Maps of Music

Christmas Album (1970)

Where the lyrics of Christmas Album take you, and where it was really made.

Holiday albums were barred from the US Billboard Top LPs chart from 1963 to 1973, so this best-selling record could not chart there despite strong sales.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Album story

Overview

• Christmas Album: fourth studio album and first Christmas album by the Jackson 5
• American pop band; released 15 October 1970 by Motown
• Includes the group's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," released as a single
• "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is another track that regularly gets radio play in the Christmas season
• Eleven tracks in the original listing, including "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Christmas Song"

Background

• Released at the end of a successful year for the band
• 1970 releases: ABC in May, Third Album in September
• Tour ran from May to December 1970
• Michael Jackson's solo debut single "Got to Be There" also hit stores in October 1970

Recording

• Credited producers: Hal Davis, and The Corporation
• Arrangements by James Anthony Carmichael and Gene Page
• Lead vocals shared among Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and other members across tracks
• Tito Jackson credited with synthesizers on tracks 4 and 5

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Gary, Indiana, in 1964 as the Jackson Brothers, managed by father Joe Jackson.
• Original lineup: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael.
• Among the first African American performers to build a following across multiple genres.

Members

• Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson; Randy joined in 1975 when the group became the Jacksons.
• Michael Jackson's solo career became the most successful of the brothers.

Career

• Signed with Motown in 1968 and became the first group to debut with four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There".
• Achieved seventeen Top 40 singles on the Hot 100 within five years.
• Left Motown for Epic Records in 1975–1976 and renamed themselves the Jacksons, releasing albums including Destiny and Triumph.
• Reunited in 1983 for Motown 25 and released Victory in 1984; Michael and Marlon left the group afterward.
• Sold over 150 million records worldwide.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Continued to tour as the Jacksons, including the Unity Tour (2012–2013).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Reappraisal

• Christmas Album has been hailed by many as one of the best holiday albums
• AllMusic's Lindsay Planer rated the album four and a half out of five stars
• Planer wrote that "they carefully crafted and significantly modernized familiar seasonal selections."
• Planer also praised all of the tracks
• Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club praised the album and said "the original songs are among its finest moments"
• Rolling Stone also praised the album, calling it a "gem"

Records

• Spent four weeks at number one on Billboard's special Christmas Albums chart, published December 1970
• Best-selling Christmas album of 1970 in the United States, and also of 1972 in the US
• Has sold over 3 million copies worldwide
• Holiday albums were not allowed to chart on the US Billboard Top LPs ranking from 1963 to 1973

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• From 1963 to 1973, holiday albums were not allowed to chart on the US Billboard Top LPs ranking.
• In the US, the album was released on CD in 1986.
• Michael Jackson's solo debut single "Got to Be There" also came out in October 1970, the same month as this album.
• The album regularly receives radio play during the Christmas season.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact