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Alvin and the Chipmunks

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This article is about the musical group. For the popular 1983 TV series, see Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series). For the film, see Alvin and the Chipmunks (film). For the video game based on the film, see Alvin and the Chipmunks (video game).
Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks is a five-time Grammy Award-winning animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby, impressionable sweetheart. The trio is managed by their human father and confidant, David Seville. In reality, David Seville was Bagdasarian's stage name, and the Chipmunks themselves are named after the executives of their original record label, Liberty Records: Alvin Bennett (the president), Simon Waronker (the founder and owner), and Theodore Keep (the chief engineer).

The Chipmunks act began with recordings first brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks. For stage purposes, such as during an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Bagdasarian lip-synched the words of "David Seville" in front of a small puppet theater, with puppets of the three Chipmunks also lip-synching. The puppets looked similar to the Chipmunk illustrations on the covers of some of the group's 45 RPM records. The characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series, using redrawn, anthropomorphic chipmunks, and eventually motion pictures.

The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who pitched up the playback to create higher pitched, comical, squeaky voices. This oft-used process was also not entirely new to Bagdasarian, who had also used it for a previous novelty song project, "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the trio two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of real albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. Since Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.'s death in January 16, 1972, their voices were performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman in all subsequent incarnations except for the 2007 CGI/live-action film adaptation, when they were voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney respectively.

History

"The Witch Doctor"

Main article: Witch Doctor (song)

In early 1958, Bagdasarian released a novelty song, as David Seville, about being unlucky at love until he found a Witch Doctor who told him "What To Do" to woo his woman. The entire song was done by Bagdasarian in his normal voice, except for the "magic" words, done first in Bagdasarian's pitched-up, pre-Chipmunk voice, then in a duet between his pitched-up voice and his normal voice. The words, of course, are nonsense: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang". The "Walla Walla" part of the song was just thrown in as a reference to Ross Bagdasarian's uncle who lived in Walla Walla, Washington. The song was a major hit, sitting at Number 1 in the Billboard Top 100, a predecessor to the Billboard Hot 100 chart which would be introduced that August, for three weeks during the spring, and the Witch Doctor's "magic words" were being sung by kids everywhere.[citation needed] Although nothing in the song makes any reference to chipmunks, the song is now sometimes included on Chipmunk compilations, as if the Chipmunks themselves had provided the voice of the Witch Doctor...which, technically speaking, is true. (Bagdasarian did record a "Chipmunks" version of "Witch Doctor," which appeared on the second Chipmunks album, Sing Again with The Chipmunks, in 1960). In 1999, the song was covered by a band called The Cartoons. A followup song was recorded, but instead of Seville singing the song, it was sung by Jiles Perry Richardson. The Song The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor was released as the B-side of "Chantilly Lace." Chipmunk-like voices sing backup for the Bopper. It is on the compilliation album Helllooo Baaaby! The Best of the Big Bopper

"The Chipmunk Song"

Main article: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

The Chipmunks first officially appeared on the scene in a novelty record released in late fall 1958 by Bagdasarian. The song, originally listed on the record label (Liberty F-55168) as "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," featured the singing skills of the chipmunk trio. One phrase in the chorus has Alvin wishing for a hula hoop, which was that year's hot new toy. The novelty record was highly successful, selling more than 4 million copies in seven weeks, and it launched the careers of its chipmunk stars. It spent four weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from December 27, 1959 to January 19, 1960. It also earned three Grammy Awards and a nomination for Record of the Year. At the height of its popularity, Bagdasarian and three chipmunk hand-puppets appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, lip-synching the song. "The Chipmunk Song" appeared on the Chipmunks' debut album, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks, in 1959, and was repeated on Christmas with the Chipmunks, released in 1962. The song also has been included on several compilation albums.

