Wiki quote: "Thanks for Christmas" was a novelty song recorded to test Crescent Studios owner David Lord's potential as a producer for XTC. I kept a test pressing of this single in my XTC collection for about 30 years but I sold it on eBay along with all my old vinyl.
One of my favorite christmas songs. If you want something really mind-boggling by XTC try Complicated Game from 1979 and their cover of All Along The Watchtower from 1978.
Now listen to Countdown To Christmas Partytime ;-) That might also answer why it’s not under XTC. Andy just wanted to do a fun one-off Xmas song. Andy & Dave also did a cover of Strawberry Fields Forever under the pseudonym “Colin’s Hermits.” XTC also put a song on their own tribute album (A Testimonial Dinner), The Good Things by “Terry and the Lovemen.” They did use their own name for Cherry In Your Tree off the Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? album, though. They had to change a lyric from “making love” to “baking love” for that one.
Andy Partridge can write an amazing song about ANYTHING. This is pretty much a perfect Christmas song. I don’t think it sounds “watered down” at all. Perfect production. Catchy chorus. Wonderful lyrics. It’s now a standard Christmas song in our Holiday playlist. In an interview, Andy mentioned that though he hated the commercialization of Christmas, he wished that Christmas music would play for 364 days a year, but not on Christmas day. Happy Holidays, Justin!
Been waiting years for you to get around to this hidden gem one Christmas season. Gave up requesting it years ago. I agree, not XTC’s best by any stretch, but so much better than most of the dribble I hear on holiday radio stations every winter. Glad you didn’t hate it.
Countdown To Christmas Party Time is my favourite of the two XTC Christmas tracks, it just has more zip to it. I'm guessing that they used a pseudonym so that people wouldn't come to the single with any preconceptions about it.
They did a whole LP and an EP under the pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear, probably for the same reasons... it doesn't sound like XTC, and more done in a particular style for their amusement. AndyP is a big Beatles fanatic, and you can liken it to Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the idea that performing under a different name frees you from preconceptions about what it's supposed to sound like.
Johnny Japes And His Jesticles, is another pseudonym. They do a single call Balls of Fun With buster (Andy, Dave and John Otway) Is bad but fun. Happy Christmas, Justin.
A special Christmas thank you for this one, JP! It really is one of my all time favorite Christmas Rock songs, along with Wonderful Christmas time by McCartney. I bought the import 45 when it first came out since XTC was my favorite group at that time. Always on my Christmas playlists. It captures the traditional Christmas sound and spirit that so many Rock groups fail to do when attempting a Christmas song. The B side 'Countdown to Christmas Party Time' is a completely different vibe that doesn't sound like a Christmas song at all. The songs first appeared on the album 'Rag And Bone Buffet' which was a collection of miscellaneous stray tracks that had previously never been on any LP. It's a great listen with plenty of previous rarities. Unfortunately the sound on this video is pretty bad and doesn't do the song full justice.
If Paul McCartney or Cliff Richard had recorded this it would have been a Christmas Number One! I may be biased as a massive XTC fan, but I think this is one of the best Christmas songs of all time, but even releasing it under a different name still didn't get XTC a hit.
Thank you for what you do Justin. I know it's been a tough year for you, trust me, it gets easier. On Christmas day look up to the sky, remember all the good times, blow your Dad a kiss and thank him.
I'll admit that I actually sometimes put on the B-side, "Countdown to Christmas Party Time" for fun. The A-side is in many ways well crafted, but too much of a generic sappy Christmas song for me to vibe with. As for the name change, they'd just retired from touring to become a studio band and I think they just didn't want anyone thinking this was what XTC was going to sound like now.
That was nice. It really shows how hard it is to write a Christmas song, though. I'd take it over many others. I don't why they aren't credited as XTC, it's so obviously Andy Partridge singing.
It's a throwaway song. That's probably why they didn't want it under the XTC moniker. I actually liked the b-side a little better. But even that song was a bit meh. Christmas songs are always a challenging thing to write without them coming off as a bit cheesy.
This is actually a really sweet, jangly christmas pop tune. Maybe only given a slightly sarcastic twist by the fact that Andy Partridge has been clear on several occasions about his atheism.
....Yes, Andy Partridge (in a pear tree) and the band just did this track as a bit of fun...and yes, they probably wanted to see how the public might react to this without knowing it was XTC....and...as someone has already said...it probably had zero promotion anyway from the record company....something which they had grown (frustratingly) accustomed to as the years in the 80s went by. The irony is...that they actually got better year by year ...album by album.
