This popular Christmas double album is released on Jeepster in collaboration with the charity War Child UK and will be available on vinyl and digitally for the first time ever on 26th November 2021.
The original intention back in 2000, when the album was first released, was to raise money for a worthy charity. Artists who we knew would understand the spirit of the album were approached and were given one of three choices: they could cover a Christmas standard, jingle up one of their existing songs or donate an original song about Christmas.
The artists all responded in their own way. Snow Patrol, Calexico and Giant Sand all recorded brand new songs, and Teenage Fanclub recorded their version of a Gorky’s track. Low recorded their own song shortly before contributing it to this compilation and the track has since become an indie classic, and Gorky’s, Belle & Sebastian & The Dandy Warhols all recorded their own version of a well-known classic. Grandaddy stamped their own lyrical bent onto the standard Winter Wonderland, whilst El Vez gave ‘Public Image’ a Christmas makeover, and Departure Lounge made a video of ‘Christmas Downer’ with a happy ending whilst busking outside Poundland. It was The Flaming Lips who went first however, with their own version of White Christmas. Their announcement of their own Christmas album was the initial inspiration for 'It’s A Cool, Cool Christmas' back in 2000; their version of White Christmas is marked (demo for Tom Waits); they were envisaging guest appearances from other artists. Morgan’s father, Billy Nicholls who has appeared on albums with The Small Faces, The Faces and The Who, plays saxophone on his track. The Webb Brothers had planned to record a song with their father, the legendary Jimmy Webb but opted to cover a song by their friend, Kevin Junior.
Many consider this collection of songs to be the definitive indie Christmas album and Jeepster have received regular requests for its re-release over the years and coincidentally is a compilation of twenty-one songs re-released after twenty-one years.
The track listing is as follows:
Side A
- GRANDADDY - Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland
- THE DANDY WARHOLS - Little Drummer Boy
- THE WEBB BROTHERS - Every Day Is Christmas
- EELS - Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
- EL VEZ - Feliz Navi-nada
- MORGAN - Christmas In Waikiki
Side B
- DRUGSTORE - Maybe At Christmas Time
- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - O Come, O Come Emmanuel
- GIANT SAND - Thank You Dreaded Black Ice, Thank You
- THE FLAMING LIPS - White Christmas (demo for Tom Waits)
- SAINT ETIENNE - My Christmas Prayer
Side C
- DEPARTURE LOUNGE - Christmas Downer
- SIX BY SEVEN - I Believe In Father Christmas
- SNOW PATROL - When I Get Home For Christmas
- TITAN - Spiritual Guidance
- BIG BOSS MAN - Christmas Boogaloo
Side D
- TEENAGE FANCLUB - Christmas Eve
- CALEXICO - Gift X-change
- GORKY’S ZYGOTIC MYNCI - Hwiangerdd Mair
- LOW - Just Like Christmas
- LAUREN LAVERNE - In The Bleak Midwinter
Contact our Media team
Notes to the Editor:
'It's A Cool Cool Christmas' was originally released on 20th November 2000 on CD only, in collaboration with Xfm for The Big Issue charity.
About War Child UK
War Child UK is the only specialist charity for children affected by conflict. For more than two decades they’ve been driven by a single goal – for no child’s life to be torn apart by war. They aim to reach children as early as possible when conflict breaks out and stay to support them through their recovery – keeping them safe, helping them learn and cope with their experiences, and equipping them with skills for the future. They understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution and campaign for changes to policies and practices to support children in conflict, working with children and young people themselves to demand their rights. Together with their partners they deliver vital, life-saving work in 15 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America. In 2019 alone, they reached over 100,000 children.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warchilduk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarChildUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warchilduk/
Charity number: 1071659
