Featured Essay: A Christmas Not So Merry: Dark Mark Does Christmas

by Vincent T. Ciaramella

Every seasoned vinyl hunter has come across their fair share of Christmas albums while out hunting in the wild. It seemed like there was a time that every major and minor artist felt the need to jump on the holiday gravy train. From Don Ho to Perry Como and everyone in between, us hunters of the used bins usually have to wade through these relics of a bygone era to find gold. With that being said, this review is about a completely different type of Christmas album. While most Christmas collections are full of cheer and merriment, this album has the vibe of a lonely midnight stroll through the silent hours of a cold winter’s night.

If you’ve never heard of Mark Lanegan do yourself a favor, stop reading this article and go listen to Whisky for the Holy Ghost, you’ll thank me later. Heck, go listen to any one of his solo albums. They are all fantastic. However, if time is of the essence I’ll give you a brief summary of his career. 

Born in Washington state, Lanegan gained fame back in the 90’s as the frontman for the Screaming Trees. Over the course of his career, he would go solo while also making guest appearances and collaborating with many influential artists like Queens of the Stone Age, Mad Season, Kurt Cobain, and Isobel Campbell. Although out of his entire music catalog one stands as an outlier in his repertoire. 

In 2012 Lanegan self-released a tour-only Christmas EP under the moniker of “Dark Mark.” In 2020, it was expanded to a full album and reissued again independently.  The album Dark Mark Does Christmas is a journey through the spiritual and the bleak, very reminiscent of Scrooge standing in front of the headstone that bears his name. The opening track, ‘The Cherry Tree Carol,’ is a Christmas carol dating from around the 14th century or earlier that recounts the apocryphal tale of the holy family while traveling to Bethlehem. Mary, who’s hungry, asks Joseph to gather her cherries from the nearby trees. Joseph then refuses and tells Mary that the father of her baby should pick the cherries. At this time the Christ child in utero commands the trees to bow down so his mother can pick the fruit. While this song has been sung for centuries, Lanegan’s interpretation stands apart for its unique fusion of Irish banjo and soulful crooning, but it doesn’t stop there.

 Lanegan goes on to reinterpret many traditional Christmas hymns and songs such as ‘O Holy Night,’ ‘We Three Kings,’ and one of my personal favorites ‘In The Bleak Midwinter,’ along with originals such as ‘A Christmas Song,’ and ‘Death Drums Along the River.’ Speaking of ‘Death Drums Along the River’ this poppy/keyboard tune has become one of our families’ favorites to listen to while cruising Pittsburgh looking at Christmas lights, as morbid as it sounds. Trust me, it’s actually very catchy and fun, I promise.

 One of the saddest songs ever penned has to be ‘Christmas Eve Can Kill You’ by the Everly Brothers. Here, Lanegan again blends his smoky, whisky-soaked voice and makes this 1971 cover all his own. 

The album finishes up with a cover by the legendary Roky Erickson, ‘Burn the Flame,’ which is my 10-year-old son/vinyl hunting partner, Enzo’s favorite track and a great way to end the album. 

While Dark Mark Does Christmas should be in every vinyl lover’s collection, sadly it is one of the rarest albums out there. Beyond its initial release it has only been reissued twice in limited quantities. Once in 2020 and most recently in 2024 with a UK only pressing. Fear not though if you want to hear the album for yourself it’s available for free on YouTube. However, if you’re looking to purchase your own copy on the secondary market the record is rather pricey and can go anywhere from $150-$200 USD. 

Unfortunately, though for fans of his music Mark Lanagan passed away in Ireland in 2022. Although these songs will never be performed live again, they are played in our car and home each year to mark the beginning of the holiday season. His songs and his spirit are interwoven in the Ciaramella holiday tradition. Speaking of family, this article was written on a road trip between Pittsburgh and Louisville, KY where we will be looking at Christmas lights in a 4-mile-long cave under the city. This piece has been a true family collaboration with yours truly, Vince, driving 70 MPH on the interstate outside of Cincinnati, OH, rambling on to the best editor, collaborator, and wife a writer could ever have, Erika. But let’s not forget my man in the backseat, Enzo who’s been fact checking data and song titles for this article. Without his insight this piece would not be a true family affair. So, from our family to yours Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Happy Gilmore… wait, scratch that last one. See you in 2026!

Vincent T. Ciaramella is a high school Psychology teacher by trade, Vince is also a published author with ten books and multiple articles under his belt including published works through SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), IBRO (International Boxing Research Organization), and History Magazine. His latest book is “A Shooting Star Across the Silver Screen- Olive Thomas: A Biography. When not writing or teaching, Vince and his vinyl hunting partner and vinyl collector himself, Enzo Ciaramella are out looking for some more titles to add to their collections.