December Sun

I just saw that Swedish radio show P3 Pop had a sunshine pop special last year. I would have been in Glasgow at the time, but looking at the playlist (click 23.00-24.00 for the other half) I'm not very impressed. I only found out about it through the now defunct Sunshine Department blog, which I happened upon a bit late. Usually Redtelephone66 is a good way to find these albums, but Sunshine Department (although in Swedish) is useful for filtering out the crap and pointing you towards the real treasures. I saw that they have a summer compilation for download as well, and I got to thinking about a mix of my own, as an introduction to the genre. So here's my Christmas gift! Sunshine pop is perfect winter music, ironically, and it's all I've been playing today. I've tried to avoid choosing the most obvious tracks by the well-known names and there's quite a few obscure bands here. Or bands that will be frowned upon by the purists. 30 tracks that will make you long for sunny beaches instead of snow. And the Sharon Tate extravaganza continues, the image is actually from a tan lotion ad. The title is inspired by Roger Nichols' "Snow Queen" and my Christmas mix from two years ago.

CLOUD 82 VA - For Sand Men and Snow Queens

The Playground – The Girl Behind the Smile
The Parade – Sunshine Girl
Yellow Balloon – Springtime Girl
The Innocence – All I Ask
The Feminine Complex – I Won't Run
The Free Design – Never Tell the World
The Addrisi Brothers – Time to Love
The Millenium – 5 A.M.
The Smoke – Umbrella
The Collage – Rainy Blue Memory Day
The Love Generation – Fluffy Rain
The Sunshine Company – Rain
Billy Nicholls – Feeling Easy
The Unusual We – Topanga Canyon
The Association – On a Qiuet Night
Peppermint Trolley Co. – Trust
Salt Water Taffy – I'll Always Be True to You
October Country – My Girlfriend Is a Witch
Wendy & Bonnie – Let Yourself Go Another Time
The Daisy Chain – All Because of Him
Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends – Coconut Grove
Dean Ford & the Gaylords – That Lonely Feeling
The Cryan' Shames – It Could Be We're In Love
Montage – The Song Is Love
The Cowsills – We Can Fly
The Munx – Our Dream
The Ballroom – Love's Fatal Way
The Gordian Knot – The Year of the Sun
The Gas Company – If You Know What I Mean
The Honeys – Goodnight My Love