7 Surprisingly Good Holiday Albums
7 Surprisingly Good Holiday Albums Music
Performed by: Billy Idol The orchestration has a karaoke quality, but the seminal punk rocker seriously sells this set of . You haven't heard "Frosty the Snowman" until you've gotten a load of Idol's "Thumpety-thump-thump!" J. Countess/Getty Images "Sparky" Matejka, Rickey Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd Christmas Time Again Performed by: Lynyrd Skynyrd The album cover shows Santa in a pickup truck with a set of antlers mounted on the hood, and the contents are just as edgy. The Southern hard rockers growl through the title song, which is nicely balanced by the lilting guitar riffs of "Classical Christmas." Ollie Millington/ Redferns/Getty Images Ian Anderson The Jethro Tull Christmas Album Ian Anderson, rock's most famous flautist, recycles a few wintry oldies, including the band's classic "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow." But there's also lots of newer instrumental music to make a perfect background for . Jerod Harris/ WireImage/ Getty Images Megan Mullally NBC Celebrity Christmas Performed by: Various NBC stars Believe it or not, you can still track down new copies of this 2001 oddity online: does a lovely job with "Silent Night," and there's a goofy charm in some of the The West Wing stars mixing it up with "A Wonderful Christmas Time." Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas From Captain Kangaroo The joyous voice of makes this album sparkle — and there's some nice singing from Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum) as well. Jordi Vidal/Redferns via Getty Images Dee Snider of Twisted Sister A Twisted X-Mas: Live in Las Vegas Performed by: Twisted Sister I'm not what you'd call an anthem rock aficionado, but I'm pretty sure those driving guitars on "Silver Bells" got Twisted Sister a prominent spot on Santa's "naughty" list. AP Images The inimitable Dr. Demento Dr. Demento Presents: The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time Forget "surprisingly good" — this just might be the best Christmas album ever. Christmas is the season of one-shot hits, and this collection takes one great shot after another — including the Singing Dogs' "Jingle Bells," producer 's "Nuttin' for Christmas" and, best of all, Freberg's collaboration with Daws Butler on the forgotten 1953 classic, "Christmas Dragnet."
7 Surprisingly Good Holiday Albums
The titles may sound like jokes but this music might get you in a seriously enjoyable holiday mood
Holiday music is everywhere at this time of year, and we'll always love classics such as Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," the ' "Little Saint Nick" or Here, however, are some alternative gems that may make you feel like you're having famous pals over to the house. Jordan Strauss/INVISION/AP Billy Idol (R) with Steve Stevens Happy Holidays: A Very Special Christmas AlbumPerformed by: Billy Idol The orchestration has a karaoke quality, but the seminal punk rocker seriously sells this set of . You haven't heard "Frosty the Snowman" until you've gotten a load of Idol's "Thumpety-thump-thump!" J. Countess/Getty Images "Sparky" Matejka, Rickey Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd Christmas Time Again Performed by: Lynyrd Skynyrd The album cover shows Santa in a pickup truck with a set of antlers mounted on the hood, and the contents are just as edgy. The Southern hard rockers growl through the title song, which is nicely balanced by the lilting guitar riffs of "Classical Christmas." Ollie Millington/ Redferns/Getty Images Ian Anderson The Jethro Tull Christmas Album Ian Anderson, rock's most famous flautist, recycles a few wintry oldies, including the band's classic "Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow." But there's also lots of newer instrumental music to make a perfect background for . Jerod Harris/ WireImage/ Getty Images Megan Mullally NBC Celebrity Christmas Performed by: Various NBC stars Believe it or not, you can still track down new copies of this 2001 oddity online: does a lovely job with "Silent Night," and there's a goofy charm in some of the The West Wing stars mixing it up with "A Wonderful Christmas Time." Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas From Captain Kangaroo The joyous voice of makes this album sparkle — and there's some nice singing from Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum) as well. Jordi Vidal/Redferns via Getty Images Dee Snider of Twisted Sister A Twisted X-Mas: Live in Las Vegas Performed by: Twisted Sister I'm not what you'd call an anthem rock aficionado, but I'm pretty sure those driving guitars on "Silver Bells" got Twisted Sister a prominent spot on Santa's "naughty" list. AP Images The inimitable Dr. Demento Dr. Demento Presents: The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time Forget "surprisingly good" — this just might be the best Christmas album ever. Christmas is the season of one-shot hits, and this collection takes one great shot after another — including the Singing Dogs' "Jingle Bells," producer 's "Nuttin' for Christmas" and, best of all, Freberg's collaboration with Daws Butler on the forgotten 1953 classic, "Christmas Dragnet."