Peppermint Candy

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Peppermint Candy

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SEGMENT 01 Miki Obata & The Van Dogs - Santa Claus is Comin' To Town (1967) Sixties Japanese pop sometimes saw female solo singers paired with Group Sounds bands, with magical results like this take on the oft-covered Christmas staple. Here, Obata, a teen model born to an American father and a Japanese mother, is backed by GS band The Van-Dogs. Michèle Richard - C'est Noël rock (1966) The French-Canadian songstress, voted the most popular local singer of 1966, celebrates a "Noël yé-yé" with this cover of 'Jingle Bell Rock'. Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz, It's Christmas (1963) I think the way Thomas sings "and by the way, it's snowing" might be my favourite line delivery in any Christmas song. The title references her hit from three years prior, 'Gee Whiz' – though her festive song did not replicate its success. Betty Chung - Bell A-Go-Go (1967) This song from Hong Kong actress and singer Chung is via a great blog that is sadly no longer updated,  Mod-ified Music . Eydie Gormé and the Trio Los Panchos - Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar (1966) The American singer best known for her 1963 hit 'Blame It on the Bossa Nova' teamed up with Mexico's Trio Los Panchos for several Spanish-language albums, includng 1966's  Navidad Means Christmas . Rita Pavone - Bianco natale (1963) This version of 'White Christmas' by Italian teen sensation Pavone was included on her 1963 album  Non è facile avere 18 anni  ("It's Not Easy Being 18 Years Old"). What a vocal performance! It's impossible to pick a favourite song from this mix, but this one is definitely up there. Danièle et Michèle - La Neige sous mes pas (1965) Québecoise sisters Danièle and Michèle Laprise released a Christmas album in 1965 called  Noël à deux , which you can listen to in full on this  old blog post . Maria Dolores Pradera - Cholito toca y retoca (1966) Starting out in film, the Spanish actress tried her hand at singing in the 1950s, and by the 1960s, switched her career entirely to music and never looked back. Alice Dona - Le Noël des copains (1964) This was on the French-language sixties mix I posted last year, but it's too good not to include here as well. You can read about the song, and watch a great video for it,  here . The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman (1963) With Phil Spector at the helm, The Ronettes turned a cute children's song into something else altogether – something soulful, joyous and completely their own. Originally from  A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records , this vinyl rip is taken from a seventies reissue single. Renée Martel - As-tu vu le Père Noël ? (1968) Another Québecoise singer, Martel released a Christmas single that featured this cover of The Beach Boys 'The Man With All The Toys' on the B-side, and 'Le Petit Train Bleu', a cover of Roger Miller's 'Old Toy Trains' on Side A.  Margo Guryan - I Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without You (1967) Producer Tommy LiPuma asked Guryan to write a Christmas song for Claudine Longet with " no snow, no mistletoe, no presents under the tree ", and the result was the brilliant 'I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You', released by Longet in December 1967. Guryan's original demo of the song surfaced on  25 Demos  in 2001. Elisa Gabbai - Winter in Canada (1966) The Israeli singer had a successful pop career in Germany in the late sixties, including a big hit with this song. Sales were boosted again in 1967 after Israel's victory in the Six-Day War. Connie Francis - Omoide no fuyuyasumi (1963) Francis achieved huge success in many non-English-language markets, thanks to her father's inspired idea of having her record her songs in multiple languages. She cut versions of her 1962 seasonal song 'I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter' in Italian, French and Japanese. Gigliola Cinquetti - A casa per Natale (1968) A sweet version of 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' by the young Italian star who was responsible for her country's first ever Eurovision win. Cinquetti was very popular in the sixties not only in Italy, but throughout Europe and in Japan. Brenda Lee - Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day (1964) By 1964, the singer dubbed Little Miss Dynamite as a youngster struggled to make much impact on the charts. But she had a modest hit with this catchy, deceptively upbeat Christmas tune about months of post break-up heartache leading to a lonely Christmas.  