The Original Monkees Albums

regrettable clunkers ("Your Auntie Grizelda," "Laugh" and the indescribably goopy "The Day We Fall In Love"), but the set is otherwise filled with terrific songs and performances. Micky Dolenz puts his best pout and sneer into "She" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," Boyce and Hart's two classic punk tunes. Dolenz also shines on the Nesmith-written "Mary, Mary," the King-Goffin "Sometime In The Morning" and Neil Diamond's little-known (ahem) "I'm A Believer." "I'm A Believer" was the album's big smash hit, but Davy Jones actually got the better Diamond tune in the engagingly bouncy "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)." Jones is also allowed a couple of other decent tunes here, and Nesmith contributes a rockin' "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love." But the album as a whole belongs to Dolenz. Bonus tracks on "More Of The Monkees" include a previously-unreleased version of "Don't Listen To Linda" (livelier than the subsequent version on "Instant Replay"), the alternate version of "I'll Spend My Life With You" (previously issued on the "Listen To The Band" boxed set, and even better than the version on "Headquarters"), a different mix of the Peter Tork-sung "I Don't Think You Know Me" from "Listen To The Band" and a great alternate version of "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," ruined by a Tork voice-over that somebody at some time must have thought was a good idea. The set closes with an appealingly tentative take of "I'm A Believer." --- Carl Cafarelli

The Monkees

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

Created to perform roles in a television series, the Monkees were greeted with scepticism by certain sections of the rock fraternity. The quartet may not have played the instruments on their debut album, but this does not diminish the appeal of its content. Excellent songs by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart formed its core, while contributions by Carole King, David Gates and group member Mike Nesmith ensure that the quality remains

consistently high. Micky Dolenz possesses the ideal pop

1.) (Theme From) The Monkees

2.) Saturday's Child

3.) I Wanna Be Free

4.) Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day

5.) Papa Gene's Blues

6.) Take A Giant Step

7.) Last Train To Clarksville

8.) This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day

9.) Let's Dance On

10.) I'll Be True To You

11.) Sweet Young Thing

12.) Gonna Buy Me A Dog

13.) I Can't Get Her Off My Mind (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) I Don't Think You Know Me (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) (Theme From) The Monkees (Rhino Bonus Track)

1.) She

2.) When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)

3.) Mary, Mary

4.) Hold On Girl

5.) Your Auntie Grizelda

6.) (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone

7.) Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)

8.) The Kind Of Girl I Could Love

9.) The Day We Fall In Love

10.) Sometime In The Morning

11.) Laugh

12.) I'm A Believer

13.) Don't Listen To Linda (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) I'll Spend My Life With You (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) I Don't Think You Know Me (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) (Rhino Bonus

Track)

17.) I'm A Believer (Rhino Bonus Track)

More of The Monkees

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

1967's "More Of The Monkees," the group's second album, was by all accounts immensely disliked by the Monkees themselves, particularly Michael Nesmith (who once called it "probably the worst album in the history of the world"). Much of the group's distaste for the record can be attributed simply to their lack of involvement in its creation, as it was assembled largely without their input. But for those of us on the outside looking in, time has been very kind to "More Of The Monkees." There are a few

1.) You Told Me

2.) I'll Spend My Life With You

3.) Forget That Girl

4.) Band 6

5.) You Just May Be The One

6.) Shades Of Gray

7.) I Can't Get Her Off My Mind

8.) For Pete's Sake

9.) Mr. Webster

10.) Sunny Girlfriend

11.) Zilch

12.) No Time

13.) Early Morning Blues And Greens

14.) Randy Scouse Git

15.) All Of Your Toys (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) The Girl I Knew Somewhere (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) Peter Gunn's Gun (Rhino Bonus Track)

18.) Jericho (Rhino Bonus Track)

19.) Nine Times Blue (Rhino Bonus Track)

