime Dog - Christmas PSA
Take a bite out of holiday crime... timely tips for the time.
7.) "Mele Kalikimaka" break
8.) 1985 bumper 2
9.) Billy Crystal - The Christmas Song (Radio edit)
Fired before the first SNL show in 1975, Crystal was hired back for the 1984-85 season only to be fired again after one year. Recorded in the voices of many of his famous SNL characters.
10.) Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine - Christmas Greetings
Mixed with one of her songs in the background - thanks Daily WAV!
11.) 1986 intro
12.) NRBQ - Christmas Wish
I screwed up the dates again - this was released in 1980 but I put it here... Oops x 2.
13.) Robin Leach - Christmas Greetings
I tracked down the great theme to "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous" and mixed it together.
14.) 1986 bumper 1
15.) Max Headroom - Merry Christmas, Santa Claus (You're A Lovely Guy)
Looking back now, the 1980s were pretty bizarre. Proof? Click on the link - they actually took the image for the picture sleeve from the video.
16.) Family Ties - Jennifer and Alex Keaton debate Christmas
I hated this quintessential 1980s TV show - it was Reagan's favorite TV show (enough said). But I needed an 80s clip and that's why it's here.
17.) 1986 bumper 2
18.) Run D.M.C. - Christmas In Hollis
Featured in the movie "Die Hard" but not on the movie soundtrack. It was released at the end of 1986 on the CD in the link. Yo, yo, yo... ho, ho, ho...
19.) "Wonderful Christmastime" break
20.) 1987 intro
21.) U2 - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Arguably the best cover of the Phil Spector / Darlene Love song. From the album that put Christmas music back on the charts to stay.
22.) "The Little Drummer Boy" break
23.) 1987 bumper 1
24.) Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland
I was at River Oaks Mall in Calumet City when I first heard this song. It hit me like a thunderbolt. I've yet to hear any version of this song that I love better.
25.) Vanna White - Christmas Greetings
She's in the Guinness Book of World Records - at an average of 720 claps per show and over 28,000 per season for 26 years and counting, she's the most frequent clapper in the world.
26.) 1987 bumper 2
27.) Julie Brown - My Night Before Christmas
Not to be confused with Downtown Julie Brown, Julie had great success in the late 1980s on MTV and with singles like "The Homecoming Queen Has Got A Gun".
28.) "Grandma Got Dismembered By A Chainsaw" break
29.) Madonna - Christmas Greetings
"Hi... this is Madonna... I wanna wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. Don't drive drunk, whatever you do. Have a good time... DON'T DRIVE DRUNK!" Sage advice from the Material Girl.
30.) Madonna - Santa Baby
When I first heard it, I thought it was cute. After the second time, I found it tolerable. By the third listen, it was unbearable. American radio then shoved it down my throat a billion more times - make it stop!
31.) 1988 intro
32.) R.E.M. - Deck The Halls
Great instrumental version that ends with "Best of the season from R.E.M."
33.) Pee-Wee Herman - Christmas Greetings
"And Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish friends..." I mixed this with the theme to "Pee-Wee's Playhouse".
34.) "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" break
35.) They Might Be Giants - Santa's Beard
Fun, fun track off their "Lincoln" album from 1989 - and I've got it in 1988. Oops x 3.
36.) 1988 bumper 1
37.) Los Lobos - Rudolph The Manic Reindeer
Hardly just another band from East L.A., these guys fuse so many styles of music ranging from Hendrix to mariachi music (as evidenced on this track).
38.) Depeche Mode - Christmas Greetings
Originally released in 1987, I got these in 1988. Oops x 4.
39.) 1988 bumper 2
40.) Dame Edna Everage - Spooky Christmas
Her syndicated TV show hit the US airwaves in 1988 - I'm going to break down and start buying her DVDs one day.
41.) American Comedy Network - Bartles & James Brown Wine Coolers
Typical, topical comedy from the 1980s. Not as funny now, but it still rates a chuckle.
42.) 1989 intro
43.) "Christmas Vacation" radio commercial
Before you shout "this was 1988!", listen to the 1989 intro. I purposely put these tracks in 1989 because I couldn't find original songs from 1989 other than the ones below.
44.) Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation
The title song of the Chevy Chase movie which I hated with a passion until I got married and had kids. Now I can relate to it and it's growing on me.
