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What is your favorite Christmas Song by the Beach Boys ? Mine is

Morning Christmas by Dennis Wilson
Santa Got an Airplane
Little Saint Nick
Santa's Beard

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+11111

Little Saint Nick
Auld Lang Syne

"Auld Lang Syne" a Christmas song by The Beach Boys? It's traditionally sung at the conclusion of New Year gatherings around the world, especially in English-speaking countries. Its traditional use is to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight. By extension, it is also sung at funerals, graduations and as a farewell or ending to other occasions.

But The Boys did a great rendition of it. Dennis messed up the voice over. Who knows why Brian let it go. I like the story Foskett told when he first approached Dennis about it.

I love "Little Saint Nick". Thanks, Mike, for clearing up my confusion on when Christmas comes each year.
I also love "Merry Christmas, Baby". The chorus is a little undercooked, but I dig the verses.

Little Saint Nick - 45 or album version is just fine.

Santa's Beard - the bit about the little bro standing in line and shaking like a leaf really speaks to me, man - I've been there.

1.  Little St. Nick
2.  The Man With All the Toys
3.  We Three Kings

I kinda wish that there had been a bonus version of Auld Lang Syne...one without Dennis' voice-over.  Timely...if not cheesy...back in the mid 60s...I would appreciate a 'clean' version for programming purposes.

Would it have been Brian's choice and/or recommendation to bring in Benjamin Barrett and Dick Reynolds for that specific project?  Quite a departure in sound for the band...not to mention for the mix as well.  I came to appreciate it as I got older but initially I kind of found it to be a little over the top with the 'schmaltz'...although Frosty was cool.  [as it were/so to speak]

1.  We Three Kings of Orient Are
2.  Little St. Nick
3.  The Man With All the Toys

1. Winter Symphony - it is so Brian; love the piano; I don't hear any Al in this song, for those who do at what minute/seconds of the song do you hear Al's voice?
2. Little St. Nick - as good as almost any other BW/ML tune from that era; like most Brian productions so much happening in two minutes
3. Morning Christmas - again Dennis creates a mood and atmosphere that only he could come up with
4. Child Of Winter - again a lot going on in this song; favorite part is the way the song transitions into "Here Comes Santa Claus"; probably in the minority here but I don't like Brian's spoken interlude
5. Joy To The World - great Joe Thomas production and emotional Brian lead vocal; if it wasn't for Brian yelling dit-dit-dit this would be a classic
6. Frosty The Snowman - whenever this comes on the radio or at the department store or at the grocery store it makes me happy and makes it feel like Christmas
7. We Three Kings - can't leave this one out; they were peaking vocally; that short video snippet from 1964 is incredible, other-worldly
8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - again when I hear it played in public it makes me smile; Brian absolutely shines both on the intro and chorus
9. On Christmas Day - Spectorian; other than maybe "Joy To The World" the best song on a disappointing album
10. The First Noel - honorable mention for Brian hitting "that note" and you know the one I mean; however the harmonies at the end of the song are the shining moment of Brian's solo career

But there is a version without DW's voiceover. Released on Rarities, and later on as a bonustrack on a few BB Christmas Album reissues on CD, if I recall correctly. I'm sure it can be found on the Ultimate Christmas album from 1998.

Thanks for the tip.

Gotta be Little St Nick and The Man with All the Toys. I also like Child of Winter, although more as a Love You forerunner than a Christmas song.

Mele Kalikimaka is a lost classic

Alone On Christmas Day

We Three Kings "live" is magnificent...I've seen it a couple of times, but there is a old YouTube black and white video that I figure must be circa 1964, because Brian is singing with them.  I can't link it on an iPad.

Little St. Nick - just three most fun Christmas song, better live (still some vintage black and white videos)

As well as

The Man with all the toys!   ;)

***Adeste Fideles from the UNICEF Paris concert 12-15-1967!  :love

I love Blue Christmas Brains voice is spot on.

Child of Winter, Winter Symphony, We Three Kings

I have a vague recollection that back when "Ultimate Christmas" came out, it was said that some of the '77 tracks that *weren't* on it were due to the tracks being vetoed by someone in the band. Now, I think the CD is filled pretty close to capacity, so I'm not sure if they could have squeezed everything on there anyway. But I've always wondered if "Alone on Christmas Day" was vetoed, and if so, was it vetoed by Mike? Same with "Go and Get that Girl."

It's not a great song, but it strikes me as a better than at least a few of the other '77 tracks. Mike's lead is a bit shaky, and it has what sounds like the backing vocal sound from that era that sounds like mostly Brian and Rocky, but it's not the worst thing they churned out during that period.

What is that story, if I may ask?

My favorites: Little Saint Nich (single) and We Three Kings.

