What I Really Want for Christmas
Studio album by
Brian Wilson
ReleasedOctober 18, 2005
RecordedApril – May 2005
GenreChristmas
Length46:04
LabelArista
ProducerBrian Wilson
Brian Wilson chronology
Brian Wilson Presents Smile
(2004)		 What I Really Want for Christmas
(2005)		 That Lucky Old Sun
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Independent[2]

What I Really Want for Christmas is the sixth studio album by Brian Wilson and his first solo seasonal release. It was released by Arista Records in October 2005 and features many traditional Christmas songs, as well some of Wilson's originals, including remakes of the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" and "The Man with All the Toys". As a bonus, Wilson elected to include a sampling of seasonal recordings initially available on his website a few years earlier.

Track listing

All tracks traditional; except where indicated

  1. "The Man with All the Toys" (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) – 2:59
  2. "What I Really Want for Christmas" (Wilson, Bernie Taupin) – 3:50
  3. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" – 3:27
  4. "O Holy Night" – 4:28
  5. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" – 2:36
  6. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" – 3:34
  7. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – 3:08
  8. "The First Noel" – 4:47
  9. "Christmasey" (Wilson, Jimmy Webb) – 4:08
  10. "Little Saint Nick" (Wilson, Love) – 2:11
  11. "Deck the Halls" – 2:36
  12. "Auld Lang Syne" – 1:29
  13. "On Christmas Day" (Wilson) – 3:23
  14. "Joy to the World" – 2:06
  15. "Silent Night" – 0:49
    • Tracks 13–15 are bonus tracks, 13 and 15 having originally appeared on Wilson's website during 2000 and 2001. Track 14 was co-produced by an uncredited Joe Thomas and originally released in October 1997 on an obscure Christmas compilation.

Personnel

Additional Musicians
  • Karen Elaine Bakunin - Viola
  • Scott Bennett - Glockenspiel, Organ, Piano, Vibraphone, Background Vocals
  • Nelson Bragg - Percussion, Background Vocals
  • Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick - Cello
  • Jeffrey Foskett - Guitar, Sleigh Bells, Background Vocals
  • Probyn Gregory - Flugelhorn, French Horn, Guitar, Trumpet, Background Vocals
  • Jim Hines - Drums
  • Robbie Hioki - Trombone
  • Sharon Jackson - Violin
  • Peter Kent - Violin
  • Bob Lizik - Bass
  • Paul Mertens - Flute, Harmonica, Saxophone
  • Taylor Mills - Vocals
  • Carol Robbins - Harp
  • Darian Sahanaja - Glockenspiel, Organ, Piano, Vibraphone, Background Vocals
  • Nick Walusko - Guitar, Background Vocals
  • John Yoakum - Oboe, Saxophone

Reception

Critical reaction was mixed; Alexis Petridis of The Guardian newspaper gave it one star out of five and criticized it: "What I Really Want For Christmas is the least fascinating album of Wilson's career, and may well be the least fascinating album of Christmas - which, given the seasonal presence of G4 in the charts, is not a phrase to bandy lightly. It features two new songs: Christmassy, which is appalling, and the title track, which is even worse."[3] The album eventually peaked at #200 for one week on the Billboard 200 chart in the US,[4] though "Deck the Halls" became a Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit.[5]

References

  1. ↑ What I Really Want for Christmas at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Gill, Andy. "Album: Brian Wilson". The Independent.
  3. ↑ Alexis Petridis (23 December 2005). "Review: Brian Wilson, What I Really Want for Christmas". theguardian.com. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Billboard 200". billboard.com. 17 December 2005. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "BILLBOARD CHART". tampabay.com. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
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