A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

the cheeriest album ever made by a convicted murderer

I mean... considering some of the, uh, "presents" Phil Spector gave to folks, I'm happy with this. Seriously though this is a great record, in heavy rotation in our house during the holidays.

Legendary producer PHIL SPECTOR turns to his talents to Christmas music on this record. I played it at my company Christmas party this year and it KILLED. SOMEONE even it said it was the best Christmas record they’d ever heard.

I'm hoping everyone is getting this for Christmas Day (it makes all the sense in the world if that's the case - I mean, how could anyone properly review this on say August 15th?). Just ignore the Phil Spector factor (although just because he became a convicted murderer doesn't make him less of a musical genius, although I'm still not sure what he was trying to do to the Beatles with "Let It Be"). Focus on all the joy and wonder that is the living national treasure known as one Darlene Love. One of the greatest things David Letterman did was to have Love sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on his late night show every Christmas for something like 26 consecutive years. It's reportedly the only Christmas song Dave likes, so he'd have Darlene come out and belt her classic holiday tune with Paul Schaefer and company every year. What a gift for Darlene Love. And what a gift she is to us. Just listen to her start this album off by making a Bing Crosby classic all her own. Love's version of "White Christmas" is the only one I want to hear. Besides this album, the only other holiday album I enjoy is the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. This album is a big reason damn near every artist at least tries to record a Christmas song at some point in their career. Hell, I might have even choked up a bit during Spector's spoken word message over "Silent Night". In 100 years, the world will have moved on from Mariah Carey's Christmas song, but people will still be listening to Spector's Wall Of Sound, and Darlene Love will wear the crown as the true Queen Of Christmas.

A nice little compilation. Shame Phil Spector sullied his careers works by being a murderer. Musically 5/5. Morally 0/5.

Phil Spector sucks, but this slaps

I unabashedly like Christmas music and always have. This is a bona fide classic in heavy rotation around the holidays in my house which is beloved by all ages. It's in my top 3 Christmas albums of all time, along with The Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Charlie Brown Christmas," and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song." I love Phil Spector's big sound and densely layered arrangements. I do not love his personal message at the end of the album however, and I usually scramble to try to skip the track when I hear his creepy little voice come on. Hands down the best Christmas album ever produced by someone who would go on to become a convicted murderer.

Spector killed it with this one.

Good production can’t cover the fact that this is still a collection of fucking Christmas songs. Also, fuck Phil Spector.

This is where being a week or so behind on this list really bites you in the ass. Because I don't really want to listen to Christmas music on January 6th. Though, it's a good way to boost the mood on a day when we get to remember the Capitol Insurrection. Fuck those MAGA assholes. I'm rating this record (which I've never heard) in comparison to other Christmas records. As a result, I'm giving it a 5 and I'm going to try remembering it exists for the next 50 weeks, so I can listen to it at an appropriate time of year. One more thing: Phil Spector is a creep and a murderer.

IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! I didn’t expect this! Came into this a huge fan so really happy to have this join the 1001 list. This is THE classic Christmas album. Phil Spector at his wall of sound best and Darlene Love getting full credit as a single artist… really defined what modern Christmas music would sound like. Phil Spector talks of bringing “something new” to Christmas in his address at the end of the album. Must have been amazing to hear this when it first came out… I was under the impression that the 1001 Albums list didn’t include “Various Artists” so I wouldn’t have expected this but here it is. Love all the songs on this. Thanks for the Christmas present!

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is with a wall of sound for all to hear. A collection of popular Christmas songs, all performed and recorded in a consistent fun, joyful, upbeat, style. A lot of these have become the go-to versions, and the one original composition on the album, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)) by Darlene Love, is an underrated Christmas classic. Thanks for generating this on Christmas Eve (surely not a coincidence at odds of approx. 1 in 260?). This will become essential Christmas listening and couldn't fail to put even the bah-humbuggiest of Scrooges in the festive mood. 4/5

fuck phil spector

It's Christmas music. Literally not even on Christmas day do I WANT to hear Christmas music. It's not even *interesting* Christmas music. Just covers of the exact songs you hate hearing blaring over retail and fast food overhead speakers. I'd give this a 0 if I could. I'd give it a -30 of possible, and even that seems charitable. Call it the spirit of the holidays that even one song on this album got listened to.

