This is the first of our five Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. It’s not even December yet, but to get us all in the right mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Day. We got 21 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and Merry Christmas, Everyone!

There's also a festive music video to go with this where you can see everyone's faces fly and bounce around on the screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPKMFB3Km10&t=1s

Here’s our singers and the rough time stamps when they come in:
0:05 – Naresh (@nareshtatu) & Ilana (@ilana-529025203)
0:10 – Will
0:21 – Eric (@oddbox_eric)
0:29 – Sinéad (@sinead-davoren)
0:48 – Theyab
1:00 – Nassie (@nassssy) & Sandrine & Jean (@user-449069773)
1:38 – Robert
1:49 – Brian & Marie (@someone_else_ahead)
2:26 – Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) 
2:35 – Andrew T (@dusty-cornishman and @someone_else_ahead) & Lucy (@lucoline)
2:44 – Chrissy (@user-111629530) & Jenni (@jenni-grossmann) & Michael S (@user-254011985)
2:53 – Alice W
3:03 – Sayanti (@gsayanti)
3:13 – Sophia (@user-898796305)

And some more credits:
Bass, drum track, production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead)
Electric lead: Michael S (@user-254011985)
Tambourine: Brian
Ukulele: Alice W
Piano, acoustic guitar, guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

Merry Christmas Everyone (Shakin' Stevens) - TMC cover 2021

This is the third of our five Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. We’re well into December now, so to crank up the Christmas mood we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Day. We got 38 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. Very special shoutout to Elliot who has taken the sound quality of this one to the next level with his production skills – not an easy task given the large number of contributions to fit in. The result was well worth the effort – well done, everyone, and Happy Xmas (soon to come anyway)! 

Oh, and full disclosure: we’ve taken the liberty to rewrite the “The yellow and red ones” line, which seemed a bit outdated, to a possibly less racially loaded and more inclusive “For all of the colours” (beautifully sung by Lucy). And while we’re at it – if you cannot hear yourself distinctively on the track, trust that you are in there and blending nicely into the choir Dolby surround sound – we’ll make sure you get a solo line on one of the other tracks if you haven’t already had one 😊

There's also a festive music video to go with this where you can see everyone's faces fly and bounce around on the screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaGpyW1K2ak&list=PLd8JtUs4dXc5DdwlHiBl_o_8I3ThtWeTn&index=4

Here’s our singers and the rough time stamps when they come in / are most audible:
0:01 – Lucia (@missluciesblues), Pete (@user-340515103)
0:03 – Pete (@user-340515103)
0:13 – Jon (@user-855543074)
0:22 – Lucia (@missluciesblues), David P
0:31 – Alex D, Sophia (@user-898796305)
0:42 – Mark (@user-927129270), Tomás (@tomas_romeiro), Sharon, José, Sonia
1:01 – Chloe (@kloee-b)
1:03 – (War is Over) Sayanti (@gsayanti), Mark (@user-927129270), Jean (@user-449069773)
1:11 – Jenni (@jenni-grossmann), Alex D
1:21 – Sinéad (@sinead-davoren), David P
1:23 – (War is Over) Brittney (@pisgah-official), Jean (@user-449069773), Ilana (@ilana-529025203)?
1:30 – Lucy (@lucoline), Alex D
1:40 – Sam (@sam-robinson-885906690), José, Andrew T (@dusty-cornishman and @someone_else_ahead), Sharon
2:00 – Elliot (@user-560151090), Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
2:02 – (War is Over) Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead), Sandrine, Ilana (@ilana-529025203)
2:10 – Michael W, May
2:20 – Ash (@ashish-matthew), May
2:22 – (War is Over) Naresh (@nareshtatu), Jenni (@jenni-grossmann), Jean (@user-449069773)
2:29 – Thierry, Maggie
2:40 – José, Richard S (@user-141402509), Nick (@eleanor-collides), Ilana (@ilana-529025203)
3:00 – Delta (@deltaoconnor), Theyab, Tomás (@tomas_romeiro), Brian, Jean (@user-449069773)
3:20 – Will, Sharon, Maggie
3:39 – “Happy Christmas” from everyone in various languages
3:58 – Harvey ("Bah Humbug")

Production & mixing: Elliot, Doug
Bass: Kerry
Drum track and string section: James
Piano, guitar, violin, guide tracks: Jenni

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John & Yoko) - TMC cover 2021

This is the fifth and final of our five Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. To crank up the Christmas mood we’ve been releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, with the final one out today - Christmas Eve. 

You may notice we have taken the liberty to slightly adjust the bridge for UK purposes...

We got 30 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. Special shoutout to George, who recorded what, five??, styles of drumming over a month ago already, to James who did a stellar job with the production, and Doug who's been busy aligning and boosting contributions right up to this very moment. The result was, as usual, well worth the effort – well done, everyone involved and if you hear anyone climbing down your chimney tonight, you'll know - it must be Santa! Merry Christmas!