THese are the BB-related Christmas songs that turn up the most on my Christmas comps:
Morning Christmas
Winter Symphony
Little Saint Nick - Mike's vocal is terrific on this one
What I Really Want for Christmas - I think this is a great track. Pity it's a Christmas song...
Go and Get That Girl
On Christmas Day
Joy to the World (except the dits; with you on that one, SJS)
London is a Lonely Town (well, it's got Bruce on it)
Goin' South
We Three Kings
O Holy Night - something about this one from Brian's album that I really like - except for the ending
Christmassey
Alone on Christmas Day

Man With All The Toys is my favorite Xmas Beach Boys song, and it's also one of the only BB songs that I prefer the BW solo version of.

Hard to pick a favourite!  Winter Symphony, LSN, Morning Christmas, Joy to the World etc.

I heard a cover of Merry Christmas, Baby in a store a few years ago.  It was a modern version.  Anyone else heard it or know who covered it?

After Foskett was hired by the Beach Boys in 1981, around Christmas time, he had to head to the airport to get to his first gig with the group. When he gets to the gate, he sees Dennis Wilson sleeping the previous evening's activities off. He introduces himself to Dennis and says that he was listening to some Beach Boys stuff the night before. He says to Dennis, "How about this old gem?" and he plays a tape of the Beach Boys' "Auld Lang Syne."

Dennis responds: "How about THIS old gem? 'You're Fired!'"

The live version of O Come All Ye Faithful is superb.

Yeah, an absolutely wonderful vocal performance.  Wish it was available in even better audio quality than the YouTube version I'm used to hearing.

Maybe Little St. Nick will find a link and post it...(UNICEF 1967)

And, there is a nice frosty Smiley tall one in it for him!  :lol

Darn, yesterday I stunbled upon a seller on the net who sells a sealed vinyl copy of WIRWFC for a really low price, but he doesn't ship outside the US...

There's a REASON that stuff was left off Ultimate Christmas, and I've been spending sixteen years wondering why the HELL some of the tracks that were on it were on it. I was driving through Pennsylvania on Interstate 80 the first time I heard it, and when I heard "'Mele kalikimaka' is 'merry Christmas' in Hawaii talk-a," I nearly drove off the road off a small mountain!

I still can't understand why Go and Get That Girl has never been released. Marginal Christmas tune, but it was to be a part of the 1977 album. The horn section is very Chicago-esque and the refrain is very catchy. I was wondering if this was another track where Carl was unhappy with his vocal? I have tried speed and pitch correction, yet I can't seem to get Carl's vocals on the verses to sound right. He sings similar to how he did on Love You and Adult Child. His vocals though sound fantastic on the refrain or chorus. Is there a story behind its exclusion?

Saint Nick, Merry Christmas, baby and Christmas Day are three of the best Christmas songs ever and get played hundreds of times over the Christmas season in my house.

I also love the other originals like Santa's beard and The man with all the toys, that said The Boys have some pretty bad Christmas songs that I pretend don't exist  :lol

We Three Kings of Orient Are is beautifully sung but it really annoys me that they only sing two of the solo verses in the version I've heard.  Of all the songs to cut verses from, this really wasn't the one.  It suggests they had paid no attention to the lyrical progression that happens in the full song: the first verse introduces the three kings, then each king sings a solo verse relating to the gift they bring:  Frankincense for a God, Gold for a king, Myrrh for a sacrifice, before they come together again for the last verse.  It's one of the more intelligent and poetic Christmas carols and much of its point is killed if  only two kings sing their verses (it's called We Three Kings, for god's sake).  I know lots of people here don't really care about the lyrics and I agree the singing is sublime - but I'd just love to have heard Carl, Dennis and Brian doing the full three kings.

Excellent point and I agree with you. Do you know who else does a similar thing? Carnie & Wendy on their version of "We Three Kings". I love their version, maybe my favorite Carnie & Wendy/Wilson Phillips song/track of theirs. They do include the "gold" verse, but they don't include a frankincense or myrrh verse. Interesting.

And, in a similar vein, on Brian's take of "Joy To The World", which I like and mentioned above, he repeats the same verse twice - no second verse. I always found that curious, too. Oh well...

"We Three Kings" is, I think, the longest track they released in the 1960s. For me, it could go om and on. Too bad there was still more! Who arranged that backing track, though? Brian or the leader of the orchestra?

I believe Mike plucked it for Celebration, along with "Country Pie" and "How's About a Little Bit". I'm guessing he didn't want any overlap between groups.

But I'd like to know why the REMAINING M.I.U. Christmas songs weren't included on Ultimate Christmas. Was it a lack of space on the CD or was the decision based on "somebody" thinking the tracks were too weak and not worthy of official release.

Because they SUCK. (As do some of the ones that WERE included.)

Can't be that reason, as Go and Get That Girl is better than at least 2 or three of the songs that were released. I mean, (I saw Santa) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree is worse than anything else recorded for that album. ;)

.

"Alone on Christmas Day" does NOT suck-- It's actually a very heartfelt song. Even if you're not a fan, you'd have to admit it would have been a better inclusion than Melikalikiwhatever.

