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Raffi: The Black Album
This legendary album, originally slated for release in 1992 but withdrawn due to the controversial nature of many of the tracks, is finally being released (albeit on the small independent Playtyme label) amid much protest from parents groups and decency advocates citing the irresponsible lyrical content. Despite the popular entertainer's recent attempts to distance himself from the album by calling it "just a silly side project", the widely bootlegged Black Album is unmistakably Raffi. But while the light acoustic accompaniment maintains a familiar bouncy playfulness, the lyrics are dark in tone and filled with expletives. "F**k Vegetables" is a musical rant against everything "green and leafy" and urges kids to stage disruptive mealtime revolts. "Teachers Suck" is a shocking condemnation of school and the educational system and contains the sing-along chorus "Hell no, I ain't no fool! I ain't f**kin' goin' to school!" Most disturbing is the pro-smoking anthem "Light One Up (Don't Be A Wuss)" which exhorts "If you wanna look tough, then puff, puff, puff!" While some adults will find this amusing (as Raffi no doubt intended it to be), it's best to make sure impressionable kids are well out of earshot.
Lost Holiday Classics
Despite having long gone out of print, the following obscure Christmas albums rank among the finest yuletide offerings ever released and are well-worth seeking out:
Kool Moe Dee: That Christmas Flava
Manhattan's favorite MC released this 1988 beat-heavy holiday collection to little fanfare in the rap community, despite the inclusion of "Santa's On The Mic" (which samples James Brown's "Soulful Christmas") and the boastful "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Rapper".
The Alan Parsons Project: An Alan Parsons Project Christmas
This 1983 album was surprisingly solid, even if it sold fewer than 3,000 copies upon release and was quickly deleted from the band's catalog. Essential for no other reason than it paved the way for the Mannheim Steamroller collections of the 90's. Particularly worth seeking out is the limited edition picture-disc single "Guy In The Sky", a clever re-working of their 1982 hit "Eye In The Sky".
Foghat: Sleigh Ride
An all-but-forgotten treasure, this album of holiday-themed boogie rock was hastily released by the band at the pinnacle of their success in 1976 just as their seminal hit "Slow Ride" was dropping off the charts. The title track is a rather lame variant on that same single, but the rest of the album kicks out some pretty impressive jams. Worth dropping a few bucks on eBay just to check out the extended drum solo in the middle of "Save Your Lovin' For Me (This Christmas)"
Gary Numan: Kristmas
A strange electropop concept album about a future world where robots attempt to use technology to eradicate the Christmas spirit from their human slaves. "A World Without Father Christmas" got scant airplay on the BBC back in 1983 but the album itself was largely ignored and even vinyl copies are difficult to track down.
Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Noel
One of the most suggestive Christmas albums ever recorded, Hayes' 1972 offering is a sultry mix of holiday cheer and carnal fantasy highlighted by the soulful "I Want To Lay You Down (Underneath The Mistletoe)" and the funky "(Let Me Be Your) Santa Claus".
The Outfield: A Bangin' Christmas
For this, this first (and hopefully last) Christmas collection from 80's British pop-rockers The Outfield, the trio churn out an album's worth of slick, hard-rocking holiday-themed originals. Though most of the tracks were composed exclusively for this Christmas set, the uptempo opener "Sending Out My Love" and the piano ballad "Don't Turn Away" are actually outtakes from the band's 2006 album Any Time Now remixed with sleigh bells to give the tracks a Christmas feel. "I'll Be Holdin' You (On Christmas Eve)" and "All My Love This Christmas" are essentially second-rate re-writes of "Your Love" and "Say It Isn't So" respectively and ultimately forgettable. Had the band mixed in some holiday standards the results may have been a little more satisfying but unfortunately this tepid offering is the equivalent of a big lump of coal.
Tears For Fears: Tears Of Joy (The Christmas Album)
A half-hearted effort hastily thrown together to meet contract requirements, this album's title is in stark contrast to the rather dark and depressing mood of the music. Dating back to the tumultuous era just prior to Curt Smith's much-publicized departure in 1991, many of the performances are uninspired and often sound "phoned-in". Smith's rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" is adequate at best, but his clumsy interpretation of "The First Noel" will turn your stomach. Not to be outdone, Roland Orzabal turns in equally lackluster performances on "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "White Christmas". The only real highlights are the two original tracks from each founder due to the thinly-veiled messages contained within. Orzabal's "All I Want For Christmas Is A Second Fiddle" is an obvious pot-shot at Smith for not pulling his weight, and Smith's "Santa's Workshop" describes a lazy & condescending St. Nick (Orzabal) who takes all the credit even though the elves (Smith and the other T.F.F. members) are the ones doing all the work.
Dave Matthews And Matt Kenseth: Live At California Speedway
Dave Matthews and Nextel Cup racer Matt Kenseth teamed up for a series of acoustic performances in 2006, entertaining scores of NASCAR fans at such venues as the Homestead Miami Speedway, Talladega Super Speedway and California Speedway from which this rare recording was taken. Despite Kenseth's admitted musical shortcomings, the duo gamely deliver rollicking covers of Hank Williams Jr. ("Family Tradition"), Johnny Cash ("One Piece At A Time"), and Willie Nelson ("Red-Headed Stranger"). The pair collaborated on a handful of originals, the most notable being "(I Love Her) Two-Link Live Axle Rear Suspension" and "I Left My Heart On Turn 3 At Lowe's Motor Speedway." Matthews cajoles the inexperienced Kenseth into attempting a few DMB tunes such as "Ants Marching" and "What Would You Say", however they break down rather quickly amid much laughter and catcalls from the crowd. Not much of substance musically, but a nice souvenier for anyone who happened to be present.
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