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The Moody Blues - December CD (album) cover

DECEMBER

The Moody Blues

 

Crossover Prog

2.57 | 74 ratings

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Joolz
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
1 stars Christmas is nearly upon us again, so what better idea than to review a Christmas album by one of my favourite bands. Wrong! "December" represents everything I hate about Christmas music - warm, cosy, mid-slow paced ballads for feet-up minced-pies and brandy-glow, a bunch of formulaic originals and second-rate cover-versions [just what is the point?], swamped in orchestral schmaltz and an over-generous splattering of sickly-sweet gloss ..... and those horrible tinkly-bell keyboard sounds. If Pinky And Perky ever released a Christmas album it wouldn't be worse than this easy-listening middle-of-the-road nonsense. The Moodies were once a great band, and still pack a mean punch live [see 2005's 2CD set Lovely To See You - Live From The Greek if you don't believe me], but on this evidence the fires of creativity are nothing more than a few smouldering embers.

There aren't any real highs. Opener 'Don't Need A Rain Dear' is the best of the bunch, a typical Hayward ballad-by-numbers that at least has a bit of get-up-and-go about it. It is all downhill from there, though it doesn't have far to go down! - 'December's Now' [slow ballad .... yawn], 'In The Quiet Of Christmas Mourning' [Bach goes to Birmingham], 'On Some Other Christmas Day' [harmless], 'Happy Christmas (War Is About To Start Somewhere)' [short on pathos but mercifully short in length too], 'Winter Stale' [Hayward 'does' David Essex - one word springs to mind .... WHY?], 'Sherry At Christmas' ["where did the spirit of Christmas go?" sings Lodge in an infant-school tune - oh please, do us a favour ....], 'Yes I Probably Believe' [not .... instantly forgettable formulaic ballad - erm, what was it again?], 'When A Child Is Bored' [quick, nurse, the screens .... ], 'What Christmas' [given a bit of zest but Hayward isn't Bing .... nuff said really], and 'In The Freak Midwinter' [aaaargh!].

Please don't waste money on this, even if you are a Moody Blues fan, unless you really must have everything they have done, or are desperate for a bland backdrop to the Great Present Opening ceremony or post- Queen's Speech blues, or you need something to drown out grandad's annual war reminiscences or Uncle Henry's whisky induced snores. In a word - YEUK!

Joolz | 1/5 |

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