U2, Elton John, and the Killers record Xmas songs for charity

There’s some serious star power in the new issue of (RED)WIRE, the awkwardly titled but nobly intentioned “digital music magazine” that gives half of its proceeds to fight AIDS in Africa. (Subscriptions run $5/month for you to get a dose of exclusive music delivered weekly.) This week’s holiday-themed downloads include U2 covering Greg Lake‘s “I Believe in Father Christmas” as well as The Killers, Elton John, and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant joining forces for a soupy ballad called “Joseph, Better You Than Me.” I’m not sure I’d describe either track as essential, but fans should enjoy both. So how do you like ’em? You can check out the Killers/Sir Elton/Tennant collab or the U2 track on YouTube, but do head over to redwire.com if you like what you hear — or if you just want to help out a good cause.

• The 100 Greatest Down-and-Out-on-Christmas Songs: Chris Willman counted down The 100 Greatest Down-and-Out-on-Christmas Songs
• Holiday songs you secretly hate: PopWatch confessional: Holiday songs you secretly hate
• 10 great holiday songs: EW picked out 10 great holiday songs
• talked holiday tunes: Afroman and a dude from Barenaked Ladies talked holiday tunes. (It made sense at the time?)

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