I saw thread about favourite obscure Xmas tunes – I like to think this is pretty obscure, Reindeer Ride by Roger Lavern and The Microns. Roger was the keyboard player with the Tornados, but faded into obscurity and a life of womanising shortly after! Released on 1963 on the Decca label, I have a copy in my extensive RGM collection. The jaunty “Russ Conway” tune is played on the Meek “piano with drawing pins” and counterpointed by the glorious haunting female vocals, a vital part of many Meek productions. Lavern died in 2013.

On the same theme, I recently recorded a version of “Silent Night” for a “Friends of Sheffield Castle” Xmas video, here it is. I felt obliged to avoid my usual weirdness and dial back the mellotron 😉