Christmas Album

Beach Boys

 

TRACKLIST
 
1. Little Saint Nick
2. The Man With All The Toys
3. Santa's Beard
4. Merry Christmas, Baby
5. Christmas Day
6. Frosty The Snowman
7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
8. Blue Christmas
9. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
10.White Christmas
11. I'll Be Home For Christmas
12. Auld Lang Syne
 

Alternative Versions

1991 CD re-issue included the following bonus tracks.
Little Saint Nick (Single Version)
Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Mix)
Little Saint Nick (Alternate Version)

1998 re-issue was titled Ultimate Christmas and included the following bonus tracks
Little Saint Nick (Single Version)
Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Mix)
Little Saint Nick (Alternate Version)
Child Of Winter (Christmas Song)
Santa's Got An Airplane
Christmas Time Is Here Again
Winter Symphony
(I Saw Santa) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Melekalikimaka
Bells Of Christmas
Morning Christmas
Toy Drive Public Service Announcement
Dennis Wilson Christmas Message
Brian Wilson Christmas Interview

2004 re-issue titled Christmas With The Beach Boys and had identical tracks to Ultimate Christmas except that Christmas Time Is Here Again is excluded.


Album Trivia

Released on Capitol Records in October 1964
Reached number 6 in the USA Christmas charts.
Produced by Brian Wilson.
Orchestral arrangements by Dick Reynolds


Website Comments and Review

The Beach Boys began an early relationship with Christmas festivities with their 1963 Christmas classic single Little Saint Nick backed with The Lord's Prayer . In 1964, despite having already released two studio albums, and a concert album, they contributed a full LP of Christmas material, including five original songs and seven standards.

While the original songs were in a fairly basic Beach Boys rock-and-roll style, the standards included arrangements by Dick Reynolds. All in all, it was never going to be a concoction that would break musical boundaries. However, the originals are pleasant enough and at least two of them ,Little Saint Nick and The Man With All The Toys could be regarded as modern Christmas classics (if you regard 1964 as modern). The standards do feature some fantastic vocals from the band and really showcase the band as outstanding singers.

The 1964 Christmas Album was by no means the end of the Beach Boys attempts to sparkle the Christmas season. A 1974 single Child Of Winter had a Christmas theme, while in 1977, another attempt was made to record a full Christmas album, which was rejected by the record company. However, these sessions make up much of the bonus track material on recent compilations. Of these "newer" songs, Brian's Winter Symphony featues a nice arrangement and a "transitional phase" Brian vocal, but the real meat here is Dennis's spiritual and moving Morning Christmas.

RATING: 7 out of 10


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