Music
■ Different gen
res of holiday
music are popu
lar with all ages.
By Lindsay Henshilwood
Staff writer
Whether it’s Mannheim
Steamroller, the Backstreet Boys or
compilation albums, holiday music is a
gift and a tradition that crosses all age
barriers, music store employees and
customers said.
Every year, a new type of music
becomes popular around die holidays,
and music stores and music depart
ments have grown accustomed to see
ing a huge increase in sales of music
over the holidays, said Eric Ziegler,
manager of Homer’s, 1339 O St.
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“Compilation albums tend to be
one of the most popular selling albums
at Christmas,” Ziegler said. “Also pop
ular are contemporary artists such as
Celine Dion and more wacky artists
like Bob Rivers.
“There is one album in particular
that comes out every year, which
donates proceeds to AIDS research.
Each year there are different artists per
forming on it, like Bon Jovi and Shania
Twain.”
Retailers at stores such as Wal-Mart
and Target said they see a lot of people
around the holidays buy “Christmas
Angels” by Mannheim Steamroller.
“The Mannheim Steamroller
(albums) are usually the biggest
Christmas seller,” said Jeremy Bealer,
assistant manager in the music depart
ment atTaiget, 5330 S. 56th St.
“Although this is entirely instru
mental with no vocals at all, it still
seems to be pretty big. Also big are the
boy bands like Backstreet Boys and
98°’ as well as
the older music
like Elvis and
Barbara
Streisand.”
Music store
employees said
the main cus
tomers of holi
day music are
between the ages
of 30 and 55.
Some
University of
Nebraska
Lincoln students seemed to have differ
ent tastes in Christmas music.
“I like compilations of different
types of music and usually buy a
Christmas album every other year,”
said Paul Nielsen, a UNL senior art
major. “My favorite Christmas song is
Enya’s Gaelic version of ‘Silent
Night.’”
Music also seemed to be a popular
"Compilation
albums tend to be
one of the most pop
ular selling albums
at Christmas."
Eric Ziegler
Homer's manager
holiday gift idea
among college stu
dents because
compact discs and
tapes are relatively
cheap and always
appreciated.
“One of my
favorite Christmas
albums is by the
Mannheim
Steamroller,” said
B.J. Mazurek, a
UNL junior civil
engineering major.
“I don’t usually buy that much
music for myself at Christmas, but it is
one of the main gifts I give.”
Ziegler said for whatever reason
people buy holiday music, it has become
an important part of the holidays.
“Whether the music is bought for
the customer or as a gift, a big part of
Christmas is the songs and the music,”
Ziegler said.
Album puts a spin on holidays
Various Artists
“Just Can’t Get
Enough: New Wave
Xmas”
Rhino Records
Grade: B+
For years, humanity
has pondered a burning
holiday question: How
can the power of 1980s
new wave - with its skin
ny ties, weird haircuts and
power-pop hooks - be
cross-pollinated with the
festive atmosphere and
Yuletide fun of the tradi
tional Christmas song?
Some said this explo
sive combination would
be too powerful for many
ears to handle, but others
said the combo would
work as well together as
chocolate and peanut but
ter.
A few years ago,
Rhino Records finally
answered this question
with a special Christmas
edition of its “Just Can’t
Get Enough: New Wave
Hits of the ’80s” series,
called “New Wave
Xmas.”
The compact disc is a nice mix of traditional
and original Christmas songs, all performed by
’80s favorites, with a couple of ’90s songs
thrown in. With only a few weak songs, it’s the
perfect Christmas album for new wave lovers.
Where else can you find atheists XTC - sar
castically mocking a holiday they don’t believe
in on “Thanks for Christmas” - sharing album
space with Miracle Legion’s faithful (in more
ways than one) cover of “Little Drummer Boy”?
How about David Bowie and Bing Crosby
smoothly sharing vocals on a medley ol Peace on barth
and “Little Drummer Boy?” It would seem an awkward
pairing teaming Crosby, an icon of 1950s Caucasian
morality who drank hard and beat his kids (and who can
really sing); with Bowie, a bisexual, ex-cocaine addict
who has dabbled in glam, punk, soul and Mick Jagger’s
pants (who can’t really sing). But the duo’s sweetly faith
ful rendition of the two Christmas carols could bring a
tear to Satan’s eye.
The album is worth the price alone for another duet,
“Fairytale of New York,” by the Pogues and Kirsty
MacColl. This is a perfect Christmas song for the Irish
drunkard in us all, when Pogues vocalist Shane
MacGowan sings mournfully, “It was Christmas Eve,
babe, in the drunk tank/An old man said to me, ‘Won’t see
another one.’”
Another good pairing is Los Lobos’ “Rudolph the
Manic Reindeer,” a rocking medley of “Rudolph the Red
"'New Wave Xmas'
really covers the
gamut of the
Christmas
experience"
Nosed Reindeer” and
Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic
Depression.”
“New Wave Xmas”
really covers the gamut
of the Christmas experi
ence. There’s the afore
mentioned atheists in
XTC, traditional
Christian holiday songs
and the increasing com
mercialization of the hoi
iday, which Root Boy Slim & 1 he Sex Change Band sings
about on “Xmas at K-Mart.”
And, of course, there’s Santa. Lots and lots of Santa.
Throwing Muses sing “Santa Claus,” They Might Be
Giants come to grips with Santa stealing their girlfriends
on “Santa’s Beard,” and They Might Be Giants side pro
ject Mono Puff tells the story of a kleptomaniac St. Nick
on “Careless Santa.”
The album also features holiday rock from Squeeze,
the Pretenders, Timbuk 3 and Wall of Voodoo, as well as
The Buzz of Delight, a band featuring Lincoln native
Matthew Sweet.
While this album isn’t for fans of undistilled, tradi
tional Christmas music, anyone wanting something
Christmasy, but with a twist, should enjoy “New Wave
Xmas.”
-Josh Krauter
