The sad loss of the genius of Brian Wilson this year, was partly overshadowed by the joy at having him with us for so long. If you'd suggested in the late 60s or 70s that the former Beach Boy would still be touring and composing halfway through the second decade of the 21st Century, you'd have been laughed at, such was his health decline in his late 20s.
It was said that when Wilson's mental state was at its worst, he played Phil Spector's Christmas album 'A Christmas Gift For You' every day for a year, so obsessed was he with Spector's production. The terrible irony is that, despite his unparalleled mastery of song writing and production, Wilson never really emulated the man he admired the most in terms of Christmas music.
The Beach Boy's Christmas album is one of the band's worst and even during his spectacular renaissance in the late 90s with 'Smile' and 'That Lucky Old Sun', Wilson's 'What I Really Want For Christmas' is patchy and ultimately disappointing.
Nevertheless, there is no way I could complete 2025's Calendar without something acknowledging Brian Wilson's brilliance and - with 'Little Saint Nick' - already entered on day 21 of the second Calendar, I've gone with 'Christmasey', a song he composed with Jimmy Webb.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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