No Presents for Christmas
| No Presents for Christmas | |
|---|---|
| King Diamond | |
| publication | December 25, 1985 |
| length | 4:19 |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal |
| Author (s) | King Diamond, Michael Denner |
| Label | Roadrunner Records |
No Presents for Christmas is a song by King Diamond . It is the first release of the solo project named after him after the breakup of Mercyful Fate . The single was released, thematically appropriate, on December 25, 1985, Christmas Day .
background
After the breakup of Mercyful Fate, which was mainly based on tensions between King Diamond and Hank Shermann , King Diamond founded a solo project named after him. The two former Mercyful Fate musicians Timi Hansen (bass) and Michael Denner (guitar) also switched to this. They were joined by guitarist Andy LaRocque and drummer Mikkey Dee . With that the first line-up was complete. After a demo , the first sign of life was the single No Presents for Christmas on December 25, 1985 via Roadrunner Records . The song Charon was used as the B-side . While Charon can be found on the debut album Fatal Portrait , No Present for Christmas was initially only available as a single. In 1988 it was finally added to the rarity album The Dark Sides . It was also added to the album Fatal Portrait when it was re-released in 1997 . It is also part of the compilations A Dangerous Meeting (1992) and The Best of King Diamond (2003). It also appeared in live versions on In Concert 1987 - Abigail (1991) and Deadly Lullabyes (2004).
Cover
The single was released both on cassette and in 12 '' format. There are two record covers. The first shows King Diamond in his signature make-up next to a reindeer . He shows a long nose and sticks out his tongue. This motif was also used for the Picture LP . On the other version you can see the King Diamond lettering in green and red, plus a Christmas bell . This motif was also used as a back cover.
- No Presents for Christmas - 4:18
- Charon - 4:16
As part of Record Store Day Black Friday on November 23, 2012, the single was re-released.
Music style and text
No Presents for Christmas was written by King Diamond and Michael Denner. King Diamond also appeared as a producer and was assisted by Roberto Falcao, who was also the sound engineer for the single. The song begins with the sounds of Jingle Bells , after an infernal laugh the music style changes to Speed Metal in the style of Judas Priest , carried by two guitar runs and King Diamond's predominantly high falsetto vocals. A glockenspiel is used as a break , followed by a longer guitar solo. After the chorus, the opening bars of White Christmas begin to sound, but instead of “White Christmas” the lyrical self wants a “White Sabbath” (“ White Witches' Sabbath ”). The text portrays a desperate Santa Claus who first lost his list of bad children and then cannot find anyone to help him distribute the presents. That is why there are no presents for Christmas. The text mentions potential Santa's helpers, including Donald Duck , Tom and Jerry, and Petrus , but all of them have better things to do or are drunk.
Individual evidence
- ↑ King Diamond at laut.de
- ↑ a b King Diamond - No Presents For Christmas. Discogs , accessed December 24, 2016 .
- ↑ KING DIAMOND's 'Christmas' Single To Be Re-Released For Record Store Day Black Friday. November 20, 2012, accessed December 24, 2016 .
- ↑ Dave Simpson: 12 songs of Christmas: King Diamond - No Presents for Christmas. The Guardian , December 18, 2012, accessed December 24, 2016 .