Christmas time again --- Lynyrd Skynyrd --- 2000 (CMC International)
Oh guys! How could you? Of all the people I expected not to succumb to the lure of a Christmas album...!
Yep, at the turn of the millennium the boys who brought you "Sweet home Alabama" and "Free bird" sold their souls, and not for rock and roll either. With songs like "Santa Claus wants some lovin'" and "Hallelujah, it's Christmas!" though, you know this is not going to be just another tired collection of carols and hymns, and Xmas favourites. But it finds its way into this list due to my sheer disbelief that the godfathers of southern rock would even consider releasing such a thing.
There are contributions from Charlie Daniels on "Santa Claus is coming to town", two Rudolph songs --- "Run Rudolph run" and the perennial "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" --- and even 38 Special put in an appearance. Oddly enough, there's a version of "Greensleeves" --- not sure why that seems to be associated with Christmas these days --- and the opener "Santa's messin' with the kid" is great fun, but overall you have to wonder why a band of Skynyd's calibre would get involved in something like this. Surely they couldn't have run out of whisky money already?
TRACKLISTING
1. Santa's Messin' with the Kid
2. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
3. Christmas Time Again
4. Greensleeves
5. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
6. Run Run Rudolph
7. Mama's Song
8. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
9. Classical Christmas"
10. Hallelujah, It's Christmas
11. Skynyrd Family