45.) "The Chipmunk Song" break
46.) 1989 bumper 1
47.) New Kids On The Block - Funky Funky Christmas
This song runs around five minutes but it didn't last that long - around the 1:30 mark, I edited in sound f/x of gunshots, explosions, and mayhem to end the song. Appropriate.
48.) The Golden Girls - Blanche asks about the true spirit of Christmas
I needed a Christmas clip from the late 1980s and I couldn't find any "Magnum P.I." clips. Sue me.
49.) 1989 bumper 2
50.) Untamed Youth - Santa's Gonna Shut Them Down
One of the first groups to do "retro", these guys jam on this 1989 single!
51.) Weird Al Yankovic - Christmas Greetings
I've collected several late 1980s WEA Christmas greetings albums - these two I edited together came from those albums.
52.) Weird Al Yankovic - Christmas At Ground Zero
Originally released in 1986 on his "Polka Party" album, I placed this one here because the Dr. Demento comp I culled it from was released in 1989 - Oops x 5.
53.) "White Christmas" break
54.) 2004 outro - Pt. 1
55.) "Silent Night" break
56.) Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas Time (12" single version)
This was the only version of my Christmas CDs that didn't end with "Silent Night" as the final song. That honor went to the Trevor Horn remix (adding the "Feed The World" B-side onto the A-side).
57.) 2004 outro - Pt. 2
Please leave your comments at the study guide page - please remember, none of these comps will be posted here in their entirety or made available online or off.
The 2004 playlist:
DISC 1:
1.) 2004 intro - Pt. 1
2.) Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas Time?
A DJ in Chicago played this on the air exactly one time. I taped it on cassette - the last Christmas song I recorded during the decade of the 1980s. This version was never released officially in America due to legalities.
3.) 2004 intro - Pt. 2
4.) 1980 intro
5.) Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry
One of the first Christmas songs to incorporate the New Wave sound. First heard this on the good Doctor Demento Show.
6.) "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" break
7.) 1980 bumper 1
8.) Mirror Image - Sleigh Ride
Disco officially died in 1980 - this might have been the cause. For more on Christmas disco, check out my review of The Mistletoe Disco Band.
9.) Richard Simmons - Christmas Greeting
I mixed this greeting with the music to "Fame" - appropriate.
10.) 1980 bumper 2
11.) Cheech & Chong - Excerpt from "Moe Money"
Cheech and Tommy poke fun at the emergence of punk music - a headache riddled music exec is subjected to a punk version of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer".
12.) "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" break
13.) 1981 intro
14.) Billy Squier - Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You
Squier reached his peak in 1981 with "The Stroke" - a song that was banned at my school for some strange reason. This 1981 Christmas single still gets radio airplay.
15.) "Jingle Bell Rock" break
16.) 1981 bumper 1
17.) Bob & Doug McKenzie - The Twelve Days Of Christmas
SCTV began its run on NBC in 1981 - this extremely funny track can also be found on the McKenzie's "Great White North" album.
18.) MTV - "I Want My MTV" commercial
The famous commercial that had The Police sing "Call your cable company and say 'I want my M T V!'" to the tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
19.) 1981 bumper 2
20.) The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
From an album that was 10 years ahead of its time - the first Christmas anthem of the 1980s.
21.) President Ronald Reagan - Christmas Address to the Nation (12-23-81)
Nice to know the Reagan Library makes this type of material available to the public!
22.) 1982 intro
23.) The Smithereens - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
I stretched this one - the band first played together in 1982 but this was recorded in 1994. Oops.
24.) Saturday Night Live - Mr. Robinson gets an eviction notice for Christmas
Eddie Murphy's classic parody of Mr. Rogers. From a DVD that captures the best of pre-2003 SNL Christmas.
25.) 1982 bumper 1
26.) Billy Rancher & The Unreal Gods - Happy Santa Claus
Portland band that was on the cusp of going big until lead singer Rancher loses a longtime battle with lymphoma. My favorite 1980s Christmas song of all time.
27.) American Comedy Network - Job Search
I tried to give listeners a feel for what the original Christmas tapes were like - a mix of Christmas music, 1980s tunes, and comedy bits like this from all those morning zoos.