Similar to another comment, if the Traveling Wilburys had done it, it would have been a smash and tradition by now. The Virgin Marys… awesome name. Or The Amen.
I don't get the band name either - even for an xmas song, I recall the wise men didn't arrive on the scene for years after, and Bing Crosby's career didn't exactly suffer from releasing that treacly White Xmas album either.
I never liked Christmas songs, XTC or not! 😉 Justin, try The Dukes of Stratosphear instead (which is another XTC spin-off band!). Start with their 1985 EP 25 O'Clock (and continue with their 1987 album Psonic Psunspot). It's brilliant from start to finish!
@@-davidolivares I couldn't remember it at all, and after checking I saw that Justin's reaction was five years ago, so my memory lapse isn't surprising! It would be better if Justin did a full album reaction to the Dukes of Stratosphear, that would be more interesting!
We’re waiting… This is not the hill I would die on, Halloween, Birthdays would be more interesting to me and probably more lucrative. Yes, it’s rather vanilla but usually there’s a time crunch for such things. Imagine a more Dear God approach to Christmas tune…
Another XTC-related Christmas gem is Martin Newell's "Christmas in Suburbia", co-written and produced by Andy Partridge. My favourite Christmas song.
Wiki quote: "Thanks for Christmas" was a novelty song recorded to test Crescent Studios owner David Lord's potential as a producer for XTC.
I kept a test pressing of this single in my XTC collection for about 30 years but I sold it on eBay along with all my old vinyl.
One of my favorite christmas songs. If you want something really mind-boggling by XTC try Complicated Game from 1979 and their cover of All Along The Watchtower from 1978.
Now listen to Countdown To Christmas Partytime ;-) That might also answer why it’s not under XTC. Andy just wanted to do a fun one-off Xmas song. Andy & Dave also did a cover of Strawberry Fields Forever under the pseudonym “Colin’s Hermits.” XTC also put a song on their own tribute album (A Testimonial Dinner), The Good Things by “Terry and the Lovemen.” They did use their own name for Cherry In Your Tree off the Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? album, though. They had to change a lyric from “making love” to “baking love” for that one.
And a single how " Johnny Japes And His Jesticles", with Dave Gregory and John Otway.
I consider that a little different since it had non-XTC musicians too. Fun song, though!
Andy Partridge can write an amazing song about ANYTHING. This is pretty much a perfect Christmas song. I don’t think it sounds “watered down” at all. Perfect production. Catchy chorus. Wonderful lyrics. It’s now a standard Christmas song in our Holiday playlist. In an interview, Andy mentioned that though he hated the commercialization of Christmas, he wished that Christmas music would play for 364 days a year, but not on Christmas day. Happy Holidays, Justin!
XTC write perfect pop songs with good arrangements. Very catchy. Surprised it was not a holiday hit. Perhaps not promoted.
Of course it wasn't properly promoted unfortunately....just like most of XTC's songs
Been waiting years for you to get around to this hidden gem one Christmas season. Gave up requesting it years ago. I agree, not XTC’s best by any stretch, but so much better than most of the dribble I hear on holiday radio stations every winter. Glad you didn’t hate it.
Countdown To Christmas Party Time is my favourite of the two XTC Christmas tracks, it just has more zip to it. I'm guessing that they used a pseudonym so that people wouldn't come to the single with any preconceptions about it.
They did a whole LP and an EP under the pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear, probably for the same reasons... it doesn't sound like XTC, and more done in a particular style for their amusement. AndyP is a big Beatles fanatic, and you can liken it to Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the idea that performing under a different name frees you from preconceptions about what it's supposed to sound like.
Johnny Japes And His Jesticles, is another pseudonym. They do a single call Balls of Fun With buster (Andy, Dave and John Otway)
Is bad but fun.
Happy Christmas, Justin.
A special Christmas thank you for this one, JP! It really is one of my all time favorite Christmas Rock songs, along with Wonderful Christmas time by McCartney. I bought the import 45 when it first came out since XTC was my favorite group at that time. Always on my Christmas playlists. It captures the traditional Christmas sound and spirit that so many Rock groups fail to do when attempting a Christmas song. The B side 'Countdown to Christmas Party Time' is a completely different vibe that doesn't sound like a Christmas song at all. The songs first appeared on the album 'Rag And Bone Buffet' which was a collection of miscellaneous stray tracks that had previously never been on any LP. It's a great listen with plenty of previous rarities. Unfortunately the sound on this video is pretty bad and doesn't do the song full justice.
