On November 22, 1963, “Philles” label released “A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records”, an album of Christmas songs. It was recorded September – October 1963, at “Gold Star” in Hollywood, and was produced by Phil Spector. In 2003, the album was ranked at no. 142 on “Rolling Stone” magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and in 2019, it was ranked the greatest “Christmas Album of All Time”.
Personnel:
- Darlen Love – performer (White Christmas, Marshmallow World, Winter Wonderland, Christmas, Baby Please Come Home)
- The Ronettes – performer (Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)
- Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans – performer (The Bells of St. Mary’s, Here Comes Santa Claus)
- The Crystals – performer (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers)
- Phil Spector – performer (Silent Night)
- Barney Kessel – guitar
- Bill Pitman – guitar
- Tommy Tedesco – guitar
- Nino Tempo – guitar
- Irv Rubins – guitar
- Leon Russell – piano
- Al De Lory – piano
- Don Randi – piano
- Ray Pohlman – bass
- Jimmy Bond – bass
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Sonny Bono – percussion
- Frank Capp – percussion
- Jack Nitzsche – percussion, arrangements
- Jay Migliori – saxophone
- Steve Douglas – baritone saxophone
- Roy Caton – trumpet
- Lou Blackburn – horns
- Johnny Vidor – strings
- Larry Levine – engineer
Track listing:
- White Christmas – Irving Berlin
- Frosty the Snowman – Steve Nelson, Walter Rollins
- The bells of St. Mary’s – A. Emmet Adams, Douglas Furber
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
- Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish
- Marshmallow World – Carl Sigman, Peter DeRose
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Tommie Connor
- Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer – Johnny Marks
- Winter Wonderland – Felix Bernard, Dick Smith
- Parade of the Wooden Soldiers – Leon Jessel
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home – Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector
- Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman
- Silent Night – Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber
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