THE BEACH BOYS – THE BEACH BOYS’ CHRISTMAS ALBUM
Released: November 9 1964 – 51 years ago
The Beach Boys’ 7th studio release, 4th album released in 1964, and first holiday album includes several Christmas classics as well as some original material. While it seems kind of weird for “the voices of summertime” to be tackling such a definitive winter holiday, they do so quite successfully.
The Classic Pick is a weekly feature at 4pm M-F on The Home Stretch, sponsored by the Good Oak Bar and curated by Kris Kerry. Each Monday at 4pm Kris stops by KXCI’s studio to give us insight on this classic album at 91.3FM and kxci.org.
Other Info:
The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album contained five original songs and seven standards. It was a long-running success, reaching number six on the US Billboard 200 and eventually going gold in 1982.
Brian Wilson, who was producer on most of the bands early records, gets production credit here. Wilson did bring in Dick Reynolds, who arranged for The Four Freshman – a group Wilson idolized, to arrange the 41 piece orchestral backings on the traditional songs.
The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album was devised as a response to Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for you from Philles released in 1963. Brian Wilson had been cut from a recording session on Spector’s album by Spector himself, who though Wilson’s piano playing was substandard.
This wasn’t the bands only holiday album. In 1977, The Beach Boys attempted to follow this release up with Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys. This recording was rejected by their label, however, and some of the sessions form this recording was added to the 1964 recording and releases as The Beach Boys’ Ultimate Christmas in 1998.
The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album was the fourth release by the group in 1964. It followed two studio recordings: Shut Down, Vol. 2 and All Summer Long, and the live album Beach Boys Concert.
Initially the album was released in both mono and stereo.
The Beach Boys are routinely included in every “top” everything list and were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
