Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/12/12/bowie-and-bing-play-peace-on.html
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5 Likes
Damn you, 2016. Damn you all to hell.
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@pesco I normally really enjoy your musical choices, but no. Just no. LDB is a pox upon all that is good and right with the world.
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I don’t care for most xmas/holiday songs. But this Bowie + Bing combo is pretty great, granted i try not to listen to it much to keep it enjoyable for myself.
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I prefer The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend.
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Some people try to make this into a battle of generations, but I think it sounds pretty good.
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That’s Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, now 
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I’ve always loved this version, and think Bowie’s counterpoint really lifted the song.
My other favorite version of Little Drummer Boy:
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I prefer the Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly version.
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I saw this on TV as a kid so I am biased to like it despite LDB, and despite being biased to hate all Christmas music due to working retail over many Christmas seasons.
Even if you ignore the singing part, the Bowie/Crosby banter’s interesting for painting Bowie as such a square. He was even wearing a cross in some apparently non-ironic/transgressive way.
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Oh the lead in is great fun, but uggh I can’t stand any normalish version of that song anymore. It goes from oh song to boring repetitive drone in 5 seconds for me.
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He was really trying hard to erase his weirdness, having managed to create a public image as a freaky drug-addled bisexual Nazi over the last few years, and recording legitimately great albums (Low and “Heroes”) and appearing on TV not blazingly high was a big part of that. I appreciate his call-out to Harry Nilsson, a reminder that this was a time when being “that singer with a beard” was unique enough to be a personal signature.
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The only version of LDB that doesn’t make me leap for the skip-track button at once. Bowie’s counterpoint melody sells it, and Bing keeps it simple and subtle. Drummer Boy is usually played at such a slow tempo as to be interminable agony.
And yeah, up yours 2016.
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Hadn’t seen that before, pretty funny 
i was wondering if the joke was just them doing a straight reenactment or if there was a joke hidden in there. Would’ve been fine with it either way but the bit at the end is great.
The only one I actually like plays with the droning aspect, uses a sitar and a
heavy surf/psychedelic influence for a rocking instrumental version and short enough to not get boring.
The Hoodoo Gurus - Little Drummer Boy (Up The Khyber).
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Why is this song so hated, again?
Too many covers?
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Like I said previously, it just so so so so so repetitive. the drum beat drone takes over and goes to oh god make it stop after 10 seconds or so in just about every version I have heard.
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I see.
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That’s why I love the version by Low – it’s all drone. Very warm and meditative.
Then again I also love Stars of the Lid and hurdy gurdy so maybe I just like drones in general.
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