The Moody Blues - December
Product Information
Track List: December
Click on or song title to hear an audio clip. Windows Media player is required.
- Don't Need A ReindeerDownload & Buy
- December SnowDownload & Buy
- In The Quiet Of Christmas Morning (Bach 147)Download & Buy
- On This Christmas DayDownload & Buy
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over)Download & Buy
- A Winter's TaleDownload & Buy
- The Spirit Of ChristmasDownload & Buy
- Yes I BelieveDownload & Buy
- When A Child Is BornDownload & Buy
- White ChristmasDownload & Buy
- In The Bleak MidwinterDownload & Buy
More The Moody Blues CDs and Albums
Album Details: December
- Release Date:
- 10/28/2003
- Label:
- Polydor / Umgd
- UPC:
- 602498119556
User Reviews: December
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Another Disappointment - for fans only
, October 31, 2003Reviewer: jellevaly - See all jellevaly's reviews -
excellent cd
, November 13, 2003Reviewer: aplajoie - See all aplajoie's reviews2 of 3 Yahoo! Users found this December review helpfulPros: very well put together
Cons: cant really listen to it year round
When I heard the Moody Blues put together a Christmas album, I was disappointed. one reason is you cant listen to it year round and second, I look forward to new music from them. Granted some songs aren't great but they write great music. I got the cd and was very pleasantly surprised. Its not like your typical Christmas album. And yes, I can see me listen to some of the songs through out the year. There is not one song that I dislike. The music is wonderful and their voices are top notch. The more I listen to it, the more I want to play it. Only two disappointments with the album is that Ray Thomas isn't on it. He would have added great self penned songs as well as Graeme Edge. It would have been nice to hear his song had it been included. Go and get this cd, it is well worth it. Two thumbs up! ...
read all (4) user reviews for December
Pro Reviews: December
| EXPERT RATING: From AMG Reviews One must give the Moody Blues credit for tenacity and a single pointed focus. For 37 years they've put forth a startlingly consistent series of themes: optimism, a kind of blind faith spirituality that the universe in good hands and that people are by and large decent and kind, and love songs that can be a bit twee, but nonetheless connect when one is in the emotional space to hear them. Their music has always been intimate and pretentious in the best sense of the word. December is the Moody's first Christmas album. The classic lineup has been whittled down to three: John Lodge, Justin Hayward and Graeme Edge; Ray Thomas decided to call it quits after the band's 2003 tour ended. The band is by unofficial member and producer Danilo Madonia in the studio. This is the most curious of Christmas recordings. December is an album about the spirit of Christmas, but with its lack of carols (though it does feature Irving Berlin's "White Christmas near the end) it sounds more like another chapter in the Moody Blues legend, and that's exactly what it is.. Like many Moody Blues records since the 1980s, the original songs are nostalgic, pointing listeners back to memories of an idyllic past, when things were simpler, and the hope that social and spiritual renewal are just around the corner. The set features a number of Hayward and Lodge originals, obscure and traditional Anglo folk songs, a transposed piece by Bach, and a cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"alas, if only that were true. If you're a fan or a detractor, you already know what the album sounds like. Unpredictability left the band's vocabulary in the 1970s, but that doesn't make this collection without merit. For starters it is one of the most original Christmas albums you'll hear all year. There is no new age drivel here, it's topics and themes are indeed Christian, but weigh on the side of those that are universally held: brotherhood, compassion, hope, goodwill and generosity. In addition, it's beautifully orchestrated and produced. Its sound is pristine, and Hayward and Lodge with their trademark elegance sound as if they mean every word they write and sing. And it's easy to believe that. It most certainly is sentimental and lush, and has nothing whatsoever to do with rock and roll, but that hardly matters. As the latest Moody Blues album it likely lives up to fans' expectations, as a holiday recording, it's unlike anything else out there. Thom Jurek, All Music Guide |
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Roots & Influences
The Moody Blues Biography
Although they're best known today for their lush, lyrically and musically profound (some would say bombastic) psychedelicera albums, the Moody Blues started out as one of the better RBbased combos of the British Invasion. the Moody Blues' history beg...Full The Moody Blues Biography
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-- ©2008 All Media Guide, LLC
Pros: At least there's some new music from the relics
Cons: The songs are far from their best work
The Moody Blues, whose reputation would have been enhanced by not issuing their last four albums, strike again with a barely passable Christmas album, entitled December. Aptly named, it is indeed late in the career for these aged rockers. They unfortunately have not had anything to say in 20 years, but don't hesitate to keep saying it. Clocking in at just 42 minutes, you would have thought the creative constipation would have been augmented by their prior Christmas offerings, such as the decent "What Child Is This?" from A Rock'n'Roll Christmas (Polygram 1994).
It pains me as a lifelong devoted fan, to witness the decline. After issuing more greatest hits fan exploitation albums than any five nostalgia bands, The Moodies continue to take advantage of our good will. Here, 11 tracks makes a short, uninspired offering, featuring 5 original works and some rehashings of obscure works and two famous covers, Lennon's "Happy Xmas" and, gulp, Berlin's "White Christmas". So they've gone from sad lounge act to, what, crooning? This will rebuild a fan base?
The liner notes are skimpy, but there is mystery aplenty. The photo features only Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge. Conspicuously absent is original member and fan favorite Ray Thomas, who receives no credits and is replaced on the recordings by another flute player. Obviously, something happened to Ray at the last minute, and this may be the end of the second original Moody (Pinder departed after the Octave album, 25 years ago).
The music? Mercifully, the songs are not the Moodies worst, but still come across as desperate filler, like many of their recent album offerings. Combine the ego-driven music of the later Hayward solo efforts with the wordy Lodge ballad lyrics, and you have the gist. The three Hayward originals are nothing special. The two Lodge numbers are heavily derivative of his latter, less fulfilling offerings, with "The Spirit of Christmas" even trying to be serious, in the old Pinder mould.
At first, the cover of Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" struck me as laughable. But then it took guts to try, which come to think of it, so does trying to write not one, but five new Christmas tunes. Unfortunately, no new classics here. Don't get me started on why another version of "White Christmas" was needed. The old fellas are still touring, but should have stopped writing around Long Distance Voyager in 1981. Turn off the lights, close the door, the creative juices are gone. Fans beware - the Moodies core seven albums, a tremendous artistic achievement, an output not seen from most bands since the 1970s, are history. These folks need to retire.
Don't buy this album - select one of the dozens of greatest hits efforts, and wait til after Christmas when this should be in the $2.99 remainder bin. ...