A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector

Favorite track(s): who cares man, it's Christmas

All good ones. It is 29 December so unfortunately no additional capacity remains for listening to Christmas music. !RemindMe next Christmas.

Christmas morning tradition is to listen to this. Killing two calling birds with one stone.

*All time Christmas album. Would be a 5 if Phil Spector didn't turn out to be a monster.

When I started this I gave myself a ten skip limit, and I believe I’ve only used one so far. Well this year for Christmas I decided to gift myself one additional skip which I’ll be using right now!

Seriously, it’s not even about Phil Spector being a murderer. That obviously sucks, I just really hate Christmas music.

I’m still giving star ratings, based on how I think I’d like the albums I skip. I know there is a button to click specifically for albums we didn’t listen to, but I’m not using it.

Absolutely gorgeous collection of Christmas classics. Throw this on and brighten any holiday party. Favorite track: Sleigh Ride

This album does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it loudly, confidently, and without apology. The Wall of Sound isn’t a bug here, it’s the whole point. Sleigh bells piled on sleigh bells, choirs pushing everything forward, pop songs treated with the same seriousness and excess as teenage symphonies. If you’re open to that aesthetic, a lot of this works really well.

There are genuinely great versions on this record. When the arrangements lock in and the performances hit their marks, it feels joyful, kinetic, and alive in a way that a lot of Christmas music never manages. It earns repeat listens, especially if you already like holiday records and don’t need everything stripped down and tasteful.

What keeps it from being a five for me is consistency and restraint. Some arrangement choices miss small but important emotional beats, and a few moments feel more like production bravado than definitive interpretation. The highs are real, but they aren’t uninterrupted.

This is still a very strong Christmas album and an easy seasonal staple. It’s fun, historically fascinating, and often fantastic. Just not quite untouchable. A solid four stars: one I’m happy to return to, even if I wouldn’t call it flawless.

Did not listen, not interested in Spector nor Christmas songs!

I suppose it isn't surprising that I get a Christmas album on Christmas. What's more surprising, perhaps, is that this was on the list at all. It's well made, but it's still Christmas music, and therefore not essential listening for anyone. The singing is great, and the production is also great. However, I'm not a huge fan of Christmas music, and this is Christmas music made by a literal murderer. So I have to pass on this one.

YES

This gets 5 stars if only just for Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". Yes, I'm well aware of what a terrible person Phil Spector was. But these are all classics.

Basically had finished Christmas by the time I listened to this, so was kind of over Christmas music at that point. Despite that this is a good album all the way through. Sleigh Ride and Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) are two absolute classics that should be in any regular Christmas playlist. The rest of the album holds up and makes it a decent listen, except for the final track. I don’t need Phil Spector talking to me and I didn’t need to learn that he sounds like a knock off Ira Glass

A classic. Perfect album to celebrate a very merry Christmas :)

Eh. It's fine. Don't kill me Phil.

Merry Christmas 🎄

Bah, humbug. I did get through the whole thing at least, so go me. I'm now off to drown myself in black metal.

An absolutely killer Christmas album. All of the artists really hit their marks, and that wall of sound really pops! It's a shame Phil Spector's name has to be all over it, otherwise this had a real shot at 5 stars.

The idea of a glossy, high-energy Christmas compilation is charming, but the Wall of Sound ends up overwhelming the music. The heavy reverb — Spector’s trademark — turns many of the arrangements into a kind of echoing blur, making the songs feel more crowded than festive. There’s craft here and some undeniably classic performances, but the production is so dense that it becomes hard to enjoy the record on its own terms.

It's a classic Christmas album. If I have to listen to Christmas music, this is the album I'd pick. But I don't have to listen to Christmas music and I don't want to.

Happy Holidays to all! I must wonder if the rating on this is a little inflated due to it being given out on Christmas. Like if I got this in June, it would *not* hit. But this is probably the best way to handle this regardless. This is Christmas music, these are all classics, you probably know these songs. And they are well performed too. Everyone's favorite menace to society who died in prison, Phil Spector, puts his signature wall of sound all over it, and it works. The arrangements are warm and dense, and it feels sufficiently Christmas-y. I have the same problems here that I do with the rest of Christmas music though: namely that I've heard every song a billion times. Also, if you're in a good mood, it's great and jolly, but if youre feeling at all down, it does *not* help. But it's Christmas, and I'm in a good mood. So, even though Phil Spector was a dangerous lunatic, I must say that I am having fun, even if he spends the last song talking at me. I know only one way to end this review: to say what has been said many times before: "Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night".

Better than Coldplay