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A good holiday recording can elevate an artist to legendary stature, becoming a perennial stable income stream for the act and beloved music for generations to adore. Unfortunately, not every holiday song issued goes on to become the next big thing, and ever more rarely does a full holiday-themed album become a smash. But from The Chipmunks’ 1959 classic “Christmas Song” (a single that reported saved publisher Liberty Records from bankruptcy!) and Phil Spector’s 1963 Philles’ Records bonanza A Christmas Gift to You to Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 radio release of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (eventually available on a 45 via Columbia) and, yes, even Mariah Carey’s 1994 instant-classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (now feted on the 180g One-Step 30th anniversary vinyl version of her Merry Christmas LP from Mobile Fidelity!), there are a wealth of holiday releases to explore, from mainstream classics to off-the-beaten-path oddities.

To get us all in the holiday listening and/or gifting spirit, here is a list we here at AP have pulled together that includes eight new, recently announced/released holiday albums we recommend checking out, presented in no particular pecking order. Each of them can be ordered in time to ship in time to be received/gifted for the holiday(s) you observe. And speaking of that, Happy Holidays — and happy spinning, too — from all of us here at Analog Planet!

BARENAKED LADIES
BARENAKED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
1LP (Raisin’ Records/Craft Recordings)

Canada’s Barenaked Ladies are celebrating the global vinyl debut of their bestselling October 2004 album, Barenaked for the Holidays. The 20-track non-denominational collection mixes original songs like “Christmas Pics” and “Hanukkah Blessings” with standards like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “I Have a Little Dreidel.” Guest vocalists include Michael Bublé on “Elf’s Lament” and Sarah McLachlan on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / We Three Kings.” Available in a variety of festive colors and SRPs, Barenaked for the Holidays can be found at the band’s official store in an exclusive Candy Cane red/white split for $35, at Barnes & Noble in translucent forest green for $28.99, and at Craft Recordings’ own label site in green/gold-splatter Christmas Tree color vinyl for $28 (though the latter option may already be sold out by the time you read this). Standard black vinyl is also available at the band’s site (and elsewhere) for $28.

BRENDA LEE
ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE: THE DECCA RECORDINGS
1LP (MCA Nashville/UMe)

For those who want a comprehensive collection of Brenda Lee’s classic English-language holiday songs, MCA Nashville/UMe has seen fit to release a new compilation of these 18 classic Decca recordings of hers on pretty champagne-pink vinyl for $29.99, and it’s available directly here from UMG Nashville — and it includes a Christmas card signed by Lee herself to boot.

Addendum/aside: Even though “Noche Buena y Navidad,” the new-to-2024 Spanish language version of Lee’s evergreen classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” isn’t a vinyl release, we did feel we had to mention it here, since it is a curious 21st Century twist on the time-tested concept of creating foreign language versions of hit singles for distinct cultural markets. (See and hear it for yourself via the above YouTube clip.) The difference here is this version of Lee’s iconic hit was created using so-called “responsibly sourced AI” with the artist’s full approval. It sounds like Brenda Lee — but is it? The song was launched mid-November by UMG with the above-embedded, new animated video by Venezuelan-born, U.S.-based writer and director David Calcano and producer Linda Otero. Let us know what you think of it in the Comments section below.

CARPENTERS
CHRISTMAS ONCE MORE
1LP (A&M / UNIVERSAL)

For many music fans growing up in the 1970s, the Carpenters remain the ultimate feel-good family-friendly pop music. It is thus no surprise that their 1978 LP holiday album Christmas Portrait on A&M was a popular hit back in the day. An enduring release, by the end of November 2014, the expanded Christmas Portrait: Special Edition was, according to the interwebs, the 23rd best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S., quote, “during the SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 to present), having sold 1,950,000 copies.”

A&M/UMe are celebrating this ongoing success story with the Carpenters’ Christmas Once More LP, an all-new collection featuring 16 timeless Carpenters holiday classics personally curated by Richard Carpenter. The newly remixed/remastered collection includes fan favorites like “Sleigh Ride” and a 2018 version of Richard’s own 1970 track “Merry Christmas, Darling,” as reinvented with support from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The album is available here on black vinyl for $27.99, as well as on limited-edition gold vinyl for $29.99.

