Bully for Walter, Jr.! Swimming is great fun...one of my favourite activities and I loved being on the swim team when I was a kid. Good luck to him in future meets. Already been to three Christmas parties myself in the past week...with one more to go. Bon Voyage, Holly! Sincerely, Fred.

Bloody English. I guess the BBC was too busy shoving Cliff Richard down your throat. Bloody Aussies. The people who gave us the didgeridoo. Finally, someone who knows a classic when he hears one. Sure, much of the holiday music played in offices and on the radio is treacly garbage. But Phil Spector's Christmas album "A Christmas Gift For You" is a stone solid classic, along with "A Charlie Brown Christmas", and the Christmas albums from Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. It is a shame Darlene Love and the Ronettes and the Crystals and other artists that were in the Phil Spector stable aren't more known outside the U.S. But that is what is great about the documentary "20 Feet from Stardom". It shines a light on those like Darlene Love who have been out of the spotlight for too long. And Jay Thomas once again knocked the meatball off the Christmas tree! Most excellent, indeed, ebk...and fortunately, I also caught the last Craig Ferguson show with that great opening bit (with Sex Pistol Steve Jones on guitar). I wasn't even aware that it was Craig's last show...I knew he was leaving but I thought it would be next year around the same time as Dave. I'll miss the wacky Scot...and his robot Geoff. Jay Leno once again showed he is much better as a guest than a host of a talk show. It was reminiscent of his funny appearances on Dave in the 1980s when Dave was on NBC. Oh, and thank you, ebk, for posting Darlene's first performance on Letterman from 1986. Love how bare and stripped down it is compared to now...and Sid's and Will's hair. The end of an era.

You mean our Sam? Well, hip-hip-hooray and glory be. Happy Birthday to the Webmaster Sam! For all you've done and continue to do, this birthday toast is for you. May you have a most excellent Celebration Day, eh!

You're awesome dude! Now I have something to listen to while wrapping Christmas presents later tonight.

This thread is dedicated to ebk, who shares my passion for Darlene Love. For those of us that have been watching for the last 30 years, Darlene Love's annual performance of "Christmas(Baby Please Come Home)" on David Letterman's Holiday show the Friday before Christmas is just as much a treasured Christmas ritual as "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "It's A Wonderful Life", and Glühwein. Tonight is the Friday before Christmas, which means it is time to set your tivo or dvr for the Late Show with Letterman on CBS tonight. Alas, David Letterman is retiring next May, which means this will be his last Holiday show and Darlene Love has intimated that she won't do this for anybody else's show. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/12/15/watch-darlene-love-sing-christmas-baby-please-come-home-on-letterman-over-the-years/ CBS has posted a nice tribute video to Darlene Love comprising all her past appearances on Dave's show: http://youtu.be/RfurmGiKZ5k I can guarantee you I will be crying buckets tonight.

I haven't even heard the Tempe '77 show and yet it has been ingrained in my brain as being terrible so I avoid it, haha. I don't like many of the 1980 shows because I hate the stage gear the band was using at that time and the coldness of the soundboards...and the raggedy "White Summers" that kill all momentum. Jonesy's Alembic basses and Yamaha keyboards really sound cheesy and dated...but not as dated as Plant and his harmonizer. Cringe. Horror. Bonham's drums sound the best out of all four musicians...his technique was really tight by this point. When he wasn't falling down-drunk, that is.

Fleetwood Mac's legendary Boston Tea Party shows of February 5, 6, and 7 1970 have had various releases over the years since first coming to light in the 1980s, most of them only partial and incomplete. Finally, a three cd box set has been released by Snapper that collects all the known tracks in the proper order and with great sound. http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/fleetwood-mac-boston-3cd-set/ I am listening to disc one right now, which has stunning versions of "Jumping At Shadows" and "Rattlesnake Shake". I have said it before and I will say it 'til the day I die...if all you know about Fleetwood Mac is the mid-70s pop era when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, then you don't really know the real Fleetwood Mac. The Fleetwood Mac of Peter Green and his guitar cohorts Danny Kirwin and Jeremy Spencer. Out-of-this-world playing. http://youtu.be/ZTBppNm1tKc

Oooh, my ears. Good god, it is like bad Asia. Oh wait...that's redundant.

A 3-piece? I guess that eliminates Kansas, Electric Light Orchestra, Shooting Star, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. It's not Jean-Luc Ponty, is it?

^^^Me too, Deborah...Elvis Presley's Christmas Album is a perennial on my stereo. Christmas is also Nutcracker time...as in Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet. Yes, that is Kevin Kline narrating.

Not all of it...mainly the post-DLR Van Hagar era. And they were a total force of nature in concert at their peak, which ended around 1982. But yeah, this guy is hilarious. Reminds me of the websites and bloggers that will write any gibberish, no matter how outlandish or inane, just to generate page views and chase "controversy".

And neither is your guitar. Treat her well, young grasshopper. Nice to see you, Andy.

You mean the new "Hobbit"? I'm in the theatre myself right now...5 minutes away from "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies". Not sure if I am excited or just glad this whole drawn out affair is finally reaching its conclusion. I haven't really enjoyed these Hobbit movies as much as I liked Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies.

Totally forgot to look for YouTube clips. A friend sent me this yesterday. The climax of the night...last song of the Roxy show.

Two more Christmas albums loaded in the CD carousel... A Motown Christmas A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra...ring-a-ding-ding!

Smart woman. My co-worker tortured me with that Dylan Christmas album the other day.

On the youtube video you want to post, you should see a row of words "Add to", "Share", and "More" below the video clip. Click on the one titled "Share" and a drop down box will appear with the URL shaded in blue. Copy that URL using the Copy + Paste menu on your browser toolbox headings and then paste it in your reply box on the Forum. Post. Simple as that. Breaking out the Christmas music...one of the greatest ever: Vince Guaraldi Trio "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

The Dodgers are sure rolling the dice. Their moves could be crazy-stupid...or crazy-genius.

The spam was a joke...as you no doubt knew, hehe. No spam was had. Ham, yes...spam, no. Tonight: center-cut pork chops grilled with garlic butter, cannellini beans, kale, yellow split-pea soup. Cupcake Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.

That was a great game and victory by your Leafs, Patrycja. Doughty is a fun player to watch. Kings are kind of muddling through the early part of the season. But it is all about who gets the momentum in April and May, not November-December.

We just had our Tiki-themed Christmas party, so... Rum, rum, rum, rum, pineapple, rum, rum, rum, oranges, rum, rum, rum, rum, cherries, rum, rum, rum, rum, mangoes, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, spam, and rum.

^^^ No apologies necessary Kiwi...your posts didn't annoy me. Not all of the songs people posted are awful.

That would be "The Christmas Song"...written by Mel Torme and Mel himself sings a great version of his song. But I will always prefer Nat King Cole's rendition over anyone else's. Cannot wait for Darlene Love's annual Christmas appearance on David Letterman. It will be the last one so it'll be an emotional performance, I'm sure. I also never miss a chance to watch "The Year Without a Santa Claus" just to hear the "Mr. Heat Miser" song. Too much! http://youtu.be/hGRkNaMFp6w