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A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR 60 YEARS OF POP REVOLUTION

Alessandro Ciniero is one of our skilled technicians at Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam, with a deep passion for classic albums, particularly in the pop and rock genres. His journey into vinyl collecting began with his father’s first record in 1976, which sparked a lifelong hobby. Alessandro’s introduction to classical music came from his grandmother, a classical pianist, but his interests soon shifted towards the vibrant world of rock and pop, influenced by artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, and producer Phil Spector. After starting guitar lessons and transitioning to electric guitar, he discovered a new layer of music: production. This revelation inspired him to pursue his musical dreams, leading him to enrol in Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam’s Advanced Diploma program to deepen his knowledge of sound engineering and music production.

His passion for classic pop and rock albums, alongside his understanding of recording and production methods, makes him an invaluable resource on the behind-the-scenes stories of studio sessions and world tours. If you’re interested in the production process of an album, Alessandro is the go-to person! Engaging with him is a pleasure for both students and staff alike. Over a year ago, he graduated from our program, fulfilling his dream—and his father’s wish—of visiting the legendary Abbey Road Studios for the graduation ceremony. During this memorable event, they even met their idol, Sir Paul McCartney. How incredible is that!

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Alessandro Ciniero (top left) at Rockfield Studios

Alessandro also serves as an inspiring guest lecturer in our History of Production classes, where he passionately shares his extensive knowledge about the recording processes behind some of the most iconic albums in music history.

However, this blog post isn’t solely about Alessandro. A few years back, he penned an article on what he considers one of the most legendary Christmas albums ever: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. This album significantly influenced Alessandro’s love for pop music. His article was published in the renowned Italian magazine Letter Zero, and shortly thereafter, he created an English version. We are thrilled to present the English version here on our blog. It serves as a tribute to music production, the intricacies of recording, and how the synergy of an exceptional producer, talented musicians, and a unified vision leads to greatness. So, without further ado, here’s Alessandro’s remarkable article for you to enjoy while you read and listen.

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR – 60 YEARS OF POP REVOLUTION

By Alessandro Ciniero

I hate writing; everyone I know knows this. My telegraphic WhatsApp messages can easily be traced back to me, and I have never completed the script for the film about Phil Spector that I would like to make. However, I have noticed a contradictory element to this: I have a personal diary that I have been writing in from time to time since 2011. I deduce that there is a part of me dedicated to writing, but it runs out in a very short time.

At the time of writing, I am not sure I will be able to finish this text, but I will use all my mental strength to reach the goal. So, what is this mission? My mission is to create an appropriate and intense tribute to an album that has always been little talked about in Italy, a masterpiece of Western music history, a milestone of pop and Christmas music. The tools I have had at my disposal in the past via social networks are no longer sufficient. Therefore, what better occasion than the 60th anniversary of the album’s release to carry out this mission?

Happy reading to all! – Alessandro

Alessandro Ciniero and his all-time favourite Christmas album.

Historical context and characters

It was 1963, a watershed year in modern music. Rock and roll had its first wave from 1954 to 1960, a fast-paced season that changed the recording industry forever. For the first time, the market shifted its focus to the youth group, hitherto ignored because they did not have much purchasing power. Belonging to this period were Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Elvis Presley, black and white artists who ended up contaminating all radio stations and segregated charts.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a series of tragic deaths, scandals and retirements involved these artists, leaving a void to be filled. However, the seeds of the first rock wave had been planted and soon an earthquake called the British Invasion (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Animals, Who, Dusty Springfield, Donovan, Small Faces, Hollies) would take place in 1964.

In earlier years, a sui generis, insanely ambitious and shrewd record producer in his early twenties took the reins of the youth record market after the decline of the rock and roll period. This was Phil Spector.

Phil Spector

In 1963, Phil Spector was 23 years old and already considered a living musical genius. Within a few years he had produced a string of legendary hits and founded his own record label, Philles Records, becoming its head at the age of 21, the youngest chief in the history of record labels up to that time. He was the first independent producer (along with his contemporary Joe Meek in the UK) able to depart from the rigid system of the music business of the time in which the producer had to submit to the rules of the major labels and the separatist composer-producer-artist-businessmen chain.

Having this great independence, he oversaw the entire creative process of a song, from composition to publication. He became the music industry’s first auteur, the first producer to conceive of himself as an artist, developing an unconventional and influential sound like never before. More about this sound later.

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Phil Spector in the studio – source

Phil Spector was focused on producing singles and regarded albums as ‘two good songs and 10 rubbish’. The album was still a relatively new format in pop and its potential was not yet exploited.

However, for Christmas 1963, Phil Spector had planned his most ambitious project to date, a Christmas album as never heard before. An album in which every song would receive the same treatment as a potential hit single. To realise this, he called the entire staff and artists of Philles Records to task.

