A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

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A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
Album A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records cover.jpg
Studio album by
various artists
ReleasedNovember 22, 1963
RecordedAugust–September 1963
Studio Gold Star, Hollywood
Genre
Length34:12
Label Philles
Producer Phil Spector
Phil Spector production chronology
Philles Records Presents Today's Hits
(1963)		A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
(1963)		 Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica
(1964)
Singles from A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
  1. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
    Released: December 1963

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (originally A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, also known as Phil Spector's Christmas Album) is a multi-artist studio album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, originally released by Philles in November 1963. Spector treated a series of mostly secular Christmas standards to his Wall of Sound production style, and the selections feature the vocal performances of Spector's regular artists during this period. One month after its release, the album peaked at number 13 on Billboard magazine's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Albums sales chart. [2]

Contents

In 2003, the album was voted No. 142 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [3] maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. [4] In 2017, it was ranked the 130th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork . [5] In 2019, it was ranked the greatest Christmas album of all time by Rolling Stone. [3] The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [6]

Background and recording

Spector conceived the project while producing the Ronettes' single "Be My Baby" [7] in July 1963. [8] Although he was Jewish, he regarded Christmas as his favorite time of year, and sought to apply his Wall of Sound production method to an album of Christmas standards. [7]

Recording took place over six weeks during August and September 1963 at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. Spector booked the studio for nearly that entire period, with single sessions occasionally extended through the next day. The project involved all his regular artists, including the Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, as well as arranger Jack Nitzsche. [7] Among the visitors to the sessions were the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, who attempted to contribute piano to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" before Spector rejected his playing. [9]

Engineer Larry Levine later described the intensive schedule as a "nightmare" that left his "nerves shattered" and the musicians fatigued: "It got to the point where Phil and I were at each other’s throats ... He had to have it out and then he wanted the tracks done as singles not as album tracks. I never wanted to work with Phil again after that." [7] Ronettes vocalist Nedra Talley recalled, "You could sense that there was this side of who was gonna get what songs, and the fact that Ronnie and Phil were becoming an item, the others might have felt that there might be some favoritism to the Ronettes. But the other side was that it was so much fun being together and supporting each other and all singing on each other’s songs." [7]

The album concludes with a spoken-word narration by Spector over an instrumental version of "Silent Night", in which he thanks the listeners and acknowledges everyone involved in the project. According to Levine, the original voiceover exceeded five minutes before being edited down to approximately two; Levine remembered Spector "extolling his virtue, how great he was, while trying to sound humble". [7]

Release history

The album has been released several times on different labels, starting with Apple Records in 1972, with different cover art: a photograph of Spector dressed as a heavily bearded Santa Claus, wearing a "Back to Mono" button. Additional reissues on Warner-Spector in 1974 (for the first time in stereo), Pavilion (a short-lived imprint of CBS) in 1981, and Passport in 1984 would also use this cover, sometimes with the "Back to Mono" button airbrushed out.

The original cover was restored in time for the album's first CD issue by Phil Spector International through Rhino. It was mastered by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry and it restored the album's original mono mix. The second CD issue was in 1987 as well, on Chrysalis (CCD 1625) in monophonic for the UK market. This one is co-credited "Spector Records International" and features the slightly different international artwork, it features the same mastering as the Rhino CD. The more common third CD issue came in 1989, a remastered release on ABKCO which restored the original title, artwork, and mono mix, this edition was remastered by Phil Spector and Larry Levine. The album also appeared as the fourth disc of ABKCO's 1991 Spector box set, Back to Mono , and as the second disc of the 2006 UK-only ABKCO compilation The Phil Spector Collection.

Sony Music took over distribution rights to the Philles Records catalog in 2009 and re-released the mono album, remastered by Bob Ludwig, on its Legacy Recordings imprint on October 27 of that year. [10] (The Sundazed label also reissued the album on vinyl in 2009.) In 2012, Legacy Recordings released a two-disc set in the UK only, containing a new remastering of the mono album by Vic Anesini on the first disc and a selection of non-Christmas Spector hits and rarities on the second disc.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]

The album, released in the United States on November 22, 1963—the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated—was a relative failure at the time. [14] Original pressings are scarce and collectable, now selling for $400–$500 in excellent condition. [15]

In subsequent years, especially after its reissue on Apple, the album grew in popularity and is considered now to be a holiday classic. Several of its tracks became iconic Christmas songs for generations, such as the original single "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," and the well-known "Ring-a-ling-a-ling Ding-dong-ding" background vocals in the Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride". The arrangement of Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is based in part on the Crystals' version of the song, and U2's late-1980s remake of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" that appeared on the first A Very Special Christmas album is patterned after the Darlene Love original that appeared on the Spector LP. The Ronettes' versions of "Frosty The Snowman" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" also usually get some radio airplay during the holiday season.

