it's almost time for the annual trip to london, and I'm getting excited.

In the words of the immortal Noddy Holder: It's Christmaaaaaaaas!!!

Huh?
If you're saying "huh?," you have somehow missed "Merry Christmas Everyone," the most iconic of UK Christmas songs. (we've got bing, they've got noddy.)

Slade has a chance of, once again, getting the Christmas Number One spot at the top of the pops chart with "Merry Christmas, Everybody." In 1973, the song ENTERED the chart at number 1 and stayed there, the first time that had ever happened. It's going to be re-released next week, and, well, who knows what will happen.

In the UK, it's a huge deal to be at the number one spot come christmas day.* Over there, people still buy singles, and an amazing number of records are moved the week before christmas. A story from last week said "Since the announcement was made ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has already been installed as second favourite for the Yuletide top-spot with odds of 12/1, beating the festive releases from Girls Aloud, McFly, Westlife, Crazy Frog, and Brian May & Cliff Richard. The favourite is of course the eventual winner of The X-Factor.

Nick Weinberg of Ladbrokes said: "Punters are definitely giving Slade the Nod to Hold off the field. -They're second in the betting behind X-Factor** but it looks as though Simon Cowell wont have things his own way this Christmas. The song's a classic and our customers are backing it to have a massive impact."



Anyway, I'm going to buy a couple of copies, just because I can. As for you, well, you can check out this clip of Noddy Holder*** and the boys singing their christmas classic.****
Slade - Merry Xmas (TOPof thePOPS 1973)



*the subject is covered pretty well in "Love Actually," with Bill Nighy playing the part of a jaded rocker who finds himself somehow in the race for the Xmas top spot. That's a good performance, but nighy does washed up rocker even better in 1999's "still crazy," co-starring billy connolly and steven rea. it's a great film: the reunion of a late, arguably not-so-great, and unlamented '70s rock band, Strange Fruit. Music is quite good, with original songs by mick jones (from foreigner and spooky tooth) and Squeeze's chris difford. It's under 10 bucks at amazon.



**x-factor is the second idol-type show that Simon Cowell created in the UK. Pop Idol was the first, but he decided against doing a second series, and created this one, which he now owns. No flies on him! The "X" stands for the undefinable "something" that makes someone a star)


***because it's my job to know these things, I can tell you that a: Slade still exists, and b: Noddy Holder left the band after 15 years. ( dave hill still plays guitar and leads the group, albeit without shoulder length hair. Dan saw them just a few months ago somewhere, and had a few of guitar geek questions answered. (And thanks to Cherish for correcting my spring tour info....)
What's Noddy up to? he's been working in TV and Radio, and was immortalised as a puppet on the TV show Bob the Builder.

In 1999 Noddy Holder's autobiography Who's Crazee Now? was published and he was awarded the MBE in 2000 for his services to music.

****interestingly, a US group called "camp freddy," with Dave Navarro and Scott Weiland are releasing their version of the song over here on the 12th of December.