Phil Spector

Although the well-timed double-disc retrospective of producer (and, lest we forget, alleged murderer) Phil Spector touts seasonal essentials (Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and the Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” among them), it’s the 22-track wall-of-sound sampler disc that collectors should demand from St. Nick. Brick by brick, the comp’s first disc is a tidy course in Spector’s signature sound, from well-known staples like the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” to lesser hits from the Crystals and Darlene Love and Spector’s previously unreleased version of “Spanish Harlem.” All told, this set is a testament to his towering influence on pop music, which—like the collection itself—echoes and shimmers just as beautifully today.