Even Jews can get into the
Christmas spirit … somewhat.
We live in a country that is mostly non-Jewish—we make up what, 3 percent of the population?—but we can never be fully invested in the holiday, as it is not one of our own.
Funny, it does revolve around a Jew—Jesus Christ—but he went his way, we went ours, and while the twain does meet at times, our religions are not the same, as some would have us believe.
Jews are always on the outside looking in when it comes to Christmas, and that is all fine and good, because it gives us a perspective on this holiday that those who follow it simply can’t have, just as we, as Jews, can’t possibly have the same view of the holiday as those who follow it do.
And it is from that perspective that two of the greatest Christmas songs—“White Christmas” and “The Christmas Song”—were written, by Jews, namely Irving Berlin and Mel Torme, respectively.
And there is so much music revolving around Christmas that it is clearly unavoidable, whether you want to hear it or not.
Some radio stations have even programmed their schedules to include this music even as early as August, and there are radio stations whose sole programming is Christmas music.
We live in a country that is mostly non-Jewish—we make up what, 3 percent of the population?—but we can never be fully invested in the holiday, as it is not one of our own.
Funny, it does revolve around a Jew—Jesus Christ—but he went his way, we went ours, and while the twain does meet at times, our religions are not the same, as some would have us believe.
Jews are always on the outside looking in when it comes to Christmas, and that is all fine and good, because it gives us a perspective on this holiday that those who follow it simply can’t have, just as we, as Jews, can’t possibly have the same view of the holiday as those who follow it do.
And it is from that perspective that two of the greatest Christmas songs—“White Christmas” and “The Christmas Song”—were written, by Jews, namely Irving Berlin and Mel Torme, respectively.
And there is so much music revolving around Christmas that it is clearly unavoidable, whether you want to hear it or not.
Some radio stations have even programmed their schedules to include this music even as early as August, and there are radio stations whose sole programming is Christmas music.
And wherever you are, you seem to hear Christmas music. It seems to put an extra pep into your step.
That being said, this Jewish boy has been inundated with Christmas music since he was a little boy, and I took notice of it early on.
I like a lot of the more modern Christmas songs, like “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney. I think they bring that holiday feeling into the air, and I think they are pretty good songs to boot anyway.
But today I want to briefly talk about my absolute favorite Christmas record of all time, and it is an LP, not a single, that is a Christmas record through and through, but in sort of a very odd way … and it was meant to be that way, too.
Coming out in 1967, “A Christmas Present … and Past” by Paul Revere and the Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay (yes, that was their full band name at the time) conveys the Christmas spirit in its own, very unique way.
When I first heard the record, I thought it was kind of odd, a record that really demonstrated the fun aspect of the band from their time on the weekday “Where the Action Is” TV show, where they goofed it up in between playing their latest hit singles and other songs.
But the more I listened to it, the more I think I “got” it.
Yes, it was a Christmas record, it was a Raiders record, but it was so much more than that.
The Raiders were actually the first long-haired rock and rollers to enter our living rooms each week as regulars on “Where the Action Is”—the Monkees were the first in prime time—and I think their on-screen personalities were crafted by the fact that mom and dad wouldn’t accept them like the kids did if they came off grungy and anti-establishment.
Which means that on the TV show, they couldn’t rant about politics, and they certainly couldn’t come out with their views on such hot-button topics as recreational drug use and the Vietnam War.
But on this record, cloaked in Christmas resonance, they were able to do just that, sort of like when “Star Trek” would talk about current issues but in a science fiction vein ... and get away with it in the process.
Evidently, when the record came out, Columbia Records really did not know what to do with it.
The Raiders were their biggest rock act—remember, this record label was pretty much the last to embrace rock and roll when Mitch Miller ran it almost into the ground—and even though I don’t think executives really understood it, they couldn’t just bury it—the Raiders were to Columbia Records what the Beatles were to Capitol Records--so barring any vulgarity, there was no way this record was going to sit somewhere without being released.
And it was released, and people, to this day, either love it or hate it.
I love it!
Through strains of the Salvation Army Band and people who the band took off the street to warble on songs, the record, at first listen, seems to be a completely drunken—or maybe even drug-laden—paean to the holiday.
But it is so much more than that.
It is the pretty-staid Raiders—again, they had to be on air at least—going against their own reputation, ranting in a Christmassy type of way against the bag that they were in, railing against the war and the establishment, but with a nice Christmas tinge and tinsel to it all.
That being said, this Jewish boy has been inundated with Christmas music since he was a little boy, and I took notice of it early on.
I like a lot of the more modern Christmas songs, like “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney. I think they bring that holiday feeling into the air, and I think they are pretty good songs to boot anyway.
But today I want to briefly talk about my absolute favorite Christmas record of all time, and it is an LP, not a single, that is a Christmas record through and through, but in sort of a very odd way … and it was meant to be that way, too.
Coming out in 1967, “A Christmas Present … and Past” by Paul Revere and the Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay (yes, that was their full band name at the time) conveys the Christmas spirit in its own, very unique way.
When I first heard the record, I thought it was kind of odd, a record that really demonstrated the fun aspect of the band from their time on the weekday “Where the Action Is” TV show, where they goofed it up in between playing their latest hit singles and other songs.
But the more I listened to it, the more I think I “got” it.
Yes, it was a Christmas record, it was a Raiders record, but it was so much more than that.
The Raiders were actually the first long-haired rock and rollers to enter our living rooms each week as regulars on “Where the Action Is”—the Monkees were the first in prime time—and I think their on-screen personalities were crafted by the fact that mom and dad wouldn’t accept them like the kids did if they came off grungy and anti-establishment.
Which means that on the TV show, they couldn’t rant about politics, and they certainly couldn’t come out with their views on such hot-button topics as recreational drug use and the Vietnam War.
But on this record, cloaked in Christmas resonance, they were able to do just that, sort of like when “Star Trek” would talk about current issues but in a science fiction vein ... and get away with it in the process.
Evidently, when the record came out, Columbia Records really did not know what to do with it.
The Raiders were their biggest rock act—remember, this record label was pretty much the last to embrace rock and roll when Mitch Miller ran it almost into the ground—and even though I don’t think executives really understood it, they couldn’t just bury it—the Raiders were to Columbia Records what the Beatles were to Capitol Records--so barring any vulgarity, there was no way this record was going to sit somewhere without being released.
And it was released, and people, to this day, either love it or hate it.
I love it!
Through strains of the Salvation Army Band and people who the band took off the street to warble on songs, the record, at first listen, seems to be a completely drunken—or maybe even drug-laden—paean to the holiday.
But it is so much more than that.
It is the pretty-staid Raiders—again, they had to be on air at least—going against their own reputation, ranting in a Christmassy type of way against the bag that they were in, railing against the war and the establishment, but with a nice Christmas tinge and tinsel to it all.
Wrapped up in a nice bow, the LP is the Raiders making their stand on several then-current issues, but not thumping anyone over the head with them, using the holiday and the music to soften things up a bit.
I mean, even the song listings on the record are just so benign—“Wear a Smile At Christmas”; “Dear Mr. Claus”; “Christmas Spirit”… even “A Heavy Christmas Message,” on its veneer, is about as heavy as Olive Oyl is.
But you really have to listen to the record to understand what was really going on here.
Columbia executives, who put out one Raiders single after another to adoring fans, even reneged on putting out any singles from this collection, even though one was planned.
They simply did not get this record, probably one of the first, if not the first, non-establishment Christmas record. There had been singles that have sort of used the holiday to get across its views on society, but not an entire LP.
So even if you are not a Raiders fan, this is the album to get, to listen to, to fully absorb what these 20-something musicians were trying to get across, all in the form of a holiday recording.
No, this was not “White Christmas” or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at all ... nor did the band want it to be.
Listen to it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn21kEDZ1-0&list=PL2HAzKCAHKxVMgL09v-mct9R7JN-GAUVr
I will speak to you again on
Monday. Have a great weekend.
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