Every Christmas, I end up buying one or two new Christmas albums, but this year I was excited to see that I would have the opportunity to buy an old one. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector has been released on CD for the first time in about twenty years. In my opinion, this is the greatest Christmas album ever recorded. All of the songs are produced using Phil Spector's signature Wall of Sound, adding a different atmosphere from all other Christmas albums. It's the singing talent that makes this album a must-own, though. The legendary girl groups The Crystals and The Ronettes put their own unique flourishes on classic songs like "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," and "Sleigh Ride" (featuring the unforgetable background vocal "ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-dong-ding"). The highlight of the album, though, is Darlene Love. I'm sure you've heard a cover of her "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," but no one has ever sung it better or with more emotion. Love is a tour de force on this album, and absolutely nails that song.
Forget for a moment that this album was produced by a convicted murderer; the music is so bouncy and catchy that you will be humming these songs long after you've stopped listening. I'm sure that, like me, you've heard many of these songs on the radio for many years. Now you have a chance to own them all for the first time in decades. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of that opportunity.
