Doug Thompson – DOUG’S COOL YULE – MY “12 SONGS OF CHRISTMAS” LIST

Hard to miss that’s it’s the Christmas season.  Department, drug and clothing stores have all been playing Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”, Bobby Helm’s “Jingle Bell Rock”, Wham’s “Last Christmas” and The Beach Boys “Little Saint Nick”, along with newer Christmas ditties from the likes of Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift, Michael Buble and the omnipresent “White Christmas” from der Bingle (aka Bing Crosby) for what seems like months already.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Christmas Playlist Part One

When did it start so damn early? This year the cards were up at the local Hallmark in early October and the shelves were being racked in Shopper’s the day after Thanksgiving. Well before the little ghosts and goblins paraded up and down the street we were inundated with the onslaught of Christmas, spending and greed. Stations have flipped to “Holiday” music and the TV spots bombard us with what we have to have. Ones that irk me this year are the “I Want It” campaign from The Source (hey I want I lot of things as well but most of them I don’t have to pay for), the whole Canadian Tire series (they are not funny and we all know the Canadian Tire guy is the Tim Horton’s guy from last year who misses his Mommy because of Timmy’s lasagna – you’re a donut place by the way) and the new Leon’s annoying couple commercials. I believe you’re a couple as much as I believe I need a blow dryer from Wal-Mart this Christmas.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock – M

Montrose
For my money there is not a better hard rock album than the eponymous debut by Montrose. Released in late 1973, and produced by Ted Templeman, the record paved the road for the L.A. scene that would be developed in the late seventies with Van Halen being at the epicentre.

Templeman was a rocker before he became one of the in-house producers at Warner Brothers. He had cut his teeth in the late sixties with cult favourites Harpers Bizarre. At Warners he produced the self-titled debut by The Doobie Brothers as well as their second album “Toulouse Street”. He is credited with co-producing “Tupelo Honey” with Van Morrison and it was here when he first worked with guitarist Ronnie Montrose and Bill ‘Electric” Church.