The Beach Boys' Christmas Album facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Beach Boys' Christmas Album |
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 9, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | October 20, 1963; June 18–30, 1964 | |||
| Studio | Capitol and Western, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Pop, Christmas | |||
| Length | 27:37 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||
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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. 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. Music historian James Perone wrote that it is "regarded as one of the finest holiday albums of the rock era".
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. 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.
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
The 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. He played piano on the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" but was dismissed by Spector due to his substandard piano playing. Original album cover photo by George Jerman for Capitol Photo Studio. 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
With 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. "Christmas Day" is the first Beach Boys song to feature a lead vocal from Al Jardine.
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.
In addition to orchestral renditions of "Jingle Bells" and the original Wilson composition "Christmas Eve" which never received vocal overdubs, outtakes of the All Summer Long track "Little Honda" and The Beach Boys Today! single "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" were recorded in between June sessions.
Ultimate Christmas
Released 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.
Track listing
Mike Love's writing credits on the tracks marked with a (*) were only awarded after a 1994 court case.
| Side one | |||||||||
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| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Little Saint Nick" | Love | 1:59 | ||||||
| 2. | "The Man with All the Toys" |
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1:32 | ||||||
| 3. | "Santa's Beard" | Love | 1:59 | ||||||
| 4. | "Merry Christmas, Baby" | Love | 2:22 | ||||||
| 5. | "Christmas Day" | Al Jardine | 1:35 | ||||||
| 6. | "Frosty the Snowman" | B. Wilson | 1:54 | ||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "We Three Kings of Orient Are" | 4:03 | |||||||
| 2. | "Blue Christmas" | B. Wilson | 3:09 | ||||||
| 3. | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" |
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2:20 | ||||||
| 4. | "White Christmas" | B. Wilson | 2:29 | ||||||
| 5. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | B. Wilson | 2:44 | ||||||
| 6. | "Auld Lang Syne" |
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1:19 | ||||||
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Total length:
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27:37 | ||||||||
| 1991 CD reissue bonus tracks | |||||||||
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| No. | Title | Lead Vocals | Length | ||||||
| 13. | "Little Saint Nick" (single version) () | Love | 2:01 | ||||||
| 14. | "The Lord's Prayer" | The Beach Boys | 2:34 | ||||||
| 15. | "Little Saint Nick" (alternate take) () | Love | 1:56 | ||||||
| 16. | "Auld Lang Syne" (alternate take) | The Beach Boys | 1:19 | ||||||
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Total length:
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35:27 | ||||||||
Personnel
Partial credits courtesy of session archivist Craig Slowinski.
The Beach Boys
Additional musicians and technical staff
- Al Viola – guitar
- David Marks - guitar (Little Saint Nick) (possibly)
- 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
- George “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
Charts
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
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| US Christmas LP's (Billboard) | 6 |
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
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| US Billboard 200 | 107 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 65 |
See also
In Spanish: The Beach Boys' Christmas Album para niños
