115. Phil Spector's 'A Christmas Gift for You' with Jaime Lewis

For Christmas Eve, I dive into the melodramatic and perverse world of Phil Spector, and his seminal Christmas pop record ‘A Christmas Gift For You’, with my friend and sometimes producer Jaime Lewis and a large batch of eggnog.

Why did the album bomb on first release? Which 60s pop legend considers it the greatest album of all time? How does Spector’s sincere love of syrupy Christmas music track with his reprehensible real life behaviour? How does the album mash up innovative contemporary production with traditional holiday standards? What’s the history of the album’s lasting classic track, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)? What’s the right amount of bourbon to put in eggnog? And isn’t Phil Spector Jewish anyway?

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album’s influence on their own music.

Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line atmyfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com