Instant Disco History #11: Disco Xmas

Reposted from last year....

No holiday has been more discofied than Xmas. Disco Jingle Bells. Disco Rudolph. Disco Shitty Gift Card From A Store I'd Never Shop In. Here's a few of my favorites.

Weather Girls - Dear Santa, Bring Me A Man This Christmas (Columbia Records, 1986) - I'd listen to Martha and (the sadly late) Izora sing the phone book, but actually this song is a pretty great take on their classic, It's Raining Men. Place him under my tree, Mr. C! (Download 6:26)

Holiday Express - Disco Santa (Casablanca Records 1983). The Village People classics YMCA and Macho Man get yuled up. N-O-E-L. How do you make an "N"? (Download 3:34)

Roller Disco Orchestra - Winter Wonderland (Hallmark Records 1986). Cheesy vocals for days, but this track has some nice orchestration, sharp horns and lovely strings too. (Download 3:29)

Charo - Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus? (Salsoul Records 1978). It's not Xmas without Charo. Just isn't. When I lived in sweltering South Florida, I used to hear this ten times a day on Power 96. (Download 5:39)

Boney M - Feliz Navidad (Hansa Records 1986). I love Boney M. They are the only act to have two songs in England's all-time Top Ten singles. And one of those songs was a Xmas record. And this ain't it. Get out the crackers, here comes the cheese. (Download 2:22)

Salsoul Orchestra - Sleigh Ride (Salsoul Records 1976). A lovely loping little confection. (Download 3:04)

Salsoul Orchestra - Christmas Medley (Salsoul Records 1976). From 31 years ago, this is the original Xmas disco track and it is still considered by many to be the best. I've heard it two dozen times on the radio in the last two weeks. (Download 12:12)

NON-DISCO-RELATED 2007 UPDATE: A survey published last week listed the top five most-hated Xmas songs ever. Joining Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer and the Singing Dogs on the hate list is Barbra Streisand's gruesome take on Jingle Bells. Oy! That song once caused me to threaten to leap out of a car in the middle of I-95. Seriously, I think it causes cancer. Proceed accordingly. (Download 1:58)
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