When I was growing up in the seventies there was a boom in fun Christmas singles; Slade, Mud, Wizzard and the Wombles and these seem to be re-released every year always making the charts. In 2000 Roy Wood teamed up with the Wombles and released “I Wish It Could Be A Wombling Merry Christmas Every Day” a UK no 22 hit!!

Who could also forget Sir Cliff Richard at Christmas. He has released a total of nine Christmas singles from 1969-2006 with three of them reaching the number one spot: “The Millennium Prayer”, “Saviours Day” and “Misletoe and Wine”.

As long as the X-Factor is on our screens there seems little chance of any Christmas single other than from the winner of the show reaching number one.

Here are some Christmas singles I would be more than happy to never hear again especially when I’m rushing around the local department store/petrol station buying my last minute presents.

“The Ghost of Christmas past “ – Oh how I wish they’d stay there.

Band Aid Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Wham! Last Christmas

Slade Merry Xmas Everybody

Sir Cliff Richard the Mistletoe And Wine or any Cliff Xmas single!

Jona Lewie Stop the Cavalry

Paul McCartney Pipes of Peace

Wizzard I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

The Wombles Wombling Merry Christmas

Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl Fairytale of New York

Aled Jones Walking In the Air

“The Ghost of Christmas Present” – I would gladly unwrap any of these classic songs.

John Lennon / Yoko Ono Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

The Waitresses Christmas Wrapping

Everything But the Girl 25^th of December

Coldplay Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas

Lene Lovich I Saw Mamma Kissin Santa Claus

The Pretenders 2000 miles

David Bowie & Bing Crosby Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy

Saint Etienne I was born On Christmas Day

Eurythmics Winter Wonderland

Snow Patrol When I Get Home For Christmas

“The Ghost of Christmas Future” – Here are some fab new Christmas tunes to look out for.

Camera Obscura the Blizzard

The Killers Happy Birthday Guadalupe

George Michael December Song

Pet Shop Boys Christmas

Julian Casablancas I wish It Was Christmas Today

I’d like to wish everyone at Sparkle a fantastic Christmas and let’s hope none of you will be “Lonely This Christmas” and dont forget if you need some tips to wrap those CD´s check out the “Add Some Sparkle to your Gift Wrapping” post.

Boy George

The first gender-bender pop star to receive mainstream acceptance was Boy George in the early 80´s with his band Culture Club. Their first appearance on TV singing Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? produced cries of “is it a man or a woman?” and it turned George into a celebrity overnight.

George was everywhere even appearing in the American TV series The A –Team

Hanging onto George’s dreadlocks were his friend Marilyn, a one-hit-wonder with Calling your Name and the more successful Pete Burns with Dead or Alive.

Prince was also cross dressing – have you seen the cover to his Dirty Mind album? (Borat comes to mind!)

Annie Lennox

Not to be left out we also had women pop stars such as Annie Lennox who, for the Eurythmics single Sweet Dreams, donned a man’s suit with orange cropped hair (a nod to Bowie´s Ziggy?).

Grace Jones also created a striking image on her album Night Clubbing. Do you remember her bitch-slapping Russell Harty on his BBC chat show?

Grace Jones

In the 90´s Ru Paul emerged with his single Super Model (You Better Work) and had his biggest hit with Elton John on the remake of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.

Canadian lesbian singer Kd Lang released her album Drag wearing a pin striped suite looking extremely masculine, and Marilyn Manson’s most successful album Mechanical Animals had a controversial sleeve in which his gender could not be determined.

Marilyn Manson

Towards the end of the 90´s we saw Antony and the Johnsons with singer Anthony Hegarty who again merged his image into an androgynous alien being and in 1998 you even had a drag Eurovision winner with Dana International, far too camp!

In the seventies & eighties gender benders shocked the public, whereas since then they have became mainstream and acceptable. So what about today’s pop stars? Why aren’t there any famous gender-benders out there?

Possibly, because being gay has become so much more acceptable in the 2000´s that the need to dress outrageously has lost its impact – which was needed in the seventies and eighties as being gay was still a big taboo.

