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The Hybrid Kids Christmas album
UK: Pipe Records / Cherry Red Records B RED 11
Re-issued in 1981, Japan, Japan Records JAL-2501
Re-issued on CD in 1997, UK: Blueprint/Voiceprint Records BP-273-CD
Re-issued as a double CD with "Hybrid Kids" in 2008, UK: Cherry Red Records CDBRED 362

1. We Three Kings
2. O Come All Ye Faithful
3. Deck The Halls / Go Tell It On The Mountain
4. Coventry
5. Holly And Ivy
6. No St. Bernard
7. Listen, The Snow Is Falling
8. Dead Ducks
9. Good King Wenceslas
10. Happy Xmas war is over

Bonus tracks on 1997 CD:
11. Coventry - backtrack
12. Holly And Ivy - remix
13. We Three Kings - remix
14. O Come All Ye Faithful - remix

Joel Cutrara: Rap 3
Lol Coxhill: Soprano Sax 3, 10
Chris & Valerie Ross: Mummers’ Chorus 4
Quentin Crisp: Voice 5
Iain McNay: Anti-Christmas rap 6
Maggie Nicols: Vocals 7, 8

The second and last Hybrid Kids album - a Christmas album (Santa Claws...). Again, all Morgan, in Pipe Studios, this time recorded on an 8-track TEAC. The fictional band idea was abandoned and the theme was to use art-punk arrangements to express the feeling of a dark, pagan, pre-Christian, pre-Christmas winter solstice. Most of the tracks are traditional carols, plus two Christmassy songs by John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Iain McNay (Cherry Red boss) improvised a witty anti-Christmas rant on one track. Other guests included Miniatures artists Maggie Nicols, Lol Coxhill and The Phantom Captain Theatre group.

As this was made before the age of samplers (Morgan used to dream about such devices), he used tape loops to supply drums, orchestral sounds, and all manner of sound effects. Less of a parody than the first Hybrid Kids album, this album features Morgan’s surprisingly powerful guitar, bass and vocals as well as the usual rich mix of keyboards and found sounds.

The highly inventive pen-and ink cover was created by celebrated Time Out and Oz illustrator Peter Till. More of his fine work may be seen here.

REVIEW

From Amazon.co.uk - 4 stars out of 5

A Very Hybrid Christmas, 10 September, 2002
A-ha ! My secret Xmas indulgence becomes accessible to so many more people. Having turned his hand to deconstructing pop-songs, and miniaturisation, Morgan Fisher filtered Christmas thru' his warped brain. A mixture of traditional tunes and his own compositions, and for anyone disillusioned with most pop music, it works a treat. By turns, surprisingly moving (Dead Ducks and Holly & Ivy) hilarious (a farmyard Merry Christmas, War Is Over - with Pinky and Perky), educational (Good King Wenceslas) and thought-provoking. It only loses a star as you won't get the original postcards with the CD. So, if this is going to be your year, what are you going to do about it ?