Christmas Is My Time of Year - 3/5 I like how there are sonic elements to fill in for the absence of Nez (some subtle 12-string, a country twang in places). I think @MarkTheShark is correct in his speculation that this was the last time Eddie Hoh played on a released song - and it's nice to hear his fills on a Monkees song one last time. Chip Douglas always had a nice touch for the guys' songs, even if this was a one-off exercise without full participation. Given the quality of the Christmas material he made with Davy years later, it would have been interesting to hear a whole Christmas album in this vein with Chip at the helm.
I love that, somewhere, in the metro Milwaukee area there’s at least one other person besides me who listens to this album digitally (I usually listen on my iPod or thru my iTunes) and includes the bonus tracks with it. I’m not alone! Now if we could just get The Mike & Micky tour to make a stop here. Hmph.
This is the first time I’ve heard this song. For a Xmas/holiday song it’s pretty good! Sounds like faint praise but it’s really not. I like this better than anything on the DJBH album. Why they didn’t try to make a go of this with Peter, and Chip producing, as a full on Monkees reunion I don’t know. Might’ve been better than what we got with DJBH. Anyhow, I could see adding this to a Christmas comp of my own. A shame this original mix (Never heard the mix on the “Party” album, how different is it?) is apparently hard to come by on CD or digitally. Davy sounds especially good on this one. Solid 3/5. Since it’s a Christmas song I can’t see rating it much higher than that, but I like it!
1986? So if I managed to track down the Cool Yule CD, that would be the 1986 mix. Not the original. Probably not a big deal, just curious mostly. Thanks!
Christmas is my Time of Year 4/5 Higher rating due to nostalgia with 3 Monkees and Chip producing. Fun song. With that said .. I don't think it's better than anything on the DJB&H album.
The ‘86 mix is on the Target Exclusive CD of ‘Christmas Party’. The RSD ‘Christmas Party Plus’ double single has the original ‘76 mix.
"Christmas Is My Time Of Year" Not a fan of Christmas songs in general, so the next couple of weeks could be rough, but as they go this one isn't bad at all. Davy sounds good on it, and it doesn't suffer from overexposure like all the usual suspects. 3/5.
Here are photos of my copies of the ‘Christmas Is My Time Of Year’ single. The Green label on the right is the original 1976 mix. The record on the left with picture sleeve is the 1986 remix. The Christmas light bulb is from Davy Jones’ personal Christmas tree I purchased with the monies going to Davy’s charity.
I have read that before, and if true, it surprises me. The drums on the 1986 remix version sound too 80s, maybe even electronic. This remix is very similar to the "Daydream Believer" remix. In fact, when I met Chip Douglas at a convention, he told me the "Daydream Believer" remix inspired him to do this. It's interesting how after the false end, the coda reverts back to the original 1976 mix.
All four guys met up in the mid-'70s and discussed a reunion, but only Micky and Davy were interested, which is why we got DJBH. I don't know everything that was going on with Peter at that time, but I feel like he should've just come back to the Monkees full time then, since he ended up doing the Christmas single, plus appeared at one or two DJBH shows, plus (and correct me, Fred, if I'm wrong here) I think he appeared with Micky, Davy, and Coco at least once when they were doing their club tour in the late '70s. But I'm glad he at least did the Christmas single, and that Chip was the producer. I'm with you on this! Christmas Is My Time of Year Before going further, I want to note that I have the Target Exclusive edition of Christmas Party, which includes Riu Chiu and Christmas Is My Time of Year as bonus tracks after the album proper. So if I reference "bonus tracks," these are the two songs to which I'm referring. And if I make a comment about something that seems to be out of order, according to how we're reviewing the songs here, that's why. Now, back to my regularly scheduled review ... I’d never heard, or heard of, this song before Christmas Party, and like the other such songs for me on this album (Jesus Christ, Snowfall), I like it. It’s great to hear Micky and Davy together, and get another Christmas Party appearance from Davy, and another instrumental appearance from Peter. I like how, at one point, it seems like the song is going to end but then comes roaring back. I also like how, at a couple of points, there’s an instrumental of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing/Joy to the World, so that this song is a blending of traditional and newer. And as a couple other folks have said, this song sounds very Monkees. The real bonus with the bonus tracks is that they give us the Monkees working together: Riu Chiu is the only song on this album on which all four guys sing, and Christmas Is My Time of Year has everyone but Mike. And since Davy and Peter are no longer with us, their presence on the album is quite limited, so having them on these bonus tracks ups their number of respective appearances on this album, giving it a more well-rounded Monkees feel (though I still consider Christmas Party to be very much a Monkees album even without these bonus tracks). Some people here have referenced DJBH when talking about Christmas Is My Time of Year, so I might as well chime in on that too. The amount of Monkees music produced in the '70s—Changes, DJBH, and this Christmas single—is relatively small, and also fairly divisive amongst Monkees fans; me, I like most of it, and I consider all of it to be canon. I generally enjoy the sound of "'70s Monkees" and am very curious as to how that sound would've continued to develop had the guys kept producing music then. P.S.: I like the photo, the Old English font, and the overall look and feel of the Christmas single sleeve ... has a very '70s feel.
