 (Banner designed by Al Bigley) I would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and say thank you for your continued support of The Monkees Live Almanac! The banner seen above, created by Al Bigley of The Texas Prairie Chicken Home Companion podcast, features a photo of The Monkees that appeared in a late 1967 issue of Ladies Home Journal.  This particular photo was utilized on a 5" x 7" fold-open Christmas card in 1967. Inside the card was the inscription "Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me." According to Marty Eck's book, The Monkees Collectibles Price Guide, this card is believed not to have been mailed en masse and was only sent to a small group of people. Have a great holiday, everyone! 
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"The Christmas Song," the classic holiday standard performed by Michael Nesmith on The Monkees' new album Christmas Party, debuted in music video form today on RollingStone.com. Produced, directed, and animated by Jonathan Nesmith and Susan Holloway, the clip features newly recorded dialogue by both Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. The Monkees' official Twitter account has been sharing these images over the last week or so in promotion of Christmas Party. Enjoy!
John Hughes of Rhino Records has shared with The Monkees Live Almanac a few screen shots from the upcoming music video for "The Christmas Song," the classic holiday standard performed by Michael Nesmith on The Monkees' new album, Christmas Party. The video, directed by Jonathan Nesmith and Susan Holloway, will debut on Monday, December 17! Jonathan and Susan were also responsible for the music video for "You Bring the Summer" in 2016, and based on their previous efforts, Monkees fans are in for a treat. Thanks, John!    Coming after the Live Almanac's exclusive sneak preview yesterday, The Monkees' YouTube channel has unveiled the brand new lyric video for "What Would Santa Do," the latest track in the spotlight from the group's recently released holiday album, Christmas Party. Enjoy! Thank you very much to John Hughes of Rhino Records for sending the Live Almanac a preview of the official lyric video for "What Would Santa Do," a featured track from The Monkees' brand new holiday album, Christmas Party. The video for the Rivers Cuomo-penned song will arrive tomorrow (Thursday, December 6), and follows hot on the heels of last week's premiere of "Unwrap You At Christmas." Thanks again to John (who is also the executive producer of Christmas Party) for the sneak peek! The holiday season continues to deliver for Monkees fans as the brand new lyric video for "Unwrap You At Christmas," the debut single from the group's first-ever holiday album, Christmas Party, has premiered on the official Monkees YouTube channel, and in a brand new single mix to boot! Join the Watch Party in real time now (on the right side of the video). UPDATE: The chat revealed that the vinyl release for Christmas Party is currently slated for September 2019. UPDATE #2: Rolling Stone - Watch the Monkees’ New Cartoon Video ‘Unwrap You at Christmas’ UPDATE #3: "Unwrap You At Christmas" (Single Mix) now available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and YouTube (Video credits: Art by Michael Allred / Colors by Laura Allred / Directed by John Hughes)
 (Banner designed by Al Bigley) Looking for that perfect gift or stocking stuffer for your Monkees fanatic? Well, The Monkees Live Almanac is here to help! Beginning with the group's brand new album, Christmas Party, the Live Almanac highlights the best items available for Monkees fans this holiday season. Simply click on each image below to order away! "Christmas Party" "Christmas Party" Sweatshirts
When you order from Monkees.com through Monday, November 26 at 11:59pm PT, you can receive free domestic shipping and a sheet of Monkees wrapping paper when you spend $50 or more.  "The Monkees: The Complete Series" (along with "Head," "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee," and Bonus Materials) on Blu-ray Concert Tickets   Various CDs, LPs, 45s, and DVDs from 7a Records
Holiday Ornaments from the Davy Jones Equine Memorial Foundation
"More Of The Monkees" 3-Disc Super Deluxe Edition Box Set Books
Micky Dolenz Direct eBay Store Michael Nesmith & The First National Band Trilogy on Colored Vinyl Peter Tork & Shoe Suede Blues - "Relax Your Mind" The Monkees' 2016 album "Good Times!" Michael Nesmith Wool Hats
T-shirts & Sweater
