A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (originally released as A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records) is an album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles 45 in 1963. Spector treated a series of mostly secular Christmas standards to his trademark "Wall of Sound" treatment, and the selections feature the vocal performances of Spector's regular artists during this period. The album peaked at number 13 on Billboard magazine's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Albums sales chart in December 1963.^[1]

The album was reissued by 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—and retitled Phil Spector's Christmas Album. This version went to number 6 on Billboard's special Christmas Albums sales chart in December of that year, which was its highest chart ranking.^[1] It was also in 1972 that it made its debut on the UK charts. It would also re-chart in 1983 peaking at UK #19.

In 2003, the album was voted 142 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[2] Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has cited this album as his favorite of all time.^[3]^[2]

The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[4]

Recording and production

Further information: Wall of Sound

The album was recorded between throughout September and October 1963. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys attempted to contribute his piano playing to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", but was rejected because of his low performing ability.^[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[6]

The album was released on 22 November 1963, and was a relative failure at the time. Original pressings are scarce and collectable, now selling for $400–$500 in excellent condition.^[7]

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 (and flop) 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 cover 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 version of "Frosty The Snowman" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" also usually get some radio airplay during the holiday season.

Release history

The album has been released several times on different labels: the original release on Philles and the 1972 reissue on Apple were followed by additional reissues on Warner-Spector (1974; this was the first release to feature a stereo mix of the songs, although it ironically used the "Back to Mono" Apple cover), Pavilion (1981), Impression (1983), Passport (1984), and Rhino (1987).

The first CD issue was also on Rhino in 1987, co-credited to Phil Spector International RNCD 70235 and restoring 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. The more common third CD issue came in 1989, a remastered release on ABKCO which restored the original title, artwork, and mono mix. 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.^[8] (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.

Track listing

Recorded at Gold Star recording studio

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
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 Ronettes	3:00
6.	"Marshmallow World"	Carl Sigman, Peter DeRose	Darlene Love	2:23
7.	"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"	Tommie Connor	The Ronettes	2:37
8.	"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"	Johnny Marks	The Crystals	2:30
9.	"Winter Wonderland"	Felix Bernard, Dick Smith	Darlene Love	2:25
10.	"Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"	Leon Jessel	The Crystals	2:55
11.	"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"	Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector	Darlene Love	2:45
12.	"Here Comes Santa Claus"	Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman	Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans	2:03
13.	"Silent Night"	Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber	Phil Spector and Artists	2:08

Personnel

Session musicians

Jack Nitzsche – arrangements, percussion
Louis Blackburn – horns
Hal Blaine – drums
Sonny Bono – percussion
Leon Russell – piano
Roy Caton – trumpet
Steve Douglas – saxophone
Frank Capp – percussion
Barney Kessel – guitar
Jay Migliori – saxophone
Bill Pitman – guitar
Ray Pohlman – bass
Irv Rubins – guitar
Tommy Tedesco – guitar
Nino Tempo – guitar
Johnny Vidor – strings
Larry Levine – engineer

References

1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 229. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
1 2 "The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 19 December 2012.
↑ deMartin, Michael (12 July 2006). "A Day At The Beach (Boy's House)". Pet Blog: Pet Sounds at 40: An Appreciation.
↑ ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
↑ Sharp, Ken (January 2006). "Christmas with Brian Wilson". Record Collector. United Kingdom: 72–76.
↑ Allmusic review
↑ "PHIL SPECTOR~CHRISTMAS ALBUM~MINT ORIG'63 LP~BLUE LABEL - auction details". popsike.com. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
↑ "Phil Spector Phillies Catalog Finds New Home". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-02-09.

External links

Phil Spector

Productions

Albums	Twist Uptown He's A Rebel A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica Just Once in My Life River Deep - Mountain High Let It Be All Things Must Pass John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band The Concert for Bangladesh Imagine Living in the Material World Some Time in New York City Rock 'n' Roll Born To Be With You Death of a Ladies' Man End of the Century Season of Glass Silence Is Easy

Singles	"To Know Him is to Love Him" "Corrine, Corrina" "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" "Talk to Me" "Under the Moon of Love" "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)" "He's a Rebel" "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart" "(Let's Dance) The Screw" "Da Doo Ron Ron" "Then He Kissed Me" "Be My Baby" "Baby, I Love You" "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" "Do I Love You?" "Walking in the Rain" "Ringo, I Love You" "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love" "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" "Just Once in My Life" "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" "Hung Up on You/Unchained Melody" "Ebb Tide" "River Deep - Mountain High" "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" "Proud Mary" "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered!" "Black Pearl" "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" "The Long and Winding Road" "My Sweet Lord" "What Is Life" "Power to the People" "Mother" "Try Some, Buy Some" "Bangla-Desh" "Imagine" "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" "A Woman's Story" "Born to Be with You" "Baby, Let's Stick Together" "Rock 'n' Roll High School" "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" "Silence Is Easy"

Compilations

Other songs

Associates

Category

The Ronettes

Veronica Bennett Estelle Bennett Nedra Talley

Albums	Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica

Singles	"Silhouettes" "Be My Baby" "Baby, I Love You" "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" "Walking in the Rain" "Is This What I Get For Loving You?" "I Can Hear Music"

Songs	"Frosty the Snowman" "Sleigh Ride" "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" "So Young" "What'd I Say" "Chapel of Love"

Related topics	Discography Phil Spector A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love"

Book:The Ronettes

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