Rockin' Christmas Party Vol. 1, various artists (DMI)

This is a roster of 60s pop-rockers who made a fresh album of Christmas tunes in 2004. It's produced by Ron Dante, the lead voice of The Archies and The Cuff Links, with the instrumental help of Ted Perlman on all instruments. Ron gets the lion's share of mic time here with four tunes, including what appears to be three originals (no songwriter credits listed here) along with a modernized take on the Spector arrangement of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Gary Lewis does faithful covers of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Holly Jolly Christmas," Chris Montez syncopates "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Bobby Vee does "Home For the Holidays" and "Peace on Earth," and Tommy Roe manages a modern-sounding "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." These folks were more on the pop side even at the height of their popularity, but I'm guessing they still have fans who will enjoy this a lot. For the rest of you, I will note that these performances have a bit more of a Broadway or Vegas sheen to them than some folks might like. But it's still a good cut above a lot of other similar efforts from yesteryear rockers.