There's also a festive music video to go with this where you can see everyone's faces fly and bounce around on the screen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCCnnuR_PX0

Here’s our singers and the rough time stamps when they come in / are most audible:

0:15 John G, Carlos
0:17 Sayanti, Elliot
0:33 Michael S, Vikram
0:35 Jenni, David P
0:43 Roger, Maggie
0:53 Sam, William
0:55 Lucy, Doug
0:59 Brian
1:01 Ilana
1:03 Delta
1:24 Colin, Tomas
1:26 Sophia
1:30 Ash
1:32 Andrew T
1:34 Andy W
1:35 Robert Y
1:53 Naresh, Will
1:56 Rob
2:10 Vic
2:39 Layla, Kate and Dan's beautiful daughter, the first TGS baby (as far as we are aware)

Credits:
Production: James, Doug
Drums: George
Bass: James
Synth/fake accordion: Jenni
Added instrumental craziness: Vikram

Must Be Santa (Bob Dylan) - TMC cover 2021

This is a podcast featuring excerpts of all the tracks from the Best of 2021 playlist https://soundcloud.com/themusicollective/sets/tmc-records-best-of-2021 together with thoughts from many of the artists about the tracks, what inspired them and why they chose them for this playlist. As ever, hugely well done to all involved and thank you for being a part of this and for supporting other musicians and creativity generally. And of course big thank you to Doug (@Doru_UK) for putting this together and adding all the song links as comments!!!

Intro backing music - Stride by @yasiralani

1:16 January part one
@cornelia-and-jenni @user-340515103 (Pete Rhos) @kloee-b @travellersongs

5:35 January part two
@yasiralani @vic-sharma @ashish-matthew @ludivine-siau @rosamund

9:25 February
@doru_uk @lukesewelllondon @ilana-529025203 @user-419727538 (Break My Stride) @jenni-grossmann

15:04 March
@john-griffin21 @jess-s-london @guy-thomas-burton @someone_else_ahead @versuswhat

22:05 April/May
@mickyhicky @user-340515103 (Pete Rhos) @rian66 @thebadragas @eleanor-collides @user-927129270 (Mark N)

28:36 June/July
@letseatnails @lucoline @tomas_romeiro @user-53216142 (Bev) @oneinfour

32:18 August/September
@oddbox_eric @user-449069773 (Jean S) @user-855543074 (Jon and Natalie) @ben-garratt-1 @elliot-freeman-2

36:36 October
@thelionandthelambrini @nareshtatu @stanbadraga @user-391715750 (Manalive)

41:23 November
@sam-robinson-885906690 @corporatedrone @missluciesblues @justinleighreynolds

45:55 December
@user-254011985 (EngineEar)@gsayanti @pisgah-official

Outro backing music - Elevation by @stanbadraga

Best Of 2021 Playlist Podcast

This is the first of our four Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. December has barely just begun, but to get us all in the right mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Eve (or Day - TBC). We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience (including our youngest ever contributor April), brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and Merry Christmaaaaaaaas, Everyone!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Bass: Kerry
Harmonica: Lucia (@missluciesblues)
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
Backing track and guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

Xmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Darlene Love) - TMC cover 2022

This is the second of our four Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. To get us all in the right merry mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Eve (or Day - TBC). We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience (including my cousin, her horse and its mate, my ex-flatmate Mel from many many years ago who I just recently found out can sing, and 2 dogs), brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and enjoy hearing those sleigh bells ring-a-ling!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Electric guitar on instrumental: Guy @guy-thomas-burton
Horse neighing and galloping: Nautilus and his friend, recorded by my cousin Marlis
Dog barking: Chico and Rufus, recorded by Nassie
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
Backing track and guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

Sleigh Ride (The Ronettes) - TMC cover 2022

This is the third of our four Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. To get us all in the right merry mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Eve (or Day - TBC). We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and enjoy and hopefully Faaather Christmas won't get mugged on his way to your house come Christmas Eve!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Electric guitar: Vikram @versuswhat
Drum track: Ludvig @ludvig-alm
Bass guitar: Benjamin
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
Piano, bells, and guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

Father Christmas (The Kinks) - TMC cover 2022

This is the first of our three Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. December is still young, but to get us all in the right mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Eve. We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and Merry Christmaaaaaaaas, Everyone!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Bass: Guy
Guitar: Ash
Drums: Doug
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
Backing track and guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney) - TMC cover 2023

This is the second of our three Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. December is still young, but to get us all in the right mood, we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Eve. We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and Merry Christmaaaaaaaas, Everyone!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Bass: Guy
Guitar: Jenni
Synth: Jenni
Drums: Doug
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
Backing track and guide tracks: Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (Wizzard) - TMC cover 2023

This is the third and final of our three Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. To crank up the Christmas mood we’ve been releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, with the final one out today - Christmas Eve. We got over 20 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. The result was well worth the effort – well done and Merry Christmaaaaaaaas, Everyone!

Singer-timestamps MAYBE to follow eventually once Doug and I have recovered from this marathon

For now, some credits:
Bass: Guy (@guy-thomas-burton and @corporatedrone)
Guitar: Michele (@ignore_the_distance)
Synth: Jenni
Drums: Doug and Michele
Production: Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead and @doug_morris) and Jenni (@jenni-grossmann and @thegrandoldecho)
Backing track and guide tracks: Jenni again
Vehicular recording: Robert Stalder

Christmastime (Don't Let The Bells End) (The Darkness) - TMC Cover 2023

The MusiCollective is a community of musicians that get behind each others' projects, for example by helping with songwriting, arrangements, recording and production. It is a continuation of TGS Records (https://soundcloud.com/tgs-records) which started as a lockdown project and has been snowballing new members in ever since. If you'd like to join us, get in touch by emailing themusicollective21@gmail.com or filling in this short form: https://forms.gle/yhyjNKzWGidVCZgN9

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