*** Various Artists -- A Rock'n'Roll Christmas
It seems that, while almost every country musician puts out a Christmas album, most rock stars don't pay much homage to the season. I suppose that it has something to do with the differences in attitude towards religion in the two genres, but I miss good Christmas music that rocks out. This CD is passable, but contains a bunch of guys I hate (like Elton John and Jon Bon Jovi), some guys I kind of like, but who turn in really bad efforts (Bob Seger, the Kinks, the Moody Blues), and the rest is okay. In particular, I like Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "I Believe In Father Christmas" and Billy Squire's "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" (the one he sang on that MTV clip about ten years ago). My favorite rock Christmas song (not included here, of course), remains "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from Jethro Tull's 1978 live album "Bursting Out".
Review by A. D. Jensen
