Something a bit more mainstream today, but we make no apologies for selecting Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift For You as today’s Cool Yule candidate,

Very different from James Brown’s Funky Christmas because this album does offer up the Christmas standards – including White Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Silent Night – but it works because they all get the Wall Of Sound treatment – and 43 years later, it still sounds as fresh as ever.

And now is the best time to buy it, as it’s been reissued as a double CD, coupled with a Best Of Phil Spector album. And every home should have one of those.

Find out more at Amazon.co.uk

Bored of Band Aid? Sick of Slade? Looking for something a bit more hip to soundtrack Christmas? You’ve come to the right place. This week we’ll be digging out some alternative Christmas sounds that should mean a Cool Yule at your house – starting with the hardest working man in showbusiness.

James Brown’s Funky Christmas is just that. It’s actually a compilation of his Christmas work, including tracks from his 1966 LP, Christmas Song and his ’72 recording, Hey America, It’s Christmas. There’s a mix of self-penned tunes, covers of early 60s R&B Christmas tunes and some full-on festive funk – typified by Soulful Christmas – classic JB, but with a seasonal message (and available last year as a limited vinyl 45).

Don’t expect too many Christmas standards (I think there’s just one), but do expect some top notch funk and soul that should make your Christmas gathering go with a swing. And all for under £5.

Find out more at Amazon.co.uk