Over the past few weeks, artists have been unleashing a blizzard of Christmas covers. From live tapings to unexpected albums, these holiday presents came in all shapes and sizes. We kept up as best we could (see ‘em all here), but so many came in we couldn’t possibly post them all. So instead, we collected our favorite Christmas covers from this year in a special mixtape.
This 60-minute tape, which you can download or stream below, mixes the classics with the obscure. It includes refreshingly original covers of famous hymns and unexpected runs through buried nuggets. It finds indie up-and-comers mingling with longtime favorites.
In the spirit of giving, all these songs were released for free by the artists. Perfect for a lavish holiday party or a quiet night around the fire, these covers feel fresh but familiar. Play the tape Christmas Eve during that late-night Macy’s run or Christmas Day while assembling the latest gizmo. Play it to pump you up before opening presents or to calm you down when dealing with bickering relatives. Download/stream it below alongside the full tracklist.
From all of us at Cover Me: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes for the New Year! See you in 2011.
Stream: Cover Me’s Christmas Mixtape
Tracklist:
01. Westwood & Willow – Frosty the Snowman
02. Catwalk – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
03. Superchunk – Child’s Christmas in Wales (John Cale cover)
04. Robbers on High Street – The Rocking Disco Santa Claus (The Sisterhood cover)
05. 11 Acorn Lane – Auld Lang Syne
06. Trapper Shoepp & the Shades – Blue Christmas
07. The Puppini Sisters – Last Christmas (Wham! cover)
08. Mayer Hawthorne – Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi Trio cover)
09. Banjo or Freakout – Christmas Day (Beach Boys cover)
10. Dan Zimmerman – Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
11. R.E.M. – Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) (Darlene Love cover)
12. Scott Miller – Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
13. Sufjan Stevens – Silent Night
14. The Weisstronauts – Jingle Bells
15. Madison – Santa Baby
16. Amani Starnes – Mistletoe and Holly (Frank Sinatra cover)
17. Summer Camp – Christmas Wrapping (The Waitresses cover)
18. The Shants – Please Come Home for Christmas (Charles Brown cover)
19. Ortolan – O Holy Night
20. Scott Lucas and the Married Men ft. Rowlf the Dog – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Cover Me’s Christmas Mixtape is one long mp3? 20 songs strung together into a 58 minute single mp3?? It would be cool, but can you please fix this and make it link to a zip file with 20 individual songs inside?
mmm I was wondering what R.E.M. have been up to, Christmas fan club single-wise. Thanks for this! Goodness abounds (the Puppinis’ is the only version of that song I can stomach…)
Ray! Thanks for including The Shants on such a stellar collection of holiday sounds. We’re honored!
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