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Various

The Year They Recalled Santa Claus
2003
KROQ

Various - The Year They Recalled Santa Claus (Cover Artwork)


Review by: KirbyPuckett
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Published on December 26th 2003

This year’s KROQ’s Christmas album again brings to our attention some tunes done by some of our favorite “Punk” friends. I’m not going to bother with all of the bands that we could careless about like “Linkin’ Park” or the skits like “Jessica & Nick’s first Christmas as husband and wife” because aside from the “Punk” bands on here, this disc is useless.

Thrice is up first with Dustin belting out “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)” over his acoustic guitar. I felt the song was done well vocally and musically as Dustin’s powerful voice fills the airwaves with a humble song for the season.

Our good friends Andre 3000 and Big Boi of Outkast combine once again for a very special Christmas tune. It’s not “Christmas in Hollis Queens” but “Player’s Ball” is still a pretty solid holiday jam.

Vinnie takes the vocal responsibilities for Less Than Jake on “I’m Gettin’ Nuttin for Christmas.” This is the perfect song for this band and it sounds more like their older material than something off of Anthem.

“A Change at Christmas (Say it isn’t so)” by the Flaming Lips carries a respectable solid beat before this Christmas record falls completely downhill.

The Ataris’ gift to us is the piano led solo track “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” done by Kris Roe. I’m a sucker for Roe’s voice and this depressing song provides a different look at the talent that he has in one of the few quality songs on the compilation.

Rooney and Ryan Adams both turn in very bland songs that are sort of like that sweater your grandmother knitted for you.

Finishing off “The Year They Recalled Santa Clause” is Brand News take at “Oh Holy Night.” When I saw that Brand New was on the compilation I immediately expected a great deal from it, hoping Jesse would turn in another strong vocal effort to the traditional song. Although I was a tad bit let down the group still turns in a quality song in a soft subtle manner that closes the record off completely.

To “Wrap” things up, don’t buy this. It’s not really worth your money. You can download all of these songs from somewhere, somehow and only a few of them are even worth your effort anyways.






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    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 4, 2004 at 3:23 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    "I'm too lazy to select 1 in the drop-down box... who gives a fuck about the rating anyways."

    GreenVandal.

    -BSD

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2004-01-03 03:37:15
    My Score:

    yeah. I almost never change the rating.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 1, 2004 at 10:51 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I'm too lazy to select 1 in the drop-down box... who gives a fuck about the rating anyways.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 9:32 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "The equivalent to waking up in the morning only to see BSD is fucking you in the ass. BOGUS"

    Hence the five star rating?

    -BSD

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 at 8:46 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    (Back from Canada)

    Who really gives a flying shit?

    Posted by kirbypuckett on 2003-12-30 11:22:25
    My Score:

    vinnie does not sing the LTJ song, roger does.

    Yeah, that was def. my typo.

    - Scott
    http://www.local-felons.com/
    (Back from Canada)

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 11:23 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    many people think "I'm getting nothing for Christmas" is a LTJ original? Please tell me its not the "I'm getting nothing for christmas" I'm thinking of 'cause if it is then many many people are really fuckin' dumb.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 9:50 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    How are you gonna see him...he's behind you...

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 9:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    The equivalent to waking up in the morning only to see BSD is fucking you in the ass. BOGUS

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 3:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    The equivalent to, hmmmm, waking up in the morning after a bad night's sleep and being shot in the face. That's sorta what this is like.

    -BSD

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 1:46 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    None of the bands on this cd are punk. You need to take out your hardcore handbook and learn how to represent. We keep this site alive by making sure to listen to those bands that are good. I know that I listen to "good music", which is all the narly bands that are usually reviewed on here. Even the really old skool hardcore like avail, and dare i say the old skool punk like pennywise and nofx. You really need to write your wrongs and not be like all the other idiots you go to high school with. All There is aneed to say is ... Oi! Find the light!

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 8:16 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I care about Linkin Park

    Posted by magician on 2003-12-27 19:08:03
    My Score:

    The Ataris song is actually a cover. Tom Waits does the original. The songs are mostly identical expect for the contrast of vocals: where Tom Waits' voice is very unique yet still very cool. This score is for Tom Waits.

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2003-12-27 11:27:31
    My Score:

    poop. that is all.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 6:00 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    KROQ Kevin & Bean's Last Christmas was a better, more respectable Christmas CD: Blink 182, Pennywise, Unwritten Law, Long Beach Dub All Stars, Save Ferris were all on it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 1:30 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    vinnie does not sing the LTJ song, roger does. buddy their trombone player lends his vocal talents at the end, but that is that. also many people think this is an orginal LTJ song and well its not, it was some song that was written in the 50's. i do like how it sounds though, it sounds more like something they recorded back in the pezcore days.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 1:07 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    ryan adams is punk

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 26, 2003 at 11:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I thought that was Roger singing the LTJ song. What do I know?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 26, 2003 at 10:09 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Oh, we need all reviews that come from someone who hopes for "strong vocal effort" from Jesse Lachey. Brand New's new approach of playing softly and whisper-singing has got to start getting called something other than "subtle."

    Everyone sounds the same, when they whisper-sing. And no one can tell if your voice is bad when you do it. It's the miracle trick. Hehe.

    Posted by i-type-poorly on 2003-12-26 21:56:05
    My Score:

    did we really need a review of this? The title alone assures us crap.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 26, 2003 at 8:41 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Fuck kroq and their lame ass playlists. How many albums are out there and they play the same damn linkin park songs? Fuck lame ass kevin and bean. Radio is the end of the line. If you haven't made it by the time you're 30 you end up on some "morning zoo crew" show. There is no reason to listen to the radio. At all. Fuck this shit.
    twat

    Posted by maverick on 2003-12-26 19:40:46
    My Score:

    For the record, it was hard as hell finding cover art for this fucking record. Just for the effort I had to put forth, I give this CD a 1.

    -Scott

    Posted by irish_joo on 2003-12-26 19:22:02
    My Score:

    kroq suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks

    Posted by eyeball_kid on 2003-12-26 19:12:09
    My Score:

    Vinnie sings?

    I see what you did there with the 'wrap'. Ho Ho Ho Merrrry Christmas!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, December 26, 2003 at 3:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    first!