Naomi and The Boys - Mary's Boy Child (1966) Naomi Suriya, around 17 years old here, was the vocalist for this Singaporean group whose members included her brother Robert on lead guitar. Robert composed original songs, including 'It's All Over', a number one hit for the band according to  this article . Their 1966 cover of 'Mary's Boy Child', originally by Harry Belafonte, is again via  Mod-ified Music . Emy Jackson - Blue Christmas (1965) Jackson was "the first pop star in Japan that sang in English that sold a million records", as she told  Garage Hangover . The bilingual, English-born singer sang original songs in English, in an approach that went against the grain of covering foreign hits in Japanese, according the fascinating liner notes by  Sheila Burgel  for the  Nippon Girls  compilatons. However, she covered two songs (in English) for her 1965 Christmas single, including a dynamic version of 'Blue Christmas', where she's backed by  ereki  band Blue Comets. The B-side is a cover of  'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'. The Supremes - Little Bright Star (1965) The Supremes'  Merry Christmas  is one of the best Christmas albums ever, and the only one I know of by a sixties girl group. The Motown release combined updated versions of well-known yuletide songs, reimagined  The Sound Of Music 's 'My Favorite Things' as a Christmas tune, and included some fantastic originals like 'Little Bright Star'. Diana Ross' vocals are captivating as always. Valerie Masters - Christmas Calling (1964) British singer  Valerie Masters  released this Joe Meek-produced single in 1964. The Peanuts - Santa Claus ga yattekuru (1960) It took me a little while to realise I had two Japanese covers of 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' on this mix, because they are quite distinctive from one another. Japanese girl pop duo The Peanuts recorded  two versions  of the song, one in 1960 and another in 1962. The Orchids - Christmas Is The Time To Be With Your Baby (1964) I don't think there are too many Christmas songs by sixties girl groups aside from those by The Supremes or on the Phil Spector record, so this is a welcome treat. This was the B-side of the New York group's single 'It Doesn't Matter', released in November 1964. Darlene Love - Marshmallow World (1963) Love has some truly outstanding cuts on  A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records , including her exuberant take on 'Marshmallow World'. Sylvie Vartan - Noël sans toi (1966) Vartan indulges in some unapologetic French melancholy on this song about feeling lonely and devastated at Christmas after losing love. This appeared on her 'Par amour, par pitié' EP, released in December 1966. Toni Wine - My Boyfriend's Coming Home For Christmas (1963) Wine wrote some well-known hits including 'A Groovy Kind Of Love', and can be heard on vocals on The Archies' smash hit, 'Sugar, Sugar'. She had a minor hit her debut single at just sixteen years old, a self-penned tune about a boyfriend in the service returning home for Christmas. Claire Lepage - Les Anges dans nos campagnes (1968) A modern take on the traditional French carol, later adapted into English as 'Angels We Have Heard on High', from this Québecoise pop girl. Tina Roberts - Snow (1966) Hmm, a bit of a mystery, this lady. The most I could find is that she was also known as Tina Leverett and was part of an act called The Leverett Sisters. Leverett is credited as a songwriter of this excellent wintertime soul number. Thanks to  Stephen Grasso  for putting me onto this track! Monna Bell - Jerusalén (1966) Chilean singer  Monna Bell 's incredible voice helped her score many hits in Spain and Latin America in the fifties and sixties. (Song sourced from  this forum ). Pattie Bersaudara - Gembala Dipadang (1968) This Indonesian track comes from the album  Christmas With Pattie Bersaudara & Bob Tutupoli , which you can hear in full at  Irama Nusantara . It's an amazing site where you can listen to a large archive of digitised vintage Indonesian records. The Crystals - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1963) Yet another marvel from  A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records.  