I know we’re going to discuss the album proper when we finish rating the songs. But I just want to throw in, besides the situation behind Peter’s contribution, that we need to also consider Nesmith’s health crisis last year too which caused a delay in the albums’ release. Remember that Nez had a heart attack and had to go through major surgery which caused a postponement of the latter dates of the Mike & Micky tour. It’s a miracle that he had the strength to even go ahead with his own FNBR fall tour just a couple of months later, let alone record his tracks for Christmas Party. If things had gone south, we would have lost two Monkees instead of one. With this in mind, I think it’s best not to bemoan that there wasn’t any group interaction in the Christmas Party project, we’re very fortunate to have gotten what we have now.
I agree - and, whether you like with the results or not, Andrew and company got creative with Davy's inclusion. Those tracks had the added "Monkee mojo" of having been originally produced by Chip Douglas, which created a full-circle Monkees Christmas song effect.
We can agree to disagree about bemoaning haha The results are so good when they work together, and often less so when not It’s like how I feel with Paul McCartney - there’s an utter brilliance to many of his songs, so much so that it’s hard to accept when he just writes an “ok” one
Good points, Fred and MN. The fact that we got anything from Peter and Nez on this album is a miracle, and getting Chip-produced Davy songs makes them seem more "Monkees-like."
Unwrap You at Christmas- I like this song a lot. It seems like the album is downhill from here for me. I like this song enough to include it in my Christmas music playlist. I am so sick of traditional Christmas music and anything that is played on the mainstream radio stations. Maybe if they didn’t start playing it so early, we wouldn’t be so sick of some or all of it! My tastes in Christmas music are unconventional. My playlist is comprised of Richard Cheese, the Ventures, Los Straitjackets, Bill Haley, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Mavericks and Brian Setzer among others. Christmas is My Time of Year is on it twice with both the Monkees and the Turtles versions. Unwrap You at Christmas fits in well and meets my criteria - catchy, but not played to death. I give it a 4/5.
One day soon, I will need to pick up your book Fred. Even before I knew you had a Martha story it was on my list!
First time hearing this. Christmas/Holiday music is generally not my thing, apart from a few favorites: Lennon, Springsteen, Charles Brown. Joni Mitchell. Vince Guaraldi. Brian Setzer. The great band Los Lobos has some cool stuff. The vintage Sinatra-y stuff has its place. I like the rather naughty Kinks song (Father Christmas). Even when I like it, I have to take it small doses though. Not unlike The Kinks, here’s The Monkees (Well, Micky with some talented friends under the Monkees name) with a naughty little Christmas song too. I like this one! Andy Partridge comes through with yet another fun song. Wish he’d been writing for The Monkees in the 80s and 90s. No idea what to expect on this album, but it’s a good start. Solid 3/5, or maybe a bit higher?
I'd love to say that it was all planned out like that, but I would be lying. That was one of the reasons for discussing the DJBH album though and it is fortuitous that we will end up discussing the album as a whole on the 25th.
Today’s song is What Would Santa Do: This sounds like exactly what it is:- Micky singing a Rivers Cuomo song, and what’s wrong with that? Another really good production and the chorus is catchy and sticks in your head. Micky puts his acting skills to good effect and, while it’s not to be taken seriously, this is another welcome addition to the catalogue. I don’t think having 2 new songs kicking things off works particularly well though, and I personally insert the Wizzard cover between them when I make a Christmas playlist. It makes for a really positive start. Another 3.5/5.
What Would Santa Do - A fun Rivers Cuomo song with clever lyrics and Micky giving a great performance. A nice, bouncy tune, I really enjoy the chorus. I bet Micky had a good time laying down his vocal on it. The video is cute too, love the comic book references to the television show in this and the previous video. 4/5.
'What Would Santa Do?' is a marginal improvement over the first track, but it's still tosh - like a lot Christmas pop songs. It reminds me of the whole thing with 'What would Jesus do?' or 'What would Rod Stewart do?' (according to Rob Brydon, you aim to do the opposite in the case of the latter). I personally try to go with 'What would Paddington do?' So, as I like Paddington more than I like Santa, I'm going to say I like this song, but not necessarily all that much.
"What Would Santa Do?" This isn't bad. I like it. Not the best song by The Monkees but nowhere near the worst. Micky sounds great as always. 3/5
It is, in a sense, yes, but it also goes against the grain of what a Christmas song is expected to be. Turns the whole idea of a Christmas song on its head. Not “naughty” the way “Unwrap You” is, no, but in its own way. Sort of.
"What Would Santa Do" -- 2.5/5 It's an okay song. It's very catchy. The 1-2 punch of an Andy Partridge song followed by a Rivers Cuomo song -- with the Schlesinger production -- makes it seem a little like (a very forced) Good Times Christmas. Agreed that two brand new compositions might not have been the best way to open the album. Definitely a bold move, though. Adam's voice is quite prominent in the backing vocals, and again kind of ruin the illusion of this actually being The Monkees, collectively. Nothing that hadn't happened countless times in the '60s with Boyce and Hart, of course, but it is a bit of a disappointment here. Obviously circumstances were different this time around, and we were lucky to get any participation at all from Mike and Peter, so I get it. Unfortunately the end result is something that largely sounds like a Fountains of Wayne record with Micky on vocals -- something I would normally be all in for...if it was a Micky solo project. Under the Monkees banner, I have a tough time fully embracing it.
"Christmas Party" is/was the only time I ever bought a Monkees product solely with the intent of buying it to support them.
It was weird buying a Monkees album with the knowledge that even if I loved it, I would only want to listen to it for about a week, once a year, in December. ....which made it even weirder buying it again for the Target bonus tracks, and again for the red/white vinyl, and again for the green and red versions...
I get the reasons why folks are disappointed that there wasn’t any inter group involvement from the Monkees on this album. With the exceptions of ‘Headquarters’, ‘Pisces’ and ‘Justus’, it’s not that much different in production than the recordings from their initial classic period into the reunion era. But to reiterate on my earlier point, Christmas Party is perhaps the Monkees most miraculous release due to the real life circumstances surrounding its production. One member was dead, one was dying and one member almost died. The fact that this album even got finished and released is a miracle in itself. I think I appreciate ‘Christmas Party’ more as an album because of what happened during its production.
I always think this one is worse than it actually is. Not great by any stretch, but perfectly serviceable for what it is - retro '60s holiday jangle pop. Adequately annoying, I guess. The effect or processing on Micky's voice during the verses kind of sucks, though - it sounds like the Dolenz3000 is malfunctioning. 3/5.
What Would Santa Do- The chorus is catchy, but the words are very cynical, especially at the beginning. Not a fan of cynical Christmas songs. 2/5 The album starts with 2, IMO, fairly blah tunes. It gets a bit better, but this is the Monkees album that I have played less than 10 times since I got it last year. It really is not hitting me as something I want to play very often. Granted, I am not one who likes to play holiday music in July, but this isn't all that listenable to me. I guess it might be like Justus or Pool It! which I listen to every once in awhile...
"What Would Santa Do" Much better than the opener, for me. Great melody and hook, and thankfully lacking corn - I can imagine being a fan of this song if it were rewritten with non-Xmas lyrics, and I don't think I can say that about "Unwrap". 3/5.