28.) 1982 bumper 2
29.) David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy
At the end of 1982, Bowie left RCA Records after a long successful run. With no new material for Christmas, RCA dug deep into the vaults and came up with this. It was a #2 hit in England and a staple of Christmas radio thereafter.
30.) "Little Saint Nick" break
31.) 1983 intro
32.) George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Rock-N-Roll Christmas
Wicked song from Thorogood - it's a shame this isn't played more often at Christmas.
33.) "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" break
34.) 1983 bumper 1
35.) The Payolas - Christmas Is Coming
Great New Romantic song from 1983 - sounds dated now but it's still better than 1/2 the songs they're cramming down our ears on the radio.
36.) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" break
37.) 1983 bumper 2
38.) 1983 bumper / break 3
39.) A Christmas Story - Santa tells Ralphie "you'll shoot your eye out"
Based on the works of Jean Shepherd - who grew up in Hammond, Indiana - a stone's throw from my boyhood home in Lynwood, Illinois.
40.) 1984 intro
41.) Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue
One of the first songs I captured off radio for my early tapes. The voice at the beginning of the song is young Charles Foster Kane saying "Merry Christmas" from Orson Welles' masterpiece "Citizen Kane" (1941).
42.) Bill Cosby - Christmas Greetings
Mixed this one with the original "Cosby Show" theme from its first season.
43.) 1984 bumper 1
44.) KITT The Amazing Car Of Tomorrow - A Knightrider Christmas
Hasselhoff attempts a Christmas rap... if you can get through to the end, you're much stronger than I am.
45.) Hill Street Blues - Christmas roll-call on the Hill
"Let's be careful out there... and HEY! Merry Christmas!" They released Seasons 1 & 2 of "HSB" on DVD, but haven't released any other seasons. You can watch this episode at Amazon Video on Demand.
46.) 1984 bumper 2
47.) Wham - Last Christmas
Listened to this again and nearly made it through to the 4 minute mark. Richard Cheese was right (see 2007 playlist).
48.) "The Christmas Song" break
49.) 1984 Xmas
This track pre-dates my Christmas tapes by a year. My brother Matt and I were goofing off and created a skit that involved all time stopping right as the ball in Times Square hits one on New Year's Eve.
+ MP3 version only bonus track
I found audio of the world broadcast of "We Are The World" on Good Friday, 1985. I scanned the FM dial to hear dozens of Chicago radio stations playing the song. I switched over to AM and picked dozens more from all over the country.
DISC 2:
1.) 1985 intro
2.) Bryan Adams - Reggae Christmas
If you ever wondered what ever happened to Adams, I think this song did him in... Click on the link if you dare.
3.) "Run Run Rudolph" break
4.) 1985 bumper 1
5.) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Recorded in 1975, radio DJs played bootleg copies of this single until 1981 when a radio-only single was released. The public finally got its hand on this as the B-side of "My Hometown" in 1985.
6.) McGruff The Crime Dog - Christmas PSA
Take a bite out of holiday crime... timely tips for the time.
7.) "Mele Kalikimaka" break
8.) 1985 bumper 2
9.) Billy Crystal - The Christmas Song (Radio edit)
Fired before the first SNL show in 1975, Crystal was hired back for the 1984-85 season only to be fired again after one year. Recorded in the voices of many of his famous SNL characters.
10.) Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine - Christmas Greetings
Mixed with one of her songs in the background - thanks Daily WAV!
11.) 1986 intro
12.) NRBQ - Christmas Wish
I screwed up the dates again - this was released in 1980 but I put it here... Oops x 2.
13.) Robin Leach - Christmas Greetings
I tracked down the great theme to "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous" and mixed it together.
14.) 1986 bumper 1
15.) Max Headroom - Merry Christmas, Santa Claus (You're A Lovely Guy)
Looking back now, the 1980s were pretty bizarre. Proof? Click on the link - they actually took the image for the picture sleeve from the video.
16.) Family Ties - Jennifer and Alex Keaton debate Christmas
I hated this quintessential 1980s TV show - it was Reagan's favorite TV show (enough said). But I needed an 80s clip and that's why it's here.
17.) 1986 bumper 2
18.) Run D.M.C. - Christmas In Hollis
Featured in the movie "Die Hard" but not on the movie soundtrack. It was released at the end of 1986 on the CD in the link. Yo, yo, yo... ho, ho, ho...