Countdown to Christmas party time !!! B side
A great song by one of our best bands and singer-songwriters ever 🎶
If Paul McCartney or Cliff Richard had recorded this it would have been a Christmas Number One! I may be biased as a massive XTC fan, but I think this is one of the best Christmas songs of all time, but even releasing it under a different name still didn't get XTC a hit.
Totally agree. Neither of them wrote a Christmas song this good.
Agreed
I was hoping you would check this song out, it's wonderful!! Merry Christmas Justin.
Thank you for what you do Justin. I know it's been a tough year for you, trust me, it gets easier. On Christmas day look up to the sky, remember all the good times, blow your Dad a kiss and thank him.
Appreciate that Casper, ty for that
I'll admit that I actually sometimes put on the B-side, "Countdown to Christmas Party Time" for fun. The A-side is in many ways well crafted, but too much of a generic sappy Christmas song for me to vibe with. As for the name change, they'd just retired from touring to become a studio band and I think they just didn't want anyone thinking this was what XTC was going to sound like now.
That was nice. It really shows how hard it is to write a Christmas song, though. I'd take it over many others. I don't why they aren't credited as XTC, it's so obviously Andy Partridge singing.
Happy Festivus
I hope you'll check out their EP and album under the name Dukes of Stratosphear, brilliant stuff.
Again, i shall reply to all xtc posts with a suitable repost ... Doh... the cut link refuses to paste
Next year maybe?
Lovely trumpets
It's a throwaway song.
That's probably why they didn't want it under the XTC moniker.
I actually liked the b-side a little better.
But even that song was a bit meh.
Christmas songs are always a challenging thing to write without them coming off as a bit cheesy.
This is actually a really sweet, jangly christmas pop tune. Maybe only given a slightly sarcastic twist by the fact that Andy Partridge has been clear on several occasions about his atheism.
Kind of like something a person would hear while shopping. Was ok.
Very catchy…first time hearing it.
Another catchy one is the hugely popular Slade with their 51yr old Merry Xmas Everybody
Produced by Christmas Thomas.
Even XTC had the odd stinker and i suppose Christmas was the likely time to do it.
....Yes, Andy Partridge (in a pear tree) and the band just did this track as a bit of fun...and yes, they probably wanted to see how the public might react to this without knowing it was XTC....and...as someone has already said...it probably had zero promotion anyway from the record company....something which they had grown (frustratingly) accustomed to as the years in the 80s went by. The irony is...that they actually got better year by year ...album by album.
Similar to another comment, if the Traveling Wilburys had done it, it would have been a smash and tradition by now.
The Virgin Marys… awesome name. Or The Amen.
A 1983 christmas single. His album of this same year, Mummer, is very much better, of course.
I don't get the band name either - even for an xmas song, I recall the wise men didn't arrive on the scene for years after, and Bing Crosby's career didn't exactly suffer from releasing that treacly White Xmas album either.
Originally The Virgin Marys… def cooler.
😅
I never liked Christmas songs, XTC or not! 😉 Justin, try The Dukes of Stratosphear instead (which is another XTC spin-off band!). Start with their 1985 EP 25 O'Clock (and continue with their 1987 album Psonic Psunspot). It's brilliant from start to finish!
25o’clock, the song, has been reacted to… onward.
@@-davidolivares I couldn't remember it at all, and after checking I saw that Justin's reaction was five years ago, so my memory lapse isn't surprising!
It would be better if Justin did a full album reaction to the Dukes of Stratosphear, that would be more interesting!
@@a.k.1740
Agreed. That way the Electric Prunes Beach Beatles and Garfunkel tributes could be more quickly compared and contrasted. I like it.
ZZZZZZZZZ
Hmm. Pretty average, and I'll have to write a better Xmas song just to hammer the point home. 🙃
We’re waiting…
This is not the hill I would die on, Halloween, Birthdays would be more interesting to me and probably more lucrative. Yes, it’s rather vanilla but usually there’s a time crunch for such things. Imagine a more Dear God approach to Christmas tune…
@@-davidolivares you may be waiting a while, I've been saying I'll write a great Xmas song for years 🤣