It's easily my favorite Christmas record of all time. But it's slowly growing to be one of my favorite OTR CDs of all time as well... It's so perfect.

I remember driving from Findlay to Cleveland to see them play the first night the CD was released, just so I could have it without waiting. There was a snowstorm. My car at the time was a Mustang. Whew... Karin signed my CD, "Thanks for risking life and limb"

Ric's songs bewildered me and I thought they were kindof garbage for a long time. Now I think they fit perfectly. Mary's Waltz is still schmaltzy but it works in the song cycle. I love how many instrumental tracks there are.

At Jo.Beth, Linford was recalling the story I think they told last year.. Byron House was sitting at home learning some of the tracks for his stint with OTR, and Byron's wife asks, "Do these people even *like* Christmas?" I love that it has that reaction. Some people hate this CD (not OTR fans usually). These are the people that want their holidays brash and loud and filled with bright lights and big city.

The band version of Silent Night, which at the time I thought was the best thing ever, is probably my least favorite thing on the record now. And not just because of that 8kHz noise throughout it (who let THAT slide through in mastering it??). My favorite things on it for the last few years have been "The First Noel", "Amelia's Last", and "Up North Where the Stars... 19xx" Why Norm Johns hasn't played cello on more recent things is beyond me.. Some of my favorite OTR musical moments of all time (Little Genius, Up North, I Will Not Eat the Darkness) are Linford and Norm playing together.

And Thank You My Angel still perplexes me a little.. It was apparently written with Pat MacDonald from the band Timbuk 3 at the Seahorse in Europe... I often wondered if he ever heard the finished version of it, and what he thought...

Anyway, I'm back to listen to it again.

i love this album too.

the last time that OTR was in kansas city (3 or 4 years ago, i can't remember), it was a december show...actually, i think it was karin's birthday....anyway...i went with the anticipation of buying this album. so i get back to the merch. table, and the salesperson told me that they sold the last copy at the show the previous night. i was devastated. thankfully, it was a fabulous show that quickly healed my wounds.

soon after that, i ordered it online, and have been listening since. i'll even pull it out when it's not in season. if you don't have it, you should.

i agree, great record. i too, play it year round.

and the 'silent night - duet' is just amazingly beautiful. karin & terri singing together still just slays me. at a show once, karin said that was the first time she and terri ever sang together, no rehersals, nothing. that she just told terri to 'let go'.

she did, karin did. the result. wow.

OMG, I think Skoegahom has awakened the spirit of virtual loquaciousness in Bruce! Or maybe it's just the holidays, but whatever ... I'm loving it!

I remember the first time I heard Mary's Waltz -- it was the live version, and I was driving home from my first OtR concert in Manhattan, where the merch girl mistakenly sold me ASR instead of FFR which Linford recommended as my next CD purchase after GDBD. I thought it was about the most perfect little song I had ever heard (so of course I used it as the basis of a tasteless satire I sent K&L while they were fixing their marriage, but that's another story). I got my hands on DNotY shortly thereafter, and always look forward to listening to it this time of year -- I purposely avoid playing it the rest of the year. I love just about everything on it, and I especially adore the Karin/Terri harmonies on Amelia's Last and the duet version of Silent Night. The cover art is great too! I've ripped most of the tracks along with live recordings of Darling and Blue to our 5-hour mix of Christmas mp3s, which plays every weekend in December. DNotY is also the only OtR album that Karen (who's a major holiday freak) really enjoys.

[edited because there is no such album as DoNY]

I love the cover too! If there was such a thing as archives of the actwin list, I'd cut and paste my gushings about the album from back in the day.

Keith, the harmonies on Amelia's Last are all Karin (I'm farily sure). Silent Night (duet) is the only one with Terri on the CD. As for my newfound loquashocity, it's definitely because of the "Bill Bill" of 11/2005. You know how everyone is getting bills passed through legislature nowadays with their name on it? Bill should get one.

Janelle, I don't know where I was waxing about this - I thought it was on the OTR forum but alas it was not - it was woxy.com.. Usually this time of year I have a work conference somewhere warm. San Diego, West Palm Beach, something like that. And I always pack DNotY.. And if possible, rent a convertible. And drive along with the Christmas lights in the palm trees, listening to The First Noel.. But I do it in driving rainstorms, blizzards, and the first buds of Spring too.. The album usually gets pulled out 6 or 7 times a year in non-December months.

Silent Night (duet) is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. And DNOTY is in the "permanent" section of my iPod, instead of the "holiday" section. While I love all the instrumentals, I do wish there had been a few more songs with vocals, too.

I have vague memories of Bruce raving about the cover on the Actwin list, too, but my brain cells are dying since I'm over 40...

I think The Darkest Night of the Year was my first album.

Either that or Besides.

I play it year-round. It's easily my favorite Christmas CD.

Jeff

Here's a question about this CD - even though I can buy it on the band's site, someone on eBay had it listed as OOP - Out Of Print. Is this correct, or is someone trying to make money on a 'rare' CD?

Item #4803523516

As to how great it is, I bought a bunch of them a couple of years ago and gave them to friends for Christmas...I think it's one of their best, easily.

i used to play DNotY as my christmas naptime cd at the day care.

the little ones always started stirring during *thank you my angel*...but it was ok. *grin*

i also love the duet *silent night*. it's too bad they didn't do it with kim at the taft.

Having "acronym deficit"....

what is DNotY?

_darkest night of the year_, the title of the christmas cd they put out ten years ago.

I used to think that Ric's songs were back masking (still may be I've never reverse-spun it) but I listened anyway--maybe that's why only the die hard OTR fans love the disc--because there's mind altering messages that Ric placed in there to make us keep craving his guitar playing after he left the band.

Now it makes PERFECT sense. The more we listen, the more we want to listen...

I should have majored in Conspiracy Theory.

I think it is OOP - but they've still got a stash of 'em. Anyone else wanna take a poke at this?

Actually, I think that's the case for TWHF, Patience, Eve, DNotY, GDBD (independent) & Besides.

BUT! Don't quote me.

Hahaahaha. I just quoted you!

Missed you tooooo much this weekend, Michelle.

It's definitely the case with the albums that were released on IRS (TWHF, Patience & Eve). The band has a limited supply of those titles without the booklets. The others were independently released and I have no idea how many were manufactured at the time, but I suppose if there's money & demand, the band might actually be able to reissue the other three on their own. However, I don't know if there's anything in their current contract that would not allow that...

though they never actually used the word "christmas"????

peace,
zayne

"only bruce" ~linford

I think it's an astute observation!!

I agree... i love this album.... and I'm JEWISH! I'm not big into xmas music thats for sure but I feel soothed and comforted when I listen to this album.

I just got this one for Christmas this year, but I already would have to agree - this is simply an amazing album.

Is there anything else we need to cover w/ DNOTY? I'm ready to talk about it more.

All I've got to say is that I've owned it for 10 years now and it's still the Christmas CD I look forward to listen to the most when it's time to break out the Christmas music.

....and then I listen to Vince Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Christmas CD" and that's when I know it's Christmas.

Jeff

I guess the question is this.

If Duran Duran put out a Christmas record, would DNOTY still be your favorite?

I wish I had a link to Duran's Christmas thing - it was a drunken backstage take on Good King Wenceslas that was horrific. Although Simon's the best thing in Do They Know It's Christmas?...

Short answer: probably!