By semi-popular demand, we’re re-upping this 75-song mix of alternative Christmas music we cooked up in 2017. Below you’ll find a wide selection of classic alternative acts performing old standards and holiday-themed originals (and, sure, some that might be a just a bit of stretch).
That’s a whopping four hours of Christmas cheer, all streaming below via Mixcloud.
Oh, and a note for listeners: Though much of this mix features somewhat standard holiday fare, it’s not all entirely family friendly, and there is some adult language here and there.
And yes, there’s a song that got repeated, though under two different artist names. See if you can find it.
With that, enjoy…
Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Christmas Megamix
1. Ramones, “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”
2. Miracle Legion, “Little Drummer Boy”
3. R.E.M., “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
4. Kate Bush, “December Will Be Magic Again”
5. Alex Chilton, “The Christmas Song”
6. XTC, “Thanks for Christmas”
7. Al Jourgensen, “It’s Always Christmas Time”
8. Wayne Hussey, “White Christmas”
9. Alien Sex Fiend, “Stuff the Turkey”
10. 45 Grave, “The Snow Miser Song”
11. Erasure, “She Won’t Be Home”
12. Squeeze, “Christmas Day”
13. The Fall, “Jingle Bell Rock”
14. The Smithereens, “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
15. R.E.M., “Christmas Griping”
16. The dB’s, “Feliz Navidad”
17. X, “Jingle Bells”
18. Iggy Pop, “White Christmas”
19. Bad Religion, “O Come All Ye Faithful”
20. Cocteau Twins, “Frosty the Snowman”
21. Eurthymics, “Winter Wonderland”
22. U2, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
23. The Pogues, “Fairytale of New York”
24. Sinead O’Connor, “Silent Night”
25. The Alarm, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”
26. The Waitresses, “Christmas Wrapping” (Long Version)
27. The Pretenders, “2,000 Miles”
28. Tommy Tutone, “867-5309 (Jenny)” (Christmas Version)
29. XTC, “Always Winter, Never Christmas”
30. Poly Styrene, “Black Christmas”
31. Johnny Marr & The Healers, “Free Christmas”
32. R.E.M., “Christmas Time is Here”
33. Miracle Legion, “Linus and Lucy”
34. The Dickies, “Silent Night”
35. Hüsker Dü, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
36. Stiff Little Fingers, “White Christmas” (Live)
37. The Fall, “(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas”
38. Cocteau Twins, “Winter Wonderland”
39. Pet Shop Boys, “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas” (New Version)
40. Erasure, “Silver Bells”
41. Throwing Muses, “Santa Claus”
42. The Flaming Lips, “White Christmas” (Live at WXPN)
43. Sonic Youth, “Santa Doesn’t Cop Out On Dope”
44. The Steriles, “Mrs. Clause Has Menopause”
45. The Wedding Present, “Step Into Christmas”
46. R.E.M., “Good King Wenceslas”
47. Book of Love, “We Three Kings”
48. Depeche Mode, “Christmas Island”
49. Alison Moyet, “The Coventry Carol”
50. Erasure, “Silent Night”
51. Wall of Voodoo, “Shouldn’t Have Given Him a Gun for Christmas”
52. Three Wise Men, “Thanks for Christmas”
53. The dB’s, “Christmas Time”
54. The Primitives, “You Trashed My Christmas”
55. UK Subs, “Hey Santa Claus!”
56. The Damned, “There Ain’t No Sanity Clause”
57. Captain Sensible, “One Christmas Catalogue”
58. R.E.M., “Ghost Reindeer in the Sky”
59. Marshall Crenshaw, “Lonely Christmas”
60. The Pretenders, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
61. Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant”
62. The Cure, “Happy Christmas Everybody” (Live)
63. Bad Religion, “White Christmas”
64. The Popular Front, “A Puppy For Christmas”
65. The Fall, “No Xmas for John Quays”
66. They Might Be Giants, “Santa Claus”
67. Bad Manners, “Christmas Time Again”
68. XTC, “Countdown to Christmas Party Time”
69. Billy Idol, “Jingle Bell Rock”
70. The Payolas, “Christmas is Coming”
71. Marc Almond, “Christmas in Vegas”
72. Galaxie 500, “Listen, The Snow is Falling”
73. The Replacements, “Bundle Up” (Demo)
74. R.E.M., “Silver Bells”
75. David Bowie and Bing Crosby, “Little Drummer Boy”
Too much REM and not one Low song? Just Like Christmas is a classic. Coal for you.
R.E.M. sent out holiday singles every year to its fan base. They’re just going to have more availability holiday songs due to that alone.
Ramones top the list. Yeah
Ho, ho, ho…there’s actually THREE songs that get repeated, under SEVEN different artists names as far as I can tell. Work out that weird maths!
Stuff the Turkey!
OMG YES.
I’m just glad The Cocteau Twins made it into this mix.
That was the first one I looked for :)
It needs Cristina – Things Fall Apart.
My favourite Christmas song.
I’d add Merry Christmas From the Family covered by Jill Sobule
Loving The Alarm and Alison Moyet. But why are you called Slicing Up Eyeballs? Brunel reference? It sounds sinister…
Aye, Brunel, via Frank Black.
I think you mean Buñuel, via Pixies reference in the song “Debaser”.
no “alternative” x-mas song list is complete without “things fall apart” by cristina.
also, “Israel” by Siouxsie & the Banshees.
