“A Midnight Christmess” 1984. Midnight Records. It’s too bad the sleeve is in such terrible shape because this is the most eclectic and excellent Christmas album I’ve heard in a long time. A collection of mostly original tracks from garage-rock label Midnight Records, the genres showcased go beyond garage to jangle-pop, rockabilly, psychedelic rock and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins who is a genre unto himself. Screamin’ Jay performs “It's X'mas (A Time For Giving)” live, possibly with the Fuzztones. My other top tracks include “Here’s What I Want on a Christmas Day” by Justin Love (psychedelic garage), Johnny Rabb’s “Gotta Get Lucky for X’Mas” (classic rockabilly sound), the psychobilly surf instrumental “Last Minute Rush” by Cheepskates, “Merry Christmas” by Plan 9 (which mashes up psych-garage, grungy, bluesy heavy metal riffs and a 60′s/70′s NYC seedy vibe à la Velvet Underground and New York Dolls), “Christmas Tyme (Baby)” by Yard Trauma, “Forget It” by Nadroj and the Wolrats (both psychedelic garage perfection), “Schizophrenic X’Mas” by Suburban Nightmares which reminds me of Murder City Devils: more psychedelic garage rock but on the dirgy end, and the totally unhinged psychedelic rendition of “Gloria (In Excelsis DEO)” by Tryfles.