20.) Pillow Time (Rhino Bonus Track)

is magnificent REVOLVER-influenced psychedelic pop. Dolenz's own "Randy Scouse Git" is an impressionistic, trippy delight. Perhaps the album's best track is the Davy Jones lead "Early Morning Blues and Greens," a moody slice of atmospheric pop. Even oddities like "Band 6" and "Zilch" are interesting ephemera. This reissue features six interesting alternate takes and demos. (VH1.com)

Headquarters

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

One of the Monkees' two best albums, HEADQUARTERS is also the one '60s album on which the band played nearly all the instruments, save for a string section and occasional bass from producer Chip Douglas. Since Michael Nesmith had instigated the revolt that led to the band's musical independence, he's in the forefront here, and his songs are uniformly excellent. The banjo-driven "You Told Me" and "Sunny Girlfriend" are two of his best country-influenced tunes, and "You Just May Be the One"

1.) Salesman

2.) She Hangs Out

3.) The Door Into Summer

4.) Love Is Only Sleeping

5.) Cuddly Toy

6.) Words

7.) Hard To Believe

8.) What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?

9.) Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky

10.) Pleasant Valley Sunday

11.) Daily Nightly

12.) Don't Call On Me

13.) Star Collector

14.) Special Announcement (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) Goin Down (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) Salesman (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) The Door Into Summer (Rhino Bonus Track)

18.) Love Is Only Sleeping (Rhino Bonus Track)

19.) Daily Nightly (Rhino Bonus Track)

20.) Star Collector (Rhino Bonus Track)

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd.

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

By 1967's PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN & JONES LTD., the band had found a balance between writing and performing their own material, and utilizing the talents of their Los Angeles songwriting teams and studio musicians. The result is an artistically satisfying mix of progressive experimentalism and pop smarts; the Moog synthesizer on the tracks "Daily Nightly," "Love Is Only

Sleeping," and the groupie anthem "Star Collector," was the first ever to appear on a pop album. Besides the enormous hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday," highlights include the simply beautiful jazz-pop of Michael Nesmith's "Don't Call On Me," and the atmospheric and lovely "Words," featuring Peter Tork's best-ever vocals. The entire album is superb, and the handful of alternate takes and outtakes are nearly its equal. A '60s pop classic. (VH1.com)

The Birds, The Bees &

The Monkees

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

The Monkees' fifth album was more or less the result of individual efforts of Nesmith, Dolenz, Jones, and Tork being combined into one record and released under the Monkees label. This becomes somewhat obvious as the transition from song to song is rough, though the singles remain excellent. One pro to this haphazard attachment is its allowance for Davy's songwriting efforts to gain more

acceptance. Whereas his broadway-styled "Hard To Believe" stuck out like a sore thumb on Pisces, "Dream World" opens this album with a bang, and arguably remains his second-best song behind "I'll Love You Forever." With Nesmith also reaching a self-indulgent and experimental period, The Birds, The Bees, and the Monkees is an interesting collection of songs, most of which-- except for "Daydream Believer" and "Valleri"-- have unfortunately been forgotten. The Birds, The Bees, and the Monkees was originally to be a two-record set. However, when it was determined that one record would be more economic, half of the intended songs got cut. Somehow, this included all of Peter's efforts. The bonus selections, fortunately, show off one of his greatest songs, "Lady's Baby." Two of the others, "Long Title" and "Can You Dig It," would later be included on "Head." - Mike Landsberg

1.) Dream World

2.) Auntie's Municipal Court

3.) We Were Made For Each Other

4.) Tapioca Tundra

5.) Daydream Believer

6.) Writing Wrongs

7.) I'll Be Back Up On My Feet

8.) The Poster

9.) P.O. Box 9847

10.) Magnolia Simms

11.) Valleri

12.) Zor And Zam

13.) Alvin (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) I'm Gonna Try (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) P.O. Box 9847 (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) The Girl I Left Behind Me (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) Lady's Baby (Rhino Bonus Track)