This is delightful! So many of these songs have become the standard arrangement of these Christmas classics. And there's no doubt that Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" would not exist without the influence of this collection. The stand-out track is the one original song, Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". The whole album is full of joy and iconic performances from the pop queens of the 1960s.

I just wanna take this time to say Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope you all have a great day

Nothing to hate here. It's full of great reditions of classic songs. Hard to hate. Nothing truly outstanding but I wouldn't expect there to be from an album put together by Spector.

Absolutely fucking brutal listening to this the week after Christmas

actually just fuck off

Oh, today is the day I learned the generator is not completely random! No way I get this album on December 25th just out of the blue. That said, I'm sad I only got to this at 10pm on Christmas, because I would have loved to listen to this album all day long or over the past week. It's a pretty perfect Christmas album, as good as it gets. This album is what all artists aspire to when they make a Christmas album, whether they know it or not. The rich, sonorous arrangements, the warm and engaging vocals, and infectious melodies you want to keep singing. This is it. I mean, what's not to love about Darlene Love, the Ronettes, the Crystals and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans? I've heard most of these songs individually over the years, but as a collection you appreciate them so much more. Phil Spector had an ear for what makes beautiful music, and an ability to find really talented artists to present his musical vision. First and foremost, these are great pop songs, that also happen to be great Christmas songs. That is what makes a Christmas song a classic that never grows old, it has to be an excellent pop song first, and Spector understood this better than anyone. These songs are beautifully made and so much fun to listen to. They are standards for the most part that many artists had performed before Spector got a hold of them (the exception being the brilliant Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” but these versions are the ones that really have endured over time. Thanks for the gift 1001 Albums Generator, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, White Christmas, The Bells of St. Mary, Frosty the Snowman, A Marshmallow World, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, Silent Night

Haha! Well I'll be listening to this later as I do every year! If you don't love these Christmas classics given the wall of sound treatment, you are a soulless mister and definitely on the naughty list! I realise the artists were horribly exploited, and that Phil Spector is an awful human being. But this album is a precious diamond regardless.

A great collection of different takes on some holiday classics, I was able to tolerate listening to this one which speaks highly to its quality. An aside on Christmas music: When will someone create a new holiday staple? The current Christmas song canon has been unmodified since Mariah Carey cursed the world back in the early 2000s. Perhaps I'm just a 20-something cynic but I'm tired of hearing the exact same recording every single year.

I dislike Christmas music

The best collection of Christmas songs of all time. Darlene Love steals the show though. Every year its the same fucking boring debate about what the greatest Christmas song ever is. At least 6 tracks on this album are streets ahead of anything shat out of Mariah Carey or even Wham.

Baby Boomer Santa, thank you for everything in the world.

Merry Christmas! It was a Christmas album with some good versions of some traditional songs. How fortunate to have the 1001 gods put it on our plates on Christmas Day. Even so, it was nice for a listen, but not anything overly exciting for me. I imagine that the “Phil Spector” label in the name of the album may be off-putting for some, as it was a bit for me…

I cannot handle this

fuck off, just no

Greatest Christmas album of all time.

Did not know that so many great classics come from a single album.

So many classics I have heard here and there over all the years, and I never knew they all came from this one album! Though it's not really a surprise, since they all share the same Wall of Sound production. This was a wonderful Christmas surprise.

It’s a Christmas album

one of, if not the best Christmas albums love it !

🎄Merry Christmas 2024. This is in the top 5 Xmas albums you must hear before you die. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love is probably my favorite Christmas song.

I love Christmas and I love music, so I am very fond of Christmas music.

It is the sound of Christmas - sugary, of course, but rammed with sleighbells and tambourines and extra pianos and a second choir

I've had this on vinyl for decades and it gets brought up from the basement with the tree stand every year. The legendary Wall of Sound makes this head and shoulders above other Christmas albums from the era.  I unfortunately don't have the very rare and valuable original pressing and would take the money in a heartbeat if I did. It's unfortunate that Phil was such a whack job. He sure did make good music.