Jack Nitzsche

Jack Nitzsche was a prolific American composer, arranger and music producer who was born in 1937 and died in 2000. He was involved in a wide range of musical projects during his career, ranging from composing film scores to collaborating with famous rock artists.

He worked for Philles Records, arranging almost all of Phil Spector’s productions, helping to develop his sound.

Among his best-known works are the soundtracks for films such as ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’. He often worked with Neil Young and played keyboard in concerts and recorded with the Rolling Stones. He also contributed to recordings by artists such as Buffalo Springfield, The Monkees and others.

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Jack Nitzsche, Darlene Love, and Phil Spector, 1963. – source

Larry Levine

Larry Levine was an American sound engineer, born in 1928 and died in 2008. He became famous for his work as a sound engineer at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, where he helped record many of the most iconic songs of 1960s pop and rock music.

Levine is particularly known for his involvement in the recordings of Phil Spector’s songs. His ability to achieve distinctive, high-quality sounds was crucial to the success of many recordings of the era. Levine was also involved in projects with other artists and producers, but is mainly remembered for his significant contribution to the sound of 1960s pop music.

The Crystals

The Crystals were the first female vocal group put under contract by Phil Spector for Philles Records, for whom they had several hits including ‘Uptown’, ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ and ‘Then He Kissed Me’.

The members in 1963 were Patricia Wright, Dolores Kenniebrew, Dolores Brooks and Barbara Alston.

The Ronettes

One of Philles Records’ flagship groups, the Ronettes consisted of Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Bennett, Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley.

Phil Spector was obsessed with Ronnie’s voice and with Ronnie herself; the two began an affair that resulted in their (unhappy) marriage in 1968.

In 1963, the group achieved fame with the single ‘Be My Baby’, written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. The song became a pop music classic and established the Ronettes’ reputation.

Other hits include ‘Baby, I Love You’, ‘(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up’ and ‘Walking In The Rain’. Their distinctive style, characterised by Ronnie Spector’s powerful vocals and Phil Spector’s distinctive sound, helped define the pop and girl group sound of the 1960s.

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Phil Spector Remembered by Ex-Wife Ronnie

Darlene Love

Darlene Love, whose real name is Darlene Wright, is an American singer born in 1941. She was one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in the pop and rock music scene of the 1960s and later. Her career was heavily influenced by her collaboration with Phil Spector.

Love became famous as a member of the vocal group The Blossoms who often worked as backing vocalists for Phil Spector’s productions. She provided lead or backing vocals for many famous songs of the period, often without being credited. Some of her best-known contributions include lead vocals on “He’s a Rebel” by the Crystals and “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans.

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Phil Spector and Darlene Love – SOURCE

Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans

Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans was a vocal group engineered by Phil Spector and consisting of Bobby Sheen, Darlene Love and Fanita James. The name Bob B. Soxx was a stage name for Bobby Sheen.
Their best known single is ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’, a cover of a song that originally appeared in the Disney film ‘Song of the South’, produced by Spector.

Cher

Incredible but true. One of the most legendary artists in the history of pop music who is still working started her career at the age of 17 as a backing singer for Phil Spector’s productions.

He considered her voice too baritone to be placed in the foreground; nevertheless, he produced his first solo single in 1964 entitled ‘Ringo, I Love You’ and gave Cher the pseudonym Bonnie Jo Mason.

The Wrecking Crew

Last but not least, the Wrecking Crew was a group of US session musicians active mainly in the 1960s and 1970s. These highly talented studio musicians played on a vast number of successful recordings, contributing to some of the most iconic songs of the era.

Among the best known members of the Wrecking Crew were drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Carol Kaye, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, pianist Leon Russell, guitarist Glen Campbell and many others. These musicians were known for their versatility and their ability to adapt to a wide range of musical styles.

Registration and publication

Once everyone was assembled, Phil Spector booked Studio A at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, his favourite recording studio. The technology at the time included a mixing console with 12 inputs and EQ, delay, an Ampex 350 3-track tape recorder and the famous echo chambers that Phil loved so much.

The recording sessions lasted two months, a folly considering that the Beatles’ first album, released that same year, was recorded in a single day. It also cost around $50000 ($502730 in 2023), an exorbitant amount to invest in an album at the time.

Moreover, the whole thing took place between August and September, in the middle of the Californian summer. Spector, a lover of the New York cold, kept the air conditioning on in the studio all the time.

Reading and listening to various interviews of those involved in the making of the record one can see that the sessions were very tiring, thanks in part to Spector’s extreme perfectionism and his reluctance to give breaks (to prevent the microphones from being moved). Larry Levine :’ The Christmas album is a period I don’t remember with pleasure. I was working 15-16 hours a day every day’.

