As he announced in the news page on his official website a couple of days ago, Bob Dylan has recorded a Christmas music album that he has scheduled to release this coming holliday season. To be titled Christmas In The Heart and released on Columbia Records, it will be availabe at Amoeba Music and other stores on October 13th.

The release, which will be the 47th album by the legendary musician born Robert Allen Zimmerman, will be Dylan's first Christmas themed release and will likely surprise some fans who never expected the artist, who came to fame as a protest singer, to cover such songs as "Winter Wonderland." Other songs to be featured on the album include “Little Drummer Boy” and “Must Be Santa.”

The album will not be the first time the 68 year old artist has done traditional Christmas fare though. Three years ago on his radio show, Theme Time Radio Hour series 1, episode 34, he did a reading of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" (video clip below). Dylan's Christmas In The Heart will be a benefit for various hunger-relief charities including the wonderful Feeding America organization.

Starting off with some nice homemade cover art, Bowie never looked finer. I absolutely love the red drawing below; the details are awesome. Dude is drinking f**king Alize! The Ric Ocasek scrawl is priceless, unlike his solo efforts which are priced low. Sorry, couldn't resist that one...


A couple of Beach Boys afters and befores. The Sharpie drawings were over the original shrink wrap; I really dig Mike Love with huge black eyebrows.


How many different GGW Lps are there? I'm not sure, but this is a one of a kind, as is the Grim Reaper pic found inside. Bobby Vinton looks to have had a bit of an accident. The Elsa Lanchester 10" is rare on its own, the drawing must add...oh...a 80% deduction to the value. Unless of course, she drew it, which is a possibilty. The Decline record is too good to be true-- could it have been El Duce himself who defaced poor Darby?

In many ways, the creature known in traditional folk songs as "Black Jack Davy," among other variants, is one of the original bad boy rebels. His story has been passed down in poem and song since possibly the early 1700s, or, if you listen to Nick Tosches, since the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Gypsy Davy wins the heart of an upper class maiden merely by letting his song ring through the woods. With one listen she is spellbound, leaving her fine feather bed/husband/baby (different objects in different versions, often all three), all for the love of Black Jack Davy, a rogue gypsy. "Black Jack Davy" can, and has, been read approximately a zillion different ways over the aeons, and that is part of the enjoyment of the piece. I see it as a liberation in a way for the young maiden, who chooses to run off with a cunning and poor man she is (rather joltingly) in love with instead of remaining "kept" by her wealthy husband. Other interpretations of the story are all up to you.

Among the various permutations of "Black Jack Davy"...