Absolute classics for Christmas Day, better than all the modern crap

I know we should give this project a pass on Christmas Day for whatever pops up, but this is pretty painful, and not just because Phil Spector was a creep and creepy guy and doesn't deserve any sort of accolades (especially given how dated his "wall of sound" seems these days). Moreover, I've really appreciated how strongly this collection has avoided "various artists"/"best of"/compilation albums, and this clearly violates that rule. I get it that it was a popular album back in the day, and I'm sure it was an interesting take on various Christmas songs, but it doesn't mean we have to like it. :)

Getting this on Dec. 26 made me feel like I got Rickrolled, except this was real and for some reason this album is actually in the 1001 albums book, which seems completely bizarre--why is a compliation here? WTF? Also, the title really hasn't aged well... sounds like a threat.

Oh no, can it get any worse? Minus five stars for Phil Spector and his "Christmas Company"

-oh dear lord its a christmas album -i’m sorry but i don’t like christmas music -i don’t feel like i need themed music for a holiday personally -also i don’t like this version of white christmas -cause bing crosby’s is the best version. of course -im sorry i skimmed through the songs i do not have the want to listen to christmas music -i really love christmas as a holiday i love the smell of pine and pretty lights and ornaments and red ribbon -i just find christmas music ANNOYING

Not for me. I'm not into Christmas Kitsch.

#80. Was it a coincidence or a conspiracy that the algorithm tried to force me to listen to a Christmas album on Christmas day? You know what? I'm not going to anyway. I fucking hate Christmas music. Also Phil Spector is an absolute diarrhea person. Fuck that guy. 1/5: Fuck your Christmas music and your Christ, and fuck Phil Spector the most.

I know this album will mean a lot to some people, but when someone is a serial abuser who should have been stopped long before he ended up committing murder, I think we should write them out of musical history. There are plenty of other Christmas albums to listen to instead. Should not be on this list.

Love the album. Phil Spector, not so much. Felt appropriate to listen to this while taking down Christmas decorations.

Aahh nice touch 1001 - I'm not normally a fan of Christmas albums but obviously hits different on Christmas day. This album is simply iconic and timeless

Random that the generator gave this to me... On Christmas Day! What can I say? It's wonderful! Darlene Love is enough for the high rating.

Cover albums are a tough sell for this list (looking at you, Willie Nelson), but a cover album full of Christmas songs gets an easy pass. Especially if it's given on Christmas! This feels like Christmas morning in music form. Everything’s big and bright, but not overdone. It’s got the timeless charm of something you’d hear on an old record player, but with more bounce. Think Nat King Cole meets a sock hop. This is pure holiday magic, like a Christmas party from a vintage postcard.

