November 02, 2023
Source/phillyspecialchristmas.com
The deluxe bundle of 'A Philly Special Christmas Special' includes gold vinyl copies of this year's album and last year's holiday LP, plus a 500-piece puzzle and a 7-inch record with two singles.
The trio of Eagles players behind last year's hit Christmas album are getting ready to release their much-anticipated follow-up, "A Philly Special Christmas Special."
Vinyl copies of the new album — again featuring Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata — can be preordered online at 9 a.m. Friday. Proceeds will support the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children's Crisis Treatment Center.
The three pressings of last year's album raised $1.25 million for the Children's Crisis Treatment Center and other local charities. The goal is to surpass that this holiday season.
The 11 tracks on the new album include 10 holiday classics and an original song, "Santa's Night," that was written by Jason Kelce. Guest performers include singers Patti LaBelle and Amos Lee. Members of The Hooters, Mewithoutyou, Huffamoose, Sun Ra Arkestra and The Silver Ages Choir are featured, too. So is Chiefs star Travis Kelce, Jason's younger brother — although there won't be any Taylor Swift cameos.
The album was produced by Charlie Hall of The War on Drugs and executive produced by former Eagle Connor Barwin, who is now a team executive.
A pressing on red vinyl will cost $75. A double album on gold vinyl, which includes both LPs, is priced at $125. The deluxe bundle, going for $150, includes both albums, a 500-piece puzzle of the gatefold vinyl artwork and a 7-inch record featuring "Santa's Night" and "Dominick the Donkey." The puzzle and the 7-inch vinyl also can be pre-ordered for $50.
The albums will ship after Thanksgiving. "A Philly Special Christmas Special" will hit streaming platforms at a date to be announced. Last year, the album became available on streaming services just before Christmas. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard compilations chart and reached the top 10 on three other charts.
Overwhelming demand for last year's album led to pre-order supplies being wiped out within minutes, and some opportunists listed their copies for sale at exorbitant prices on eBay. That led to the additional pressings, which also were snatched up quickly.
"We had so much fun making 'A Philly Special Christmas' last year that we wanted to do something extra special for this holiday season," the Eagles trio said ahead of the pre-order. "So we got the gang back together, invited a few more friends to the party, and what happened next was magical."
