The Edge of Christmas (various artists)
AllMusic; Amazon; Discogs; Hip Christmas Music; Wikipedia

This came out in 1995. I'm not sure when I got it, but I think it must have been sometime in the Aughts. I'm listening to it again in 2021 to write a review.

1. "Thank God It's Christmas", by Queen (1984): Well, it certainly sounds like a Queen song, so of course it's good. But it's not something I find memorable, I'm afraid.

2. "Please Home for Christmas", by Pat Benatar (1991): It's a decent rendition, but not my favorite.

3. "2000 Miles", by The Pretenders (1983): This is a classic, and one of the most memorable songs on the album. No cover could ever touch it.

4. "December Will Be Magic Again", by Kate Bush (1986): This certainly sounds interesting (kinda weird). I like it, but I don't find it memorable.

5. "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy", by David Bowie & Bing Crosby (1977): I always like the idea of different generations of musicians coming together. But I just don't think it works here. I don't think that's the artists' fault, it's just that the mashup isn't very good, especially since one song is completely unfamiliar to me and the other is far from a favorite. This is a track that I find memorable only in that I remember not liking it.

6. "Winter Wonderland", by Cocteau Twins (1993): This was originally released on a 2 song EP called "Snow", which also contained "Frosty the Snowman", which I downloaded as an mp3. The EP is very rare, so I feel lucky to have this song on this album. It's one of my favorite renditions of the song, somewhat ethereal. I think I first heard it and/or "Frosty" playing at a grocery store I used to work at in the mid Aughts, which I still find surprising, because Cocteau Twins just don't seem to me like artists you'd expect to hear at a grocery store. They're just too cool and too alternative.

7. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer", by The Smithereens (1992): It's a decent rendition, but not one I find particularly memorable. (Then again, I don't think I find any rendition of this song specifically memorable. Except of course the one from the TV special.)

8. "Run Run Rudolph", by Dave Edmunds (1982): It's a pretty decent rendition, but I'm sure I've heard others I liked better.

9. "Christmas Is Coming', by The Payolas (1983): Not something I find memorable at all. But it's not bad. It sounds much more upbeat than its lyrics, which are rather depressing.

10. "Fairytale of New York", by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl (1987): I find the title memorable, and I can remember the song (if not the lyrics) while I'm listening to it. I definitely like it, largely because of the Irish sound.

11. "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight)", by The Ramones (1989): It's nice to have some punk represented on the album. I'm a bit surprised that this song is as recent as it is, since I mainly think of them as a 70s band. But I guess they were active until the mid 90s. Anyway, it's a decent song, but not one I find memorable.

12. "Christmas Wrapping", by The Waitresses (1981): This is what I normally call my favorite Christmas song ever. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I can definitely never get tired of it. (I even had the chorus as my ringtone one year, back in the days when I had a cell phone that could actually download ringtones.) I just love the whole sound of the song, and I love the lyrics. It's very amusing throughout, and it has a happy ending to the story.

Well, the rating I've given the album is an average of all the songs. There are a few songs I would rate "loved", some that I'd rate just okay, and one I really didn't like. So they drag the rating down, while the songs I love raise the overall rating. Anyway, it's definitely a really good album to have.