Well, here’s quite the interesting Christmas disc. On their second release of the year, Cheap Trick has thrown their hats in the Christmas ring, contributing a few originals and a lot of cheeky covers to the oeuvre. Covers include the weird and odd SNL Jimmy Fallon favorite “I Wish It Was Christmas Today,” Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody,” Wizzard’s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday,” The Kinks’ standard “Father Christmas,” and the Ramones “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight).”
The best of the bunch is the Slade track; the rest just fall by the wayside. “Father Christmas” goes on far too long and The Ramones’ cover felt rushed, like they could’ve used some of Joey’s vigor and attitude to the track to make it come alive.
“Silent Night” is just okay; it’s got the Cheap Trick attitude, but it goes nowhere. The album’s opening track “Merry Christmas Darlings” is an interesting kickoff, a holiday song filled with Cheap Trick attitude and energy. The real standout here is the cover of Nilsson’s “Remember,” which really gives Robin Zander a chance to show off his range and versatility. It’s truly chilling and absolutely amazing, making this disc worth the price of admission alone. The album’s title track is a toss-off that does nothing and just feels like it’s here to pad out the rest of the disc.
Overall, this release was not bad but it could’ve just been a regular EP and not a full-length. Decent but not necessary.