Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Three Hundred Sixty-Four Days Filled with Doubt and Fear


It's a very nice thing indeed to collaborate with Blue Girl on these annual Christmas songs. In 2006, we did a very quiet, meditative, woody version of the Vince Guaraldi number, "Christmas Time Is Here"; for last year's project we acknowledged the Inner Rockabilly, doing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Keep this up, we'll have enough for an album.

The Viscount LaCarte suggested this year's tune. We go a long way back, he and I, in the Digital XTC Fan World -- nearly to its inception -- and he importuned us to work up a version of a novelty single XTC released in 1983 under the pseudonym The Three Wise Men and the Good Lord. It is a regular feature on the sorts of Christmas CD compilations that get played in shops and public places, and it never grows old for me. It's got a sweet sentimentality appropriate to the season, and hearing it simply makes me happy. What can I say? I'm a sucker for bubblegum.

Apple's update to Logic, their pro-level digital audio workstation, has brought the fabled Apple ease-of-use to what was once an insanely complicated interface. It was a joy to use it, and it was just as wonderful to use a borrowed Rickenbacker 12-string for the arpeggiated bits. While I was squirreling away in the studio, Blue Girl took a guide track in to a studio near her, blew the paint off the walls, and sent me the result. Drop the resulting file into my audio bed, and presto! Instant X-Muss Joy. As always, Glue Birl's fabulous husband The Skimmer supplied the witty artwork.

Without further fuss, then, here it is...

Thanks for Christmas (pops).

16 comments:

The Viscount LaCarte said...

Dear God, it's good. Suffice it to say I'm not among the disappointed. This tune is a garden of earthly delights.

EmployeeoftheMonth said...

Thank you for the slice o' sweet.

EmployeeoftheMonth said...

Much, much better than:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg7uGL6Ku20

Anonymous said...

"Dear God, it's good." What do you say after that! Nice job Neddie and Blue. And to all a good night!

Anonymous said...

LOL, Employee! :)

I hope I was a little "springier" than the one on the left.

J. Andrew Boyle said...

Yay! Now I am almost ready for Xmas.

Wren said...

*laughing and clapping hands* Oh, this is wonderful, Glue Birl and Nedsome, just wonderful. I was hoping you two would meld talents and sing us into Christmas again this year! Bravo! Encore!

And Merry Christmas to you!

Anonymous said...

Yummy Figgy Pudding.

Thanks much, xoxo!

Andre said...

Thanks for this Christmas present! It's such a shame it's only one song every year.

Anonymous said...

Loverly!! Sounds like a difficult melody for Glue Birl to sing, but my! She kicked it beautifully! You all did! Nice job!

Happy happy, merry, merry to all!

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

O Neddie and BG, this is so good.

You're gonna hate me for saying this Jeddie old sock, but I think I prefer the Vocal Godzilla's work on this song to Partridge's...

Unknown said...

Blows Gunther away, and you didn't even need the little doggie. As far as I know.
You should be thinking about Arbor Day, Flag Day. I mean, this thing is in there, and it just has to get out.

Anonymous said...

I hope y'all keep doing these for a long, long time...it's becoming one of my favorite parts of Christmas!

Ganeshamd said...

"364 days full of doubt and fear"??? I love it thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hey everyone, go give Larry's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" a listen. Pretty, pretty.

Anonymous said...

That is so lovely. The music is unabashedly pretty and ornamental. It captures perfectly the innocence of the season.