The Seaside Boys’ Christmas Album is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Seaside Boys, launched November 9, 1964 on Capitol Data.[1][2] It incorporates 5 unique songs and 7 requirements on a Christmas theme. The album proved to be a long-running success throughout subsequent Christmas seasons, initially reaching No. 6 on Billboard’s Christmas LP’s chart in its preliminary launch and ultimately going gold.[3] Music historian James Perone wrote that it’s “thought to be one of many most interesting vacation albums of the rock period”.[4]
Whereas chief Brian Wilson produced and organized the rock songs, he left it to Dick Reynolds (an arranger for the 4 Freshmen, a gaggle Wilson idolized) to rearrange the 41-piece orchestral backings on the normal songs to which the Seaside Boys would apply their vocals.[5] One single was launched from the album, the unique track “The Man with All of the Toys” backed with the group’s rendition of “Blue Christmas”. “Little Saint Nick”, a single which had already been launched the earlier yr, was included on the album.[6]
In 1977, the Seaside Boys tried to observe the album with Merry Christmas from the Seaside Boys, but it surely was rejected by their label. The complete Christmas Album plus picks from the Merry Christmas classes have been later assembled for the 1998 compilation Final Christmas.
Background
The album was devised as a response to Phil Spector’s A Christmas Reward for You from Philles Data (1963), an album Brian had attended recording classes for.[7] He performed piano on the track “Santa Claus Is Coming to City” however was dismissed by Spector on account of his substandard piano enjoying.[8] Unique album cowl picture by George Jerman for Capitol Photograph Studio.[citation needed] The a-side consists principally of unique Christmas-themed rock songs penned by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, whereas the b-side options each secular and non secular Christmas requirements with orchestral accompaniment directed by Dick Reynolds.
Recording
Except for “Little Saint Nick”, classes for the album spanned June 18–30, 1964, one month after the All Summer season Lengthy album was accomplished.[1] “Christmas Day” is the primary Seaside Boys track to function a lead vocal from Al Jardine.[9]
The album was launched in mono and stereo; the stereo combine, ready by engineer Chuck Britz, can be the final true stereo combine for a Seaside Boys album till 1968’s Buddies.[original research?]
Along with orchestral renditions of “Jingle Bells” and the unique Wilson composition “Christmas Eve” which by no means obtained vocal overdubs,[10] outtakes of the All Summer season Lengthy monitor “Little Honda”[10] and The Seaside Boys Immediately! single “Do not Harm My Little Sister” have been recorded in between June classes.[1]
Reception
Evaluation scores | |
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Supply | Ranking |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of In style Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Information | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In a retrospective evaluation, AllMusic’s Jason Ankeny acknowledged: “Brian Wilson’s pop genius is effectively suited to basic Yuletide fare, and the group delivers lush performances of requirements starting from ‘Frosty the Snowman’ to ‘White Christmas’ in addition to extra up to date materials like ‘The Man With All of the Toys’ and ‘Blue Christmas.'”[6]
Whereas interviewing Wilson for a promotional radio particular in 1964, Jack Wagner remarked that Wilson’s resolution to sing solo on a model of “Blue Christmas” might be “the beginning of an entire new profession,” to which Wilson responded “I don’t know. It might and it could not. I actually don’t know.”[5] Referring to the requirements which he believed “proved that the Seaside Boys’ vocal energy was greater and extra agile than the surf and sizzling rod data [and] staking a declare for wider musical terrain,” creator Luis Sanchez mirrored: “The Seaside Boys’ Christmas Album music reveals a top quality of aesthetic selectivity that not one of the group’s data that got here earlier than it do, aspiring not simply to assimilate one in every of pop’s inventory concepts, but additionally enabling Brian to make one in every of his greatest creative advances.”[5]
On April 6, 1982, the album was licensed gold by the RIAA, promoting greater than 500,000 items.[3]
Final Christmas
Launched in 1998, Final Christmas is a compilation containing all the twelve tracks from the unique Christmas LP in stereo. Many bonus tracks have been added, together with the 1974 single “Youngster of Winter” and several other beforehand unreleased tracks from the aborted 1977 album Merry Christmas from the Seaside Boys.[9]
Monitor itemizing
Mike Love’s writing credit on the tracks marked with a (*) have been solely awarded after a 1994 courtroom case.[13]
No. | Title | Author(s) | Lead vocals | Size |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | “Little Saint Nick” (*) |
|
Love | 1:59 |
2. | “The Man with All of the Toys” (*) |
|
|
1:32 |
3. | “Santa’s Beard” (*) |
|
Love | 1:59 |
4. | “Merry Christmas, Child” (*) |
|
Love | 2:22 |
5. | “Christmas Day” | B. Wilson | Al Jardine | 1:35 |
6. | “Frosty the Snowman” |
|
B. Wilson | 1:54 |
No. | Title | Author(s) | Lead vocals | Size |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | “We Three Kings of Orient Are” | John Henry Hopkins Jr. |
|
4:03 |
2. | “Blue Christmas” |
|
B. Wilson | 3:09 |
3. | “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to City” |
|
|
2:20 |
4. | “White Christmas” | Irving Berlin | B. Wilson | 2:29 |
5. | “I will Be Dwelling for Christmas” |
|
B. Wilson | 2:44 |
6. | “Auld Lang Syne” | Conventional, organized by B. Wilson |
|
1:19 |
Complete size: | 27:37 |
No. | Title | Author(s) | Lead Vocals | Size |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | “Little Saint Nick” (single model) (*) |
|
Love | 2:01 |
14. | “The Lord’s Prayer” | Conventional, organized by B. Wilson | The Seaside Boys | 2:34 |
15. | “Little Saint Nick” (alternate take) (*) |
|
Love | 1:56 |
16. | “Auld Lang Syne” (alternate take) | Conventional, organized by B. Wilson | The Seaside Boys | 1:19 |
Complete size: | 35:27 |
Personnel
Partial credit courtesy of session archivist Craig Slowinski.[10]
The Seaside Boys
- Al Jardine
- Mike Love
- Brian Wilson
- Carl Wilson
- Dennis Wilson
Extra musicians and technical workers
- Al Viola – guitar
- Cliff Hils – double bass
- Jimmy Rowles – grand piano
- Jack Sperling – drums
- Eddie Rosa – flute and/or saxophone
- Chuck Gentry – bass clarinet and/or baritone saxophone
- William Hinshaw, Richard Perissi, Arthur Briegleb – French horns
- Henry Laubach, John Audino, Conrad Gozzo, Raymond Triscari – trumpets
- Harry Betts, Francis Howard, George Roberts – trombones
- George “Crimson” Callender – tuba
- Edgar Lustgarten, Jesse Ehrlich, Nathan Gershman, Alfred Wohl, Margaret Aue – cellos
- Benjamin Barrett – orchestra grasp
- Dick Reynolds – orchestra conductor
- Mainerd Baker, George Yocum – copyists
- Invoice Putnam – engineer
Charts
Chart (1964) | Peak place |
---|---|
US Christmas LP’s (Billboard)[14] | 6 |
Chart (2019) | Peak place |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[15] | 107 |
Chart (2022) | Peak place |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] | 65 |
- The Seaside Boys’ Christmas Album at Discogs (record of releases)