Phil Spector- A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, 1963
Label: Philles
Producer: Phil Spector
Over the course of six decades, producer Phil Spector’s holiday gem, and arguably the greatest contribution of his storied career, has ascended to the the loftiest of statuses within the story of popular music. A Christmas Gift For You is not only regarded by many as the greatest Christmas album of all time, but also frequently ranks among the greatest records in history, bar none. It is gloriously etched into the fabric of the season, the soundtrack of which is simply incomplete without the landmark performances found throughout. Its road to such golden status was littered with infamies, from initially disastrous sales to its release date falling on the day of the JFK assassination to of course the controversies that Spector’s own dark path would elicit through the years. However, the magical spirit of these recordings was far more powerful and timeless than any of these unfortunate associations. After all, some records are simply too special to be denied their rightful place in history, and A Christmas Gift For You is certainly one of them.
The record assembled the finest artists to be signed to Spector’s short-lived 60s record label, Philles Records, and in turn gathered some of the finest soul and R&B vocalists. All of them were names who were pivotal in merging those sounds and styles into the overarching story of pop and rock & roll music during this golden decade of music. The album also arguably finds Spector himself and his iconic but polarizing Wall of Sound production technique in its glorious prime. These exalted and grandiose arrangements prove to meld perfectly with the wondrous and charming spirit of the Christmas season. Every choice is made tastefully in service of the songs, the artists, and spirits of both, without ever indulging in the pretentious excesses that often-times marred Spector’s latter-day recordings.
This entire project is a true testament to the inexplicable aura of music, and how its sounds can magically transport you into another place, in this case the joyous winter wonderland that we all idyllically envision the Christmas season to be. From the moment “White Christmas” opens the album with its bright piano, charming sleigh bells and Darlene Love’s expressive range, the listener is instantly transfixed into a snowy fantasy land of bliss and peace. This is further elevated by Love’s spoken-word interlude and an observation of LA’s sunny Christmas Eve weather as she dreams of some arctic scenery. This simple moment announced to listeners that this was going to be a modernly soulful and secular Christmas disc (its near complete omission of any spiritual numbers was rather revolutionary in its own right), but one that was still very much connected to the classic dreamy zeal of traditional holiday favorites.
Spector’s rich tapestry of sounds, emotions, and imagery maintains itself remarkably throughout the entire record, and his vocalists elevate this sonic aura to a new level of greatness with their sensational singing and storytelling. The aforementioned Love and The Ronettes have, of course, always garnered the greatest amount of acclaim, and it’s not difficult to see why. The Ronettes deliver the forever definitive version of the delightful “Sleigh Ride”, with its imaginative sonic novelties and an unforgettable “Ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-Ding-dong-ding” vocal that is as iconic in their canon as the chorus of “Be My Little Baby”. Ronnie Spector’s uniquely raspy soul likewise gives familiar favorites like “Frosty the Snowman” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause” a gutsy gravitas that never sacrifices the playful innocence of either tune. Meanwhile, Love delivers one showstopper after another through graceful reads of “White Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland”, the utterly playful “Marshmallow World”, and the Spector original and soon-to-be-standard “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. The latter classic is as representative as any other record in terms of establishing the powerful presence of soul and R&B music in rock & roll’s pinnacle years.
For all the just praise heaped up on Love and the Ronettes, it should be made eminently clear that fellow vocal groups The Crystals and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans were no slouches in their contributions to the overall album. In fact, it’s another testament to Spector’s astute leadership and vision given how seamlessly uniform and cohesive all of these acts flow into one another under the overarching soundscape of the record. It never once possesses the fragmented, piece-meal feeling that so many artist compilations carry. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (of which Darlene Love was also a member leading up to the solo breakthrough that awaited her in the wake of this album) inject a joyously infectious cheer into their selections, “Here Comes Santa Claus” and a true underrated gem in “The Bells of St. Mary’s”. The Crystals meanwhile are admittedly assigned some of the most childish moments of the collection, with a swinging “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, and “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers”. They imbue all of these selections with both a sultry elegance and a childish spirit, perfectly reflecting one of the season’s most alluring abilities in resurrecting the wide-eyed, child-like innocence and optimism of adults everywhere.
Festive and soulful, romantic and idyllic. A Christmas Gift For You generously offers all of these emotional elements and many more qualities that have allowed it to endure beyond its initial cult status and into one of the most pivotal recordings in all of American music. It’s a transcendent diamond of an album that will forever stand as a pinnacle moment not only in the storied canon of Christmas music, but in that of its creator, performers, genres, and accumulating generations of music lovers everywhere. The album positively shimmers with the gorgeous and mystical charms that can still cause even the most hardened listener to reconnect with the ageless spirit of Christmas, and thus fall in love with the season all over again. It’s that power which has allowed it to endure for sixty years now, and that power that will continue cementing its legacy for an endless amount of generations to come.
Track Listing
- “White Christmas” performed by Darlene Love (Irving Berlin)
- “Frosty the Snowman” performed by The Ronettes (Steve Nelson, Walter Rollins)
- “The Bells of St. Mary’s” performed by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans (A. Emmett Adams, Douglas Furber)
- “Santa Clause Is Coming To Town” performed by The Crystals (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie)
- “Sleigh Ride” performed by The Ronettes (Leroy Peterson, Mitchell Parish)
- “A Marshmallow World” performed by Darlene Love (Peter DeRose, Carl Sigman)
- “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” performed by The Ronettes (Tommie Connor)
- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by The Crystals (Johnny Marks)
- “Winter Wonderland” performed by Darlene Love (Felix Bernard, Dick Smith)
- “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” performed by The Crystals (Leon Jessel)
- “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” performed by Darlene Love (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich)
- “Here Comes Santa Claus” performed by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans (Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman)
- “Silent Night” performed by Phil Spector & Artists (Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber)
The 706 
Leave a comment