The Alvin Show

(1961-1962)

File:Alvinshow04.jpeg
The Chipmunks and David Seville during the "Old McDonald Had a Farm" musical sequence from The Alvin Show
Main article: The Alvin Show

The first television series to feature the characters was The Alvin Show. The cartoon gave more distinctive looks and personalities to the three chipmunks than just their voices, and an animated portrayal of Seville was a reasonable caricature of Bagdasarian himself. The series ran from 1961 to 1962, and was one of a small number of animated series to be shown in prime time on CBS. Unfortunately, it was never an immediate success in prime time and was cancelled after one season, only to find new life in syndication.

In addition to Alvin cartoons, the series also featured the scientist Clyde Crashcup and his assistant Leonardo. Those characters did not feature prominently on any of the later series. Crashcup made a single cameo appearance in A Chipmunk Christmas, and in an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The first television series was produced by Format Films for Bagdasarian Film Corporation. Although the series was broadcast in black and white, it was produced and later re-run in color. 26 episodes each were produced for the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup segments, along with 52 musical segments.

A Chipmunk Christmas

Main article: A Chipmunk Christmas

The final Chipmunks album in their original incarnation, The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, was released in 1969. After the death of Ross Bagdasarian in 1972 from a heart attack, the Chipmunks' careers stalled until NBC showed interest in the original show (the network carried Saturday morning reruns of The Alvin Show as a midseason replacement in 1979) and the following year, Excelsior Records released a new album of contemporary songs performed by the Chipmunks. The new album—Chipmunk Punk—featured Bagdasarian's son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., doing the voices of the characters. That album and the continued reruns of the series proved to be popular enough to warrant further new records as well as a new television production, and in 1981, the Chipmunks and Seville returned to television in the Christmas special A Chipmunk Christmas, produced by Chuck Jones, which was first broadcast on NBC on December 14 of that year.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

File:Alvinchipmunks1983.jpg
A scene from the 1983 opening credits of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Main article: Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)

(1983-1990) In 1983, the second animated television series, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, was released. Titled simply Alvin and the Chipmunks, the outline of the show closely paralleled the original Alvin Show. A more sustained success than the original, the series lasted eight production seasons, until 1990. In the first season, the show introduced the Chipettes, three female versions of the Chipmunks — Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, who each paralleled the original Chipmunks in personality, with their own human guardian, the myopic Miss Beatrice Miller (who arrived for the 1986 season). The Chipmunks even sang a variation of NBC's Let's All Be There campaign for its Saturday-morning lineup in 1984. After 1988, the show was renamed just The Chipmunks to indicate that there were now two groups of them. Also introduced was the boys' "Uncle" Harry, who may or may not have actually been a relative. The show reflected current trends and historical events in pop culture; the Chipmunks sang recent hits, and wore contemporary clothing. One "documentary" episode spoofed John Lennon's 1966 comment that The Beatles had become "more popular than Jesus", by recalling how the Chipmunks had fallen in popularity after Alvin boasted they were "bigger than Mickey Mouse!"

In 1987, during the fifth season of the show on television, the Chipmunks had their first animated feature film, The Chipmunk Adventure, directed by Janice Karman and Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and released to theatres by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. The film featured the Chipmunks and the Chipettes in a contest traveling around the world.

In the 1988–89 season, the show switched production companies to DIC Entertainment, by which time the Chipmunks had truly become anthropomorphized. In 1990, the show switched titles again to The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Each episode in this season was a spoof of a Hollywood film, such as Back to the Future, King Kong, and others. In addition, several television specials featuring the characters were also released. At the conclusion of the eighth season, the show was cancelled again.

In 1990, a documentary was produced about the show entitled Alvin and the Chipmunks/Five Decades with the Chipmunks. In that year, the Chipmunks also teamed up for the first and only time with other contemporary cartoons (such as Bugs Bunny, Garfield, etc.) for the drug abuse-prevention special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

Direct-to-video Chipmunks movies from Universal

Main articles: Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman

In 1996, the rights to the characters were purchased by Universal Studios. This resulted in The Chipmunks' 1999 reappearance in the form of the direct-to-video movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein. The movie was successful enough to spark interest in a sequel, and in 2000, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman appeared. Both movies featured the original cast of the second series reprising their roles and the tone of the movies are very similar to the series. These film titles reflect earlier horror spoofs by Abbott and Costello.

Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks

Main article: Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks

A live-action movie called Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks [1] was released on April 27, 2004 (April 24, 2005 according IMDb [2]). It features puppetry used for the Chipmunks and Chipettes. In this movie, when Dave (Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.) goes out of town, he leaves the young Chipmunks and the Chipettes in the care of Lalu (Janice Karman), a friend who is happy to have six pre-schoolers stay with her. Lalu lives in a magic cottage with Gilda (a talking cockatoo), and PC (a talking frog who believes he is one kiss away from being Prince charming). There are also Sam and Lou, two gophers who report to the viewers about the feelings the characters are experiencing. While at Lalu's, the kids learn and sing about separation, jealousy, telling the truth, sharing, and other life lessons. Theodore learns about telling the truth, and not to put things into the toilet; Alvin learns about helping Eleanor (the infant); and Jeanette learns that she cannot "borrow" Brittany's lipstick. The direct to video feature was directed and co-written by Jerry Rees, who also animated all the CGI effects and voiced two characters. The budget for the project was unusually low, at $600,000. It was also the first and only live-action appearances of Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman, respectively.

The Chipmunks' future

Alvin, seen here as a balloon in the 2007 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade.

In 2002, Bagdasarian Productions sued Universal Studios for breach of contract, in order to recoup monentary damages and to regain control of the Alvin and the Chipmunks characters.

In 2004, 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises and Bagdasarian Productions announced a CGI/live action film adaptation of the popular musical group and animated series. The new film Alvin and the Chipmunks, directed by Tim Hill and starring Jason Lee as Dave Seville, was released on December 14 2007. With Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney portraying the Chipmunks as well, it marks the first motion picture in which nobody related to Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. has performed as David or the Chipmunks. The film was met with harsh reviews from movie critics, but as of February 14, 2008, it has made over $210 million in North America alone and a total of nearly $330 million worldwide.

In 2006, Bagdasarian Productions sued Thomas Lee, the creator of Chipmunks Gangsta Rap, a parody created by Bentframe and featured on Atom Films. The lawsuit is still in process. Also, The Chipmunk Adventure was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment, then later Trick or Treason, A Chipmunk Christmas: 25th Anniversary and A Chipmunk Valentine. The Chipmunks Go To The Movies was released on May 22, 2007. The complete set of their first animated television series The Alvin Show will be released on DVD in the United States by Fox Home Entertainment around mid-May 2008.

Imitations

While the series was being prepared for broadcast, an imitation, The Nutty Squirrels, beat them to the market, but was less successful, despite catchy scat singing.[citation needed] Also, many people think that Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers are a "cheap imitation" of the Chipmunks. This, however, is incorrect, as Chip and Dale first appeared in the Disney cartoon Private Pluto in 1943, more than a decade before the creation of the Chipmunks--however, the cartoon series Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, the first appearance of them with different personalities and first appearance of them wearing clothes was created in 1989, well after the debut of Alvin and the Chipmunks in the fifties. Other than anthropomorphic chipmunks as main characters, the two franchises have little in common, other than the fact that Chip and Dale have squeaky voices created by the speeding up of records to 45 (or sometimes, but very rarely, 78) RPM.

Characters

Alvin Seville

Alvin is an emotional roller coaster. His enthusiasm is boundless and his despair bottomless. The term look before you leap definitely doesn't apply to Alvin, who is impulsive, charming, musical and full of animal magnetism. Alvin always makes up hare-brained schemes to get what his goal at the time is, whether it be trying to date Brittany, helping his brothers, or keeping Dave from figuring something out. However, Alvin seems to refer to his often illogical or crazy plans as "challenging the ordinary". Alvin's signature color is red, and he has Hazel eyes in the live action film (Alvin and the chipmunks) and blue eyes in the series. He plays the guitar, piano and harmonica. Alvin is also the oldest chipmunk by five minutes before Simon and holds the place as the leader of the chipmunk trio. According to "A Chat With Alvin", he cannot pronounce Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.'s last name correctly, which, at the end of the track, gets him yelled at by Ross, Jr. In the 2007 version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Justin Long.

