Christmas Island (album)

For other uses, see Christmas Island (disambiguation).

Christmas Island
Studio album by Jimmy Buffett
Released	October 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)
Recorded	at Javelina "The Big Pig" studio in Nashville, TN
Genre	Rock/gulf and western
Length	43:31
Label	MCA MCAD-11489 (U.S., CD)
Producer	Michael Utley, Russ Kunkel
Jimmy Buffett chronology
Banana Wind (1996) Christmas Island (1996) Don't Stop the Carnival (1998)

Christmas Island is a 1996 collection of Jimmy Buffett's Christmas-themed music and is his 22nd studio album. It features covers of popular Christmas songs in Buffett's musical stylings as well as two tracks which Buffett wrote for the album. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" is a hidden track.

Reception

Reviews tend to be mixed for the album. In a positive review, a reviewer states that "[Christmas Island] will have you on your feet all through the holidays."^[1] Rob O'Connor states writes that "this may not be the traditional Christmas fare of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but for those who enjoy ocean breezes and 'wasting away' to this most successful beach bum, Christmas Island is exactly what the cruise director ordered." ^[2] Thom Owens presents a more negative view of the album, describing Buffet as being "relaxed and entertaining" even though, "few of his new Christmas songs are remarkable and his rearrangements of classic carols are rather forced."^{[3] [1]} However, several tracks remain very popular around the Christmas season. "Ho Ho Ho & A Bottle Of Rum" was the track chosen to be played live for promoting the album when first released, and seems to remain the most popular off the album. Although no singles were released, "Jingle Bells", "Mele Kalikimaka", "Ho Ho Ho & A Bottle Of Rum" and "Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far From Home)" get considerable amount of radio airplay during the season. Another Buffett song, "Christmas In The Caribbean" (released as a single in 1985 and later on Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads) is also known to be a favorite on radio stations.

Track listing

1. Christmas Island
2. Jingle Bells
3. A Sailor's Christmas - written by Buffett
4. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - written by John Lennon
5. Up On The House Top
6. Mele Kalikimaka
7. Run Rudolph Run
8. Ho Ho Ho & A Bottle Of Rum
9. I'll Be Home For Christmas
10. Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far From Home) - written by Matt Betton.
11. A Visit from St. Nicholas (hidden track)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffet". Borders. http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?detail=whatCriticsThink&sku=008811148928&id=15296298#back. 
2. ^ O'Connor, Rob. "Christmas Island: Jimmy Buffett". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002P2Q. 
3. ^ Owens, Thom. "Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffett". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r241685.