Music review: Cheap Trick – ‘Christmas Christmas’
It’s certainly beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas. And as is tradition, I am delivering my annual Christmas music review for the holidays.
Now’s the time for the Christmas decorations to go up and the official start of my holiday music marathon. With over 200 Christmas albums comfortably stored in my holiday music catalog, a marathon aptly describes the holiday soundtrack that will play around the clock throughout my family’s home during the next several weeks. I’ve already added 15 new albums from this year’s releases that are ready to take their spin in the rotation.
This year’s featured selection is from a band that is near and dear to my heart. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, Cheap Trick is truly one of my favorite bands. You can imagine my excitement when the Illinois rockers released their first-ever Christmas album.
With “Christmas Christmas,” the quartet gives the holiday an enthusiastic makeover with a spirited set of seasonal sentiments guaranteed to get the blood flowing for those long stretches of shopping and visitations.
“Merry Christmas Darlings” is one of three original numbers with frontman Robin Zander merrily singing, “It lifts me up this time of year/When hearts are full of yuletide cheer/So Merry Christmas darlings/Merry Christmas everyone now.” And so it begins.
From there, the band jumps into rousing covers of Wizzard’s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” and the Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz penned “I Wish It Was Christmas Today.”
Other reworked offerings include the Kinks’ “Father Christmas,” Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody” and the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight).”
Additional noteworthy covers include “Please Come Home for Christmas,” “Run Rudolph Run” and “Silent Night.”
As much as I love the numerous guitar-driven tracks, the moment that clearly stands out is Zander’s performance on the touching Harry Nilsson arrangement “Remember Christmas.”
“Our Father of Life” is another original tune with a soaring choir that gracefully captures the true focus of the holiday.
The title track brings the festivities to an exhilarating close by reminding us that Christmas is a time for family, friends and cheer.
This holiday season, remember to take time out to relax with a cup of hot chocolate by a cozy fire and count the various blessings received throughout the year. For me, it’s the perfect time to feel like a kid again.
Merry Christmas!
Clint Rhodes is the Herald-Standard music reviewer. He can be reached at clinton43@me.com.