Simon Seville

In addition to having an IQ just north of Einstein, Simon possesses a very dry sense of humor as well as a keen wit. Alvin exploits Simon's master mind for his crazy schemes because he is smart enough to carry them out. In the end, Simon loves Alvin, although he secretly worries that they share the same gene pool. His signature color is blue, and he has blue-gray eyes, and his glasses often have blue frames (other times, his glasses have black frames). He also has brown fur in the film. He plays the bass, saxophone, bagpipes, tuba, and keyboard[citation needed]. He is the middle brother of the three. In the 2007 version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler and given his glasses by Dave, who takes them from a Santa doll.

Theodore Seville

Theodore is the child of innocence. He is shy, loving, sensitive, gullible, trusting, naive and cute. In short, he is an easy target for Alvin's manipulations. In fact, Theodore often holds the swing vote between his two brothers' choices of action. Simon appeals to Theodore's better nature while Alvin goes straight to bribery. He is constantly craving snacks. Theodore's signature color is green, and has the same color eyes. He also has blonde/tan fur in the film, and he is often seen carrying his teddy bear. He plays the guitar, triangle, and drums. He is the baby of the group. In the 2007 version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is voiced by Jesse McCartney.

David Seville

Like any other single parent trying to raise three kids, let alone three hyperactive chipmunks, David Seville, or "Dave" to his friends and the boys, has his patience tested on a daily basis. Not only does he juggle his professional life as the songwriter for the musical trio, but he's also the Chipmunks' adoptive father and confidant. While Dave struggles to remain calm and objective, Alvin often pushes him over the edge, resulting in Dave's famous yell, "AAAALLLLVVVVIIIINNNN!!!!!!" which Alvin often replies with a loud "OK!!" Dave plays piano and the guitar. In the 2007 version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, he is played by Jason Lee.

The Chipettes

Main article: The Chipettes

Recording technique

The Chipmunks' voices were recorded onto audiotape by voice talent talking or singing at half the normal speed. When the tape was played back at double speed, they would sound a full octave higher in pitch, at normal tempo. The technique was by no means new to the Chipmunks. For example, the high and low pitched characters in The Wizard of Oz were achieved by speeding up and slowing down vocal recordings. And Mel Blanc's voice characterization for Daffy Duck was sped up to some extent. Now the same effect can be created digitally and in real time.

However, the extensive use of this technique with the Chipmunks, coupled with their popularity, linked this technique to them. The term "chipmunk-voiced" has entered the American vernacular to describe any artificially high-pitched voice. A similar effect could be obtained in playback by merely taking an LP recorded at 33 1/3 RPM and playing it back at 45 or 78 RPM, a trick sometimes tried out by ordinary record listeners just for laughs. The instrumental portions of the song are sped up as well, however, making it obvious that the music is being played at the wrong speed (Bagdasarian recorded vocals and music at different speeds to combine properly on his recording). Also, doing so might damage the record being played.

The technique was frequently imitated in comedy records, notably "The Ying Tong Song" by The Goons, "Transistor Radio" by Benny Hill, "Bridget the Midget" by Ray Stevens, "The Laughing Gnome" by David Bowie, and on several tracks on Joe Meek and the Blue Men's album I Hear a New World. The technique also appears in the instrumental break in Bobby Lewis' 1961 US #1 hit "Tossin' and Turnin'". It was used extensively in the British puppet show Pinky and Perky.

Prince has also used the technique on several of his songs - "Erotic City" for example - as well as for his "Camille" alter ego.

In the early 90's rave scene, many breakbeat hardcore productions would utilize the same studio tricks, often taking acappellas from old soul and house records and speeding them up to fit the faster tempo. Vocals in songs that used this method would typically be referred to as "chipmunk vocals".

