The Beach Boys

Released: September 22, 1998

Songwriter: Brian Wilson

Producer: Jack Wagner

Well, along with our special feature of this Beach Boys' Christmas Album
Once again I'm happy to see the smiling face of the leader of
This popular group here in the studio, Brian Wilson
Good to see you again, Brian

Hi, Jack

This Beach Boys' Christmas Album is really something
Ah, Dick Reynolds did the arrangements, I guess, huh?

Yes, he did. He did a beautiful job, a wonderful job

Is this the first time you've worked with him?

Right. I'd been, uh, wanting to meet him and work with him for quite a long time

Now who's idea was it to have you featured on this, uh, one particular tune--I
I was particularly impressed with it--"A Blue Christmas."

Well, I... sort of picked out that song to sing for myself
I, I love the song and uh, I've always wanted to sing it, so I thought I'd sing it

Well, maybe this will be the start of a whole new career, huh?

I don't know, that's... It, it could, and it couldn't. Ah... I really don't know

Well, let's leave it to the listeners to see what they think of it

Right

I notice this album has uh, ah, along with some of the popular things like, uh
"I'll Be Home For Christmas," uh, "Auld Lang Syne," and uh, um, "We Three Kings"
And some of the traditional things, that you have a couple of your
Your own, uh, Beach Boys type sounds in the LP, too

Uh-huh, we've more or less made one side, uh, our own style, and...

Kind of a teen side and an adult side

Uh-huh, right, um-hm. Contrasting

Uh-huh. Now, we have, uh, one of your originals coming up here, Brian
Uh, "Christmas Day." You wrote this for the album specifically?

Yes, I did. Uh-huh

Uh-huh. And now, do you do your, the vocal arrangements
Or did Dick Reynolds handle all of that?

Dick handled the vocal arrangements on the, ah, the modern side
--the traditional side--and I did the, ah, vocal and the
Arrangements of the music on our own style--our basic style--side
Dick did the strings, also, on the, uh, on the modern side

Coming up now, ah, a very sentimental type Christmas song
Particularly for those who are away from home during this time of year
--"I'll Be Home For Christmas." Any, ah, thing particular about this
This tune that you'd like to say, Brian?

Ah, well, I guess there's something very obvious when you hear the song
It's, ah, there's a very definite influence of the Four Freshmen
On the arrangement as well as the delivery, and, uh, obviously
We all look up and admire the style of the Four Freshmen and
Uh, I feel this has been the greatest--one of the greater--
Vocal influences, ah, in the world today

Well, it's certainly been, uh, nice of you to take the time to come
By again here for our special Beach Boys' Christmas show
You have a fine album here and, uh, I hope you'll be home for Christmas

Well, I hope I will, too. I hope everyone's home for Christmas

I do, too. Brian Wilson, thanks again for coming by

Thank you very much, Jack

And here again, the Beach Boys' Christmas Album

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

more tracks from the album

Ultimate Christmas

From the album

Ultimate Christmas (1998)

The Beach Boys popular songs

Brian Wilson Christmas InterviewThe Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Ultimate Christmas