Tuesday, 25 December 2007

WILD BILLY CHILDISH & THE MUSICIANS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – CHRISTMAS 1979 (DAMAGED GOODS)


WILD BILLY CHILDISH & THE MUSICIANS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – CHRISTMAS 1979 (DAMAGED GOODS)

Over the years there have been many many Christmas songs and generally they have tended to be sickly sweet full of empty of sentiments and hollow gestures.  In response to this many more credible answers have come up with their own take on the season and seldom have they won.

Its not that Christmas is bad or horrible, it’s just that it brings out polarising traits in personalities.  There is never any middle ground when it comes to Christmas, people either hate it or love it.  And to capture this essence of the season is a truly tough task for the artist.

This is the Billy Childish take on events.

After everything looking fine it soon turns out Christmas 1979 may not have been a classic year in the Hamper household.  Proceedings already look grim as halfway through the song Childish’s “father walks in pissed through the door” then chucks “the telly across the floor” before falling to his knees.  At this point his old man begins a sing song of “merry fucking Christmas to you all” with the “last words he ever said” which leads to one of the great choruses of any alternative festive song ever made.  Its nasty but it suits.  I sense Christmas will be happy time of year for this family.

The fun flows on the flipside with “Ho Ho!” and a suitably more jubilant Childish track offering positive charms to a loved one.  His message is universal and just cannot make it to end of the track without turning snide.  Nothing is precious.

Thesaurus moment: stable.

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