WILLIE COLÓN CANTO HÉCTOR LAVOE CON YOMO TORO
ASALTO NAVIDEÑO, VOL. II
1LP (Fania/Craft Recordings)

Last year, an important Latin holiday music album slipped between the cracks of our annual coverage, so we felt it was important to mention it here and now. Craft Recordings has been steadily working their way through restoring the massive, influential, and hard-to-find archives of the legendary Fania Records label, and to celebrate this LP’s 50th anniversary, the label reissued the beloved 1973 holiday album Asalto Navideño, Vol. II, featuring iconic/pioneering artists Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. The album also features the great Yomo Toro, ”The King of the Cuatro,” a musical icon in his own right who eventually guested on more than 150 albums from the likes of Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Rubén Blades, and David Byrne. (The Cuatro, incidentally, is a specialized Latin-American guitar-like string instrument.)

Despite the title Asalto Navideño literally translating to “Christmas Assault,” the album is a fabulous and festive non-stop salsa party, a celebration of the Puerto Rican “parranda” Christmas-caroling party-spree featuring secular and religious songs. It’s meant to celebrate a time of visiting family and friends, enjoying refreshments and all-night revelry.

The first volume of Asalto Navideño (1971) became such a best-seller in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that producer/arranger Colón returned to the studio to reimagine eight traditional Puerto Rican country songs (música jíbara) in a hearty Afro-Caribbean-Cuban-Brazilian salsa samba musical blend for this second volume. Asalto Navideño, Vol. II is a whole lot of frothy fun. Sadly, Vol. II is currently sold out on Craft’s official site, so you’ll have to shop around for it. I’ve seen it selling online in a variety of outlets for around its initial SRP of $30 but some sellers are asking more, so do look for the best price. Now, I have to track down that first volume, of which I see was reissued by Craft in 2019!

BAND AID
DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? – 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMPILATION
1LP (Band Aid Trust/UMe)

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic, headline-making 1984 British multi-artist collaborative recording under the group moniker Band Aid, producer/creators Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, and Trevor Horn have combined forces anew to see the release of a new compilation album to raise additional funds for the Band Aid Trust. The five-track 12-inch LP (so technically, it’s more like an EP or maxi-single, we suppose) was released on November 29, 2024 (coincidentally, RSD 2024).

From the official press materials, we learn: “‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was recorded on three separate occasions, over three separate generations, Band Aid (1984), Band Aid 20 (2004) and Band Aid 30 (2014). What began life as a humble Christmas pop song went on to launch the greatest series of events in pop history. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ ultimately corralled the political structures of its time to its own focused ends by assembling a roll call of talent that, in effect, describes the arc of British rock ’n roll over these past 40 years. In celebration of this monumental ‘instrument of change,’ producer Trevor Horn has taken these recordings and, through extraordinary music production techniques, blended all the voices of those separate generations into one seamless whole.”

The SRP for this 5-song, black vinyl mini-album — which includes the “2024 Ultimate Mix “edit featuring vocals of artists who have recorded the song over all the years, plus the iconic 1985 Live Aid performance — is a modest $13.98, and can be ordered here. It’s an inexpensive way to time travel while also supporting an ongoing good cause. Feed the World, indeed.

JACOB COLLIER
THREE CHRISTMAS SONGS – AN ABBEY ROAD LIVE TO VINYL CUT
1EP (Decca Records)

I have to admit that I am playing catch-up here as I dig into Jacob Collier’s background. I realize there is so much to absorb about this multi-faceted, Grammy-winning English artist! His incredible accomplishments abound, from a self-produced debut mastered by Bernie Grundman leading to a tour that landed him on the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, onward to his 2018 Emmy-winning residency project with 150 MIT students.