"Instant Replay" Deluxe Edition Monkees Button Pack Michael Nesmith Merchandise and Collectibles from Videoranch Happy Holidays from The Monkees Live Almanac!The Monkees famously closed their second season Christmas episode with a performance of "Riu Chiu," a traditional Spanish carol dating from the 16th century: A big thanks to (who else?!) Ben Belmares for sharing his scans of the Target version of The Monkees' new holiday album, Christmas Party.                      (Photo courtesy of Rhino Entertainment) "Unwrap You At Christmas" is now available for download and streaming! Written for The Monkees by XTC's Andy Partridge, the song features a lead vocal from Micky Dolenz and is the first official preview of the group's holiday album, Christmas Party, set for release this Friday. "Unwrap You At Christmas" can be downloaded on Amazon and iTunes and is also streaming on Spotify. Listen to it on YouTube below! Target will carry an exclusive bonus tracks edition of The Monkees' forthcoming holiday album, Christmas Party, beginning on October 19 (a week after the release of the standard edition). Target's compact disc will feature two additional songs: 1) "Ríu Chíu" (group version as heard on the 1967 "Christmas Show" episode with improved audio from its previous CD appearance on the 2007 deluxe edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.) 2) "Christmas Is My Time Of Year" (the one-off 1976 Christmas single recorded by Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork and produced by Chip Douglas - this will mark its first official appearance on a Monkees album)  UPDATE 9/22/2018: Target's website shows that pre-orders for the bonus tracks edition of Christmas Party are now sold out. John Hughes of Rhino Records, however, has stated on Facebook that they are looking to replenish Target's stock to allow for additional pre-order sales. In the meantime, keep checking Target's site as well as this space for additional updates and information.  UPDATE #2 on 9/27/2018: Online pre-orders are once again being taken by Target for the exclusive bonus tracks edition of Christmas Party. UPDATE #3 on 9/28/2018: Online pre-orders via Target, for the second time, are sold out! UPDATE #4 on 10/2/2018: Online pre-orders have returned as of 5pm!
 (Album cover art by Michael Allred) Two years after the triumph of Good Times!, The Monkees are set to release Christmas Party, their first-ever collection of holiday music. The album, produced by Adam Schlesinger (who also oversaw Good Times!), will feature newly recorded versions of classic Christmas songs including "Silver Bells," "The Christmas Song," and "Wonderful Christmastime" along with brand new songs written for the group by Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo ("What Would Santa Do"), Andy Partridge of XTC ("Unwrap You At Christmas"), R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 ("Christmas Party"), and Schlesinger with novelist Michael Chabon ("House of Broken Gingerbread"). Covers of Wizzard's yuletide classic "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" and Big Star's "Jesus Christ" will also be heard on the album. Christmas Party includes new vocals by Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, plus the late Davy Jones’ voice - taken from vintage recordings - also appears on two songs. It will be available for purchase on compact disc and as a digital download on October 12. A vinyl edition is in the works but will not be issued until early 2019. The first single, set for an October release, will be Andy Partridge's "Unwrap You At Christmas," and a lyric video will be produced to promote the track. Along with producer Schlesinger, Cuomo and Partridge are returning to the Monkees fold as they were the songwriters responsible for the two lead singles from Good Times!, "She Makes Me Laugh" and "You Bring the Summer." Two of Michael Nesmith's sons also acted as co-producers (Christian on "The Christmas Song" and Jonathan on "Snowfall"). Davy's tracks on Christmas Party were originally recorded in 1991 with former Monkees producer Chip Douglas. Schlesinger worked with the master tapes as given to him by Douglas, creating new instrumentation around Davy's vocals. Target will carry an exclusive bonus tracks edition of Christmas Party on October 19 (a week after the release of the standard edition), featuring two additional songs: 1) "Ríu Chíu" (group version as heard on the 1967 "Christmas Show" episode with improved audio from its previous CD appearance on the 2007 deluxe edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.) 