Finally a Christmas record with some soul! Sick of hearing that same old tired rendition of “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby over and over, every damn year? In that case (and who isn’t!?) legendary 70s producer Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift For You” might be worth considering a listen. Combining the soulful black sound of Spector’s record label stars with the good old classics like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Winter Wonderland”, the album is a real do-whop-beep of a holiday disc and probably the greatest rock & roll Christmas album ever made.

A welcome relief from boy’s choirs and old men singing about sleighs and snowmen, this record should lighten up your holiday season. Of course, if you don’t like Christmas music at all then you won’t be very happy with it, but it would probably be something suitable to put on at a hipster Christmas party or when you’re having a hard time getting into the season spirit. Spector has a reputation for over-producing his releases, but in the case of “A Christmas Gift For You”, this “wall of sound” technique surprisingly enough actually suits the largesse and generosity of the season quite well. To be taken with a pinch of self-ironic salt!

Year Released: 1963
Label:
Related Link: History of Rock: Phil Spector
Date Reviewed: 2003-12-23
Author: Andreas