Commercial performance

On its initial release, the album held the No. 13 spot on Billboard's Christmas Albums chart for two consecutive weeks. [16] [17] An Apple reissue of the album went to No. 6 on the same chart in December 1972, which was its highest chart ranking. [2] The album made its debut on the UK Albums Chart in 1972; it would re-chart in 1983, peaking at No. 19.[ citation needed ]

On the week ending December 15, 2018, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector entered the main Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time (at position No. 48), [18] eventually peaking at No. 12 three weeks later. [19] At the same time, the Ronettes' recording of "Sleigh Ride", though never released as a single, charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, initially reaching as high as No. 26 on the week ending January 5, 2019; it then re-charted during the 2019 and 2020 holiday seasons and attained an overall peak position of No. 13 on the week ending January 2, 2021, [20] before rising to No. 10 during the following holiday season. The album itself returned to No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart on the chart dated January 2, 2021, [21] and rose to No. 10 one year later (on the chart dated January 8, 2022). [22] On the chart dated January 6, 2024, the album achieved an overall peak position of No. 7. [23]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."White Christmas" Irving Berlin Darlene Love 2:52
2."Frosty the Snowman" Steve Nelson, Walter Rollins The Ronettes 2:16
3."The Bells of St. Mary's"A. Emmett Adams, Douglas Furber Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans 2:54
4."Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie The Crystals 3:24
5."Sleigh Ride" Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish The Ronettes3:00
6."Marshmallow World" Carl Sigman, Peter DeRose Darlene Love2:23
Total length:16:49
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Tommie Connor The Ronettes2:37
2."Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Johnny Marks The Crystals2:30
3."Winter Wonderland" Felix Bernard, Dick SmithDarlene Love2:25
4."Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" Leon Jessel The Crystals2:55
5."Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector Darlene Love2:45
6."Here Comes Santa Claus" Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans2:03
7."Silent Night" Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber Phil Spector and Artists2:08
Total length:17:23

Personnel

According to Jim Bessman's 2009 liner notes, except where noted: [24]

Session musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] Platinum300,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Cosgrove, Stuart (2020). Cassius X: The Transformation of Muhammad Ali. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN   978-1-64160-357-7.
  2. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 229. ISBN   0-89820-161-6.
  3. 1 2 "The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork . August 22, 2017.
  6. ↑ ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (March 23, 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN   978-0-7893-2074-2.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brown, Mick (2007) [2006]. Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector . London: Bloomsbury. pp. 147–149. ISBN   978-1-4000-4219-7.
  8. ↑ Back to Mono (1958–1969) (liner notes). ABKCO Records / Phil Spector Records. 1991. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010 – via albumlinernotes.com.
  9. ↑ Sharp, Ken (January 2006). "Christmas with Brian Wilson". Record Collector . United Kingdom. pp. 72–76.
  10. ↑ "Phil Spector Phillies Catalog Finds New Home". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  11. ↑ AllMusic review
  12. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  13. ↑ Watson, Jimmy (December 21, 1963). "Crystals, Ronnettes, etc.: A Christmas Gift For You" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 145. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  14. ↑ Jack Hamilton, "Did JFK's Death Make Beatlemania Possible? The Questionable Connections Between Camelot's Demise and Liverpool's Ascent." Slate, November 18, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  15. ↑ "PHIL SPECTOR~CHRISTMAS ALBUM~MINT ORIG'63 LP~BLUE LABEL - auction details". popsike.com. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Christmas Records". Billboard . December 21, 1963. p. 8.
  17. ↑ "Christmas Records". Billboard . December 28, 1963. p. 8.
  18. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Week of December 15, 2018". Billboard.
  19. ↑ "Various Artists Chart History - A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector". Billboard.
  20. ↑ "The Ronettes Chart History". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Week of January 2, 2021". Billboard.
  22. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (January 3, 2022). "Adele's '30' Spends Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200, 'Encanto' Hits Top 10". Billboard . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  23. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (December 31, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Tops Billboard 200 for Fifth Week". Billboard . Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  24. ↑ Bessman, Jim (2009). A Christmas Gift for You (booklet). Phil Spector Records.
  25. ↑ A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (Booklet). Various Artists. Rhino (RNCD 70235). 1987.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ↑ A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (Booklet). Various Artists. Phil Spector Records, Inc (CD 4). 1989.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ↑ A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (Booklet). Various Artists. Legacy (88697 59214 2). 2009.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ↑ A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (Booklet). Various Artists. Legacy (88765 43310 2). 2012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard . Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Various Artists: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 52. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 52 – 2023" [The Music – Albums – Week 52 – 2023] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 52 (dal 22.12.2023 al 28.12.2023)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  34. ↑ ""DIGiTop100" gada izskaņas topā svētku dziesmas uzvar teju visus muzikālos smagsvarus" [Christmas songs beat almost all musical heavyweights in DIGiTop100 at the end of the year] (in Latvian). Skaties.lv  ( lv ). January 3, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  35. ↑ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Album 2023 uke 52". VG-lista . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Veckolista Album, vecka 52, 2023". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Phil Spector | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Tops Billboard 200 for Fifth Week". Billboard . Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  40. ↑ "Various Artists Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  46. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2024". Billboard . Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  49. ↑ "British album certifications – Various Artists – Christmas Gift For You From Phil". British Phonographic Industry.


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