"England's greatest band!" declared New Yorker writer Sasha Frere-Jones about the glammed-up girl pop behemoth, Girls Aloud, and Tangled Up confirms it. Before turning to metal, Japanese-American beauty Carmen Maki sang folk ballads and stroked lambs on her single sleeves. Santa surprised with Brit girl Mary McCarthy's rare Hollies cover. Reading the cocaine-filled tales of Fleetwood Mac in Storms spawned another Stevie Nicks craving, satisfied with her latest greatest hits. The Bee Gees' Odessa adds to the argument for ditching double albums (because as a single album it'd be perfection). Spent the hols road-tripping 'round Florida, where I picked up Cathy Rich's Kim Fowley-produced "Wild Thing." Disney darling Annette later admitted to a massive crush on Paul Anka (not Frankie Avalon), who penned one of my all-time faves, "Train Of Love." Another flawless soul-pop single from the still mysterious Lydia Marcelle.