Head

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

"Head," the 1968 soundtrack to the Monkees only movie (so far), remains as loopy and weird as the film itself. Amidst a collage of audio snippets from the movie, six actual songs emerge. Chief among these is the gorgeous Goffin-King "Porpoise Song," which is one of the most majestic tracks ever done under the Monkees' aegis. Each of the six songs on "Head" is a worthy effort, but "Porpoise Song" and the lovely Goffin-King "As We Go Along" simply tower above the rest. Of the other songs,

Jones's much-maligned take on Nilsson's "Daddy's Song" is a perfectly engaging guilty pleasure, Nesmith's studio "Circle Sky" lacks the bite of the now-familiar live version (included as one of the bonus tracks here) and Tork's "Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again" and "Can You Dig It" (the latter sung by Dolenz) offer a heavier sound than that usually associated with the Monkees. And, although not really a song, "Ditty Diego -- War Chant" deconstructs the Monkees' image, origins, career and reasons for existing with hysteric delight. Aside from the live "Circle Sky," other bonus tracks include a revealing early work-in-progress version of "Ditty Diego -- War Chant" (coached by "album coordinator" Jack Nicholson), replete with an extra verse and uncluttered by varispeed effects. There's also a Tork-sung version of "Can You Dig It," a Nesmith-sung version of "Daddy's Song," a rendition of "Happy Birthday To You" from the movie and a "Head" radio spot. In its expanded form, "Head" remains a trip. (Though it's too bad Rhino couldn't figure out a way to reproduce the original album's mylar-mirror cover. Or maybe not.) --- Carl Cafarelli

1.) Through The Looking Glass

2.) Don't Listen To Linda

3.) I Won't Be The Same Without Her

4.) Just A Game

5.) Me Without You

6.) Don't Wait For Me

7.) You And I

8.) While I Cry

9.) Tear Drop City

10.) The Girl I Left Behind Me

11.) A Man Without A Dream

12.) Shorty Blackwell

13.) Someday Man (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) Carlisle Wheeling (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) Rosemarie (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) Smile (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) St. Matthew (Rhino Bonus Track)

18.) Me Without You (Rhino Bonus Track)

19.) Through The Looking Glass (Rhino Bonus Track)

Instant Replay

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Mike Nesmith

The Monkees' first album without Peter Tork, 1969's INSTANT REPLAY is a somewhat confused but ultimately successful blend of three very different musical styles. Micky Dolenz's obvious fondness for psychedelic pop and R&B grooves, Michael Nesmith's increasingly country-oriented tunes, and Davy Jones' music hall aspirations will strike the listener as either incongruous or charmingly contrasting when heard in toto. The should-have-been-a-hit "Through the Looking Glass" is a Dolenz highlight, but his

The Monkees Present

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Mike Nesmith

The best of the Monkees' later albums, THE MONKEES PRESENT was originally conceived as a two-LP set, with each of the band's four members given an entire side to himself. This plan was scuttled when Peter Tork left the group in early 1969, but the finished album has a similar feel. The 12 tracks from the original release feature four songs each by Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, who appear only on their own cuts. As always, Nesmith's songs stand out, with the countryish "Good

Clean Fun," Michael Martin Murphy's "Oklahoma Backroom Dancer," and the anthemic "Listen To The Band" particularly noteworthy. Two Dolenz originals, the oddly jazzy "Little Girl" and the just plain odd "Mommy and Daddy," are among his very best; bonus tracks include an early version of the latter with strident political lyrics that raise eyebrows even today. (VH1.com)

1.) Little Girl

2.) Good Clean Fun

3.) If I Knew

4.) Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye

5.) Never Tell A Woman Yes

6.) Looking For The Good Times

7.) Ladies Aid Society

8.) Listen To The Band

9.) French Song

10.) Mommy And Daddy

11.) Oklahoma Backroom Dancer

12.) Pillow Time

13.) Calico Girlfriend Samba (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) The Good Earth (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) Listen To The Band (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) Mommy And Daddy (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) The Monkees Present Radio Promo (Rhino Bonus

Track)

1.) Oh My My

2.) Ticket On A Ferry Ride

3.) You're So Good To Me

4.) It's Got To Be Love

5.) Acapulco Sun

6.) 99 Pounds

7.) Tell Me Love

8.) Do You Feel It Too?

