The Beach Boys' Christmas Album is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released November 9, 1964 on Capitol Records.[1][2] It contains five original songs and seven standards on a Christmas theme. The album proved to be a long-running success during subsequent Christmas seasons, initially reaching No. 6 on Billboard's Christmas LP's chart in its initial release and eventually going gold.[3] Music historian James Perone wrote that it is "regarded as one of the finest holiday albums of the rock era".[4]
| The Beach Boys' Christmas Album | ||||
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| Released | November 9, 1964 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Studio | Capitol and Western, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Pop, Christmas | |||
| Length | 27:37 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||
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| Singles from The Beach Boys' Christmas Album | ||||
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While leader Brian Wilson produced and arranged the rock songs, he left it to Dick Reynolds (an arranger for the Four Freshmen, a group Wilson idolized) to arrange the 41-piece orchestral backings on the traditional songs to which the Beach Boys would apply their vocals.[5] One single was released from the album, the original song "The Man with All the Toys" backed with the group's rendition of "Blue Christmas". "Little Saint Nick", a single which had already been released the previous year, was included on the album.[6]
In 1977, the Beach Boys attempted to follow the album with Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys, but it was rejected by their label. The entire Christmas Album plus selections from the Merry Christmas sessions were later assembled for the 1998 compilation Ultimate Christmas.
Background
editThe album was devised as a response to Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (1963), an album Brian had attended recording sessions for.[7] He played piano on the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" but was dismissed by Spector due to his "substandard" piano playing.[8] Original album cover photo by George Jerman for Capitol Photo Studio.[citation needed] The a-side consists mostly of original Christmas-themed rock songs penned by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, while the b-side features both secular and religious Christmas standards with orchestral accompaniment directed by Dick Reynolds.
Recording
editWith the exception of "Little Saint Nick", sessions for the album spanned June 18–30, 1964, one month after the All Summer Long album was completed.[1] "Christmas Day" is the first Beach Boys song to feature a lead vocal from Al Jardine.[9]
The album was released in mono and stereo; the stereo mix, prepared by engineer Chuck Britz, would be the last true stereo mix for a Beach Boys album until 1968's Friends.[original research?]
In addition to orchestral renditions of "Jingle Bells" and the original Wilson composition "Christmas Eve" which never received vocal overdubs,[10] outtakes of the All Summer Long track "Little Honda"[10] and The Beach Boys Today! song "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" were recorded in between June sessions.[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Jason Ankeny stated: "Brian Wilson's pop genius is well suited to classic Yuletide fare, and the group delivers lush performances of standards ranging from 'Frosty the Snowman' to 'White Christmas' as well as more contemporary material like 'The Man With All the Toys' and 'Blue Christmas.'"[6]
While interviewing Wilson for a promotional radio special in 1964, Jack Wagner remarked that Wilson's decision to sing solo on a version of "Blue Christmas" could be "the start of a whole new career," to which Wilson responded "I don’t know. It could and it couldn't. I really don’t know."[5] Referring to the standards which he believed "proved that the Beach Boys' vocal power was bigger and more agile than the surf and hot rod records [and] staking a claim for wider musical terrain," author Luis Sanchez reflected: "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album music shows a quality of aesthetic selectivity that none of the group's records that came before it do, aspiring not just to assimilate one of pop's stock ideas, but also enabling Brian to make one of his biggest artistic advances."[5]
On April 6, 1982, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, selling more than 500,000 units.[3]
Ultimate Christmas
