Santa Nog

More festive toddy's today.

We're gonna reach back 3 years and offer up a couple of tunes that proved to be the runaway favorites in our very first Holiday Extravaganza over at the parent site. A very special gift especially for you

Rockabilly rabble-rousers The Rimshots are a little peeved at Old Saint Nick. Seems he's been dipping into the liquor cabinet.

While living in Denver, I saw Western swingsters, The Dalhart Imperials more times than I can count. Here, they'd like to talk about Old Man Spivey's special recipe for Holiday joy.

Skol!

Rimshots: Santa Stole My Whiskey (mp3)

Dalhart Imperials: Old Man Spivey's Eggnog (mp3)

Support your local liquor cabinet this joyous Yuletide.

Christmas Still

Another fine libation for you Holiday revels.

The Minus 5 are no strangers to tunes with an alcohol bent. Led by Scott McCaughey, formerly of the seminal Young Fresh Fellows, and featuring a revolving cast of musicians from Peter Buck and Robert Pollard to Jeff Tweedy, among many others, The Minus 5 have dipped their collective toes into many a moonshine still.

Here, The Minus 5 tell us exactly how to turn those Holiday blahs into a twirling cascade of happy, dancing lights. Hint: it comes in a bottle, and no prescription is needed.

Salut!

The Minus 5: Your Christmas Whiskey (mp3)

Please support your local distillery.

Gin and Juice Santa

Sheesh it's been awhile. We've been busy with The Big Rock Candy Mountain Holiday Extravaganza. But we haven't forgotten about the ole Barstool Mountain, no sir.

As a matter of fact, we're gonna mirror our main site for the next two weeks, making Barstool Mountain another must go place for Holiday music. With a twist. Of lime or lemon. We at Barstool Mountain are giving you all the Holiday drinking songs you need to get you through the Season. Daily!

We'll kick things off today with a little booze-sodden weepie from Truckin' giant and serial cheese merchantRed Sovine. Red's having a few martini's to get him through a lonely Christmas Eve. The trailer park living room church organ only adds to the misery.

Slainte

Red Sovine: Here It Is Christmas (mp3)

Support your local, independent liquor store this Holiday season.

Smokey The Bar

Damn.

Sad news.

We lost Hank Thompson.

I'm continuing a post from over at Big Rock Candy Mountain, where I have a longer tribute to the great man, and one of our all time favorites at the Mountains. Head on over and read it, if you're so inclined.

Thompson placed three songs in The Big Rock Candy Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs, and could easily have had more. He was one of the great practitioners of the Country suds 'n' bubbles tradition, possibly only bested by George Jones.

You're only half a drinker if you haven't spent a late evening with a bottle and Thompson's classic album "A Six Pack To Go".

On this site, I'll let Hank's music speak for itself. Below we've got his three songs from the Top 100, and a bonus.

Raise a toast for Hank, then. A great big glass.


Hank Thompson: A Six Pack To Go (mp3)

Hank Thompson: On Tap, In The Can, Or In The Bottle (mp3)


Hank Thompson: Hangover Tavern (mp3)

Hank Thompson: Smoky The Bar (mp3)

Please support your local, independent Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor.

Barstool Super Hits

Howdy.

Took a wee sabbatical, didn't we? Couldn't pull ourselves away from the neon lights or sumsuch to post.

Actually we had some issues with Blogger on our parent site which caused us to reevaluate a bit. But Big Rock Candy Mountain is back (and that link is safe to click), and so is Barstool Mountain.

To celebrate, we're offering up a mix MP3 of the Top 20 Drinking Songs as voted on by yours truly. This is not the Top 20 of the final Top 100 Drinking Songs, as presented by the panel of judges, but my own personal Top 20. Confused? Lost in an alcoholic daze? Never you mind then. Just enjoy 20 fine songs of vice, perfect for your next house party.

Regular posting will resume next week. Really. We swear on a stack of PBR cans.

Link to MP3 follows the track listing.