Dolores Brooks: “I would start at 1 p.m. and finish at 1 a.m.; I was 16 at the time, it could be considered child exploitation”. Cher : “We were always in the studio. I would go home to take a shower and sleep and then come back. I used to ask myself -How can all these people older than me keep up?!-“.

Darlene Love: “Although we were exhausted, the record has an incredible energy.”

Brian Wilson, composer and leader of the Beach Boys, attempted to participate in the recordings, playing the piano in ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ but the performance was not judged favourably by Spector.

“A Christmas Gift For You’ was released on 22 November 1963. At first glance, this date may seem insignificant, especially to Italians. However, on that same day, US President John F. Kennedy was shot twice in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. The entire nation went into mourning, and Christmas celebrations were cancelled. The album sold very poorly, and Phil Spector withdrew it from the market shortly afterward.

The album’s failure was the first setback to Phil Spector’s incredible rise in the recording industry. A second, more powerful blow came in 1966 when the single ‘River Deep-Mountain High’ with Ike & Tina Turner, which he produced, flopped in America, prompting Phil Spector to close Philles Records and temporarily retire at the age of 26.

In spite of this, ‘A Christmas Gift For You’ began to be requested more and more by radio stations and acquired such legendary status that it was reissued by Apple Records in 1972 under the title ‘Phil Spector’s Christmas Album’ and finally achieved the success it deserved.

Listening Guide

“Can twelve Christmas songs be treated with the same excitement as in the original pop material of today, sung by four of the greatest pop artists in the country, produced with the same feeling and sound that is found on the hit singles of these artists, without losing for a moment the feeling of Christmas and without destroying or invading the sensitivity and the beauty that surrounds all of the great Christmas music? Until now, perhaps not!”

Never were such words, written by Phil Spector on the back cover of the album, so apt to express the album’s objective and grandeur.

Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound

Previously, I have mentioned several times a distinctive Phil Spector sound, integral to his musical innovation, revolution and success. This production style has been referred to as the ‘Wall of Sound’; in this paragraph, I will attempt to briefly explain it in full.

Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound – source

Phil Spector was a lover of jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and Richard Wagner. Wagner’s operas are characterised by complex musical textures, rich harmonies and orchestration aimed at achieving intense emotion according to his theory of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ (total work of art). Moreover, they have a duration that extends over several hours.

Spector averaged three minutes to achieve that same emotion in his songs. The aim was to exploit the sonic and technological possibilities of the recording studio (understood until then as a mere environment in which to record a performance) to create an unusual density and depth of sound characteristic of classical symphonic music applied to pop.

Spector explained in an interview in 1964: “I was looking for a sound, a sound so strong that if the material was not the greatest, the sound would carry the record. It was a case of augmenting, augmenting. It all fits together like a jigsaw.”

He himself described it as “a Wagnerian approach to rock ‘n’ roll, little symphonies for kids”. To achieve Wall of Sound, Spector’s arrangements required large ensembles (including some instruments not generally used for group playing, such as electric and acoustic guitars), with multiple instruments doubling or tripling many of the parts to create a fuller, richer tone. For example, Spector would often duplicate a part played by an acoustic piano with an electric piano and harpsichord. Mixed in a certain way, the three instruments would be indistinguishable to the listener.

Among other sound features, Spector incorporated a number of orchestral instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) not previously associated with youthful pop music. The reverberation of echo chambers is used to increase the depth of the various sound layers and create texture.

The complexity of the technique was unprecedented in the field of sound production for popular music. According to Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, who used the formula extensively: “In the 1940s and 1950s, arrangements were considered ‘OK here, listen to that French horn’ or ‘listen to this string section now’. Everything was a defined sound. There were no combinations of sounds and, with the advent of Phil Spector, we found combinations of sounds, which – scientifically speaking – are an incredible aspect of sound production’.

The final master of the songs was created for maximum performance through the speakers of AM radios, jukeboxes and cars, which had a limited frequency response concentrated in the midrange band.

The tracks were in mono because Phil Spector believed that stereo would upset the balance of the mix, reducing the sonic impact. Stereo was still in its infancy in those years.

The scope of renewal that characterised the Wall of Sound was not immediately accepted in the environment of producers and sound engineers. To this day, it still has a large number of detractors in the music industry, thanks in part to the ‘less is more’ paradigm that has established itself as a trend in music production and the artistic world in general.

However, its influence continues to pervade pop and rock, and this will be discussed in the next chapter.