I have a soft spot for the Christmas standards medley as well. It would be nice to see that officially released someday, but I'm not holding my breath.

Did you just call Nicko1234 Little St. Nick? Someone drank too much of Smiley brew, I see. Anyhow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-6Ju-XkVy4

Jason, because of your recommendation I just listened to "Alone on Christmas Day" for the first time ever. I agree with you, it's a very good and heartfelt song. Nice production too with the horns arrangement. Fine lead by Mike, too. Too bad I just can't get into those 1970s sound aesthetics. I wish they had recorded that in 1964. :(

Ya, done good!

The white suits!

How cute were they, in their twenties?   :thewilsons

We'll make that a double!   :lol

 :beer

 :beer


And Happy Birthday to Dennis! Still loved... :love

Ha! The way you feel about the 70s aesthetic is similar to my feeling on most 80s productions!  :lol  One of my favorite Beach Boys-related Christmas songs is "Christmas Time" (you know, the one from the Gary Usher sessions). The melody on that song is just fantastic, but that dopey 80s production... Egads!  :wall

I think I'd add Brian's Peace on Earth to my BB Christmas album.

Still, "Alone on Christmas Day" is the first and only 70s BBs christmas tune I actually did enjoy to some extent. :)

Regarding the 80s... to me there is a big difference between early 80s which had an interesting fresh new sound and the second half of the 80s which is mostly, as you said, dopey. ::)

I really like "Bells Of Christmas", probably more than "Belles Of Paris". Al was singing very well around that time (I think his lead on "Peggy Sue" is his best ever), the production on "Bells Of Christmas" is really relaxed and mellow, and I've always like the melody on the chorus. That acapella part at the end is a nice touch, even though Brian gets a little sharp on the high part.

Classic: The Man with All the Toys; Christmas Day; Little Saint Nick; We Three Kings. (in that order)

70s: "Winter Symphony" (№1); "Child of Winter" (the remake by Rachel & the Raindeerz is awful, so is the vid); "Toy Drive Public Service Announcement" (the music beneath is jolly good); "Christmas Time Is Here Again" (Beatles tune of the same name is one of the worst ever off Xmas 'genre').

"Bells of Christmas" is killer. The acapella breakdown is everything I love about the Beach Boys consolidated into about thirty seconds. I wish they had released it as such..

Am I feeling critical mass here agreeing with me that there were some damn fine songs on that aborted '77 Christmas album?

I'd say that the following are top shelf: "Winter Symphony", "Morning Christmas", "Alone on Christmas Day", "Bells of Christmas" and the carol medley.

Hell, that's a better ratio then you'd get on KTSA.. Just saying!  :3d

I knew about Celebration using the track and all, but I mean with all the reissues, Ultimate Christmas, box sets, etc., it has still never seen the light of day. The recording sounds finished or just about so, so that was why I was wondering if it was a case of Carl or someone else not liking the lead vocal, like the story behind Soulful Old Man Sunshine.

Yes, and that is what I was asking above - who or what prevented ALL of the M.I.U. Christmas songs from appearing on Ultimate Christmas? Does anybody know or would anybody care to speculate?

And this also addresses the topic from joshferrell's thread about releasing a real Ultimate Christmas compilation. I would like to hear all - ALL! - of those M.I.U. Christmas songs undergo some serious remastering AND sequencing and presented as some kind of a legitimate 1977/78 project. The M.I.U. Christmas songs on Ultimate Christmas play at wildly different volumes, there is no flow/sequence, and they left off some good tracks! Would anybody like to take a shot at a good, COMPLETE 1977/78 Christmas album sequence including "Child Of Winter"?

Not enough space left on the disc? Iirc Ultimate Xmas is pretty full for a cd.

'Winter Symphony' is hands down my favorite. In fact, I think that might be the best song they recorded between 'Holland' and 'That's Why God Made the Radio'. Extremely underrated.

I'd go along with that, if you include Go and Get That Girl. Five decent tracks is more than there are on MIU as well.

Five is the exact number of tracks I really like on MIU! :-D

That's more than me!

Well, to me he sounds a little "relaxed" at some points. But that might also be the sub-quality of the bootlegs.
With "Alone on christmas day" (I really like this one) and "Go and get that girl" plus the better tracks from the sessions like "Winther symphony" and "Morning christmas" it cold've been a decent album if they would have kept going that way. Maybe put even "Cild of winter" on there as a bonus track.

Although "Go and get that girl" isn't really anymore a christmas song as is "Calendar girl".


BTW who wrote "Alone on christmas day" and "Go and get that girl"?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLOITFxI0GE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGrfJBaJYE

Is "Morning Christmas" the same song as "Holy, holy"?

Yes it is.

It's great! I had forgotten that!

Is there much information available about the making of the Beach Boys Christmas album? For example, one of the early takes of Auld Lang Syne doesn't feature all the modulation that appears in the final version and ends with the band singing a verse in unison with a tag at the end. Id love to read some information about the arranging of the tracks. Thanks