We're bumping up against all-out country music with this 1995 release. I steered away from this deliberately for years until my wife found it in a dollar store precisely because I've ruled out country from this site. But my conclusion is that there's enough rock to include it here; it's not too difficult to filter out the Okie in these guys from a lot of the cuts. They definitely tread hard on the line between rock and country, as seen in their cover of Buck Owens' "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy." And they sometimes fall off that line into straight country, as in the originals "Baby Wanna Be By You" and "The Shelter." Most of the tunes are original in fact, led by "The Santa Claus Boogie," "Jingle My Bells" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' (In a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)" in terms of good rockin' tunes, and if you like swing, there's "Swingin' Home For Christmas." The piano solo of "White Christmas" is a little different and would be at home on the Blue Xmas album. "Silent Night, Christmas Blue" closes the album with a medley of the classic and an original tune that is a stately stomper. A great country Christmas album, but rock fans will find some cuts of interest. The Tractors went Christmas in 2002 again with Big Night, and I imagine it's more of the same as this one. Bob Bailey concurs: "More rock and roll than the first. Includes some re-arranged covers ('Run Rudolph,' 'Santa Claus is Back in Town'), some country/western swing covers, and some originals. Worth the price for 'Bo Diddley Santa Claus,' in which Bo helps out by driving Santa's sleigh."
Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas, The Tractors (Arista)
We're bumping up against all-out country music with this 1995 release. I steered away from this deliberately for years until my wife found it in a dollar store precisely because I've ruled out country from this site. But my conclusion is that there's enough rock to include it here; it's not too difficult to filter out the Okie in these guys from a lot of the cuts. They definitely tread hard on the line between rock and country, as seen in their cover of Buck Owens' "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy." And they sometimes fall off that line into straight country, as in the originals "Baby Wanna Be By You" and "The Shelter." Most of the tunes are original in fact, led by "The Santa Claus Boogie," "Jingle My Bells" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' (In a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)" in terms of good rockin' tunes, and if you like swing, there's "Swingin' Home For Christmas." The piano solo of "White Christmas" is a little different and would be at home on the Blue Xmas album. "Silent Night, Christmas Blue" closes the album with a medley of the classic and an original tune that is a stately stomper. A great country Christmas album, but rock fans will find some cuts of interest. The Tractors went Christmas in 2002 again with Big Night, and I imagine it's more of the same as this one. Bob Bailey concurs: "More rock and roll than the first. Includes some re-arranged covers ('Run Rudolph,' 'Santa Claus is Back in Town'), some country/western swing covers, and some originals. Worth the price for 'Bo Diddley Santa Claus,' in which Bo helps out by driving Santa's sleigh."
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