[Scene: Philles Records Studio, 1963. Exec 1 is leaning back in his chair, about to spin an early copy of A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector on the turntable. Exec 2 stands by the window, arms crossed, looking sceptical.] Exec 1: [grinning, nudging the needle to start the next track] “Did you hear that crazy motherfucker Spector wants to release a Christmas album now?” Exec 2: [raising an eyebrow] “A Christmas album? From him? You’re kidding, right? The guy who can’t walk through a room without talking about shooting stuff—now he’s doing Christmas music? That doesn’t sound like it’ll work.” Exec 1: [laughing, shaking head] “I know, it sounds nuts, but here’s the deal—Phil’s not doing this the usual way. He’s taking classic tunes, like ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ and slapping that Wall of Sound on them. You have to hear the Ronettes on ‘Sleigh Ride,’ buddy. He had ‘em overdubbed to hell, every note crystal clear, layering the vocals ‘til it felt like a choir of angels on speed.” Exec 2: [still unsure, arms crossed] “Okay, but Christmas music’s all about that cosy, peaceful vibe, right? Can Phil really turn that into something more... explosive?” Exec 1: [grinning, gesturing to the turntable as Darlene Love’s voice fills the room] “Exactly. This isn’t background noise while you roast chestnuts. It demands attention. The production is huge—it’s rock, soul, pop, and Christmas all rolled into one. And it doesn’t just sound like a holiday album; it feels like an event. This isn’t music for the celebration—it is the celebration.” Exec 2: [nodding slowly] “Alright, alright. I can hear that urgency in Darlene’s voice. But what’s Spector’s angle here? The guy’s a perfectionist. He must’ve made them record the same track fifty times before he was happy.” Exec 1: [laughing, nodding] “You’re spot on. He’d push them to the limit, but somehow they always delivered. He had the session musicians play the same part over and over and over and over... each take tighter and more explosive. He didn’t stop until it had that perfect punch. And that’s why this album sounds massive—it’s layers upon layers of bells, horns, strings, and vocals.” Exec 2: [cautiously intrigued] “Okay, I’m starting to get it. But with all the Christmas albums out there, what makes this one different?” Exec 1: [leaning forward, eyes gleaming] “It’s gonna redefine holiday music. People won’t just play this because it’s Christmas time; they’ll want to hear it every year. It’s not just another album—it’s an experience. People are gonna feel it, and they won’t forget it.” Exec 2: [Still sceptical but warming up] “Alright. If this thing bombs, though, it’s on Phil. His freak show reputation will be the first thing people talk about.” Exec 1: [grinning confidently] “Yeah, we’re taking a small gamble, but it’s gonna pay off. This is the Christmas album people will spin year after year. And when the records start flying off the shelves, Phil’s gonna be the genius who turned a holiday classic into a massive hit.” Exec 2: [grinning, shaking head] “Alright, alright. I’ll take your word for it. Just... keep him away from any guns next time he’s in the studio.” Exec 1: [laughing, leaning back in his chair] “We’ll release it at the end of November, just before the Christmas rush. It’ll sell like hotcakes. No major historical event will happen on that day to overshadow it, trust me.” Exec 2: [raising an eyebrow, amused] “Well, I don’t know about that last part, but alright. Let’s see how this whole crazy ride plays out.” Exec 1: [smirking] “Heck, I bet even JFK will dance to this in Christmas 1963.” [They both smile as the album continues, the unmistakable sound of Spector’s Wall of Sound filling the room.]

The greatest Christmas album of all time? It's possible. Every song is a banger, the production is impeccable (obviously) and the voices are note perfect. Those drums, reverbed vocals, all of it. Nothing gets me into a Christmas mood more. I'd listen to this in July, I love it that much.

Lyrics: The lyrics of "A Christmas Gift for You" are quintessentially festive, capturing the joy and warmth associated with the holiday season. The songs explore themes of love, celebration, and togetherness, providing a mix of traditional Christmas tunes and original compositions. Standout tracks include Darlene Love's emotive rendition of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and The Ronettes' lively performance of "Frosty the Snowman." The lyrics, although not groundbreaking, effectively convey the festive spirit and contribute to the overall charm of the album. Music: The musical arrangements on this album are a testament to Phil Spector's signature "Wall of Sound" production technique. The use of lush orchestration, vibrant horns, and infectious rhythms creates a grandiose and immersive sonic experience. The artists' vocal performances are spirited and soulful, adding a layer of depth to the music. From the jingling bells in "Sleigh Ride" to the upbeat tempo of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," the album showcases a diverse range of musical styles, making it accessible to a wide audience. Production: Phil Spector's production on "A Christmas Gift for You" is both the album's greatest strength and, arguably, its primary flaw. The "Wall of Sound" technique, characterized by densely layered arrangements, contributes to the album's lush and cinematic quality. However, in some instances, the production may feel overwhelming, with the instrumentation occasionally overshadowing the vocals. Despite this, the production style has become synonymous with the album's iconic sound and has influenced countless artists in the decades that followed. Themes: The overarching theme of "A Christmas Gift for You" is the celebration of the holiday season. The album successfully captures the magic and excitement of Christmas, creating a festive atmosphere that resonates with listeners of all ages. While the themes are not particularly profound, the emotional resonance of the performances elevates the material, turning familiar tunes into enduring classics. The album's thematic consistency is one of its strengths, providing a cohesive and enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. Influence: The influence of "A Christmas Gift for You" extends far beyond its initial release. Phil Spector's production techniques, showcased prominently on this album, have left an indelible mark on the music industry. The "Wall of Sound" approach influenced future producers and artists, shaping the sound of popular music in the 1960s and beyond. Additionally, the album's enduring popularity has inspired numerous covers and reinterpretations, cementing its status as a holiday staple. The influence of this album is not limited to the Christmas genre; its impact on production aesthetics has reverberated throughout the broader musical landscape. Pros: Timeless Sound: The album's production and musical arrangements have a timeless quality, ensuring its continued relevance and appeal across generations. Iconic Performances: The standout performances by artists like Darlene Love and The Ronettes contribute to the album's lasting impact. Diverse Song Selection: The inclusion of both traditional and original compositions adds variety to the album, catering to a broad audience. Influence on Production: Phil Spector's innovative production techniques have had a profound and lasting influence on the music industry. Cons: Overwhelming Production: At times, the "Wall of Sound" production can be overwhelming, potentially detracting from the clarity of the vocals. Limited Diversity in Themes: While the album effectively captures the joy of Christmas, the thematic scope is somewhat limited, focusing primarily on celebratory aspects. In conclusion, "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector" remains a holiday classic that has stood the test of time. Its iconic production, stellar performances, and enduring influence on the music industry make it a must-listen during the festive season. While the album is not without its minor flaws, its overall impact and contribution to the Christmas music canon are undeniable. As a result, it continues to be a cherished and essential part of holiday music collections worldwide.