The combination of the magic touch of Phil Spector and the talents of The Crystals, one of the most popular girl groups of the 1960s, takes this simple song to another level. Zsuzsa Koncz - I've Fallen In Love With A Snowman (1965) The Hungarian singer, who went on to make some great, politically-charged psych-folk-rock records in the seventies, released some more conventional pop earlier in her career. This cover of Millie Small's song is from Koncz's EP of tracks sung in English, released in 1965. France Gall - Il neige (1966) This song sounds sweet and comforting, but the  lyrics  are quite gloomy! Not exactly a Christmas song, but it has 'snow' in it and a sort of twinkly sound, so it feels like it suits this time of year.  The Flirtations - Christmas Time Is Here Again (1968) This girl group trio, originally from South Carolina, are best known for the Northern Soul staple 'Nothing But A Heartache'. It was originally released in December 1968 with 'Christmas Time Is Here Again' as the B-side, but got little attention. A reissue early the next year, with a different song on the flipside, fared a little better. Thanks Allison Brice from  Lake Ruth  for reminding me of this gem! Angélica Maria - Paseo en trineo (1967) Born in New Orleans, Angélica Maria moved to her mother's homeland of Mexico as a child, and went on to become a highly successful actress and singer there.  Nana Mouskouri - Christos Genate (1969) A pretty, spirited folkish pop seasonal tune from the Greek superstar. Dany Aubé - Dans le vent d'hiver (1968) Another singer from Québec, Aubé released an album of Christmas songs in 1968, Noël avec  Dany Aubé . There are some interesting moments where the song shifts to a minor key that give it a slightly haunting feel. Dusty Springfield - O Holy Child (1964) What better way to finish off a mix featuring 1960s women than with  that  voice. Released in late November 1964, this single was written by Dusty's brother Tom, with all proceeds donated to a charity for disabled children. The B-side is a cover of 'Jingle Bells' by their former act The Springfields, recorded before they broke up. SEGMENT 02 Fat Daddy - Fat Daddy (1963?) Taken from the essential compilation of weird Christmas music,  A John Waters Christmas  (2004). According to Waters, "Fat Daddy's real name was Paul Johnson, and he wore a long cloak and an Imperial margarine crown and talked just like the song." Heather Noel - Santa Came On A Nuclear Missile From another indispensible collection of Christmas oddities,  An American Song-Poem Christmas: Daddy, Is Santa Really Six Foot Four?  (2003). 'Song poems' were the result of amateurs sending in lyrics they'd written, which were then turned into songs by studio writers and musicians for a fee. Here, the writer bizarrely imagines a Santa Claus who arrives by nuclear missile, is an alien and who gifts her with a laser gun.  Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Big Bulbs (2015) The one-and-only Miss Jones, who sadly left us far too soon last year, gave us one of the best holiday albums ever, 2015's  It's a Holiday Soul Party . Loretta Lynn - To Heck With Ole Santa Claus (1966) Loretta tells Santa to shove it in her inimitable way. From her 1966 album,  Country Christmas . Nancy Dupree with Group of Rochester, NY Youngsters - Virgin Mary (1970) From the amazing album  Ghetto Reality , released on  Smithsonian Folkways . The  liner notes  tell the fascinating story of how school teacher Dupree, who passed away in September at the age of 89, came to get her young music class to write their own songs.. Bruce Haack & Ted Pandel - I Like Christmas (1976) A track from  Ebenezer Electric , a 1976 children's album by electronic music pioneer Haack. Taken from  Badd Santa , an excellent 2007 compilation put together by Peanut Butter Wolf. Frank Sidebottom - Christmas Is Really Fantastic (1986) It's impossible not to smile when the beloved Timperly character, the creation of  Chris Sievey , declares, "The world is just like one great big gigantic Christmas tree". The Go Go's - I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek (1964) Not the more famous 80s all-female band, but a novelty sixties act who appear to have only released this song. It seems the songwriter isn't familiar with what a Dalek actually is. Between riffs nicked from the  Peter Gunn  theme, the Dalek of this song says "I love you" and offers plum pudding, without ever threatening to exterminate anyone! Tiny Tim - Zoot, Zoot, Zoot Here Comes Santa In His New Space Suit (1981) This originally appeared on a curious  1981 compilation  of the same name, where the rest of the songs are contributions by Bruce Haack, including 'I Like Christmas'. Feliz Avant Garde - The Nutcracker (excerpt) (2005) From an odd experimental Christmas album,  I'm Dreaming Of A Weird Christmas , on which well-known Christmas songs are each deconstructed into something quite unrecognisable. X-Ray Pop - Christmas Bong (1988) French duo  X-Ray Pop , self-described as "minimum naive new wave", made some excellent post-punk, synthy avant-pop in the 1980s that sometimes sounds like a precursor to Stereolab. At times they can be quite straightforwardly pop, but on ''Christmas Bong', we hear their more experimental side. They recorded a handful of Christmas-themed numbers, which Finder Keepers compiled, along with a few other choice cuts, on 2012's  Xmas Pop . The Moog Machine - Jingle Bells (1969) From  Christmas Becomes Electric , which I think would have been, along with  Switched On Santa , one of the first synth Christmas albums.  