22. A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector.
Timing is everything. Christmas is right around the corner, so how fortuitous it is that this album found it's way to the top of my listening list. I know that this will be part of the soundtrack to trimming the Christmas tree this year, along with "A Very She and Him Christmas", and a Colonel Sanders Christmas album I found in my album collection. On the cover of the album the Colonel looks like he has just finished some turkey and is nodding off in front of the fire. Good enough for me.
I have been looking forward to this one, not just because of the Christmas tunes, some of which are very familiar, but also the chance to listen for the "Wall of Sound" that is Spector's trademark. The recording stands out as much fuller than some of the other selections that we have been listening to. It is full, the drums aren't an afterthought, they are mixed in loud, and drive the tunes. The vocals are strong and come from the artists that Spector was often working with at the time.
It is a Christmas album, so it is not surprising that it is upbeat and energized; and it is a quick listen (about 36 minutes... or a well nursed rum and eggnog). The subject matter is standard Christmas fare. An interesting piece of associated trivia is the album was released on the day that JFK was assassinated. Sales weren't off the charts at first; the dolorous mood of the nation in the weeks following was likely a contributing factor. Folks would likely have opted for something more lugubrious than "Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman". That is pure speculation on my part, but the album endured, and fifty years later I am listening to it, and know a handful of the songs from annual airplay during the Christmas season.
I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Spector. Apparently he's a bit nuts. He is serving a second degree murder charge at the moment, and I recall a story about him suggesting that the Ramones stick around for a while at his place. He said this while putting a loaded gun on the table in front of him. I think they hung out for a bit. That's rock and roll, baby. His peccadilloes aside, he is an excellent producer; it seems like he puts all the cards on the table. The sound is full. If you are playing it in the studio he makes sure the folks at home are going to hear you. He gives a nice thank you at the end of the album, which is spoken over a string arrangement of "Silent Night". It comes across as sincere and finishes the record perfectly.
Rolling Stone placed this one at 142 on The Greatest 500 Albums of All Time. I'm pretty sure that it is better than the Colonel Sanders compilation (It didn't make the 500 !?!), but you can't judge an album by its cover. And if the Colonel somehow borrowed Spector's methods and came up with the "Wall of Chicken", that changes everything.
Merry Christmas!
I have been looking forward to this one, not just because of the Christmas tunes, some of which are very familiar, but also the chance to listen for the "Wall of Sound" that is Spector's trademark. The recording stands out as much fuller than some of the other selections that we have been listening to. It is full, the drums aren't an afterthought, they are mixed in loud, and drive the tunes. The vocals are strong and come from the artists that Spector was often working with at the time.
It is a Christmas album, so it is not surprising that it is upbeat and energized; and it is a quick listen (about 36 minutes... or a well nursed rum and eggnog). The subject matter is standard Christmas fare. An interesting piece of associated trivia is the album was released on the day that JFK was assassinated. Sales weren't off the charts at first; the dolorous mood of the nation in the weeks following was likely a contributing factor. Folks would likely have opted for something more lugubrious than "Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman". That is pure speculation on my part, but the album endured, and fifty years later I am listening to it, and know a handful of the songs from annual airplay during the Christmas season.
I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Spector. Apparently he's a bit nuts. He is serving a second degree murder charge at the moment, and I recall a story about him suggesting that the Ramones stick around for a while at his place. He said this while putting a loaded gun on the table in front of him. I think they hung out for a bit. That's rock and roll, baby. His peccadilloes aside, he is an excellent producer; it seems like he puts all the cards on the table. The sound is full. If you are playing it in the studio he makes sure the folks at home are going to hear you. He gives a nice thank you at the end of the album, which is spoken over a string arrangement of "Silent Night". It comes across as sincere and finishes the record perfectly.
Rolling Stone placed this one at 142 on The Greatest 500 Albums of All Time. I'm pretty sure that it is better than the Colonel Sanders compilation (It didn't make the 500 !?!), but you can't judge an album by its cover. And if the Colonel somehow borrowed Spector's methods and came up with the "Wall of Chicken", that changes everything.
Merry Christmas!
Buy it here.
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