His latest release, Three Christmas Songs – An Abbey Road Live to Vinyl Cut, is exactly what it sounds like it is — an EP of holiday music captured live in a single take at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, featuring Collier’s at times angelic voice while he’s also playing piano and guitar, as supported by a choir of fans and friends. The live-to-vinyl concept may well be of interest to our audiophile-centric audience members, of course. Collier filmed the recording, so the above YouTube clip should give you an idea of what to expect. This $20 EP can be ordered here, via his own site.

KELLY FINNIGAN
A JOYFUL SOUND
1LP (Colemine)

Kelly Finnigan’s 2020 release A Joyful Sound has apparently become an in-demand jam for the DJ set, and thus Colemine recently issued a new, limited-edition Norway Spruce Green vinyl pressing to celebrate its enduring growth. Reportedly inspired by records like Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You (1963) and Rotary Connection’s Peace (1968), A Joyful Sound blends holiday and soul appeal into one happy universe.

The all-star supporting cast is something of a who’s who of the modern-day indie soul universe that records for labels like Colemine and Daptone, including members of Durand Jones & The Indications, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Monophonics, Thee Sinseers, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Ben Pirani, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, and more. While that aforementioned indie-exclusive Norway Spruce Green version is currently sold out (as is the red vinyl), you can still order A Joyful Sound on black vinyl or as a 45 box set (both either signed or unsigned) direct from Colemine here, for just $23.99 each.

YÄCHTLEY CRËW
SEAS AND GREETINGS
1EP (Earache/Universal)

These are uncommon times when Yächtley Crëw, a self-described “yacht rock” cover band playing soft-rock hits of the ’70s and ’80s can achieve such immediate popularity that they not only get to tour nationally to sold-out crowds, but initially get signed to Jimmy Buffett’s label, Mailboat Records, and have their first EP Seas the Day produced by Chris Lord-Alge (Prince, Madonna, James Brown)! In keeping with that playful light pop spirit, the Crëw have just released their new high-seas-on-ally themed Seas and Greetings (wink wink, nudge nudge) EP via Earache/Universal — and it’s again produced by Lord-Alge.

All the hype would be for naught if Yächtley Crëw weren’t at least pretty darn good — and from the opening notes of their new single “It’s Christmas Time” (which you can check out via the above YouTube clip), I can confirm this is a fine fun romp which, frankly, Roy Wood (ELO, Wizzard, The Move) would enjoy. Not surprisingly, after hearing this song, I looked at the new EP’s tracklist, and it turns out that, among the five songs included on it, is in fact a cover of Roy Wood’s Wizzard classic, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.” Other classics from John Lennon and Yoko Ono (“Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”) and Eagles, by way of Charles Brown (“Please Come Home for Christmas”), are also given the patented Yächtley treatment here. I’m really looking forward to spinning Seas quite often during the holidays, and you can too after you order the EP directly from the Earache store here for $22.

BRETT ELDREDGE
MERRY CHRISTMAS (WELCOME TO THE FAMILY)
1LP (Warm and Cozy Records)

While I’m not a deep follower/fan of modern country music, the background stats for Brett Eldredge are impressive, and a good place to start when considering whether you want to check out his new (and third!) holiday album, Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family), on a most perfectly named label, Warm and Cozy Records.

From his official bio, we learn that Eldredge is “an award-winning Illinois-born and Nashville-based multiplatinum singer, songwriter, producer, and entertainer. Since 2010, he has earned a reputation as an eloquently clever songwriter, a showstopping performer, and with a growing catalog boasting a pair of Gold-certified albums and nine singles certified either Gold or Platinum by the RIAA. Beyond gathering billions of streams, he has notched seven #1’s on Country Radio, launched two albums into the Top 3 of the Billboard 200, and taken home various honors at the CMA Awards, ACM Awards, and BMI Country Awards.”

Ok, then! Clearly, it’s time to take a listen to Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family), which includes a family-friendly board game printed in the gatefold album cover. I like where this is going. You can find the album of eight original holiday songs on his site here for $24.98, or go to Amazon to get the exclusive red vinyl edition for the same SRP, $24.98.

And that’s all for Part 1. In Part 2, which will post here tomorrow (December 12, 2024), I will share some of my own favorite (and admittedly somewhat obscure) list of holiday albums. Happy Holiday vinyl hunting!

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.