19.) "Wonderful Christmastime" break
20.) 1987 intro
21.) U2 - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Arguably the best cover of the Phil Spector / Darlene Love song. From the album that put Christmas music back on the charts to stay.
22.) "The Little Drummer Boy" break
23.) 1987 bumper 1
24.) Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland
I was at River Oaks Mall in Calumet City when I first heard this song. It hit me like a thunderbolt. I've yet to hear any version of this song that I love better.
25.) Vanna White - Christmas Greetings
She's in the Guinness Book of World Records - at an average of 720 claps per show and over 28,000 per season for 26 years and counting, she's the most frequent clapper in the world.
26.) 1987 bumper 2
27.) Julie Brown - My Night Before Christmas
Not to be confused with Downtown Julie Brown, Julie had great success in the late 1980s on MTV and with singles like "The Homecoming Queen Has Got A Gun".
28.) "Grandma Got Dismembered By A Chainsaw" break
29.) Madonna - Christmas Greetings
"Hi... this is Madonna... I wanna wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. Don't drive drunk, whatever you do. Have a good time... DON'T DRIVE DRUNK!" Sage advice from the Material Girl.
30.) Madonna - Santa Baby
When I first heard it, I thought it was cute. After the second time, I found it tolerable. By the third listen, it was unbearable. American radio then shoved it down my throat a billion more times - make it stop!
31.) 1988 intro
32.) R.E.M. - Deck The Halls
Great instrumental version that ends with "Best of the season from R.E.M."
33.) Pee-Wee Herman - Christmas Greetings
"And Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish friends..." I mixed this with the theme to "Pee-Wee's Playhouse".
34.) "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" break
35.) They Might Be Giants - Santa's Beard
Fun, fun track off their "Lincoln" album from 1989 - and I've got it in 1988. Oops x 3.
36.) 1988 bumper 1
37.) Los Lobos - Rudolph The Manic Reindeer
Hardly just another band from East L.A., these guys fuse so many styles of music ranging from Hendrix to mariachi music (as evidenced on this track).
38.) Depeche Mode - Christmas Greetings
Originally released in 1987, I got these in 1988. Oops x 4.
39.) 1988 bumper 2
40.) Dame Edna Everage - Spooky Christmas
Her syndicated TV show hit the US airwaves in 1988 - I'm going to break down and start buying her DVDs one day.
41.) American Comedy Network - Bartles & James Brown Wine Coolers
Typical, topical comedy from the 1980s. Not as funny now, but it still rates a chuckle.
42.) 1989 intro
43.) "Christmas Vacation" radio commercial
Before you shout "this was 1988!", listen to the 1989 intro. I purposely put these tracks in 1989 because I couldn't find original songs from 1989 other than the ones below.
44.) Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation
The title song of the Chevy Chase movie which I hated with a passion until I got married and had kids. Now I can relate to it and it's growing on me.
45.) "The Chipmunk Song" break
46.) 1989 bumper 1
47.) New Kids On The Block - Funky Funky Christmas
This song runs around five minutes but it didn't last that long - around the 1:30 mark, I edited in sound f/x of gunshots, explosions, and mayhem to end the song. Appropriate.
48.) The Golden Girls - Blanche asks about the true spirit of Christmas
I needed a Christmas clip from the late 1980s and I couldn't find any "Magnum P.I." clips. Sue me.
49.) 1989 bumper 2
50.) Untamed Youth - Santa's Gonna Shut Them Down
One of the first groups to do "retro", these guys jam on this 1989 single!
51.) Weird Al Yankovic - Christmas Greetings
I've collected several late 1980s WEA Christmas greetings albums - these two I edited together came from those albums.
52.) Weird Al Yankovic - Christmas At Ground Zero
Originally released in 1986 on his "Polka Party" album, I placed this one here because the Dr. Demento comp I culled it from was released in 1989 - Oops x 5.
53.) "White Christmas" break
54.) 2004 outro - Pt. 1
55.) "Silent Night" break
56.) Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas Time (12" single version)
This was the only version of my Christmas CDs that didn't end with "Silent Night" as the final song. That honor went to the Trevor Horn remix (adding the "Feed The World" B-side onto the A-side).
57.) 2004 outro - Pt. 2
Please leave your comments at the study guide page - please remember, none of these comps will be posted here in their entirety or made available online or off.
