Initially met with disappointment in it’s efforts to secure a solid record deal, the music band Christmas’s perseverance paid off when they were signed to the Daffodil Records label in 1970.
Not exactly “radio-friendly”, Christmas did little to stir up waves in the music waters. The band switched to the moniker “The Spirit of Christmas” in an attempt at a fresh start, but unfortunately this failed as well, leaving Christmas with little choice but to fold and go their separate ways.
The band members all had reasonable success with solo careers and it wasn’t until the ’90s, with a couple of re-issued albums, that the mini-popularity of Christmas enjoyed a re-birth.
Heritage
Christmas was formed in 1969 in Oshawa Ontario, Canada, out of the ashes of the cult underground psychedelic band Reign Ghost. In July 1970, Christmas released an independent self titled debut that brought some media attention to the band and a contract with the Daffodil Records label. In December 1970 , less than six months after the release of the debut, Christmas released their debut Daffodil Records album entitled “Heritage”
Lies To Live By
“Lies To Live By” is essentially the 3rd album release by the Canadian band Christmas. After the release of the Heritage album, Christmas was beset with management and label problems over the direction of the band’s next album. The music scene in Canada was in disarray and bands such as April Wine, The Guess Who, BTO and Chilliwack had hits with commercial hard rock songs.
Live At Massey Hall
Recorded live at Massey Hall in Toronto on September 23rd 1971, this album features a set by the Oshawa based band Christmas. The album contains two songs from the Heritage album, “Point Blank” and “Blues On An Iceberg”, one 18min 36sec. piece entitled “Beyond The Fields We Know” that was to eventually end up on the “Lies To Live By” album and a previously unreleased medley of early material called “When Night Falls” that includes the Christmas cheer, a direct take off of the famous Fish cheer from Woodstock by Country Joe and the Fish.