I for one miss them, they were exciting fresh and not sanitized like many of today’s pop stars.

In the early 70¨s David Bowie recorded four short films to accompany his soon to be released singles and they were filmed by legendary 70´s music photographer Mick Rock. This was 1972 and was seen to be a big step forward into what we now call the music video.

By the mid seventies Queen produced a video clip to go with their single Bohemian Rhapsody, which surely helped to keep the song at number one for nine weeks .I remember people raving about the video and its special effects and record companies began to take note of the growing importance of the video as a promotional tool.

Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie

By the end of the seventies videos were getting more experimental and many more artists were using this medium as New Wave had arrived and the New Romantic movement was just around the corner.

David Bowie kicked off the eighties with “Ashes to Ashes”, a number one smash that had a brilliant video that would inspire many of the New Romantics musicians at that time.

The arrival of MTV in 1981 saw the golden age of the music video begin. The first video they played was “Video killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles and this was the beginning of 24 hour music on television.

Diana Dors & Adam Ant

During the early eighties many acts such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Adam Ant and Toyah made some excellent videos to promote their latest songs. Who remembers the Diana Dors cameo in “Prince Charming” as the fairy godmother, Duran Duran´s “Girls on Film” night version with girls mud-wrestling and Godley and Creme’s “Cry” with the very first use of face-morphing.

Toni Basil in 1982 released the very first full video-album called “Word of Mouth” and featured the classic “Mickey” video. Many artists followed her by releasing whole-album videos.

The early to mid-eighties saw Madonna emerge with classic videos including “Like a Virgin” and “Vogue”. She has a great understanding for the importance of videos and their ability to re-brand your pop-persona.

Also at that time landmark videos were shown like A-Ha with their “Take on Me”, Michael Jackson gave us his classic “Billie Jean” & the ground breaking “Thriller” – and Frankie Goes to Hollywood with their controversial single “Relax”.

There have been many classic videos over the years and I would like to share my top five with you -

David Bowie – “Boys Keep Swinging” 1979

An awesome video from David where he camps it up big time and dons drag as his own female backing singers – great fun! I remember this being on Top Of The Pops and the following week it dropped down the charts. I don’t think the general public were ready for drag yet.- but Boy George was waiting in the wings.

This song includes the great line ”they will never clone you, life is a pop of the cherry when you’re a boy” – so true. I love the ending where the 3 backing singers (all David) take their final bow, who said Bowie couldn’t act? Watch it here

Johnny Cash – “Hurt” 1993

This has to be my favorite ever. The first time I saw this video it took my breath away and I admit I shed a few tears. Such an emotional rendition of this Nine in Nails song which Johhny makes his own.

With flashbacks from his life and his wife June in the background it really does make you think about your own life and death. The video ends with him closing the lid on the piano and you felt that Johhny new their time was almost over. His wide died soon after filming and Johnny a few months later. Watch it here

Bronski Beat – “Smalltown Boy” 1984

The first single from “out” gay band Bronski Beat featured Jimmy Somervilles tale about his teenage years at the hands of (and fists) of small town bigots. For many people it was the first public aknowledgment of gay-bashing for kids.

Bjork – “Its Oh So Quiet” 1995

Such a feel good video which Bjork had to learn to tap-dance for. With echoes of a 1950’s Fred & Ginger routine and Hollywood musicals, it was a glimpse of Bjork being playful and light-hearted. I dare you to watch this and not smile. Watch it here

Eurythmics – “Who´s That Girl”

Annie Lennox does a great job with her gender-bending image – playing both male and female leads here. Look out for the end where she kisses herself!

There are also some fabulous cameos from, Hazel O´Connor, Thereza Bazar from Dollar, Cheryl Baker & Jay Aston from Bucks Fizz, Kiki Dee, Siobhan Fahey and Marilyn (Boy George’s arch-enemy/best friend). Watch it here

Is music better with videos? Well I sometimes miss the power of imagination we all had to use in the ‘70s to conjure up the imagery for songs. But would Thriller be as good without the Zombies and could Cheryl Cole ever make a number based on her voice alone?