2) "Christmas Is My Time Of Year" (the one-off 1976 Christmas single recorded by Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork and produced by Chip Douglas - this will mark its first official appearance on a Monkees album) Here is the official track listing of Christmas Party, and you can listen to the LP's executive producer John Hughes (of Rhino Records) and Monkees archivist Andrew Sandoval breakdown each song on the latest episode of Zilch. "Unwrap You At Christmas" (Lead vocal: Micky) "What Would Santa Do" (Lead vocal: Micky) "Mele Kalikimaka" (Lead vocal: Davy) "House Of Broken Gingerbread" (Lead vocal: Micky) "The Christmas Song" (Lead vocal: Michael) "Christmas Party" (Lead vocal: Micky) "Jesus Christ" (Lead vocal: Micky) "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" (Lead vocal: Micky) "Silver Bells" (Lead vocal: Davy) "Wonderful Christmastime" (Lead vocal: Micky) "Snowfall" (Lead vocal: Michael) "Angels We Have Heard On High" (Lead vocal: Peter) "Merry Christmas, Baby" (Lead vocal: Micky) Stay tuned to The Monkees Live Almanac for all the latest news and information surrounding Christmas Party and more! Last week, The Boston Globe, while interviewing Michael Nesmith, hinted that a Monkees Christmas album was forthcoming, even mentioning two songs that Nez had recorded for the project: The surviving Monkees, Nesmith, Dolenz, and Peter Tork — Davy Jones died of a heart attack in 2012 — recorded a well-received comeback album, “Good Times!,” in 2016. True to form, Nesmith was not enthralled when the band asked him to take part in a follow-up, a Christmas album. But he relented, cutting two songs for the upcoming release, covers of “The Christmas Song” and “Snowfall,” the weird seasonal standard written by Claude Thornhill. Speculation surrounding new Monkees recordings has abounded since June 2017 when Fountains of Wayne guitarist Jody Porter, who played on the 2016 Monkees album Good Times! (which was produced by his bandmate Adam Schlesinger), commented on Facebook that he would soon be in Los Angeles to work on a new Monkees LP. Even before that, Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, the legendary new wave group responsible for songs like "Tempted and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell), told Iain Lee on his UK radio show that he was writing songs for another Monkees album. And now, Amazon has a listing for Christmas Party, set to be released by Rhino Records on October 12, 2018. Another website, Mascom, shows the album with the following track list (and low resolution artwork), advertising "new songs written by Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Andy Partridge (XTC), and Peter Buck (REM)":
Stay tuned to The Monkees Live Almanac for all of the latest about this upcoming release!
 (Screenshot courtesy of Sunshine Factory)  (Banner designed by Al Bigley) I would like to take a moment to extend my best wishes to everyone for a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. In the event you haven't heard or maybe missed the email from The Monkees Webstore, the More Of The Monkees super deluxe edition is now shipping, despite a previously announced setback in the release date. Keep an eye out for a special delivery! And as always, thank you for supporting The Monkees Live Almanac. - Mark  (Screenshot courtesy of the Sunshine Factory - click to watch the performance) Here's what I believe to be a fairly rare item that comes from my personal collection, and one that I've never previously seen online - a 1969 Monkees Christmas card that was sent to members of the group's fan club. The card features the signatures of Michael Nesmith, David Jones, and Micky Dolenz on the front, along with their manager at the time, Brendan Cahill. A big thanks to Monkees collector and expert Ed Reilly for confirming the details of this piece of memorabilia.  The card opens to reveal a color picture of The Monkees in holiday-themed attire while having "snow" poured on them by Cahill (left) and David Pearl (right). Pearl co-managed The Monkees with Brendan Cahill throughout 1969, and also acted as a stand-in on The Monkees television series and traveled with the band while on tour. The message reads, "Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me."  A black and white copy of this photo appeared in the December 2000 issue of Monkee Business Fanzine.  Another picture from this Christmas-themed shoot was published in the December 27, 1969 issue of the music industry trade magazine Cash Box:  |
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