"Christmas Is My Time of Year" To be honest, I don't think I'd ever heard the Monkees' version of this until today. As far as modern holiday music goes, it's inoffensive, although my favorite part is where they interpolate other songs! 3/5, but I'm probably grading it on a curve here.
Peter appeared with DJB&H at their July 9th, 1976 show at Disneyland. Peter showed up on March 24th, 1977 for the Micky & Davy Show with Coco Dolenz and the Laughing Dogs at The Starwood Club in Los Angeles.
'Christmas is My Time of Year' is pretty good. The first version I heard of this ran on into Davy's 'White Christmas' following the false ending before returning for the coda. By the way, I think 'White Christmas' is dreadful! Micky's vocal on 'My Time of Year' is particularly good and very reminiscent of his vocal style circa 1966-67. Also worth a mention is the brass part which brings in a couple of traditional carols. This adds to the impression that this is a Christmas pop standard - even if hardly anyone else knows it!
Christmas is My Time of Year is 4/5 Always have loved this one, the vocals from Micky and Davy are really really good It’s basically the same approach as on the Pisces album with Chip Douglas producing and Peter playing on it, with excellent drums from Eddie Hoh It’s a shame they couldn’t keep this collaboration going back in the 60s, even without Nez contributing Think we would have gotten very good results with the rest of the Monkees catalog if Davy and Micky continued with Chip producing their tracks, with Peter and Mike involved as much as they care to. Mike was destined to produce himself, but Peter would have done alright if he was willing to just be a player on Chip’s productions, without having to give up working on his own productions too. I guess it was the times and situations and where they were at, but it was not a good choice to totally produce themselves individually and not do mostly tracks with a strong producer, except for Nez The catalog shows that when they did - like Porpoise Song, As we go along ( I really think Carole King produced this one uncredited), Someday Man, Man Without a Dream - it came really out well
With this song being on my radar for 40 some Christmas seasons, it's tough to now imagine the holidays without it. Micky sounds great & Davy's vocal is exceptional. Besides his Hammond organ part, I've always assumed that was Peter calling out "..and a Happy New Year!" near the fade. It's unfortunate (though not surprising) that Michael declined to participate in any way. Even without him, Chip, Eddie & the guys delivered a true Xmas Gift to Monkees-starved fans in the mid-70's. 4.5/5
I first heard this song on the three disc bootleg From going back enterprises in 1979. I’ve always loved it and it’s a true Monkees song to me Chip wanted to release it in December 1986 at the height of the monkees revival. It’s a shame it didn’t happen. It would’ve been a bona fide hit. 4/5
Gotcha. But it was remixed in ‘86, because..? I was hoping to find the original mix on CD, or digitally if I must, so I was hoping to fond out if the old Cool Yule CD was the original mix or the new one. I thought, perhaps, it was remixed for Cool Yule? If so, then the original mix has never, officially, been on CD? That would be a shame.
He did release it. He repressed the 45, with a pic sleeve made from the original ad for the record. Unfortunately, it was remixed, and unfortunately, it was a very minor release. I didn't even know about it until I met Chip Douglas at a convention in 1988. But I do recall there was some talk about Arista having been approached about releasing it. That would have been better than the "Daydream Believer" remix. It was a track the masses hadn't heard. I wonder if it would have sold better.
Yes, the latter part is what I meant. If Arista had released in late 1986 like Chip tried to get them to do it could have been a top 40 hit.
5/5 for the Christmas song. I love the picture on the sleeve of the three Monkees in the 70s. I imagine Santa at the session (after a few mugs of rum and cocoa) playing the sleigh bells himself.