editReleased in 1998, Ultimate Christmas is a compilation containing all of the twelve tracks from the original Christmas LP in stereo. Many bonus tracks were added, including the 1974 single "Child of Winter" and several previously unreleased tracks from the aborted 1977 album Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys.[9]
Track listing
editMike Love's writing credits on the tracks marked with a (*) were only awarded after a 1994 court case.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Saint Nick" (*) | Love | 1:59 | |
| 2. | "The Man with All the Toys" (*) |
|
| 1:32 |
| 3. | "Santa's Beard" (*) |
| Love | 1:59 |
| 4. | "Merry Christmas, Baby" (*) |
| Love | 2:22 |
| 5. | "Christmas Day" | B. Wilson | Al Jardine | 1:35 |
| 6. | "Frosty the Snowman" | B. Wilson | 1:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Three Kings of Orient Are" | John Henry Hopkins Jr. | 4:03 | |
| 2. | "Blue Christmas" |
| B. Wilson | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" |
| 2:20 | |
| 4. | "White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | B. Wilson | 2:29 |
| 5. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | B. Wilson | 2:44 | |
| 6. | "Auld Lang Syne" | Traditional, arranged by B. Wilson |
| 1:19 |
| Total length: | 27:37 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Little Saint Nick" (single version, mono) (*) |
| Love | 2:01 |
| 14. | "The Lord's Prayer" (B-side of the single version of "Little Saint Nick") | Traditional, arranged by B. Wilson | The Beach Boys | 2:34 |
| 15. | "Little Saint Nick" (alternate take, mono) (*) |
| Love | 1:56 |
| 16. | "Auld Lang Syne" (alternate take) | Traditional, arranged by B. Wilson | The Beach Boys | 1:19 |
| Total length: | 35:27 | |||
Personnel
editPartial credits courtesy of session archivist Craig Slowinski.[10]
The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine
- Mike Love
- Brian Wilson
- Carl Wilson
- Dennis Wilson
- David Marks – backing vocals and rhythm guitar on "Little Saint Nick" (both credits uncertain)
Additional musicians and technical staff
- Al Viola – guitar
- Cliff Hils – double bass
- Jimmy Rowles – grand piano
- Jack Sperling – drums
- Eddie Rosa – flute and/or saxophone
- Chuck Gentry – bass clarinet and/or baritone saxophone
- William Hinshaw, Richard Perissi, Arthur Briegleb – French horns
- Henry Laubach, John Audino, Conrad Gozzo, Raymond Triscari – trumpets
- Harry Betts, Francis Howard, George Roberts – trombones
- Red Callender – tuba
- Edgar Lustgarten, Jesse Ehrlich, Nathan Gershman, Alfred Wohl, Margaret Aue – cellos
- Benjamin Barrett – orchestra master
- Dick Reynolds – orchestra conductor
- Mainerd Baker, George Yocum – copyists
- Bill Putnam – engineer – orchestral tracks
- Chuck Britz – engineer
- Mark Linett – remix engineer (1991)
Charts
edit| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christmas LP's (Billboard)[14] | 6 |
| Chart (2019–2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 35 |
| US Billboard 200[16] | 66 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[17] | 35 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[18] | 23 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Doe, Andrew Grayham. "GIGS64". Endless Summer Quarterly. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band: On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. ISBN 0-87930-818-4 p. 72
- ^ a b Doe, Andrew. "RIAA". Endless Summer Quarterly. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ James E Perone (10 Nov 2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World [2 volumes]: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. ABC-CLIO. p. 42. ISBN 9781440803406.
- ^ a b c Sanchez, Luis (2014). The Beach Boys' Smile. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-1-62356-956-3.
- ^ a b c Allmusic review
- ^ Sanchez 2014.
- ^ Sharp, Ken (January 2006). "Christmas with Brian Wilson". Record Collector. United Kingdom: 72–76.
- ^ a b Elliot, Brad (1998). Ultimate Christmas (Digital Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
- ^ a b c Boyd, Alan; Linette, Mark; Slowinski, Craig (2014). Keep an Eye On Summer 1964 (Digital Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records. Mirror
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Doe, Andrew G. "Album Archive". Bellagio 10452. Endless Summer Quarterly.
- ^ "Christmas LP's chart" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 76, no. 49. December 5, 1964. p. 25. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
External links
edit- The Beach Boys' Christmas Album at Discogs (list of releases)