On November 22, 1963, "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector" was released. [View all]
Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2024, 03:43 PM - Edit history (1)
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
Studio album by various artists
Released: November 22, 1963
Recorded: SeptemberOctober 1963
Studio: Gold Star, Hollywood
Genre: Christmas, pop
Length: 34:12
Label: Philles
Producer: Phil Spector
Singles from A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
"
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
Released: December 1963
A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (later renamed
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, also known as
Phil Spector's Christmas Album) is an album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles 4005 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 No. 13 on
Billboard magazine's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Albums sales chart.
In 2003, the album was voted No. 142 on
Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. In 2017, it was ranked the 130th greatest album of the 1960s by
Pitchfork. In 2019, it was ranked the greatest Christmas album of all time by
Rolling Stone. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has cited this album as his favorite of all time. The album was included in Robert Dimery's
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Recording and production
Further information: Wall of Sound
The album was recorded during September and October 1963. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys attempted to contribute piano to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", but Spector rejected him for poor playing.
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