When you grow up as a rocker, you’ll learn that rockers love to head bang, and also love everything that is noisy and loud. The louder, the harder, the better! In this blog post you will find ten Christmas rock songs which made history, well at least some of them. Dedicated to all those who don’t want to listen to Mariah Carey or some other horny and money making machine moaning about Christmas. We want it loud, wild and great! Please note that the below tracks are in no particular orders, or better, they are in a random order. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all  of your out there!

Slade – Merry Christmas Everybody

Released in 1973 by English rock band Slade, Merry Christmas Everybody is one hell of head banging song. The song was recorded during Slade’s east coast US tour at the Record Plant in New York. It took five days to finish, but the band disliked the first completed version. It ended up being rerecorded, with the corridor outside used to record the chorus, as it provided an appropriate echo.

Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas

This song was originally released in 1960 by the American blues singler and pianist Charles Brown. In 1978 the rock band Eagles gave it a shot and released this song as a single. A very quiet mellow track, and is a perfect fit to enjoy a glass of Blue Label Johnny Walker while snowing outside.

Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday

Released in 1973 by English glam rock band Wizzard, I wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday remained nine consecutive weeks in the UK singles chart, only to be beaten by Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody. As downloads as well as physical sales became eligible for the weekly Top 75 as from January 2007, and it was one of several Christmas oldies to chart again in November and December 2007.

Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas

One of the most influential Christmas songs, Do they know it’s Christmas was written by Bob Geldof (who doesn’t know this guy) and Midge Ure, a Scottish guitarist, keyboard player and song player, mostly known as Ultravox’s frontman. Released in 1984 to raise money for the relief of the 1983 – 1985 famine in Ethiopia, the song raised many millions of pounds and became the biggest-selling single in UK singles chart history, only to be passed by Elton John’s Candle in the Wind. Band Aid consisted of:
Adam Clayton, Bono (U2)
Phil Collins (Genesis)
Bob Geldof, Simon Crowe, Pete Briquette, Johnny Fingers (The Boomtown Rats)
Steve Norman, Tony Hadley, Martin Kemp(Spandau Ballet)
Midge Ure, Chris Cross, John Keeble, Gary Kemp (Ultravox)
John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)
Paul Young
Glenn Gregory, Martyn Ware (Heaven 17)
Marilyn Keren Woodward, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey (Bananarama)
Jody Watley (Shalamar)
Paul Weller (The Style Council)
James “J.T.” Taylor (Kool & the Gang)
George Michael (Wham!)
Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)
Robert ‘Kool’ Bell, Dennis J. T. Thomas (Kool & the Gang)
Jon Moss, Boy George (Culture Club)
Sting (The Police)
David Bowie
Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
Paul McCartney
Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson, Tony Butler, Mark Brzezicki (Big Country)

Smashing Pumpkins – Christmastime

It doesn’t exactly happen every day that an alternative rock band such as Smashing Pumpkins releases a Christmas song, but here it is for you to enjoy. The song still delivers the Smashing Pumpkins spirit, with Billy Corgan unique vocals, yet it is a “jolly” Christmas song. Enjoy

U2 – Christmas (Baby please come home)

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a Christmas holiday song originally sung by Darlene Love and included in a 1963 Christmas compilation album released from Philles Records. In December 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs, saying that “nobody can match Love’s emotion and sheer vocal power.” And for you, below is the rock version of this song from the most famous Irish rock band, U2.

The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I don’t want to fight tonight)

What about a punk Christmas song? Yes you’ve heard well. The Ramones, an American 70′s punk band even tried to give it a shot at a Christmas song and managed. Although the song is not so popular with the generic Christmas public, it’s a head banging Christmas song.

John Lennon and Yoko – Happy Xmas (War is over)

I am sure John Lennon needs no introduction. If you’re reading this blog post and you don’t know who is John Lennon, I suggest you stop reading it now, and go to the nearest record shop and buy some The Beatles records. Don’t order from any online store, snail post is really slow in Christmas. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It was released in 1971 as a single with the Harlem Community Choir. The song reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Orignally it was a protest song about the cruel Vietnam War, but has become a Christmas standard, appearing on several Christmas albums and compilations. It was also voted the ninth favourite Christmas song in a poll by music channel VH1. The song was re-released in the UK on 20 December 1980, shortly after John Lennon’s murder on 8 December, and peaked at number 2 in the chart battle for the Christmas number one.

The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t let the bells end)

Another head banging Christmas song by the flamboyant British glam rock band The Darkness. The song was released in 2003 and according to bookmakers it was the favourite song to reach number one in the official UK singles chart. Though in Christmas of 2003 it was beaten by relative unknown artists who covered Tears for Fears’ Mad World. Indeed, it is a mad world!

Queen – Thank God it is Christmas

Last but not least, one of the most famous British rock bands Queen, also gave it a shot at Christmas and released Thank God it’s Christmas. The song was written by Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor and unfortunately it only reached number 21 in the UK singles chart. The song was never released on any Queen studio album, but was included in Queen’s Greatest Hits 3. No official music video was recorded for this track, hampering its future use on music television stations, hence it is a lesser known Christmas single.

4th Place: Limp Bizkit – Behind Blue Eyes

Behind Blue Eyes was released by The Who, in their 1971 album ‘Who’s Next’. First of all, Fred Durst’s voice in this song is really out of place and blowed up. Secondly, Limp Bizkit removed the best part from the original song and replaced it with a stupid robotic sound and voice. Come on guys, screwing a 70′s song is already bad enough, removing the best parts from it is totally unacceptable!

3rd Place: Eminem – Sing for the Moment

Sing for the moment is a cover version of the song Dream On, which Aerosmith released in 1973, as a single and as a track in their first album ‘Aerosmith’. Apart from changing the musical style (a drastic switch to rap) and feel of this song, Eminem even changed the lyrics and used only the chorus. With all the respect towards rap and its followers, we’re fed up of listening to anger and society problems which gangs bring around. Please move on and grow up!

And the top 2…

I was very confused which should be the first placed song, i.e. worse cover version ever. I am sure there are many other out there, but these particular two, deserve both 1st place, therefore there is no second place!

1st Place: The Braids – Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody was released by Queen, in their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. It is considered to be one of the greatest songs ever, because of its unique and diverse style. I don’t want to comment much about the cover version, since there isn’t much to say. But how can you change a rock anthem, one of the greatest songs of the last decade into a hip-hop song? It’s unbelievable how the copyright owners even gave the go ahead for this massacre!

1st Place: Scissor Sisters – Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb was released by Pink Floyd, in their 1979 album The Wall. Like Bohemian Rhapsody, Comfortably Numb and the whole The Wall album, are considered master pieces, rock anthems and greatest songs of all times! One can never dream, or even try to imagine how such a song could have been better, since there is no place for improvement. But thanks to the Scissor Sisters, it seems that the world was longing for a electronic Bee Gees version of this song. What a shame!!!

It’s Brian May’s Red Special guitar, which he built with his father when he was still a teenager.  In the below interesting video, Queen’s guitarist Brian May states that he is not sure whether they were clever or lucky, but it worked out for them.  The Red Special is still used till this day from Brian May himself.

Well, as Brian May said in the previous video, he is still a kid when it’s about playing the guitar and he can never stop doing it.  Therefore I am also posting this funny video, from a British telecom, about Brian and his wife having an argument.

But what about their debut self titled Studio album back in 1973?  Was it an instant hit?  Unfortunately success is only measured by number of album copies sold, or by air time on radio stations. Therefore, technically speaking this album surely was not a commercial success. Though as many say today, this album was and is still underrated. Gordon Fletches of Rolling Stons said “their debut album is superb”, and Chicago’s Daily Herald called it “above average debut”. Allmusic’s Greg Prato, later said “one of the most underrated hard rock debuts of all time.”

Unfortunately, the generic public is not into good music. People like commercial music because radio stations and clubs play. If the DJ plays a track a 100 times, over and over again, then that is classified as a good song / album. Though from the non commercial point view, a good album is when it sounds original and different from the expected, and when it still sounds good after 10, 20 or more years. Technique and lyrics also play a vital role in good music.

Queens first album can almost be classified as hard rock, heavy metal of the day with lyrics about folklore and religion.

The first track, ‘Keep yourself alive’, is a positive song, with good rhytm and excellent bass riffs. Surely, the guitar solos can never be left out.

Another favourite is ‘Doing All Right’. This song changes many times, from light pop music to acoustic guitars, with some parts which can be classified as heavy metal.

There is also a lengthy heavy song, ‘Great King Rat’. It includes long guitar solos and sudden tempo changes.

Seven Seas of Rhye; a short song with catchy piano loop, is a half-written song. When the first album was recorded, this song was born but not completed, therefore Queen optet to add this part of the song to the first album, while the completed track was released in their second album.

Trivia: The band included a comment ‘No synthesizers’ on the album sleeve, as some listeners had mistaken their multi-tracking and effects processed by guitar and vocal sounds as synthesizers.

As a conclusion, although this album was not a commercial success, with its release Queen showed that they will be a band who will lead the pack. A must listen to!