Even something as momentous as the Scut Farkus affair....

Hope your Thanksgiving was super!

I will be releasing Mikey's Annual Christmas Mix in two days right here on Daddy's Gonna Kill Ralphie, and I thought it may be time to take a look at what I'm listening to this year. Thanks to the power of Spotify, I am able to keep a vast collection of my Christmas favorites at my fingertips, and continue to find new and old gems. Still, I always try and have a hard copy for those times I am not around any of the internets. Remember to click on any of the highlighted words for fun links!

I was very happy to discover the official Christmas story soundtrack was available on Spotify and in stores. This thing has been available for a few years, but for some strange reason, I never thought to look for it till just days ago. Now I can relive the Black Bart shoot out, Bumpus Hounds wreaking havoc in the kitchen and the Scut Farkus yellow eyes scenes in living stereo glory.

Now, you may think you see a typo in the previous paragraph when I mentioned Scut Farkus. Believe me, I would have thought the very same just two weeks ago. How on earth have I seen the greatest holiday movie, dare I say the most influential experience of my life countless times, and the namesake of the very blog you are reading now, and have never noticed who I thought to be Scott was indeed Scut? I, your humble narrator and creator of all things Daddy's Gonna Kill Ralphie, must hang my head in holiday shame for a brief moment and ask for your forgiveness.

OK, let's get back to the music. As any in any great Christmas film, the score for A Christmas Story automatically brings visions of the film to mind and fills my ears with nostalgia of Christmas past. Written by Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza, and I believe released in 2009 by Rhino records, it is now on constant play, and even though not all the music is necessarily "Christmas music", it is directly from the film and therefore counts as Christmas music in my book!

Here is a little sample...








Next up is Christmas With Jimmy McGriff (1963). I am familiar with Mr. McGriff from many a Lounge music compilation. His haunting Hammond B-3 organ graced Sleigh Ride/Jingle Bells Medley with Al Caiola (one of my favorite Christmas recordings). I was recently joyed when I found his Christmas album. I'm not gonna lie, it may have been the cover photo that brought it to my attention at first, but then I noticed the name. Here is a sample. Just listen to that organ!




Check back tomorrow for some more selections of what I am playing this season, and don't forget December 1st Daddy's Gonna Kill Ralphie's Third Annual Christmas mix!