There’s a little bit to wait before Awesome Mix Volume 3 is released, but The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is here to supply us with the tunes in the meantime. We explain who the Old 97’s are – the alien band – and we explore the festive soundtrack.
The holiday special is confirmed to take place between Thor: Love & Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and it will feature a slightly shorter run time to Werewolf by Night.
The upcoming Christmas special presentation is brought to you by writer and director James Gunn, the man behind the MCU’s Guardians trilogy, and focuses on the titular heroes celebrating the holiday season on Earth in order to lift Peter Quill’s spirits. The feature will see Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, and Zoe Saldaña reprise their roles.
Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Official Trailer
Who are the Old 97’s?
The alternative country band Old 97’s feature on two songs within The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special soundtrack – I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here) and Here it is Christmastime, featuring Kevin Bacon.
Marvel fans will have noticed that the band appears as a group of aliens within the narrative, as the band members were heavily made up of prosthetics.
Based in Dallas, Texas, and formed in 1992, the band is made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Rhett Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, lead guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples.
Releasing 21 albums of the band’s loud folk style, the Old 97’s name is inspired by the American rail disaster of 1903 when a mail train traveled from Virginia to North Carolina, known as the Wreck of the Old 97.
James Gunn and Lead Rhett Miller are Friends
Posting on his Twitter, director James Gunn revealed that he had written a song for the holiday special soundtrack and reached out to his friend Miller to help him write.
As an afterthought, Gunn had the notion to invite the Old 97’s to play the band in the special and they obliged.
Gunn added that his time with the band on set was “some of the most fun days on set ever.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Soundtrack
John Murphy, the composer behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, will be tackling the score within the holiday special.
Curated by Hollywood Records, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special is currently available to listen to on Spotify.
Below, we have included the full track list:
- Dead By X-mas – Hanoi Rocks
- Christmas Treat – Julian Casablancas
- Mrs. Claus – Little Jackie
- Just Like Christmas – Low
- Christmastime – The Smashing Pumpkins
- Fairytale of New York – The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl
- Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
- Is This Christmas – The Wombats
- I Want An Alien For Christmas – Fountains of Wayne
- I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here) – Old 97’s
- Here It Is Christmastime – Kevin Bacon and Old 97’s
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.
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