9.) I Love You Better

10.) All Alone In The Dark

11.) Midnight Train

12.) I Never Thought It Peculiar

13.) Time And Time Again (Rhino Bonus Track)

14.) Do It In The Name Of Love (Rhino Bonus Track)

15.) Lady Jane (Rhino Bonus Track)

Changes

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones

By 1970's CHANGES, of the original four Monkees only Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones were left. Their participation here is limited to vocals and one Dolenz songwriting credit for "Midnight Train," a song which had actually appeared during the TV show's first season back in 1966. While CHANGES doesn't compare to classic Monkees albums like PISCES AQUARIUS CAPRICORN AND JONES, LTD., Dolenz's voice is more R&B-influenced than ever, and his lead vocal on Jeff Barry's "Oh My My" is among

not dire in the least. Choosing postpunk veteran Roger Bechirian (Elvis Costello, The Undertones) to produce helped keep the '80s-style slickness at manageable levels, and also improved the choice of covers--a version of Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World" is particularly inspired. Apart from a few missteps (though no more than on most of the group's '60s albums), not bad at all. (VH1.com)

Pool It!

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork

In 1986, The Monkees' TV show was resurrected on MTV, and the band went from being a rock-hipster joke to a well-respected example of classic '60s pop. A greatest hits collection, featuring three new tracks by Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, and a full slate of reissues of the band's original albums all sold well, and a concert tour was a big success. And so three of the Monkees--Michael Nesmith declined to participate--went into the studio to record a full reunion album. The results were, surprisingly,

Justus

Micky Dolenz/Davy Jones/Peter Tork/Mike Nesmith

In their original incarnation, The Monkees released only one album on which they played all the instruments (save the occasional string or brass part) themselves, 1967's HEADQUARTERS. This makes their aptly-named 1996 reunion album all the more admirable, as here, the four Monkees--who had not played in the same room at the same time since 1968--indeed play every instrument. Opening with an impressive take on the absent Michael Nesmith's "Circle Sky," which was originally recorded for

the soundtrack to their ill-fated movie HEAD, the set contains only one other Nesmith composition, the endearingly odd "Admiral Mike." The rest was written, separately, by Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork. Each sings lead on his own songs, but unlike such similarly-structured albums as THE MONKEES PRESENT, the stripped-down, almost punky arrangements and loose playing of JUSTUS give the album a remarkable cohesion. (VH1.com)

1.) Opening Ceremony

2.) Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)

3.) Ditty Diego-War Chant

4.) Circle Sky

5.) Supplicio

6.) Can You Dig It?

7.) Gravy

8.) Superstitous

9.) As We Go Along

10.) Dandruff?

11.) Daddy's Song

12.) Poll

13.) Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?

14.) Swami

15.) Ditty Diego-War Chant (Rhino Bonus Track)

16.) Circle Sky (Rhino Bonus Track)

17.) Happy Birthday To You (Rhino Bonus Track)

18.) Can You Dig It? (Rhino Bonus Track)

19.) Daddy's Song (Rhino Bonus Track)

20.) Head Radio Spot (Rhino Bonus Track)

closing song, "Shorty Blackwell," may be the most divisive tune in the band's oeuvre. Some find the long, impressionistic tune unbearably pretentious, while others think it's an amusing, trippy, undeniably weird song not far removed from Van Dyke Parks' then-new album SONG CYCLE. The bonus tracks include a terrific version of Nesmith's "Carlisle Wheeling." (VH1.com)

Page URL: http://www.monkeesrule43.com/

originals.html

Site Best Viewed With:

Internet Explorer / Medium text size / 800x600 screen resolution / Javascript enabled / Flash installed

Disclaimer: