Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks

Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks is the debut album of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is an interactive children's novelty album. The songs on the record are a mixture between cover versions of children's songs in the public domain and customized original musical material. It contains the A-sides of the Chipmunks' first three singles: "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)", "Alvin's Harmonica" and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". The artist credit on the original release was listed as Ross Bagdasarian (changed to "Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville" on the revised 1961 cover). First pressings of the album were on red vinyl. Despite the album's success, it was one of four original Chipmunks albums not included in a 1987-1990 CD reissue program (the others were The Chipmunk Songbook, The Chipmunks See Doctor Dolittle, and The Chipmunks Go To The Movies). (However, every track from the album has been available at one time or another on various compilation CDs.) On April 8, 2008, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks finally was reissued on compact disc (Capitol 509992 08853 28).

Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks
Studio album by
Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks
Released1959
Recorded1958-59
GenreChildren's
Length23:32
LabelLiberty
ProducerRoss Bagdasarian
Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks chronology
Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks
(1959)		 Sing Again with The Chipmunks
(1960)
Alternative cover
1961 reissue, utilizing the animated makeovers for The Alvin Show
Singles from Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks
  1. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
    Released: 1958
  2. "Alvin's Harmonica"
    Released: 1959
  3. "Ragtime Cowboy Joe"
    Released: 1959
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Success

In its original release, the album was quite successful on the charts peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart, making it the highest peaking album for the Chipmunks in their "singing careers". The album would eventually earn a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1960.

Album cover variations

The original issue of the album depicted three realistic looking chipmunks on the cover, with Alvin making a pose like the then-recently deceased Al Jolson. When the album was reissued two years later, a new cover was substituted, that of an Alvin Show animation cel setup reenacting the poses the original chipmunks made, with the exception of Alvin, who was now shown as making a pose like Elvis Presley. The 2008 compact disc reissue uses the 1961 front cover design along with the original 1959 back cover.

Track listing[2]

All songs would later be adapted as animated musical segments for The Alvin Show.

Side one
  1. "Yankee Doodle" (Trad., arr. Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 1:57
  2. "Chipmunk Fun" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 1:58
  3. "The Little Dog" (Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone) (Septimus Winner)– 1:59
  4. "Old MacDonald Cha Cha Cha" (Trad., arr. Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 1:55
  5. "Three Blind (Folded) Mice" (Trad., arr. Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 1:54
  6. "Alvin's Harmonica" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 2:42

Side two
  1. "Good Morning Song" (Mildred Hill) – 1:09
  2. "Whistle While You Work" (Frank Churchill, Larry Morey) – 1:49
  3. "If You Love Me (Alouette)" (Trad., arr. Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 2:12
  4. "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" (Maurice Abrahams) – 2:08
  5. "Pop Goes the Weasel" (Trad., arr. Ross Bagdasarian Sr.) – 1:19
  6. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.) – 2:21

Production credits

Ross Bagdasarian - Producer
Ted Keep - Engineer
Pate/Francis & Assoc. - cover design and actual artwork - [original pressing]
Studio Five - animation artwork - [reissue pressing]

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. The Chipmunks - Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks lyrics
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