Outsiders Unite for the Holidays
Brendan Collins | Tulsa, OK | 12/15/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Re-re-releases of the same old Holiday strains re-re-recorded by the new voices of today's artists will not be heard on this album. In fact, the majority of these particular voices have never been heard on a commercial release, ever. Yet, that's exactly what is so unique about the "American Song-Poem Christmas."This is not so much an attempt to laugh at ineptitude, either. Certainly, there are many flaws to be heard, carrying the album far, far away from the Lost Lands of Mediocrity. Yet, these are the words and voices of our neighbors. Perhaps, if I dare say so... perhaps even ourselves? Everybody's got a Christmas song to sing. These people actually went out and did something about it, and leave their legacy for the rest of the world, thanks to this album. While not as ground-breaking as the "American Song-Poem Anthology" album released shortly before this compilation, it is an essential piece to be owned by admirers of the outsider music sub-genre. Traditionalists, on the other hand, will want to pass over this disc, for Frosty the Snowman has long since melted away and Rudolph's nose has been extinguished in the realm of the American Song-Poem Christmas. And for many of us looking for a variety of Christmas spirit that comes not from mass-produced, sanitized recording studios, but from the heart of folks just like us... that's not nearly as bleak a concept as it sounds."
Hauntingly Mystical Adventure Music
Jane Rodgers | Olema, CA United States | 12/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, that other review? Possibly honest and to the point, but one star??? No way, dude. This album is worth every penny. Perhaps I live in the land of Dork, but dang it if Santa Came in on a Nuclear Missile doesn't crack me up every time. For those of you who want to wretch every time you go shopping from Thanksgiving until Christmas, this album will put you back on food. I call it "My Christmas Antidote." The title track is the absolute best!"
Santa Claus is a wise old man.
Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 12/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"What is a "song poem"? Back in the day, ads were run in magazines, comic books and tabloid newspapers requesting people to send in their "poems or song lyrics". People who responded to the ad would receive a letter saying that their lyrics had the potential to be turned into a hit record, but the record company needed a few hundred dollars from the songwriter to produce the record. This was all a big scam, of course. Anyone who sent in the money would have their song quickly and cheaply recorded, and they would be sent a few copies of the song on a record. Unsurprisingly, no song poems ever actually became hits. But years later, record collectors discovered old song poems, and they managed to become cult favorites. This particular CD collects song poems about Christmas (or New Year's or winter). These are pretty weird songs. Songs about Santa Claus riding on a nuclear missile or a flying saucer. And other Christmasy things almost as strange as that. But the oddball nature of these songs is what makes them charming (to some people). I like them, but I won't be surprised if you don't."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1