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Phil and Ronnie Spector in the studio – source

Structure

“A Christmas Gift For You” consists of 13 songs, of which 12 are covers of historical songs (composed between 1818 and 1952), plus an original song composed by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector entitled “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”.
The tracklist is as follows:

Subjective comment

Imagine being at home with relatives on Christmas Eve. It is an hour before dinner. You decide to put on a Christmas record, not Michael Bublé this time.
“White Christmas” begins and for the first time you hear a backbeat in the back that propels the horns to an R&B beat while Darlene Love’s voice soars above. Touches of strings here and there and bells keep the Christmas atmosphere going. One does not have time to realise what is going on when ‘Frosty the Snowman’ starts. Bombastic drums, shakers and rattles give no respite, contrasting the sweetness of the pizzicato violins and Ronnie Bennett’s persuasive voice. Four chimes of church bells announce “The Bells of St. Mary’s”, the Wall of Sound doesn’t make you realise what’s going on down there but slowly develops the song to the incredible climax where Bobby Sheen’s voice joins Darlene Love’s, those drum fills make your soul pulsate. A spoken intro of Dolores Brooks telling a certain son Jimmy that she has been talking to Santa Claus, and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” starts with a terrific saxophone solo and jousting between percussion, toys, pianos, all rejoicing with you for the arrival of Christmas. ‘Sleigh Ride’ uses percussion to recreate the galloping of reindeer while woodwinds and strings go into counterpoint. After this journey, a string quartet introduces ‘Marshmallow World’ with two solos (sax and trumpets) and the backing track that starts, stops, starts again and with it your heart. After hearing a forbidden kiss, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” follows an almost military march rhythm as Ronnie can’t get over seeing his mother kissing Santa Claus. A doubled guitar introduces ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, a dramatic work of castanets and timpani. The choir creates incredible depth (all in mono). A memorable intro opens ‘Winter Wonderland’ with that bass being reinforced by tubular bells and the piano responding melodically. The legato of the strings mixes with pizzicato while you’re sprawled on the sofa eating yet another piece of nougat. Another military march ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers’ with trumpet blasts, a start and stop that even modern cars don’t have, woodblocks reminiscent of wooden toy soldiers. All these songs that have already passed are actually a psychological preparation for the album’s masterpiece. ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ is simply incredible, Darlene Love awaits the messianic return of her beloved on Christmas night, a drama that is consummated in three minutes and takes you high into heaven with a chilling climax where even Leon Russell can no longer contain himself and beats the piano keys until he passes out. You don’t know how many times I cried after hearing this track. The miracle is fulfilled, nothing is the same as before. “Here Comes Santa Claus” reassures the listener, bringing him back to Earth reborn. Finally the farewell “Silent Night” where Phil Spector thanks the listeners and wishes them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year while angelic choirs create a religious and contemplative atmosphere.
You’re still on the sofa, the starter is ready, the album is finished. Now, Christmas can begin.

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A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR

Impact and legacy

One only has to listen to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ to see how much this record has impacted. The track can be regarded as the greatest homage to ‘A Christmas Gift For You’; the production is a Wall of Sound updated to the 1990s.

Listening to Christmas music recorded after 1963, I noticed that there were mainly two styles of production: one reminiscent of the swing of crooners (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé) and a pop-rock style that basically originated with this album, becoming a classic and entering the US charts every year (position no.7 on the Billboard 200 in 2023).

Another aspect to be noted is that ‘A Christmas Gift For You’ is a producer album, a record not by an artist but by a producer showing off his label artists. An absolute novelty at the time, which has become common practice in contemporary music by producer-artists such as Phil Spector in the ‘60s: examples in the italian music scene are ‘OBE’ by MACE and ‘Produced by Charlie Charles’ by Charlie Charles.

The most popular songs are ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, the latter having become a standard in its own right since the 1980s.

Spector himself co-produced another legendary Christmas song: John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ in 1971. Again, success was not immediate but posthumous.

I conclude with a sentence by Francesco Paolo Ferrotti:”[] perhaps we can imagine what the impact would have been if ‘A Christmas Gift For You’ had had the promotion and success it deserved in its time. Yet, if it had been otherwise, perhaps we would not be talking about it today as a magically timeless album, protagonist of one of the most legendary chapters in rock history.”

Conclusion

60 years after the revolution, Cher released her first Christmas album entitled ‘Christmas’ debuting at position 32 on the US charts. Among the album’s tracks is ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ duetted with Darlene Love. Imagine these two young girls singing a new song together in 1963, having no idea of the legendary scope that would consign them to history. Now, in 2023, they sing it again with all the weight of their lives, in a world changing at a disarming speed, where the music that matters has assigned them to immortality.

Thank you to everyone who has put up with my Phil Spector fixations and made it this far. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! – Alessandro Ciniero

Useful resources

Listening to the album on Spotify

Recording sessions

PHIL SPECTOR / RONETTES – FROSTY & SLEIGH RIDE strings overdub

PHIL SPECTOR – SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN session

Christmas album interviews

• Phil Spector Interview In 1972 Talking About His Christmas Album
• DARLENE LOVE remembers the 1963 Philles Christmas recording sessions at Gold Star Studios.
• The Wrecking Crew: Phil Spector

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