Is Jackson 5 Xmas album the best Motown Christmas album?

[TheMotownManiac]

Twinkle Twinkle, Little Me Supremes - 1966

Someday At Christmas Stevie Wonder - 1966

Besides the Supremes releasing "the ding-dong song", did any other Motown act have a Christmas single [[45) release?

[woodward]

Let's not forget Christmas in the City compiled by Cary Mansfield. It featured rare and unreleased Motown holiday classics as follows:

Purple Snowflakes - Marvin Gaye*
Christmas Greetings - Supremes **
Won't Be Long Before Christmas - DR & Supremes
Miracles of Christmas - Stevie Wonder
The Christmas Song - Marvin Gaye
Wish You A Merry Christmas - Kim Weston*
Silent Night - DR & Supremes
Christmas in the City - Marvin Gaye*
This Christmas - Diana Ross [[solo)*
Everybody's A Kid At Christmas - Stevie Wonder*
Winter Wonderland - Funk Brothers*
I Want To Come Home For Christmas - Marvin Gaye
Just a Lonely Christmas - DR & Supremes*
Christmas Greetings - Miracles
Christmas Lullaby - SR & Miracles

* = previously unreleased
** = from the Motown fan club promotional single "Seasons Greetings from Motown" issued 11/66.

One comment about this CD. This is very difficult to locate. I ended up years ago buying one that was made in Germany.

[kenneth]

@woodward, The Christmas in the City is indeed a great CD. There is another release, which is only about $7.50 on Amazon which I think has almost all the same previously unreleased tracks [[or some alternate versions of those tracks). It also has some other rare tracks not on the City CD. It might be worth checking out if someone can't find the City CD or if its priced very high.



http://www.amazon.com/Motown-Christm...town+christmas

[mysterysinger]

Whilst "A Christmas Gift For You" aka "Phil Spector's Christmas Album" may not have been issued on Motown, that must be a fluke because it has been issued on several labels over the years. I owned the vinyl on Philles, Apple, Warner Spector and Phil Spector International but there were more, including on CD.

[phil]

O.K. the songs are not Christmas but look at the cover !

[marv2]

I remember the Temptations' "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" being played on the radio often in the sixties, so it might have been released as a single.

[marv2]

My all time favorite Christmas recording by a Motown artist is this one by Gladys Knight & the Pips:

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Whilst "A Christmas Gift For You" aka "Phil Spector's Christmas Album" may not have been issued on Motown, that must be a fluke because it has been issued on several labels over the years. I owned the vinyl on Philles, Apple, Warner Spector and Phil Spector International but there were more, including on CD.

Yeah, mysterysinger, Chrysalis and a stereo-ized version on Pavillion. I've got 'em all. That's how much I love that album! My favorites, of course, are the three originals on Philles -- Blue/Black, Yellow/Red, and White/Black promo copy. They cost me a small fortune in Near Mint condition but they're worth every penny. My REAL pride and joy is my Gold Record of "A Christmas Gift For You" LP on the Blue/Black Philles label which is mounted inside a black wooden frame behind plexiglass along with the album cover. I was soooo lucky to find it on eBay when I did.- Gary

[kenneth]

Yeah, mysterysinger, Chrysalis and a stereo-ized version on Pavillion. I've got 'em all. That's how much I love that album! My favorites, of course, are the three originals on Philles -- Blue/Black, Yellow/Red, and White/Black promo copy. They cost me a small fortune in Near Mint condition but they're worth every penny. My REAL pride and joy is my Gold Record of "A Christmas Gift For You" LP on the Blue/Black Philles label which is mounted inside a black wooden frame behind plexiglass along with the album cover. I was soooo lucky to find it on eBay when I did.- Gary

Wow, nice find Gary! Do you know whose gold record it was? I think often the award shows who it was presented to.

I don't know about the blue/black Philles label. Are these earlier than the yellow/red? I think all my Philles LPs are yellow/red.

