The group was called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart because they were legally prohibited from using the name "The Monkees". Former Monkees members Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork—both of whom had left the Monkees before their final album, Changes (1970)—were also invited to join the supergroup, but both declined.
Dolenz and Jones had been the only two members of the Monkees to contribute to Changes. As such, and because of Boyce and Hart's close songwriting ties to the Monkees, several publications, such as Allmusic, consider Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart to be a de facto Monkees reunion album, without the rights to the Monkees name. Most of the musicians that appear on the album were featured on Monkees albums in the past. A majority of the vocals are performed by Dolenz and Jones, with Boyce and Hart contributing backing vocals and the occasional lead vocal, such as Hart on "I Love You (And I'm Glad That I Said It)". Although the album failed to make much of an impact when originally released, renewal of interest in the Monkees led to its reissue on compact disc in 2005.[1][2]
During their concert tour promoting the album, Tork joined Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart onstage for a guest appearance at Disneyland on July 4, 1976. Later that year, Tork reunited with Jones and Dolenz in the studio for the recording of the single "Christmas Is My Time of the Year" b/w "White Christmas", which saw a limited release for fan club members that holiday season. A promotional live album, Concert in Japan, was released in 1981.[3]