Barstool Super Hits

1(20). The Piano Has Been Drinking(Not Me)(Tom Waits)
2(19). Whiskey Do Your Stuff (Louis Jordan)
3(18). Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter)
4(17). Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down (Merle Haggard)
5(16). Pass The Booze (Ernest Tubb)
6(15). Whiskey In The Jar (The Dubliners w/The Pogues)
7(14). Bubbles In My Beer (Bob Wills)
8(13). Barstool Mountain (Johnny Paycheck)
9(12). Bad Bad Whiskey (Amos Milburn)
10(11). Quiet Whiskey (Wynonie Harris)
11(10). Don't Come Home A Drinkin'(With Lovin' On Your Mind) (Loretta Lynn)
12(9). One More For My Baby(And One More For The Road) (Frank Sinatra)
13(8). Whiskey You're The Devil (The Clancy Brothers)
14(7). Little Ole Wine Drinker Me (Dean Martin)
15(6). Chug A Lug (Roger Miller)
16(5). One Scotch One Bourbon One Beer (Amos Milburn)
17(4). Don't Take My Whiskey Away From Me (Wynonie Harris)
18(3). White Lightnin' (George Jones)
19(2). Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Stick McGhee)
20(1). There's A Tear In My Beer (Hank Williams)

Barstool Super Hits (mp3)

Please support your local, independent brewery.

Paging Mr. Sandman

Yes, another voice making itself heard here at Barstool Mountain. I'm Sean, one of the judges on the original panel. My usual homes are Deadly Tango and the Malt & Barley Chronicles, but I've been meaning to chime in here more frequently.

Today's contribution is a song that I remembered too late to make it part of the entire judging process therefore leaving it just outside the Top 100. Treat Her Right was a leading light in the rebirth of the Boston blues-rock scene in the late 1980s. Mark Sandman and Billy Conway went on to be the driving forces behind Morphine, who went on to have a good deal more success outside of Boston (though they never quite clicked for me).

THR's trademark sound was dark, swampy, languid, and thick. Their first big hit on Boston radio was this selection, I Think She Likes Me (#113) It takes a social interaction at the local tavern into unexpected (though not unfamiliar) territory, and is well worth your time.

Treat Her Right: I Think She Likes Me (mp3)

Honkytonk Angels

Music to follow, but first an announcement.

As many of you have noticed, since you most likely came here from there, my main site, Big Rock Candy Mountain has had a few...problems...over the past week. I got hijacked, and Blogger has completely cocked up the situation. The site is now on it's fourth owner, and is a virulent site. Please do not go there anymore (you may notice I'm not providing a link). Luckily, I've managed to recover the blog itself, and moved it to a new address, Big Rock Candy Mountain (www.therealbigrockcandymountain.blogspot.com). The name's still the same, the content is still the same, but the address is slightly different. I have given up trying to recover the original URL. It's been an exercise in futility. If you have linked to me at the old address, please update your links. The link to Big Rock Candy Mountain on the sidebar has been updated also, so you can now click on it with confidence. I'll have a new, real post up on Friday. I'm sorry for the inconvenience this has caused anyone.

Now, on to the music.

Fats Domino's "Whiskey Heaven" came in at #66 on the Big Rock Candy Mountain/Barstool Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs List. It's been moving up my personal favorites list for awhile now.

Essentially Fats doing Country, the song lopes in a lazy rolling piano and steel guitar haze. I think it's virtually impossible for Domino's voice to actually twang, being a boogie woogie R&B man, but his phrasing is dead-on honkytonk bar ballad. It's a swell little number, finding that spot of paradise in a bottle. It also features one of my favorite lines in song: "Flyin' high with honkey-tonk angels in whiskey heaven."

Every afternoon when I wake up
I say a little prayer and I drink up
I thank the lord for driving me home
Once more

There's an open bottle on the table
And an empty bottle on the floor
Last night I thought I'd died
And I went to Whiskey Heaven

You know the sun never shines in Whiskey Heaven
It rains Jack Daniels all the time
There's a price you pay, hang overs everyday
Flyin' high with honkey tonk angels in Whiskey Heaven

There's a run down bar, it's a open all night
When me and my friends can get tight
Underneath the neon lights
In Whiskey Heaven

Well we drank a little beer and wine
We stay drunk most of the time
We're always raisin' hell all night
In Whiskey Heaven

You know the sun never shines in Whiskey Heaven
It rains Jack Daniels all the time
There's a price you pay, hang overs everyday
Flyin' high with honkey tonk angels in Whiskey Heaven

Flyin' high with honky-tonk angels in Whiskey Heaven
Flyin' high with honky-tonk angels in Whiskey Heaven

The song was featured in the essential box set From Where I Stand: The Black Experience In Country Music.

Skaal!

Fats Domino: Whiskey Heaven (mp3)

Thanks for stopping by. Please support your local, independent distillery.