Christmas Party Playlist

[Rob McCow]

We've been asked at work to provide 'requests' for tunes for this year's Christmas Party. In previous years, I've found it easy to make suggestions, but I'm feeling a bit self-conscious this year.

What tunes do you think would be appropriate for a Christmas bash? What tunes have gone down well in the past? Is it possible that Phill Collins and Genesis haven't actually released anything even vaguely Christmassy?

[Paul Monk]

If you don't want to be too obvious but also not too obscure and miserable I'd recommend anything off of A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector. Only Silent night is dodgy. It also means you can be cool in a motowny geeky "Listen to the arrangements on that!" kind of way whilst those people not bothered about the art of music can still get off their nuts and dance to it!

[Dirk Gently]

How about Malcolm Middleton's Christmas song 'We're All Gonna Die' to round the evening off with?

[SiHart]

Go on, suggest It Was Just Like Christmas by Low! Dares you!

Oh ok, I'd go for December Will Be Magic Again, because Kate Bush is kind of cool and it's a great song.

And as for non- Christmassy songs, I'd go for Dancing Queen, because you watch, it'll fill the dance floor. It always does.

Si xx

[Simon R]

It was the music from Hades at my work's Christmas do the other night. And it was a professional DJ doing the music. The cheesiest wedding sort of party songs like "YMCA", "Macarena" and DJ Twatzo or whatever it is. It was all pure Harlow and I was not amused. That was for the dancing and for the sit down dinner (to make it sound more fancy than it was) was jaw achingly awful ballads.

These ballads included that well known Christmas anthem "Amazing Grace" ("it's enough to make you slash your wrists" piped someone) and "Walking In The Air" but not the Aled Jones version, hell no, but none other than HaRpi's own demonic sprout faced urchin Declan.

So don't play those!

[P-Bal]

I'm usually drunk and controversial at such gatherings. It's bizarre how well Reach For The Stars by S Club Seven, Tragedies by Steps and Stop Right Now (Thank You Very Much) by The Spice Girls go down well.

It's all in the routine.

[Simon R]

Not one of those songs or groups wot you mentioned got played the other night. Not even one!

Not one Britney, not one Madonna, not one solo Michael Jackson. We got "You Can Dance" by Abba and "I'm Spinning Around (Move Out Of My Way)" by Astrid and a lost Black Eyed Peas mash up thing with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" and that was it for icons!

Plus during the meal we got those festive classics "Islands In The Stream" and "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" which some poor old dear thought was by Carly Simon.

I think not Stackyard!

[P-Bal]

I hope you looked down your nose with aplomb.

[Simon R]

I did. It was a hideous mixed thing with lots of people from other firms an 't'ing and I was the (second) youngest man there and the rest of the people (not from my place obviously!) were like something from "The Hills Have Eyes". There was a peroxide old slapper with tatoos and a boob tube dress that clearly thought she was Victoria Beckham when she was more like Victoria Station after a very vomitty Saturday night.

[Pip Madeley]

Is it possible that Phill Collins and Genesis haven't actually released anything even vaguely Christmassy?

The only Christmas song Genesis ever did was 'Snowbound' from 1978's "...And Then There Were Three". Not the sort of song you'd play at a Christmas do, mind.

What tunes do you think would be appropriate for a Christmas bash?

Here's what's on my playlist:

Aled Jones - Walking In The Air.mp3
Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3
Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3
Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3
Beavis and Butthead - 12 Days of Christmas.mp3
Bo Selecta - Proper Crimbo.mp3
Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.mp3
Cliff Richard - Mistletoe and Wine.mp3
Cliff Richard - Saviour's Day.mp3
Coldplay - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.mp3
David Bowie & Bing Crosby - (Peace On Earth) Little Drummer Boy.mp3
Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!.mp3
Diana Ross - This Christmas.mp3
East 17 - Stay Another Day.mp3
Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.mp3
Girls Aloud - See The Day.mp3
John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over).mp3
Keane - White Christmas.mp3
Kim Weston - Wish You A Merry Christmas.mp3
Kylie Minogue - Santa Baby.mp3
Lisa Loeb - Jingle Bells.mp3
Luther Vandross - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.mp3
Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You.mp3
Marilyn Monroe - Santa Baby.mp3
Mel Smith & Kim Wilde - Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.mp3
Mud - Lonely This Christmas.mp3
Nat King Cole - Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire.mp3
Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmas Time.mp3
Polar Express - When Christmas Comes To Town.mp3
Queen - Thank God It's Christmas.mp3
Richard Cheese - Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
Richard Cheese - Jingle Bells.mp3
Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis.mp3
Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone.mp3
Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody.mp3
The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight).mp3
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Christmas Everyday.mp3
The Four Tops - Merry Christmas Baby.mp3
The Supremes - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.mp3
The Temptations - Everything For Christmas.mp3
The Temptations - Silent Night.mp3
The Temptations - White Christmas.mp3
Tony Bennett - Christmas Medley.mp3
Wham! - Last Christmas.mp3
Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.mp3

I'm missing a few classics there, I'll need to go on iTunes in the week...

[Si Hunt]

"Minnie & Santa" by Cyndi Lauper is the way to go. It'll have them linking arms and shouting out the lyrics in the isles!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3
Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3
Band Aid II - Do They Know It's Christmas.mp3

Good grief! They really will know it's Christmas after that!

White Mountain from Trespass is also a Genesis song that features snow.

Here's what the girls at work suggested:

MC Hammer - Can't touch this (OK...)
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
Pixies - Here comes your man (How indie!)
Scissor sisters - don't feel like dancing
Chesney hawkes - I am the one and only
Lulu - shout
Nolans - I'm in the mood for dancing (Let that fight it out with the Scissor sisters)
Amerie - Gotta Work

Deelite - Groove is in the Heart (argh!)
Take That - Relight my fire (far better)
Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
Linonel Richie - Dancing on the ceiling (gah!)
Gina G - Just a little bit
Big Fun - Blame it on the Boogie
Barry White - My first, my last, my everything
The Clash - Rock the cashbah
The jacksons - Shake your body down
Mud - Tiger feet

So that's a bang up to date list then!

[SiHart]

Pixies - Here comes your man (How indie!)

Some good suggestions there!

Si xx

[Paul Monk]

Do they Know its Christmas is one of direst, miserable christmas songs ever! Except for the Planet Skaro version of course!

[Pip Madeley]

It's got great drums though!

[Paul Monk]

Yeah. They were done by that bloke from the Police weren't they?

[Pip Madeley]

Watch it.

[Paul Monk]

Ooops sorry. Silly me. It was the bloke from Bros wasn't it?

[Pip Madeley]

Thin ice, my friend.

[Rob McCow]

Is the arrangement of the song the same on all the different versions - is it just the singers that change?

[Pip Madeley]

Well the recent one had a rap added in by Dizzie Rascal...