Pop culture influence

  • The line "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang" from the song "The Witch Doctor" is used in the song "Texan Book Of The Dead" at 2:15-by Clutch on their Self-titled CD. It can also be heard in the last scenes of the movie version of the musical "Grease," playing underneath the characters singing "We Go Together."
  • The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) plays in the opening scenes of Cameron Crowe's 2000 film Almost Famous. The movie stars Jason Lee, who plays Dave Seville in the 2007 Chipmunks movie.
  • The Chipmunks make a guest appearance on the Canned Heat song The Chipmunk Song (which is not the same song as the 1958 hit) that appeared on their Christmas single.[1]
  • There is a Hungarian punkrock band called Alvin és a Mókusok, Alvin and the Chipmunks in Hungarian.
  • In The Simpsons episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", a record that Comic Book Guy has at the swap meet entitled "Melvin and the Squirrels", is a spoof of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
  • In the Family Guy episode "You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives," Glenn Quagmire inserts the chant from Witch Doctor into his usual "Giggity" gibberish. Because the makers of the show had to pay for the right to use the song lyrics, they refer to it on the DVD commentary as "the $10,000 joke."
  • In the episode of Happy Days which introduced the character of Mork, Mork walks into Richie's living room and babbles in Orkan. Richie says that it was a good Alvin the Chipmunk impression, thinking it was Ralph because he was watching TV at the time.
  • In an episode of Alf, Alf names three undiscovered planets in the Solar System as Alvin, Simon and Theodore.
  • A chorus of Chipmunk-like voices can be heard near the end of Michael Jackson's song P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).
  • Paul Hennesey (John Ritter) mentions Alvin, Simon, Theodore on the Halloween episode "Trick or Treehouse" of ABC's 8 Simple Rules.
  • Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures featured a parody of the Chipmunks in the episode - "Mighty's Benefit Plan".
  • In the Friends episode "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", when Ross asks Chandler if he knows who Carl is, Chandler replies: "Uh, let's see... Alvin... Simon... Theodore.... no."
  • Comedian Patton Oswalt has a popular joke regarding the Christmas song, in which he describes playing the song on a record at the slowest speed possible. The result is the Chipmunks sounding like "three normal, monotone guys singing a song about Christmas," while Dave Seville sounds like a "demon from the ninth level of murderers and traitors." In this bit, Patton does an impression of the slowed-down song, including a low, gravely voice in mock slow motion in place of Dave's voice.
  • A recording of the show's theme song is usually played at Relient K concerts, right before the band takes the stage. The Christian rock band also released a Christmas album called Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand in 2003, and some copies of the album contained a bonus track of Alvin and the Chipmunks singing "The 12 Days of the Christmas".
  • Much like with a "Weird Al" Yankovic parody, many recording artists in the 80s feel they know they made it when a song of theirs is covered by the Chipmunks.
  • The Robot Chicken episode "Anne Marie's Pride" has parodied the Chipmunks in one of their shorts. In the short the Chipmunks have normal chorus voices until Dave releases "Deadly Helium" into the recording booth, thus making their voices squeaky until they eventually die.
  • In the King of Queens episode Noel Cowards, Doug and Arthur get in a fight over The Christmas Song, but Arthur learns to love the song by mid-episode
  • Contemporary Christian music and Pop singer Jaci Velasquez did a quartet with The Chipmunks on a new version of The Chipmunk Song on her Christmas album in 2001.
  • On the December 16, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live, Justin Timberlake performs The Christmas Song with 3 SNL cast members, dressed as Alvin (Bill Hader), Simon (Fred Armisen), and Theodore (Andy Samberg).
  • The Bob Rivers Comedy Corp. released Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire in 2000, part of their Twisted Christmas CD series. The album parodies "The Chipmunk Song" in "The Twisted Chipmunk Song", which is followed by the title track, which continues the "Twisted Chipmunk" storyline with Dave Seville's revenge, and the names are Melvin, Squeaky, and Thagadore (A.K.A. Melvin and the Gerbils).
  • Not to be confused with the Newgrounds video, Sudden Death parodies the Chipmunks as gun-toting violent 'gangsta' chipmunks "Sherman", "Bob", and "Melvin" in their song "Rabid Chipmunks" from their 1995 album, "Brain Dead".
  • In the Boston Legal episode "On the Ledge," Lincoln Meyer kidnaps Shirley Schmidt and torments her by singing "Christmas Don't Be Late."
  • Del Monte used the Chipmunks (notably Alvin) on their fruit cups in the early 1990's.
  • In the British sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Louise sings (in her usual squeaky voice) the lyrics "We are the chipmunks -- Alvin, Simon, Theodore!"
  • In an episode of WWE Raw when having his voice pitched up by D-Generation X, Vince McMahon states "I'm Not Alvin The Chipmunk!"
  • In the episode of the Pokémon TV series entitled "Case of The K-9 Capers", Team Rocket uses helium on the group as part of a plan to confuse Pokémon. When the helium takes effect, Meowth shouts, "What happened to my voice? ... I sound like one of the Chipmunks!"
  • Alvin makes a cameo in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in the background a Sonic Sez segment in the episode Mobius 5000 as part of the crowd.
  • Their cover of the Macarena can be heard during the party scene in the 2007 film, The Nanny Diaries.
  • In Look Who's Talking Now James(John Travolta) and Molly (Kirstie Alley) along with their daughter Julie try to cheer up their son Mikey by lipsincing and performing The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) when he found out Santa Clause doesn't exist.
  • In Walt Disney's "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey", near the end of the movie, the family is heard singing "The Witch Doctor" in the car.
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy are very minorly similar to Alvin and the Chipmunks. Eddy acts like Alvin, but is more greedy and selfish. Edd is like Simon, and Ed is very minorly like Theodore, where he acts like the youngest of the Eds, and he wears green.

