Bad Santa VIII

Lord help me, is it that time of year again...?

Something that seems to have become an annual tradition, it's the last Sunday before Christmas and here's another Bad Santa selection, 25 tracks in just under an hour and cheaper than an inflatable reindeer to stick in your front garden.

I'll continue to post throughout the festive season and hopefully I will get to replying to your lovely comments...thanks for your patience!

1) Away In A Manger (Cover of traditional song): Josh T. Pearson (2011)

2) Last Christmas (Instrumental): Wham! (1984)

3) Holiday I.D.: Bullet Boys (1988)

4) Christmas Boogaloo: Big Boss Man (2000)

5) Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Single Edit): Boney M. (1979)

6) Blue Christmas (Remix): Dead Or Alive (2000)

7) One Christmas Catalogue: Captain Sensible (1984)

8) Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop): Adam Faith (1960)

9) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Cover of Darlene Love): Holiday Sidewinder (2018)

10) Frosty The Snowman (Cover of Gene Autry & The Cass County Boys): Cocteau Twins (1992)

11) Got A Cold In The Node For Christmas: Gayla Peevey (1954)

12) Back Door Santa: Clarence Carter (1968)

13) Xmas In Motherwell: The Plimptons (2011)

14) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Cover of Judy Garland): The Beths (2019)

15) All I Wants Is Truth For Christmas (Demo): The Anchoress (2024)

16) Eggknock: Jonwayne (2018)

17) Child's Christmas In Wales (Album Version): John Cale (1973)

18) Father Christmas (Cover of The Kinks): The Joyzine Christmas Band (2025)

19) It Will Still Be Christmas: The Boy Least Likely To (2020)

20) Christmas Ain't Christmas, New Years Ain't New Years Without The One You Love: The O'Jays (1973)

21) Christmas Alone: Yacht (2020)

22) Frosty The Snowman: Santa Sabbath (2015)

23) A Christmas Message From John & Yoko: John Lennon & Yoko Oko (1971)

24) Christmas Lullaby (Full Length Version): Shane MacGowan & The Popes (1996)

25) Seasons Greetings: Jonwayne (2018)

Bad Santa VIII (56:43) (GD) (M)

And, if you are a glutton for punishment, here are the previous Bad Santa selections from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017 and 2016. 

Links are currently inactive, but I will have them up and running in the next day or so...

It Goes Something Like This...

Zeus B. Held aka Bernd Held (see what he did there?) was born in 1950s, started as a musician in the 1970s and gained a reputation as a producer in the latter part of that decade, becoming a renowned remixer during the 1980s. Zeus is still going strong today, dividing time between Germany and England.

Today's selection is very firmly rooted in his 1980s remix work. I first discovered Zeus B. Held via his work with Fashion, producing and remixing their second album, Fabrique, in 1982. From there, Zeus popped up on albums and 12" singles by Alphaville, Dead Or Alive, Simple Minds, John Foxx, Men Without Hats and Spear Of Destiny.

Zeus' 1987 remix of Gary Numan's 1979 single Cars was a hit not once but twice. Whilst it couldn't match the original's #1 peak in the UK, it reached #16 in 1987 and #17 in 1996. The latter was relabeled the Premier Mix on the back of the song featuring in a lager commercial. 

Beggars Banquet, the label that re-released Cars in 1987 were obviously enamoured of Zeus B. Held's prodigious skills at the (re)mixing desk as, in a surprise move, he was also commissioned to produce three remixes of Hit The North by The Fall. Mark E. Smith's views at the time are lost in the mists of time and it likely divided fan opinion, then and now. Personally, I love them. 

Gina X aka Gina Kikoine proved to be a great foil for Zeus B. Held. No G.D.M. is an absolute classic which I've enthused about previously and present again in another version from the remixed and re-released single in 1985. Gina X makes a second appearance, providing guest vocals on Love Shadow by Fashion from 1982.

Whilst Sinful! by Pete Wylie is a deserved classic (and Zeus B. Held co-production), I've gone for the equally majestic Diamond Girl, featuring the fabulous Josie Jones. Sadly, the UK record buying public in 1986 disagreed. #57? Seriously?! Philistines!

From the last gasp of the 1980s, Win was formed by Davy Henderson, time-wise sitting roughly between his other bands The Fire Engines and The Nectarine No. 9. Unashamedly power pop, Win deserved greater commercial success than they had. Transvision Vamp achieved that success, albeit briefly, their first big hit in the UK being I Want Your Love, a #5 smash in June 1988. 

I had intended to pare the selection down to ten songs and one hour. I failed spectacularly. Instead, if you can spare just under ninety minutes, here are fourteen 12" bangers from the 1980s, remixed solely or collaboratively by Zeus B. Held. 

Enjoy!

 

1) Pop Goes The World (Dance Mix): Men Without Hats (1987)

2) What's Love If You Can Kill For Chocolate (12" Mix): Win (1989)

3) Sanity (The Roman Mix): Killing Joke (1986)

4) Ghostdancing (A Special Extended 12" Remix): Simple Minds (1986)

5) Never Take Me Alive (Extended Version): Spear Of Destiny (1987)

6) Big In Japan (Extended Remix): Alphaville (1984)

7) Diamond Girl (The Glorious Extended 7" Mix): Pete Wylie ft. The Fabulous Josie Jones (1986)

8) Cars (Extended 'E' Reg Model): Gary Numan (1987)

9) No G.D.M. (Extended): Gina X (1985)

10) What I Want (Dance Mix): Dead Or Alive (1984)

11) Hit The North (Part 4) (12" Remix): The Fall (1987)

12) Wings And A Wind (Extended Version): John Foxx (1983)

13) Love Shadow (Mutant Mix): Fashion ft. Gina X (1982)

14) I Want Your Love (I Don't Want Your Money Mix): Transvision Vamp (1988)

It Goes Something Like This... (1:29:29) (Box) (Mega)

Karaoke Kings

Side 2 of a mixtape, which I think was compiled around late 1996, possibly early 1997.

 

Time to usher the weekend with a few bottles of cheap Becks, salt & vinegar crisps, ripped seats, sticky carpets and the landlord's obsessive collection of novelty bottle openers glued to the upper skirt of the bar. Yes, it's Friday and it's karaoke time at your local spit 'n' sawdust bar.

1) Downtown (Album Version): The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu vs. Petula Clark (1988)

2) You Keep Me Hanging On (12" Version): Colourbox vs. The Supremes (1985)

3) She (Disco Mix): Vegas vs. Charles Aznavour (1992)

4) Brass In Pocket: Suede vs. The Pretenders (1992)

5) Lost In Music (Single Version): The Fall vs. Sister Sledge (1993)

6) The Slider: Gavin Friday vs. T. Rex (1995)

7) That's The Way (I Like It) (Extended Version By Zeus B. Held): Dead Or Alive vs. KC & The Sunshine Band (1984)

8) Black Betty: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds vs. Leadbelly (1986)

9) Zoom: The Boo Radleys vs. Fat Larry's Band (1994)

10) Emma: The Sisters Of Mercy vs. Hot Chocolate (1988)

11) California Dreamin': American Music Club vs. The Mamas & The Papas (1994)

 

1984: That's The Way (I Like It) EP: 7

1985: The Moon Is Blue EP: 2 

1986: The Singer EP: 8

1988: Dominion EP: 10

1988: Shag Times: 1 

1992: Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring Forty: 4

1992: She EP: 3

1993: Why Are People Grudgeful? EP: 5

1994: Barney (...And Me) EP: 9 

1994: Can You Help Me EP: 11

1995: Shag Tobacco: 6

Side Two (46:01) (Box) (Mega)