Pearl Jam

Christmas tunes are a bit of a fetish for me.  Why?  Well, I suppose it all started when my wife and I were put in charge of the Christmas music for the in-law Christmas party a few years ago.  As I recall, we weren't married yet - still a few months off from being engaged really, but we got our task and went about it.

Every other year I'd been to the big party I'd had to suffer through a few hours of Bing.  I'm sure he means well, but after a couple of tunes I've had enough of Bing.  You'd think that 12 months off would make it more tolerable, but to me it doesn't really help.  So, my task became clear - I needed to scrounge up enough Christmas tunes that WON'T increase my desire to off myself while in the midst of a giant in-law x-mas party - a rather daunting task at times.

Obviously I'm still standing here - I even made it through the last party on Friday 12/18/09 with no scratches, so clearly it works.  These tunes are the fruits of many hours of labour.  I have plenty more, but this is a selection of my favorites - about 1/4 of my stash.  Enjoy, and Happy Holidays.

1. Carol of Bells - Phantom Planet

2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Local H

3. Blue Christmas - Collective Soul

4. Run Rudolph Run - Sister Hazel

5. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms

6. Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas - Eels

7. Christmas Time (Is Here Again) - The Beatles

8. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen

9. Funky Christmas - James Brown

10. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Weezer

11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

12. I Won't Be Home For Christmas - Blink-182

13. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

14. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bright Eyes

15. White Christmas - Dishwalla

16. 12/23/95 - Jimmy Eat World

17. Someday at Christmas - Pearl Jam

18. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon

19. Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! - Sufjan Stevens

20. O Holy Night - Cary Brothers

21. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Copeland

22. Silent Night - Dishwalla

23. Christmas Is Going to the Dogs - Eels

24. Noel! Noel! - Eve 6

25. Holly Jolly Christmas - The Format

26. Let Me Sleep - Pearl Jam

27. Father Christmas - The Kinks

28. Christmas Baby - G. Love

29. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Jack Johnson

30. When I Get Home For Christmas - Snow Patrol

31. This Time of Year - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

32. Jingle Bells - Pearl Jam

33. I Wish it Was Christmas Today - Julian Casablancas

34. Little Drummer Boy - Dishwalla

35. Joy to the World - The Layaways

36. Sister Winter - Sufjan Stevens

37. Let it Snow - Magnet

38. Just Like Christmas - Snow Patrol

39. All I Want for Christmas - Matt Costa

40. Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance! - Sufjan Stevens

41. Here it is Christmas Time - Old 97's

42. Don't Believe in Christmas - Pearl Jam

43. Back Door Santa - Jet

44. Do They Know it's Christmas? - Pete Yorn

45. Merry Xmas Everybody - R.E.M.

46. Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith

47. Hey Parker It's Christmas - Ryan Adams

48. Happy Christmas (War is Over) - Sense Field

49. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Death Cab For Cutie

50. White Christmas - Sister Hazel

51. Holy, Holy, Holy - Sufjan Stevens

52. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

53. River - Travis

54. Santa Claus is Back in Town - My Morning Jacket

55. Christmas Song - Weezer

56. Someday at Christmas - Jack Johnson

57. Star of Wonder - Sufjan Stevens

58. Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes

59. Last Christmas - Jimmy Eat World

60. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Mason Jennings

61. Winter Wonderland - Radiohead

62. Xmas Eve - The Damnwells

63. Away in a Manger - The Layaways

64. What Child is This? - Black Lab

65. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Hem

Here's a handy dandy zip file with all the tunes.

If you're looking for a bit more "uniformity" in your Christmas mix, I'd suggest checking out these 3 albums:

This Warm December - A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 1

Sister Hazel - Santa's Playlist

Cary Brothers - Father Christmas EP

Those three have been my favorites from the last year or two.

Also - my wife has had me on a mad hunt for a "good" version of Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer.  I'm no fan of the song, but she's not satisfied by the original or the Poe version.  Anyone have any others?

Merry Christmas!

For those of you who missed it, Pearl Jam had a little easter egg hunt last week.  An assortment of album art for the forthcoming Backspacer was spread across the web for fans to find.  The prize - a demo of Speed of Sound, which will appear (thought not this version) on the album.

I like what I hear, but if you didn't dig Eddie's Into the Wild soundtrack you may not be a fan.  I'm looking forward to the full band version.

Backspacer is out 9/15.

Buy their music:  Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

 Well, I just got back from Alaska and found out I missed the new Pearl Jam single.  Woe is me.  I figure it was worth it though.  I gained 8 pounds and saw countless marine mammals that I'll probably never see again in the wild.  Orcas are totally awesome, in case you were wondering.  Plus, I got to see lots of stunning sights like this one.

Anyways, check out the single.  It's a bit more poppy than I was expecting, but still quite good.  I'm quite excited for the new album.

Backspacer is due out 9/20.  No pre-order links yet.

Buy their music:  Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

It's been a little while since Pearl Jam announced their upcoming reissue of Ten, but I realized last week I hadn't really made a mention of it on the ol' blog.  And what's a blog without Pearl Jam?  A failure, that's what.

The news came out just before Christmas, and thankfully enough we're starting to hear some bits and pieces of what will be sitting on my doorstep at the end of March.  The re-recorded and remastered version of "Brother", a rarity from the Ten sessions, has hit radio waves and seems to be making a decent enough impact.  Not bad for a nearly 20 year old/brand new song.

Their Myspace page has a few of the remastered tracks up for your listening pleasure, as  well as some tracks from the bonus material (the MTV Unplugged session etc.).  It's worth taking a peek over there.

For those of you looking for more info on the re-issue, check on the full info here.  I'm looking to get the Ultimate-uber-deluxe version.  We'll see if the economy makes yet another turn to make that possible or not, but it's looking good so far.  Keep your fingers crossed.

The reissue of Ten will officially be available March 24.  Pre-order (in all flavors, shapes and sizes) here.

[mp3] Brother

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It's America's birthday!  Hooray!   You know what that means?  Well, in my neck 'o the woods that means the mullets come out in full force to see a bunch of cars drive around on Main Street for a few hours after getting their faces rocked off by Styx.  What could be better??  I surely couldn't think of a thing.

Alright, all sarcasm aside we've decided to give you all an America themed six pack this week.  While some may not see them all as erm..."patriotic" we still feel they rock.  At the very least, these should replace "Comin' to America" in the fireworks display.  Seriosuly, I think I've heard it enough times Mr. Diamond.  I (Kraig) will start things off with some sweet, sweet Pearl Jam:

All three of these tracks are covers that came from live shows on the Riot Act tour.  This first one is originally by Patti Smith.  Hang on tight for some sweet, sweet Eddie growls in the last chorus.

[mp3] People Have the Power

Here's another cover, this one is originally by Steven Van Zandt.  This is my favorite of the two, I feel it's quite a bit more relateable for me.  Most of my more "casual" friends probably wouldn't describe me as a patriot, this song fleshes out my definition of patriotisim pretty well.  Really though, it's not about putting a flag on your lawn, that's not patriotism.

[mp3] I Am a Patriot

I was lucky enough to be in attendance for this show.  I must say, I waited my whole life to experience Pearl Jam in all their live glory but I wasn't ready.  Rockin' in the Free World (originally by Neil Young) is quite possibly the best closer out there.  My face was quite honestly melted.

[mp3] Rockin' in the Free World

Buy some Pearl Jam:  Amazon | iTunes
Visit Pearl Jam:  Official | Myspace

The 4th tends to be all about gestures of patriotism and fireworks anymore.  Through it all, I still try to remember that this holiday should be a basic celebration of freedom.  Thus my choice of Dan Wilson's Free Life.  I've always liked that this song not only subtly points out our inherent freedom (or "free life"), but reminds us that we need to use that freedom, decide how we want our lives to go, so freedom really means something.  So, "what you gonna spend your free life on?"

[mp3] Free Life

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...and here's a few epics, though they are a bit cynical.  This one's from the Pumpkins' latest.

[mp3] United States

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The most epic of the epic and one of my personal favorites from the nearly perfect Air Stereo.

[mp3] God Bless America

Buy some Damnwells:  Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

The month of April and rain are nearly synonymous in the north-western hemisphere of the world. Since that's where I live those are the lamentations you shall hear today.

It rained (and snowed) today in the little place I call home and I'm sure it will keep on raining through the end of the month. And then stop. Forever. Because I live in a desert.

We've got some tunes to get your drenched and dreary soul through the day. First off, my (Kraig) picks:

Oh, The Beatles. They're either the greatest thing since sliced bread or the most over-hyped band that's ever graced the planet depending on your stance. Regardless of whether you like them or not, most people seem to agree on the overwhelming influence The Beatles have had on popular music over the past 40 years. "Rain" is a shining example of why they were such a revolutionary band.

The song features the best drum fills Ringo has made this side of Abbey Road, some of the sweetest tone to be heard at the time on the bass, a collection of the first real "psychedelic" lyrics John brought our way - not to mention the fact that we're hearing the first implementation of a backwards track when John's vocals reverse right before it starts to fade out. Really, The Beatles don't get much better than this. And it's a b-side?? Seriously - there's very few tracks I hold in this high of a regard and it's not even an a-side single. Crazy. Oh, and it's about rain (well, probably) if you didn't guess.

