Psychotic murderer he may have been, but Phil Spector didn’t half make a cracking Christmas record.
1963’s A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (later re-released as …from Phil Spector) is the perfect accompaniment to digging the tree out of the attic, draping tinsel over the telly, adhering little bits of sellotape to the edge of the coffee table in readiness for gift-wrapping, etc. So make yourself a hot toddy (preferably using Dalmore Trinitas), stick the album on and get hit by a Christmassy Wall of Sound. And if you don’t have the album, play these videos instead. I could have picked any tracks really but these’ll do.
Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby please come home)
Frosty the Snowman – The Ronettes
Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans – The Bells of St Mary’s
The Crystals – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Phil Spector just sounds like Christmas, doesn’t he? It’s the orchestration, the choir-of-angels backing vocals, the jangling percussion. It’s like a secular carol service.
Amazing isn’t it Brit that such a low-grade human being can virtually patent that unique thundering sound – or is it? I seem to remember many years ago when he was interviewed for Melody Maker, he talked about the sound ‘inside his head’. This was his way of explaining the torment he put musicians through trying to capture this aural image, with endless takes etc. Pity that somebody didn’t take a closer look at the contents of his head.
These are all great Christmas songs that unite people of all races (and faiths), despite being written and perfomed at a time of obscene racial discrimination..
Top tunage for sure
Yes, a ‘secular carol service’ is a rather good description.
Happy Christmas everybody!
p.s. Following on from Susan’s pont, it’s a pity that Spector didn’t give America at that time a more positive example – with his wife Ronnie, before she escaped from him… – of mixed-race relationships.
Humbug! Humbug, I say! I can’t believe such a cultured and erudite crowd is trumpeting this schlock. I don’t care about Spector’s “unique thundering sound”, these songs, and many others from that era, scream Muzak-in-the-shopping-centre. Truly the end of civilization as we know it. If your taste runs to secular carols, better to go with Irving Berlin and wartime classics. Brit, I beg you, if you find a recording of Maria Callas singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”, please don’t share it with us, no matter how exquisite her C sharp.
Merry Christmas to all The Dabbler family and many thanks for your superlative efforts.