It must have been difficult to resist the urge to dump all of Erasure’s “Snow Globe” on there. Why do those two like Christmas music so much?!? Haha
The Yobs Christmas Album should be all over this list.
Thank you for putting this list together. Merry Christmas.
Some armchair quarterback playlist sugget:
Santa’s Beard would have been a better They Might Be Giants choice.
U2’s version of The Kink’s Father Christmas
Low-Just Like Christmas
Band-Aid – Do They Know…
Billy Idol – Xmas Love
Twisted Sister- Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Danny Elfman – What’s This
To whomever asked about “Slicing up eyeballs:
Got me a movie
I want you to know
Slicing up eyeballs
I want you to know
Girlie so groovy
I want you to know
Don’t know about you
But I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
Wanna grow up to be
Be a debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Got me a movie
Ha ha ha ho
Slicing up eyeballs
Ha ha ha ho
Girlie so groovie
Ha ha ha ho
Don’t know about you
But I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Debaser
Love me some Pixies
I love Cocteau Twins, “Frosty the Snowman”. Sorry I’ve never heard this before. Listened a thousand times today.
The Greedies.. Phil Lynott and the Sex Pistols. Belongs on everyone’s list.
How could you leave out Fear’s classic, “Fuck Christmas”? I mean, at 50 seconds, what’s the harm!!!
Great list. But the omission on Joan Jett’s little drummer boy is unforgivable.
where is ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ by the Pretenders? that cover is bloody brilliant!
I second that suggestion on Cristina’s “Things Fall Apart”. Totally brilliant, catchy and reflects a lot of people holiday experience.
Absolutely brilliant listening! Took me right through the holiday’s. Thanks so much, made my vacation all that more enjoyable!
A brilliant festive selection, and a real pleasure to listen to over the holidays. Thanks so much, put the cherry on my vacation.
The Kinks– Father Christmas!
yes, one of the best ones
You missed “Just Like Christmas” by Low. Major oversight!
This is always such a joy! Thank you for curating a perfect list!
Can’t be a compete list without The Pogues Christmas in New York.
Not one selection off 1991’s classic alternative Christmas comp “Yuletunes”? Shame on you. https://www.allmusic.com/album/yuletunes-mw0000275185
What about Lemmy’s cover Run Run Rudolph? Or Slade’s Merry Christmas Everbody, or the more obscure 4 Skins cover of that Slade song?
Absolutely LOVE that you included so many REM songs!!
Your missing Suggs singing Sleigh Ride! And Fred Schneider’s Fruitcake! And what? No Aimee Mann? Unforgivable! Try her version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!
Finding this Christmas Themed compilation…PRICELESS! The BEST Christmas present ever!!!
I think that some people who are complaining don’t seem to get what this particular site/Facebook group is all about. As they freely advertise, it’s about alternative rock from the 1980s. Low wasn’t a band until 1993, so they obviously don’t count. Slade and The Kinks were both back in the ’70s. Yeah, R.E.M. is on here a lot, but that’s because (like the Beatles) they recorded a special Christmas single for their fan club every year.
No “All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit”?
No “Last Christmas” or “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Do you even 80s??!!
Blue Nile Christmas should feature.
I suppose New Order’s Ode to Joy (from the 1982 Merry Xmas from the Hacienda flexi), or Robert Fripp’s 1979 (I know, I know, it’s not 80’s!) version of Silent Night (also on a flexi) might be a bit too much for some. And maybe Blondie w/ Fab Five Freddie’s ’82 Yuletown Throwdown might be a bit too mainstream (though The Brattles and Snuky Tate were also on that flexi). But still…
Raveonettes got snubbed :( Should have started with the bands/songs from the “maybe this christmas” compilation?
Wtf is DEAD OR ALIVE’s “Blue Christmas”?!?!?!
I would add Dillon Fence’s “Christmas”.
No BandAid????????????? Do they know it’s Christmas?
XTC #6 and three wise men #52 are duplicates. Replace with squeeze – Christmas Day.
76. The Joy Formidable – “My Beerdrunk Soul Is Sadder Than A Hundred Dead Christmas Trees”. And a fellow TJF superfan writes for this blog, nod nod wink wink.
My friend Brett used to put Lou Reed’s “Xmas in February” on his Christmas playlist, a perverse and brilliant choice. LOU!!!!!
Great list, thanks for compiling! Man, there are so many others for a Part Deux – just a few off the top of my head:
Whirling Dervishes, You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
The Jazz Butcher, Christmas With the Pygmies
Tom Waits & Peter Murphy, Christmas Sucks
TMBG, Santa’s Beard
The Housemartins, Mercy (or Caravan of Love)
I get why there’s so much REM, but you could break it up with Sting, Sarah McLachlan, U2, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Heather Nova, New Order, Chris Isaak and the Cranes.
Also should lose the few a stretches, like Depeche Mode’s Christmas Island. Or just go abstract- like I would include Cloudberry by the Cure because it always reminds me of Christmas.
Why did you not include Fishbone?
My kids and I heard a song once on the radio. I want to say it was a local college station. But the chorus was “Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, pick up all the sh*t around my Christmas tree.” I have been looking for the song ever since. This would have been the late 00s, early 10s. Any ideas?