Troy Hess - Christmas on the Moon (1970) This 1970 country novelty single comes from  Troy Hess , apparently just  four years old  here. Hess' childhood singing career also included the amazingly-titled " Please Don't Go Topless, Mother ", a song that unsurprisingly garnered some cult appreciation once it surfaced online. Holly Golightly - Christmas Tree On Fire (2006) 2006 single from the always brilliant Ms Golightly. In 2009, this appeared on Damaged Goods' Christmas compilation,  A Damaged Christmas Gift For You . John Prine - Christmas In Prison (1973) Prine's tale of Christmas behind bars, from his album  Sweet Revenge , is poignant and touching, with a dash of dark humour.  Little Cindy - Happy Birthday Jesus (1958) Another cut from  A John Waters Christmas , it's the type of religious record that ends up sounding super creepy. John D. Loudermilk - No Playing In The Snow Today (1966) Loudermilk wrote this bleak song "after reading of a National Health Service warning to children against eating snow because of the danger of radioactivity" ( The Country Music Story: A Picture History of Country and Western Music ). He imagines a dystopian future where children can no longer play in the snow and where things are so bad, he wishes his "darling child had ne'er been born". The Magnetic Fields - Mr. Mistletoe (2008) Continuing the misery here with Stephin Merritt's doleful holiday tune, where every sprig of mistletoe is a cruel reminder of being alone at Christmas. But there's always a layer of wry humour in Merritt's work, and here, pushing the sadness into knowingly absurd melodrama adds a sense of self-mockery to the self-pity. From the album  Distortion . Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit (1986) The B-side to the UK band's  Trumpton Riots  single, this cult Christmas favourite appeared on the expanded reissue of  C86  compiled by Bob Stanley,  CD86 . You can read the  story behind this song  on this National Museums Liverpool site. Rod Rogers, Teri Summers and The Librettos - Santa Claus Goes Modern (1969) Another song taken from  An American Song-Poem Christmas , this originally appeared on an album called  Something For Everyone  on M.S.R., a 1970s song-poem record label. Junkyard Dogs - Brand New Bike (1963) The  Junkyard Dogs ' contribution to Sympathy For The Record Industry's 1993 Christmas compilation,  Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus , is an ode to the joys of receiving, not giving. The BellRays - All I Wanna Do Is Shag For Christmas (2005) California's The BellRays put out a fantastic soul-rock Christmas EP,  Merry Christmas From The BellRays , in 2005. I suppose this song is intended as double entendre – referring also to dancing the shag. But if you're used to British slang, it sounds like a straight-up celebration of the  other  type of  getting down . Whether it's cutting a rug or a more amorous version of shagging that occurs to you when you hear this song, The BellRays sure have the right idea of how to have a good time for the holidays! The Sisterhood - The Rocking Disco Santa Claus Another track from the fascinating world of  song poems , again compiled on  An American Song-Poem Christmas . Cristina - Things Fall Apart (1981) Cristina Monet is having a woeful time at Christmas in this cult classic, from Ze Records'  A Christmas Record . She perfectly delivers this cynical, realist take on the holidays, while also conveying the song's note of poignant hope: "Things fall apart but they never leave my heart". Read a guest post by Tag about this song  here .  