The Chipmunks

Ross Bagdasarian created Alvin, Simon, and Theodore and created some of the most genius novelty records ever.

Information: The Chipmunks Home Page
Suggested first purchase/best of: Greatest Hits--Still Squeaky After All These Years
Suggested first album: Christmas with the Chipmunks

Christmas with the Chipmunks (1962) -- Fantastic. Not just a kids' record. Well, actually, it's a perfect kids' record, which means that its perfection translates for any age. These are great pop interpretations of classic songs--with new ones, of course, like the famous "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)." They are expertly realized, clever, and tons of fun.

Christmas with the Chipmunks Vol. 2 (1963) -- This volume is just as good or better, so wild and crazy and wonderfully-crafted. Their beautifully-harmonized and powerful version of "Christmas Time (Greensleeves)" is enough to blow anyone away and ask themselves, "Wait, isn't this just a novelty record for kids, a one-note joke about sped-up voices? What the hell?" Ross Bagdasarian is a genius, a man who realized that novelty and fun and craft and art and commercialism and beauty could all fit together. I owe a lot to him.

Christmas with the Chipmunks (2006) -- Over the years, the two Christmas Chipmunks albums have been packaged in all kinds of random-assed ways, sometimes as separate volumes with incorrect album covers or wrong track listings, and sometimes packaged as one disc with several songs missing and with various titles. It's possible, but difficult, to find CD versions of the originals. Hints: look for CDs that have twelve songs apiece. In 2006, they put out a single disc with all 24 songs present, and good representations of the original cover art. The songs aren't presented in the original running order, but since these albums were recorded back to back and the sequencing isn't "bad," it works fine. At the moment, this is the easiest and best way to get a hold of all of the songs.