Hey gang, welcome back - pour yourself a Christmas cocktail and join me for a double-length spin around the yuletide turntable . . .
Album Title: A Very Cool Christmas, Vol. 2
Album Artist: Various Artists
I picked this one up on Amazon a couple months ago when it dropped down to, oh, $20 or so. That's a lot to spend on a Holiday album for sure (for me, at least), but considering this originally retailed for, like, $40 - and knowing that the producers of this series generally put together pretty stellar compilations - I decided to pull the trigger on it. Plus, with a whopping 32 tracks on it, it's well worth the money.I'm kinda kicking myself I didn't pick up Volume 3 when it was at a similar price point, as that one's currently listed at almost $50 (but you can rest assured I'm keeping my eye on it.)
You may recall that I've already reviewed Volume I, back in 2019, and that release scored a solid '8' on my rating scale. Similarly, this album is also a double-LP, pressed on matching gold-colored vinyl instead of the previous volume's red and green records. Like its predecessor, the album is divided into two, distinctive sections: the first record, 'Rockin',' is a mix of rock, indie, blues, and country (seriously), while the second 'Groovin''' record is comprised of soul, funk, and classic R&B.
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| Note: I have #908 of the Limited Edition Numbered variant. |
The first record doesn't have the highs and lows of Volume I; the songs here are more middle-of-the-road. While there aren't a lot of songs that completely knock it out of the park, there's no out-right stinkers, either (no bizarre French cha-cha'ing this time around, thank Christ.) Canned Heat's 'Christmas Blues,' Weezer's 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas,' and Chuck Berry's 'Run Rudolph Run' are all heavy-hitters on many of my Holiday playlists, and all make appearances on this first record. Sadly, so does Bob Dylan's polka-fied 'Must Be Santa,' which, judging by his voice, he recorded in his eighties (I love Bob Dylan as much as the next guy, but this Christmas song - which gets way more attention than it should - is downright grating.)
Could have also done without Harry Nilson's 'Remember' on this album, as its far from 'Rockin'' - plays like a soft-rock ballad. If it had made an appearance on a Holiday album with that kind of sound, I may have not batted an eyelash, but it feels ridiculously out of place on this one.
And also, I probably wouldn't own such a record. But that's besides the point.
The 'Groovin'' record is a little safer - lots more 'song recognition' on this one. Heavy Motown vibe here, with songs from James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Darlene Love, etc. all delivering with songs I'm sure you've heard on the radio countless times. There's more consistency in 'vibe' here as well, and the songs seem like they were compiled by one person instead of, say, a country fan, an indie fan, a classic rock fan, and a weirdo (which I'm sure was the scenario on the first record.)If you end up picking this one up, I'd avoid the Isaac Hayes and John Lee Hooker tracks on this second album at all costs. Both sound exactly like you'd expect, they're definitely not deviating from their signature sounds (and more power to them for that, I guess), but neither mesh well with the rest of the sound found here.
Isaac makes you want to rush over to the nearest living thing and have yuletide sex with it, and John Lee makes you want to get drunk and blow its brains out with a shotgun once you're finished with it.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
VERDICT: 8/10 - Awesome (Another great addition to this star-studded compilation series. The majority of this album blends fluidly, without cringe-inducing tracks to pull the rating down too far. It loses a couple points for some odd song choices, but even these aren't outright terrible. If it drops in price again, be sure to pounce on it.)
- REMAINS IN ROTATION -
- Brian
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