Love Phil Spector. That man could do no wrong.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

p62. 1963. 5 stars. Ah c'mon, you know every track on this. Listening to this is like catching up with a favourite family member or friend each year. And it's brilliantly done, the sound of a pre-Beatles, pre-JFK assassination American Christmas captured in one perfect moment. There isn't a weak track on this. As for this being randomly generated... this turned up on my list on 23rd Dec. Co-incidence? I think not :)

The greatest Christmas album of all time. Only tarnished by Spector’s later crimes, the songs on here feature that incredible, signature Wall of Sound, only where on non-Christmas Spector productions, it conveyed the excitement of young love/lust, here it provides the sound of wholesome festive cheer.

The 2nd best Christmas album of all time and one I listen every year. To me this is the best example of Phil Spector's influential wall of sound production. I definitely see how it influenced Brian Wilson and how It's considered a classic to this day. This album contains the definitive versions of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Christmas". Holiday classic. 9/10

Weirdly, it's been ages since I actually enjoyed a good Christmas album. Especially one I haven't heard before. Sure, some of the tracks are cheesy, but in an enjoyable way. I have to give this album props for hitting the nostalgia for me, which is a real accomplishment for an album I don't think I ever heard as a kid. Fave track: Silent night

aye fuckin magic, phil spector gotta be my favourite murderer

It's Christmas. It's a Christmas album. It's one of the best Christmas albums. The wall of sound is in full effect here and it works so well. An excellent album and the perfect day for it. Almost like that was planned...

This is s perennial favourite of mine, the Cd comes out every Christmas and gets played a good few times. I'm always disappointed when I hear Phil Spector speak on the Silent Night cos I know the album is almost over. Wish it had been a double album! There's no duffers on here, every song is a cracker (pun intended, sorry) that you will hear on the radio during the festive season.

Perfect

It’s a bunch of classic christmas songs from bands that Phil Specter produced. Classic stuff, lots of songs that are still played every year

MY CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IS REACHING NEAR-MAXIMUM LEVELS!!!

Genuinely wonderful Christmas music--an asset to humankind that will be appreciated for centuries. It is genuinely difficult to detangle the joyousness of this music from the darkness of the whole second half of Phil's life. My huge crush on Ronnie Spector masks enough that I still deeply love this album.

How cute that this album pops up on Christmas. Such a sweet idea. Lots of great Christmas songs on here and it was fun to listen to while hanging out at home relaxing.

Is it going to be on regular rotation throughout the year? No. Is it an excellent Christmas album I will throw on 11 months from now? Definitely. Festive 🎄

Christmasy

I've heard all of these songs a million times during the holidays. Until this moment I had no idea they all came from a single album. Hit after hit. And obvious nostalgia points on this one. Excellent album (minus what Phil Spector became/did).

I was shocked at how many songs I recognized from this album.

Perfect christmas album. Why is Christmas a distinctly 50s/60s holiday? This album.

A welcome Christmas gift with a bunch of classics and good covers 4/5

Cozy Christmas vibes all over the whole record! Also it is incredible to think about how young Spector was when he revolutionized music production.

I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music, but as far as Christmas albums go, you can’t do much better than this. (Made me smile to see it pop up as the album for Christmas Day.)

Nice that this is "randomly" generated on Christmas day. It's a good Christmas album with "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" being my favourite. Merry Christmas!

Our host’s neat trick in saving this for Christmas Day has been a welcome one, sticking our household and maybe yours, Si, in this cheerful, compressed Groundhog Day. I don’t have the stomach to unpick Spector’s depredations, which would anyway do a disservice to those who actually played and sang these songs. This is a blast of cheer, and I’m surprised it lasted the day here, testament to its honing for mid-distance listening at varying levels of festive exhaustion.

Felt like an absolute psycho listening to this in September, but damn is it good. When it’s operating in peak form, the combination of Spector’s legendary production and the artists chosen for a given song create all-timer versions of these tunes. Not every song works, but it’s never bad, even when convicted murderer Phil Spector is talking directly to the listener on the final track. If I see a used copy of this on vinyl somewhere I’m definitely copping.

Ah yes, an album featuring women (&1 man) of colour, but it's curated and produced by a white man who's an abuser and a convicted murderer. Phil Spector’s involvement made me want to immediately 1-star the album, but I decided to listen to it as saying no to the album because of him would also be saying no to these women, which I really didn't want to do. my 4 star rating is for The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans.

The pure nostalgic joy washes over you as your transported to a northern winter wonderland replete with backing foley of bells and clopping horses, sure very seasonal but it is a must listen every christmas season. Favourite tracks are the classics The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride and Darlene Love - Christmas.

Solid Christmas album that influenced every other Christmas album. Quintessential Spector production & arrangement. Sounds played out in the 21st century, but this was the pioneer of modern pop production. Translates well to Christmas music. Fun vocals and high energy throughout 3.75/5

As great as a Christmas album can get. There are so many classics here that I had no idea came from the same album/producer. While Phil Spector is definitely not someone to idolize (that's an understatement), it is hard to deny the impact he had on music production which is just as evident here as it is anywhere else. The joy, warmth, and fun of Christmas is felt throughout this entire record, and many of these songs are THE definitive versions of these holiday classics. There is also an original song (Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)) that has gone on to become a staple in itself and is the strongest song on the whole album IMO. I am thankful that they assigned this one to me during the holiday season, but I think I would have enjoyed this at any point in the year. This is a difficult one to rank due to it being a compilation of artists and specific to a certain season, but I would definitely throw this one again next Christmas. 4/5.

Merry Christmas!

It's easy to be cynical about Christmas music. Some music fans, with a wave of the hand, may claim it is pumped down our ears every year by retailers to sell products, or mined by the film and TV industry as a lazy shortcut to elicit emotion. It's also a well-known truth that Michael Buble is leading a fascist regime to placate the masses and brainwash us all with his colourless, dishwater festivities. But this album? For me, it's THE essential Christmas record, the one I'll happily make a tradition out of every December. All the vocalists here are at their peak and deliver exceptional renditions, but Darlene Love is the star at the top of the tree. Hearing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in its home setting, a lone original in a sea of reworked standards, is electrifying: E even amongst some of the most famous pre-1960 Christmas standards of all time, it still shines as a powerhouse number. Bob B Soxx and the Blue Jeans have perhaps the least to offer of all the artists featured, but the production and festivities help to tie it all together and the roster of artists participating keep it fresh. Spector's wall-of-sound arrangements are undeniably world-class. Every detail is immaculately constructed and presented. Some highlights: the Ronettes doing a "Be My Baby" on "Frosty the Snowman"; the irresistible backing vocals in "Sleigh Ride; chimes and bells EVERYWHERE; the glockenspiel in "Marshmallow World"... so much more besides. We're left with an album that, in little over half an hour, seems to perfectly capture the spirit and excitement of Christmas- even the clear commercial and corporate appeal shouldn't sully the huge talent on show. As delightfully jolly as it all is, I'm going to round down from a 4.5 to a 4. Why? Because it's not appropriate for at least 50 weeks of the year and it's also the brainchild of a murdering maniac. But damn... arrangements from a killer's head never sounded so... Christmassy.

We don't start Christmas in our house until at least 21st December. This is always the first Christmas music played.

Like many people, I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas music and how you can't escape it in the holiday season. With that said, this album was a pleasant surprise. I feel like I must have heard most of these versions in supermarkets or retailers, but it all sounded like brand new versions of songs I was familiar with and they were all produced very well. The amount of character and the "wall of sound" style really lends well here. Darlene Love in particular was a standout, she killed it on each of her tracks. Would definitely make this my definitive Christmas album.

How awesome to get this album on Christmas, I can't imagine giving a different review in August, but you need a certain environment to listen to this album. A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector by Various Artists is on heavy rotation in my house during the holidays and it's easy to separate the genius from the malcontent. Spector was a handful always, but he nailed the recipe with the wall of sound and his eye for talent in Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector and the rest make everything he touched perfect. 4.5/5

I really liked this album and the timing was perfect. Great to hear these takes I had not heard before on the classics. Got me in the holiday mood when I needed it.

I love this. Adding orchestra makes most music better, this is just super classy and happy. I got this album on Christmas Eve; did that happen to other people or is this a divine coincidence? Also, fuck anybody who says this album should be canceled because of phil spector. This album was the work of all these great singers and instrumentalists, not just mr. spector; their wonderful work shouldn't be thrown away for the sins of one guy.

Well hell if I'm gonna be the Grinch who criticizes this album... Obviously I'm not wanting to hear these songs for maybe 49-50 weeks of the year but if we're gonna have Christmas songs this isn't a bad way to go at all. Short, not too filled with saccharine; so shed the cynicism and enjoy a half-hour of simple early 60s holiday pop rock. (Um...you can skip Killer Spector's silly thank you "song" at the end tho) 7/10 4 stars

What a lovely Christmas treat! I'm pretty sure the admin programmed this in to be the album people get on Christmas, but that doesn't make it less special to me. Really consistent sound, timeless and classic songs done in that very specific "wall of sound" that made Spector who he was. I love that style, and I think it works perfectly with yuletide tunes. The thank you message at the end was nice, even if it reminded me that he was (later) a murderer. Also he died this year, totally forgot about that. Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone! I hate to think what Phil would've done if he saw his mommy kissing Santa! Favorite tracks: Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Album art: It's a Christmas album, so not much creativity is necessary, but I like that all these great artists are packed in little presents. Phil really cares, doesn't he? Giving us this music? I hear he had a present for Lana Clarkson too. 4.5/5

I'm not a big xmas music guy, but this was really good. All of these songs are performed very well, especially the ones done by The Ronettes. It was nice to be able to include my family in this project for one day.

This is actually very good music in terms of the melodies, the variety of instruments used, and the vocals. And the idea of having cheerful songs about Christmas and winter to play around the holidays is great. The problem is that there aren't that many popular Christmas songs, so existing ones end up being overplayed.

I don’t know if there was programmatic collusion, but getting this album on Dec. 25th is a special treat. I enjoyed it a lot this morning while opening gifts. Very 60’s, a classic through and through. But only needed once a year.

This is the best example of Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound' production technique. Though it was incredibly influential, this technique can muddy the background quite a bit. Playing the studio like an instrument was new in the early sixties and would truly come to fruition in the hand of Brian Wilson and the Beatles several years later.

Very 60s-ish. A good thing to listen to on Christmas morning.

All the classics arranged by a beautiful psycho.

Christmas classics on Christmas Day! Who woulda thunk it? I wonder if everyone got the same album, or are there other Christmas platters that made the list? I guess I’ll go another year and find out!

As far as Christmas albums go, it certainly is one.

Christmas! But certainly not one of the best Christmas albums…

Might be my new go-to Christmas album. There's some great acts on here. The Ronnettes and The Crystals really shine here. The Wall of Sound reigns supreme. On a side note, I did some research on Phil Spector and he was quite the character... He had some major contributions to modern producing and mixing regardless of all the bad stuff that he did.