The Christmas classic Brian Wilson was removed from
Brian Wilson was a major acolyte of producer Phil Spector. Thankfully, Wilson never wound up copying some of Spector’s more unsavoury qualities (specifically the ones that related to guns and murder). Still, he did learn a lot in terms of technical know-how. Without Spector, Wilson likely wouldn’t have revolutionised studio work the way he did on classic Beach Boys records like Pet Sounds and Smiley Smile.
Wilson didn’t have to observe Spector from afar, either. Once The Beach Boys became popular in the early 1960s, Wilson found himself floating around the best studios in Los Angeles. In the fall of 1963, he even found himself in Gold Star Studios while Spector was hard at work crafting his Wall of Sound opus, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector.
In 2006, Wilson claimed to writer Michael deMartin that his favourite album of all time was A Christmas Gift for You. But what Wilson failed to mention was that he was almost featured on the album. Wilson did more than just sit at the back of the studio when he observed the sessions for the album. When it came time to record The Crystals’ version of ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’, Wilson hopped up and grabbed the piano bench to contribute some keyboards.
Unfortunately for him, Spector wasn’t in the mood to indulge Wilson. After a few substandard takes, Spector ordered Wilson off the piano in favour of Wrecking Crew stalwarts Leon Russell and Don Randi. Wilson recounted the experience to Record Collector in 2006, but obviously, the rejection didn’t cause him to love the resulting album any less.
In fact, Wilson took the final product as a challenge. After listening to A Christmas Gift for You, Wilson was convinced that The Beach Boys should record their own Spector-esque Christmas LP. The band had already recorded ‘Little Saint Nick’ the previous year, and a whole new slate of originals and classic covers were written for the album. When it came time to do their own version of ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’, Wilson took his rightful place behind the piano, finally fulfilling his desire that got shot down during Spector’s sessions.
Check out The Beach Boys’ version of ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’ down below.