I don't have anything as rare as the gold record, but my rarest Philles LP is the Crystals Greatest Hits, the one with the cover very similar to "The Marvelettes Sing." I'm not sure what it's worth, but I found it in the local Friends of the Library book store for $1.00!

[floyjoy678]

The Phil Spector Christmas album is not a Motown Christmas album.

Well then I guess I would have to say The Supremes Christmas album is the best. Although as someone else said I could have done without the Andantes which is why I absolutely love the mono version of the album. I think the Andantes worked on some songs like "Born of Mary" and "Little Drummer Boy" but the rest nah. I swear I still think I hear Mary in the middle break of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and Florence on "Little Drummer Boy". I think "Little Bright Star" would have worked better with Mary and Florence.

[marv2]

Well then I guess I would have to say The Supremes Christmas album is the best. Although as someone else said I could have done without the Andantes which is why I absolutely love the mono version of the album. I think the Andantes worked on some songs like "Born of Mary" and "Little Drummer Boy" but the rest nah. I swear I still think I hear Mary in the middle break of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and Florence on "Little Drummer Boy". I think "Little Bright Star" would have worked better with Mary and Florence.

I agree, the Andantes were bland sounding on parts of that album. I hear traces of Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard throughout that album.

[marv2]

Here is a nice video to help refresh the memory of just how good the Jackson Five Christmas Album was :

[marv2]

This one has been a part of my Christmas playlist since Mary introduced it to me in 2002:

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Wow, nice find Gary! Do you know whose gold record it was? I think often the award shows who it was presented to.

I don't know about the blue/black Philles label. Are these earlier than the yellow/red? I think all my Philles LPs are yellow/red.

I don't have anything as rare as the gold record, but my rarest Philles LP is the Crystals Greatest Hits, the one with the cover very similar to "The Marvelettes Sing." I'm not sure what it's worth, but I found it in the local Friends of the Library book store for $1.00!

Hey Kenneth, sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. This thread had slipped so far down the website, I didn’t realize that you had posted a recent question to me until now. To answer your questions:

First of all, I have four separate Philles frames. The two Gold LP’s are:

1) VARIOUS ARTISTS - A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records [[Blue/Black PR-logo label); and

2) THE RONETTES - Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes [[Yellow/Red PR-logo label)

They each contain the gold LP record with accompanying album cover as well as a metal plate that says "Presented To Commemorate Worldwide Sales". They’re both under plexiglass, enclosed in a large black wooden frame measuring 22" x 26". Each has a Certificate Of Authenticity attached to the back. They’re big and, to my eyes, they’re beautiful!

I also have two separate Philles 45's frames which are even bigger measuring 31" x 31", also encased in a black wooden frame behind plexiglass, both of which include a beautiful, color-enhanced Philles company 45 sleeve [[Tomorrow’s Sound Today) and a Certificate Of Authenticity on the back. [[See description #3 & 4 below):

3) PHILLES GOLD 45's with gold metal plaque which says "Wall Of Sound" [[containing 7 gold records on the original solid Orange Philles label with script logo, as well as later gold Philles releases on the Blue/Black and Yellow/Red "PR" labels; and, finally;

4) PHILLES GOLD 45's [[all on the Yellow/Red "PR" label - some of which are original pressings, and a couple which are Philles/Collectables reissues).

I got ‘em all on eBay [[four or 5 years ago) from a guy named Wally in California whose business is called Getting Clocked. Each of the Philles frames contains a Certificate Of Authenticity attached to the back of each frame. Wally told me that, to verify that each gold record was indeed the Philles recording shown on the label, he scraped off all of the gold on each and every LP and 45 and then played them on an old phonograph. Sure enough, they were the real deal! I asked Wally if he thought there was any chance they might be from Phil Spector’s personal collection, since they were up for sale after Phil’s unfortunate incarceration, but Wally said no, he didn’t think they were originally Phil's. [[How cool if they were!)

