Jackson 5 Christmas Album

Jackson 5 Christmas Album is the first Christmas album, and fourth studio album, by Motown family quintet the Jackson 5, released in October 1970. Included on the Christmas Album is the Jackson 5's hit single version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". The Jackson 5's versions of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" remain frequent radio requests during the Christmas season.[1] The album spent all four weeks at the number one position on Billboard magazine's special Christmas Albums chart that the magazine published in December 1970, making it the best-selling Christmas album of that year and also year 1972.[2][3] This album was a top seller and had the potential to chart high on the Billboard 200, but from 1963 to 1973, holiday albums were not allowed to chart. It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.[4] The album has also been praised by critics.

Jackson 5 Christmas Album
Studio album by
the Jackson 5
ReleasedOctober 15, 1970
Recorded1970
Genre
Length34:13
LabelMotown
Producer
The Jackson 5 chronology
Third Album
(1970)		 Jackson 5 Christmas Album
(1970)		 Maybe Tomorrow
(1971)
Alternative cover
2009 remaster
Singles from Jackson 5 Christmas Album
  1. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
    Released: November 1970

In the US, the album was released on CD in 1986. In 2003, Universal Motown re-released the album as part of their 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection series. This version of the album was remastered and included the Michael Jackson solo song "Little Christmas Tree" as a bonus track (from A Motown Christmas). In 2009, the album was once again re-released as Ultimate Christmas Collection with Christmas greetings from each of the band members, remixes, and a medley of songs from the album.

Release

The release of Jackson 5 Christmas Album in October 1970 marked the end of a successful year for the band. Three albums were released by the group, with ABC in May and Third Album in September, with a tour running from May to December. The group recreated a similar feat the following year, with Maybe Tomorrow hitting record stores in April, the Goin' Back to Indiana soundtrack in September, and a greatest hits collection in December, with a tour which ran from January to August. In addition, Michael Jackson's solo debut single "Got to Be There", also hit the music stands in October, with the complete album of the same name coming out in January 1972.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

Jackson 5 Christmas Album has been hailed by many as one of the best holiday albums.[7] AllMusic's Lindsay Planer rated Jackson 5 Christmas Album four and a half out of five stars. She stated that "they carefully crafted and significantly modernized familiar seasonal selections." She also praised all of the tracks. Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club also praised the album and said "the original songs are among its finest moments". He also said "Jackson 5 Christmas is tough to compete with because it isn't—as Christmas records so often are—an inessential brand extension or bait for discography completists. It's a potent distillation of the spirit of Christmas, an album joyful enough to make me feel like it's the most wonderful time of the year rather than merely telling me so."[8] Rolling Stone also praised the album, calling it a "gem".[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin5:19
2."Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie2:24
3."The Christmas Song"Robert Wells, Mel Tormé2:45
4."Up on the House Top"Benjamin Hanby; arranged and adapted by the Corporation3:16
5."Frosty the Snowman"Steve Nelson, Jack Rollins2:39
6."The Little Drummer Boy"K.K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone3:15
7."Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"Johnny Marks2:32
8."Christmas Won't Be the Same This Year"Pam Sawyer, LaVerne Ware2:31
9."Give Love on Christmas Day"Berry Gordy Jr., Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards2:44
10."Someday at Christmas"Ron Miller, Bryan Wells2:44
11."I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"Tommie Connor3:01
2003 remaster
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Little Christmas Tree"George Clinton, Artie Wayne3:37
2009 Ultimate Christmas Collection bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Season's Greetings from Michael Jackson" 0:09
13."Little Christmas Tree"Art Wayne, Artie Wayne3:37
14."Season's Greetings from Tito Jackson" 0:06
15."Up On the Housetop (DJ Spinna Re-Edit)"Traditional5:00
16."Season's Greetings from Jackie Jackson" 0:07
17."Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Stripped Mix)"Johnny Marks3:04
18."Season's Greetings from Jermaine Jackson" 0:07
19."Someday At Christmas (Stripped Mix)"Ron Miller, Bryan Wells2:44
20."Give Love On Christmas Day (Group A Cappella Version)"Berry Gordy Jr., Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards3:37
21."J5 Christmas Medley" 3:51

Source:[5]

Personnel

Technical

  • Hal Davis – producer
  • James Anthony Carmichael, Gene Page – arrangements
  • Adam Abrams – production coordinator
  • Harry Weinger – supervisor
  • Vartan – art direction
  • Alana Coghlan, Katherine Marking – design

Charts
Chart (1970–2021) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM) 45
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[9] 36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 57
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 40
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 30
US Billboard 200[13] 53

References
  1. "Jackson 5 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Listen on Online Radio Box". OnlineRadioBox.com. Retrieved Apr 13, 2020.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 153. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 182. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  4. Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collectors Edition, page 99. American Press.
  5. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r9998
  6. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 410. ISBN 9780743201698. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2020-03-03. rolling stone jackson 5 album guide.
  7. "Album review: 'Jackson 5 Christmas Album'". Dec 11, 2017. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved Apr 13, 2020.
  8. "Jackson 5 Christmas Album is the antidote to holiday cynicism and fatigue". Music. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved Apr 13, 2020.
  9. "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 51, 2020". Hitlisten. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jackson 5 – Christmas Album" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  11. "Norwegiancharts.com – Jackson 5 – Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. "Swedishcharts.com – Jackson 5 – Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  13. "The Jacksons Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
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