Discography

Albums

Vinyl Reissue Albums

  • 1974: Christmas With The Chipmunks (United Artists UA-LA352-E2) (2-LP repackage of Christmas With The Chipmunks and Christmas With The Chipmunks Vol. 2)
  • 1975: Christmas With The Chipmunks (Mistletoe MLP-1216)
  • 1975: Christmas With The Chipmunks Vol. 2 (Mistletoe MLP-1217)
  • 1980: Christmas With The Chipmunks (Pickwick SPC-1034) (reuses the cover artwork from the United Artists reissue, with the original front cover of Christmas With The Chipmunks Vol. 2 on the front and Christmas With The Chipmunks on the back)
  • 1980: The Twelve Days Of Christmas With The Chipmunks (reissue of Christmas With The Chipmunks Vol. 2, mono but labeled stereo, with new cover artwork by Doug Oudekirk, the artist who had drawn the Chipmunk Punk cover)
  • 1980: Christmas With The Chipmunks (Liberty LM-1071) (Without "Over The River And Through The Woods" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas")
  • 1981: The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits (EMI Nut NUTM-31) (Mono UK reissue sold in the US as an import)
  • 1982: The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits (Liberty LN-10177) (Without "Twist And Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There") (Stereo)
  • 1982: Chipmunks à Go-Go (Liberty LN-10178) (Without "Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows" and "The Race Is On")
  • 1986: Christmas With The Chipmunks Vol. 2 (Liberty)


Charting Albums

Albums Chart Position Year
Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks US Billboard 200 4 1960
Sing Again With the Chipmunks 31 1960
Christmas With The Chipmunks 84 1962
Christmas With The Chipmunks, Vol. 2 9 1963
The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits 14 1964
Chipmunk Punk 34 1980
Urban Chipmunk 56 1981
Chipmunk Rock 109 1982
A Chipmunk Christmas 72 1982
Chipmunks in Low Places 21 1992
A Very Merry Chipmunk 147 1994
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 6* 2007
  • *Indicates that the album is currently active on the charts

Singles

(The first Chipmunks record. On this first release, the artist is credited as "The Chipmunks, Alvin, Theodore & Simon, with the music of David Seville." B-side is a non-Chipmunk David Seville track.)

Concert tours

Awards and nominations

The original theatrical poster for The Chipmunk Adventure.

There were five Grammy Awards, a Golden Reel Award, and a Kids Choice Award in total.

References

  1. ^ http://www.cannedheatmusic.com/bio.htm
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