I have a photo of each one of the frames if you’d like to see them. I would upload them to this thread if I knew how [[which I don’t), but I’m not sure if the fellow Motowners would appreciate it since it isn’t Motown related. I’ll tell ya what, Kenneth – if you send me your email address via my Motown Forum personal message page, I’ll be happy to attach each of the four photos to an email. THAT I know how to do with no problem.

To answer your question regarding the Philles labels, there were three basic varieties:
Philles 45's:

1) The original solid-orange label script logo used from 1961 until 1962 [[Philles 100-104):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CRYSTALS...item1c4aeb1428

2) The Blue/Black "PR" logo which was used from late 1962 through mid-1963 [[Philles 105 through and including first pressings of 115).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-CRYSTALS...item51c55b310e

3) The Yellow/Red "PR" logo which was used from mid-1963 through 1966 [[2nd
pressings of 115 through 136)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RIGHTEOUS-BR...item5664f25f5a

Promo copies were always White/Black whether it was the original script logo or the more famous "PR" logo.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-CHRISTMAS-...item5b0964a9b1

Now, here’s where it gets confusing. When Phil later re-issued the Philles 45's, he resissued them in the OPPOSITE color of their original release. In other words, Philles singles which were originally Blue/Black PR logo were reissued in Yellow/Red PR logo, and vice versa -- those which were originally Yellow/Red PR logo became Blue/Black PR logo. [[Note: The very early Philles releases originally on the solid orange script label were reissued on the Yellow/Red PR logo.) Confused? It gets worse! Philles 45's can further be broken down into East Coast pressings [[thin vinyl with a shiny PR-logo label [[which I grew up with in NY state and much prefer) versus the West Coast pressings which were pressed on thick poly-something-or-other with a dry, raised paper label.)

PHILLES LP’s:

Philles 4000 through first pressings of 4005 – Blue/Black "PR" logo

Philles 4005-4011 – Yellow/Red "PR" logo.

[[NOTE: Philles 4011 - Tina Turner's "River Deep"album -- is un-Godly rare. Only 6 copies exist. A friend of mine has [[or had) one for sale. He wanted several thousand dollars for it. [[Too rich for my blood, I'm afraid.)

Again, all disc jockey/promo LP copies were White/Black "PR" logo [[and VERY expensive, I might add).

And, finally, yes I’m familiar with The Crystals "Greatest Hits" [[Blue/Black PR logo). My copy was sealed, if I recall, and I paid a few hundred for it. You got yours for a buck? Not bad! What condition was it in? I’ve notice on eBay lately that Philles LP’s and singles in Near Mint to Sealed condition are drying up. There’s an awful lot of Philles items with horribly-worn labels [[ring-wear, writing on labels, and stickers/sticker residue), with the playing grooves in lousy condition. Lord, I cringe when I see them so abused!

Hope this helps to answer your questions, Kenneth. I apologize if I’ve offended anyone by answering Kenneth’s interesting questions regarding Philles records. It’s like Motown – once I start, I can’t stop. If it’s any consolation, Phil Spector loved Motown – especially the Four Tops. It’s a stretch, I know, but it’s somewhat related! - Gary

[kenneth]

Wow, thanks Philles/Motown Gary for all the information. It's fantastic. You're quite a source of knowledge, I see. Good for you.

As is the case with most of the original Philles LPs I own, the Crystals Greatest Hits is a pretty worn copy. I think the only near mint ones I have are the Ronettes and the Christmas LP on the original label. I also have the "Twist Uptown" and "He's a Rebel" but they're in rough shape. I don't have the Bobb B Soxx LP, I don't think. I do have the Righteous Brothers and those are in great condition but I think they sold so many more than the others that there's always an easier time finding good copies of those.

Yes, I'd love to see photos of the gold records so will email you. Thanks again!