[mp3] The Beatles - Rain

Buy some music from The Beatles: Amazon
 

This song has more to do with "washing away" then rain, but there's a heavy dose of precipitation imagery involved throughout. When I hear this I can always see Eddie screaming to the skies to open themselves up as the song closes out - a lot of passion there. I was a bit surprised that they were able to retain the original grit when this was re-recorded for Lost Dogs a few years ago. I've posted the most recent version, but the original is quite epic as well.

The most important thing here is that I get to hype my two favorite bands in the same post for songs they aren't well known for. How often does that happen?

[mp3] Pearl Jam - Wash

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Visit them online: Official | Myspace
 

I once asked Kraig if this song was about a fat chick. It makes sense, doesn't it? If she's gathering rain, she must be a pretty big girl. Pretty self-explanatory to me, but I think it came at Kraig completely out of left field.

I was never very fond of this song until I had the privilege to hear it live. A couple years ago CSoul came to Boise, Idaho, and played at the Idaho State Fair (of all places!), and we (Kraig, Brock, myself, and some friends) decided this was too good an opportunity to pass up. We all squeezed in a tiny car and drove the 4-5 hour trip up to Boise. The song wasn't any different at the show, but for some reason the hook just sounded soooo good live. Now She Gathers Rain is one of the songs I think of when I think Collective Soul. Oh, and it also has the rain theme we're featuring this week. Ya, nice.

[mp3] Collective Soul - She Gathers Rain

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Visit them online: Official | Myspace
 

I don't really feel qualified to talk about Adam Elk (as I know incredibly little about him, besides that he's an ex-member of the Mommyheads), but I knew I had to include this track in our rainy day list. Elk brings the funk and, wow, is it good. That's some good funk right there. A couple years ago I wasn't a fan of the funk, but I credit many of the tracks on Labello to bringing me over to the funk side.

[mp3] Adam Elk - It's Raining In Here

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This is a song that's ostensibly about rain, but in a happy way! The Apples in Stereo can't really help but make you happy, with such a excellent mix of quasi-psychadelic, 60's-style sugary sweet pop. Check it out!

[mp3] The Apples in Stereo - The Rainbow

The sites: Official | Myspace
The sounds: iTunes | Amazon

If you don't own the album Rainy Day Music by the Jayhawks, you're missing out on a modern masterpiece. It's fantastic alt.country that evokes early Beatles and has some of the greatest vocal harmonies around. The Jayhawks are currently on hiatus, which fills me with some rain-soaked sadness.

[mp3] The Jayhawks - Save It For a Rainy Day

The sites: Fansite
The sounds: iTunes

Back on my old blog I ran a weekly feature called the Six Pack of the Week. I've decided to bring that feature over to this blog - congrats to you! I think it's a fantastic way to make everyone aware of some great tracks that are out there.

This week I'm focusing on covers. I've always loved a good cover, I've included a few I've been listening to lately. Enjoy!

[mp3] Foo Fighters - Band on the Run (Paul McCartney & Wings)

This one's been floating around the blogo-sphere for the past few months. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already. Quite true to the original, though they certainly bring the rock harder than Wings ever did.

This can be found on the album Radio 1 Established 1967.

Buy some Foo Fighters: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them on the web: Official | Myspace

[mp3] Zac Maloy - Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison)

I found this one on Zac's myspace. It's quite an interesting take on the classic, totally different tempo and feel to it all. In case you're not familiar, Zac was the lead singer of The Nixons.

Buy some Zac Maloy: Amazon | iTunes
Visit him on the web: Myspace

[mp3] Pete Yorn - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Ramones)

This is one of the stand out tracks from the Ramone's tribute album that came out a few years ago. It also includes a few tracks by Eddie Vedder, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc. If you come across it I highly recommend picking it up.

This can be found on the album We're a Happy Family - A Tribute to the Ramones

Buy some Pete Yorn: Amazon | iTunes
Visit him on the web: Official | Myspace

[mp3] Black Lab - Transformers (Theme Song)

Bet you didn't expect this one, eh? This really should have been in the movie. The bass drum is straight-up sweet in the mix.

This can be found on the album Technologie.

Buy some Black Lab: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them on the web: Official | Myspace

[mp3] Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me (The Who)

Another one that's made it's rounds across the blogo-sphere. Kinda funny that PJ seems to be the most successful (single wise) when they record and release a cover. Eddie's growl is at it's best here.

Buy some Pearl Jam: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them on the web: Official | Myspace

[mp3] Jets Overhead - Mr. Soul (Neil Young)

Here's a band you may not know about. They hail from the Great White North and they know their way around an effects pedal. I'm really diggin' on this version of one of my favorite Neil Young tunes - it's WAY more trippy. I highly recommend this one as well.

This can be found on the album Borrowed Tunes, a Tribute to Neil Young.

Buy some Jets Overhead: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them on the web: Official | Myspace

Hopefully those will sate your appetite for covers for now, I'm sure we'll have another six-pack of covers soon though so be ready!