It's that time of year again and many of us are listening to our iTunes Christmas playlist on shuffle or tuning our car radios to the designated 'Christmas station' that plays the beloved Christmas shortlist on a 3 hour loop. Interestingly there's one man who was behind so many of our favorite Christmas tunes.
In 1963 Phil Spector, that crazy Jewish producer from the Bronx who was born on Christmas day, released a compilation of Christmas tunes all treated with his trademark Wall of Sound. This full-length album came from a guy who regularly referred to LP's as "two hits and ten pieces of junk". Spector proved himself wrong by releasing A Christmas Gift for You which ended up containing many of the songs that we now equate with twinkling lights and candy canes. On the last track of the album Spector expresses his desire to "...bring something new and different to the music of Christmas and to the recording industry". Looking back through time at his enormously influential body of work which includes this little slice of American Christmas nostalgia, I'd say his wish came true.
So curl up with some hot chocolate and your loved ones and let Phil's Wall of Sound wrap you up in the sounds of the season.
The Ronettes- Sleigh Ride
Darlene Love- White Christmas
The Ronettes- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Oh and I almost forgot....Phil is behind this one, too
John and Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band- Happy Xmas
