Advent Calendar 2023

This 1961 Motown single sought to cash in on the twist craze sweeping across the world in the early 1960s, but was not very successful. The group name Twistin' Kings was really a nom de plume for in-house band the Funk Brothers, who provided backing on all those classic Motown hits. It would be wrong to say this recording ranks anywhere near the best of the Motown output, but somehow the sheer energy of the performance makes it work. The mix is rather strange, though: what's up with the saxophone that starts soloing at 00:42? It sounds like someone forgot to mike it up properly. More Weirdsville than Hitsville.

Listen to Xmas Twist.

Or listen on Spotify, where I've created a playlist for this year's Advent Calendar.

The Spotify playlist for all the previous Advent Calendars is here. Note: The playlist is incomplete, as some of my calendar selections are just too obscure for Spotify.