Christmas albums can be the most boring and short lived purchases you are ever likely to make.

In my case there are two notable exceptions - It's a Reggae Christmas and Christmas With The Rat Pack.

I bought the first about three-years-ago for £2 and I am still entertained by the dub-muzak version of Rudolf.

The second - and only other Christmas album I own - is Christmas With The Rat Pack, an altogether more substantial affair. Sammy Davis Jr's version of Jingle Bells is far and away the best I've heard.

As he shouts, "Come on Everybody," you can't help but feel uplifted. As for the last song, Auld Lang Syne sung by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, they sound hugely drunk and probably were. This is an irreverent romp of a collection that will last for many a year.

Four Globes out of five. ETM