Christmas with the Chipmunks, Vol. 1

Alvin & the Chipmunks

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1962
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UDR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #224,613 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, the singing rodents, are that rare sort of novelty that has outlived its novelty aspect to become an American institution. The Chipmunks are here to stay, whether it's from children of years past remembering them fondly now as adults, or just an inherent power in the simplicity of the idea--the sheer ingenuity of speeding up human voices to the point of hilarity. This classic 1962 album features the 'Munks in all their holiday glee. They're as fresh and guileless as the Beach Boys, and their harmonies are crisp and tight, while the material is exactly the type of spirited fun kids of all ages can relate to. Be forewarned that though the album has 12 tracks, the duration is only 24 minutes. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My #1 Christmas album!, March 5, 2002

By	Henry R. Kujawa ("The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can't help it-- I've been listening to The Chipmunks for as long as I remember, my parents bought me this WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT (in 1962), and I've never gotten bored with it during the holidays. There are several Chipmunks Christmas albums these days (some 2nd-rate "repackages"-- beware!) but only the 2 from the 60's are really worth owning to my tastes.

EVERY song here is a classic, including "Here Comes Santa Claus", "Up On The House Top" and "Jingle Bells" (each of these is a close tie with Gene Autry's versions-- although "Jingle Bells" is the ONLY version I've heard that has ALL the lyrics, plus it slowly speeds up until by the end it's turned rock & roll!). "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" originally appeared on AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE CHIPMUNKS (1960), while "The Chipmunk Song"-- the very first "Chipmunks" song-- dates back to the 1958 single, and the 1959 album LET'S ALL SING WITH THE CHIPMUNKS. It's nice to have them both here, though, as this package would seem incomplete without them. While child (of any age) cannot relate to such heart-wrenching lyrics ("we can hardly stand the wait, please Christmas don't be late")?

A year later came the follow-up, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHIPMUNKS VOL.2-- also essential. (Just be careful which one you get-- it's the one that starts with "Jingle Bell Rock" and should have a pic of Santa on a rooftop while Alvin, Simon & Theodore are raiding his parked sleigh!)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for kids..., October 26, 2004

By	M&M (Bothell, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas with the Chipmunks, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This is meant to be an album for kids, though this would be a much bigger hit among all ages if they cut out all the mentions of "boys" and the intros to the songs, which are pretty corny. They might capture more audiences, among possibly some teens.
The guys did a great job of representing "chipmunks" though, and it is hilarious. Some especially interesting songs include "Jingle Bells", "Silver Bells", and of course, "The Chipmunk Song". Very cute album for young and young at heart.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better Volumes Available Now, September 16, 2007

By	A Customer - See all my reviews

This CD version of an original 1963 vinyl LP (the original cover is shown on the reverse) came out at the dawn of the CD age and, at the time, was eagerly grabbed up by fans of David Seville (born Ross Bagdasarian on January 27, 1919 in Fresno, California.

He had been cutting records since the mid-1950s, scoring in early 1956 with The Trouble With Harry (# 44 Billboard Pop Top 100) under the billing Alfi And Harry, and inspired by the Hitchcock film of the same name. Then, from late 1956 to 1959 he registered six more hits under the billing The Music Of David Seville, the most successful of which was 1958's The Witch Doctor which hit # 1 on both the Pop and R&B charts.

But after he came in time for Christmas 1958 with The Chipmunk Song, billed to David Seville And The Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore - named after Liberty Records execs Alvin Bennett, Simon Waronker and Teodore Keep) a whole new industru was born. Numerous hits would follow, a few more related to Christmas, and so when that first LP was released it was gobbled up by fans.

But this CD version has long since been surpassed by releases with many more tracks and far better sound quality (on this, the voice of David on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, is barely legible). Also, there are no liner notes at all.