Sufjan Stevens Reissues Silver & Gold: Songs For Christmas Box Set
The long awaited reissue brings volumes 6 – 10 of Sufjan’s celebrated Christmas tunes back to vinyl for the first time in 12 years
Starting in 2001, songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist, Sufjan Stevens began recording and giving his friends EPs of Christmas music each holiday season. The former Danielson collaborator is a known Christian, but, while it’s not unheard of for related themes to infiltrate his work, his faith has never overtly dominated the majority of his creative output. Sufjan‘s love of the holiday and traditional Christmas music is evident in his renditions, but he never allows his reverence for the tunes to translate into anything stale or boring. Stevens‘s unique sound as an artist permeates every aspect of those projects and each of those EPs included no less than 2 original tracks mixed in. The first 5 volumes arrived annually, except in 2004 when the musician skipped it to continue working on his now-classic Illinois album (since translated into a Broadway musical). The volumes were all recorded in December, until Peace: Songs For Christmas Volume 5. That one was made in June of 2006 to allow for a late-November release of a Songs For Christmas box set in time for the holiday.
We’ve owned the Songs For Christmas box for years, on both CD and vinyl formats, but there’s a follow-up box that has been much more difficult to come by. Silver & Gold: Songs For Christmas, Vols 6 – 10 continues where the previous set left off and comprises 5 more releases recorded each December from 2006 to 2010. This means that, as some people opened the first set on Christmas morning, Sufjan already had the next volume in the can. Gloria: Songs For Christmas, Volume 6 is unique for including brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National as collaborators, both musically and as co-writers. The next volume, I Am Santa’s Helper: Songs For Christmas, Vol. VII, changed things up even further by coming in at a whopping 23 tracks; a major expansion from the average 7 -9 songs which appear on the rest of them. The Silver & Gold vinyl box was released in a limited run of only 2,000 copies in 2012 and has never been reissued, until now. Because of this, the aftermarket has been a bloodbath with copies selling for upwards of $500 on platforms like Discogs. This morning, Asthmatic Kitty Records announces the long-awaited repress, rewarding those of us who have been wanting the music, but have been unwilling to sell a kidney to get our hands on it.
Read more: Sufjan Stevens Reissues Silver & Gold: Songs For Christmas Box Set
The box includes nearly 60 songs across 5 EPs and 6 vinyl records. The contents seem to mirror those of the original pressing and include the following:
- 5 EPs on 6 vinyl records
- Christmas sticker sheet
- Temporary tattoo sheet
- Three paper ornaments (self-assembly with directions)
- An apocalyptic pull-out poster
- A 44-page songbook with lyrics and chord charts (sing along with your friends and enemies)
- A 20-page Christmas coloring book by Stephen Halker
- Hallucinogenic photographs and psychedelic graphic design
- Extensive liner notes (introductory salutations and an essay on the Christmas tree by Sufjan Stevens, and a few theological words on the End Times by Pastor Vito Aiuto)
Pre-orders are open now through Asthmatic Kitty and are scheduled to ship in “early November.” The box is priced at $150.
For those who don’t feel the need for all of the bells and whistles and would like to save some money, a more stripped-down standalone LP set will also be available in record stores starting November 1st. “Featuring all 5 releases (6 LPs) assembled in a slipcase,” “this version includes just the albums, with the additional holiday merchandise available only with the AKR vinyl box set.“
Related holiday merch is also available on the AKR website, including a mock turtleneck shirt, mug, beanie, and woven blanket. The Silver & Gold songbook can also be purchased by itself outside of the box set.
But what if you want to enjoy Sufjan‘s collection of Christmas tunes this holiday season without purchasing anything, at all? The good news is that there’s something for you, as well. Last year, Stevens assembled something referred to as “The Official 2023 Sufjan Yule Long.” Nearly 5 hours long, the YouTube video simply features footage of a festively decorated fireplace as all 10 of the Songs For Christmas EPs play in chronological order. Just throw this thing on the TV and let it go. The video, which is still active from last year, is embedded below.