Jonti - Christmas Worm (2012) A really great track from Sydney's Jonti, which I'm struggling to describe it as it's a bit genre-defying – there are elements of hip-hop, indie rock, electronica, and avant-pop. From  Stones Throw x Serato II . Wesley Willis - Merry Christmas (1996) Simply a fun and joyous Christmas song from outsider artist  Wesley Willis . I like this quote from  The Village Voice : "For all the songwriters who’ve picked up a pen on the subject, it took until 1996 for someone to just write “I like this holiday a lot.”" Kate Bush - December Will Be Magic Again (1980) Recorded in 1979, this was released as a single November the following year. The first version to reach the public was a  live performance  on Bush's 1979 Christmas special. SEGMENT 03 Playing tracks by   John Baker,  Daniele et Michele,  Joseph Byrd ,  Twice As Much & Vashti Bunyan,  Sean O'Hagan and more. SEGMENT 04 Emy Jackson - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1966) Mae West - With Love From Me to You (1966) Claudine Longet - I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You (1967) Toni Stante - Donde esta Santa Claus? (1965) Miki Obata - Akahana no tonakai (1967) Grace Hong - Jingle Bell (1968) Brenda Lee - A Marshmallow World (1964) Olivia Newton-John - Christmas Time Down Under (1965) Nina & Frederik - Schlafe, Mein Prinzchen (1966) Anne Sylvestre - Noël nouvelet (1965) Catherine Sauvage - Le Noël des ramasseurs de neige (1964) Maria Dolores Pradera - Una pandereta suena (1966) Danièle et Michèle - Le Bonhomme de neige (1965) Los T.N.T. - Navidades blancas (1965) Michèle Richard - Danser autour du sapin vert (1993) Ella Fitzgerald - Good Morning Blues (1960) Eydie Gormé and the Trio Los Panchos - Navidad y Año Nuevo (1966) Los Tres Sudamericanos - Santa claus viene a la ciudad (1967) Christie Laume - L'adorable femme des neiges (1967) Ernie Djohan - Blue Christmas (1968) Naomi And The Boys - An Old Christmas Card (1966) Myriam Frances (Sister Irene O'Connor) - The Gift Sublime (1966) Claire Aumont - La valse de Noël (1963) Katja Ebstein - Wovon träumt ein Weihnachtsbaum im Mai (1969) Barbara - Joyeux Noël (1968) France Gall - L'hiver est mort (2019) Sheila - Long sera l'hiver (1968) Joan Baez - Down in Yon Forrest (1966) Romina Power - Tu scendi dalle stelle (1969) Loretta Lynn - Gift Of The Blues (1966) Nancy Sinatra - It's Such a Lonely Time of Year (1968) Peggy Lee - The Christmas Waltz (1960) The Supremes - Twinkle Twinkle Little Me (1965) The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride (1963) Judy and The Duets - Christmas With The Beatles (1964) Sandra Sanger & The Steps - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1968) Monna Bell - Ya llegó navidad (1966) Kim Weston - Wish You A Merry Christmas (1962) Kong Ling - The Chipmunk Song (1965) The Thunderbirds And Heather - That's Why I Love Each Christmas (1967) The Free Design - Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas) (1968) Les Milady's - Les anges dans nos campagnes (1967) Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (1963) Isabelle Aubret - Savez-vous ce qu'il faut au sapin de Noël? (1969) The Johnny Mann Singers - Snow (1968) The Lennon Sisters - Lullaby For Christmas Eve (1968) SEGMENT 05 Green Seagull - First Snow Of Winter (2018) Their  Christmas single  last year as part of the fantastic  Snowflake Christmas Singles Club . Their version of ' God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman ' on the B-side is well worth a listen, too! He 5 - White Christmas (1969) From the  Merry Christmas  EP by this South Korean 60s band. (I don't own this and I'm not sure which blogger shared this rip originally, but if you know, leave a comment so I can credit them). Saturday's Children - Christmas Sounds (1966) Gorgeous 60s sunshine pop from Chicago. Their recordings were reissued as double EP set by  Sundazed  in 1997. The Smoking Trees - The Psychedelic Lights of Christmas (2012) From  The Active Listener Christmas Album . The Galaxies - Christmas Eve (1965) From the cult classic  Merry Christmas  album featuring The Galaxies, The Wailers and The Sonics. Quintron & Miss Pussycat - Jingle Bell Rock (2013) From Cleopatra Records'  Psych-Out Christmas comp. The Zephyr Bones - Carol of the Bells (2016) Christmas single  from this excellent Spanish neo-psych outfit. Jimi Hendrix - Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne (Extended Version) (1969) These instrumental recordings from 1969 were first released in 1974 on the  ... And A Happy New Year  EP. This extended medley appeared on a 1999 version of the release (renamed  Merry Christmas And Happy New Year . Sufjan Stevens - Christmas Woman (2012) I don't know if any modern artist has recorded as many original Christmas songs as Sufjan Stevens. This is taken from his second, large volume of Christmas songs, 2012's  Silver & Gold Les Chantels - Noël étrange (1965) A track from one of my favourite Christmas releases,  Noëls dans le vent ... , which features several Québecois 60s garage bands doing original holiday tunes. My  60s Francophone Christmas mix  from a few years back features a couple more tracks from this. Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - O Little Town of Bethlehem (2007) From  A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats from Santa's Bag , another festive season must-listen! Caetano Veloso - In The Hot Sun Of A Christmas Day (1971) From Veloso's third self-titled album, recorded in London, after being exiled .from Brazil  ... Poodleplay Arkestra - The Heavenly Tea Dance (2012) From  BFW Recordings' 2012 Christmas Album . (Free download). Superbravo - La Nuit (2019) Another  single  from the Snowflake Christmas Singles Club, this time from Parisian-based trio Superbravo. Parenthetical Girls - Carol Of The Season (2006) Originally from  A Paranthetical Girls Family Christmas , this is taken from their 2010 compilation of Christmas songs over the years,  Christmas. The Tara Experiment - Everywhere it's Christmas (2013) From the  Christmas In The Observatory  single. Geraldo Chimera - Intermission/6 Minutes, 5 Golden Rings (excerpt) (2012) Just a small sampling here, the original track is over six minutes of this, which makes for a pretty interesting sonic experience. From the comp  COAL: An Experimental Christmas  (free download). X-Ray Pop - Christmas Pop (1988) Some of my favourite weird Christmas stuff comes from this underrated French underground act. Originally released in 1988, this is taken from the Finders Keepers collection of the band's Christmas and winter-themed songs,  Xmas Pop Slow Club - Silent Night (2009) From the Sheffield duo's  Christmas, Thanks For Nothing  EP. Lowell George & The Factory - Candy Cane Madness (1967) 60s band helmed by the later founder of Little Feat. Credit to something called  Fuzz, Acid & Mistletoe: Christmas In The Garage  that I found lurking in my files. Not sure if this is a real release or a blogger-compiled collection, as any info about it online is long gone. Firebreather - Peppermint Delight (2010) I don't know anything about this band. This is from a joint release with the band Candy Claws, called  Warm Forever , so I gather they are a related project to that band. The Wailers - She's Comin' Home (1965) Another gem from  Merry Christmas Jon Davis - Psychedelic Christmas (2019) From Green Monkey Records' latest holiday release,  Hail The Jolly Christmas Monkey: GMR Xmas the Tenth . This is a solo effort from a member of the bands Zhongyu and Super Z Attack Team. The Buck Rogers Movement - Do Christmas Trees Really Grow? (1967) Another obscure 60s track found on the mystery comp mentioned above,  Fuzz, Acid & Mistletoe Juniore - De saison (2015) Brilliant  Christmas single  from French female band Juniore, one of the best acts around at the moment, again from the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. The B-side is a fantastic French cover of Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas' that is definitely worth checking out, too! Caeto Moon - Silent Night (2012) From  COAL: An Experimental Christmas . The Raveonettes - Come On Santa (2008) From the Danish stalwarts' beautiful EP 'Wishing You A Rave Christmas', one of my favourite Christmas releases of all time. Candy Claws - Christmas Love (2010) This Colorado band, now known as Sound Of Ceres, recorded some very pretty, 60s-ish Christmas songs on the cosy  Warm Forever Thin Gaze - "..." Night (2012) From the  Whiteout  compilation, put together by Crystal Dorval of White Poppy. (Free download). Seafang - Happy When It Snows (2017) More gold from the Snowflake Christmas Singles Club, a  shoegazey treat  from this ensemble from Florida. Elephant Stone - Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (2013) This Beatles cover from Canada's Elephant Stone is also from  Psych-Out Christmas Modular - El Viaje Mágico De Santa Claus (2012) This Argentian duo makes bubbly, retrofuturistic pop and this Christmas song is an absolute delight, in good company on  A Christmas Gift For You From Elefant Records . The Free Design - Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas) (1968) One of the best Christmas pop songs ever, from the legendary New York sunshine pop vocal group. Released as a promo single in 1968, it was included as a bonus track on Light In The Attic's reissue of  You Could Be Born Again Balduin - Through The Snow (2012) This lovely slice of psych-folk-pop from Switzerland, is another track taken from the  Active Listener Christmas Album He 5 - Silver Bells (1969) Rounding out the mix with another instrumental track from the Korean band's  Merry Christmas EP.