Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Christmas comes but once a year…though it seems to hang around forever and like some over used decoration that twinkles with the drive of an over eager beagle grabbing at its lead, soon finds its way to get on your nerves long before the main event actually arrives. To not enjoy the time of year leads to labels of being a scrooge, of being curmudgeonly or just plain mean and can lead to being ostracised by those who complain of life being empty when the tinsel falls down and who never mind pine needles being stuck in their big toe at three in the morning. Thank heavens for Rob Clarke and the Wooltones who offer with great sincerity Another Wooltones Xmas Record to let the passing of time have at least one heroic cheer.
Christmas can be daunting, in the modern age there is far too much pressure on people to get the so-called perfect gift, the ideal present in which the hopeful recipient will swoon over and deliver their own offering in which to study the relative values we place upon each other. There is too much of too much and any type of escape that can be handled with a smile and with unusual flair can only be good for psyche; it can only install something good into a time when there is too much excess and too much expectation.
What should be expected is that Rob Clarke and The Wooltones will deliver a track to their fans with an extra sense of joy attached to it and with the wry smile of cool strewn throughout, it is the great song of deference to the listener that makes this particular band seem larger than life no matter how many times they play their music. It should be expected that Christmas somehow deserves its place in both the fanciful and the realistic, the imaginative and the faithful; in Another Wooltones Xmas Record all comes together as if Santa not only had a naughty and nice list but those who deserve consideration for going above and beyond the call of duty when there is too much of too much in the air.
An enjoyable single from Rob Clarke and The Wooltones, one that really hits home with its message!
Ian D. Hall