|
|
 - Mirror-Image Monkees OfferingThis one is a mixed bag: on one hand it's great to have this collection of songs (my main reason for buying it was the song called "Laugh" [originally done by The Tokens], a delightful little piece of fluff that is so typically 1960s); on the other, it's a bit pricey - not only for someone interested in only one or two otherwise unavailable tracks but also because it is a 2-CD set that is essentially mirror-image redundant, i.e., both CDs contain the same tracks - the only difference being that one is in mono and the other in stereo. I didn't realize this until after I received the set. Also, the stereo remasters/mixes are a bit harsh soundwise (something I've noticed with many re-releases of classic tunes). Still, if you love The Monkees and want a CD that contains a lot of their material on one recording - and don't mind paying what to me is a slightly exhorbitant price considering the inclusion of the IMO unnecessary mono disc - I can recommend it. Rating:  - People say we monkey aroundWelcome to the original boy band. Meticulously pieced together as a controlled alternative to The Beatles, Mike, Mickey, Davy and Peter were - as the expansive liner notes indicate - an unruly prefab four. The majordomo behind all of this, Don Kirshner, even describes Nesmith as a 'pain in the a$z' during the proceedings. Funny thing was, the album still holds up 40 years later. It escapes my thinking exactly why I never bought this on CD (I have a very scratchy LP of this from my - ahem - preteen years), but this is close to revelatory. As some of the reviewers have already noted, the remastering is exemplary. This sounds like it was recorded last week...and the songwriting ringers brought on board to craft this churned out a four-million seller in an era when selling 500,000 was considered phenomenal. The four Monkees themselves had more to this than many care to admit. While "Last Train To Clarksville" is a really good song, the energy and life the guys put into guaranteed its reception. Oddly enough, it was the second album that ponied up the bigger list of hits, but this is a pretty amazing blueprint for what was to come. Nesmith was already chomping at the bit to make his own music, even getting into a collaboration with Carol King and Gerry Goffin (the country-tinged "Sweet Young Thing") and the eclectic "Papa Gene's Blues." Hit-makers Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart brought in the TV Theme and "Last Train to Clarksville." Just as the TV show did, there was also a fair amount of goofiness. As the liner notes indicate, the screwball "Gonna Buy Me A Dog" was originally intended as a straight-up pop song; the goof take by Davy and Mickey was ultimately chosen for the album. A clumsy attempt at an obvious dance-craze record, however, falls flat ("Let's Dance On"). The bonus material is curious - first takes of Nesmith's excellent "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love," eventual country star Michael Martin Murphy's cloy "Do Not Ask For Love," and radio/TV commercials. It helps codify the historical significance of music that remains better than you may remember it - and as first class pop. Rating:  - The birth of the Faux FourHere is where all began. With a dramatic quick drum roll history is made, the greatest and most profitable merger between art and commerce and between two mediums. Yes, Elvis had his films and records and so did the Beatles but neither had their own weekly TV show. Witness the birth of the Faux Four. For something that was put together in assembly line fashion most of the songs are top notch and have a "mostly" cohesive sound throughout the album. I was always partial to the Boyce & Hart productions because they had the right amount of grit and a more Kinks / Stones feel than say the Goffin & King stuff. Mike Nesmith also had the brass to stand firm and have 2 of his songs on the album and the record is better off for it. For the first time in a long while the mono version is available along with the stereo version. I preferred the mono because I feel that it's the best way to hear it. The bonus tracks are very welcomed and there are some great performances here. Be forewarned that these discs come in a cardboard digipk. So in summation: -mono and stereo versions -bonus tracks a plenty -great re-mastering job -informative liner notes -go get it. Rating: - Top 60's BandThis is a band who hit it big in the 60's with some massive hits.Their TV series was very popular,and they seemed to do no wrong earlier in their careers.But a combination of things lead to this groups downfall.Changing times was one of them,and people found out the did not play their own instruments on the recordings.These days thats common,and even back then alot of bands had outside help to make their albums.But they struggled to produce the hits after a while,their show ended,band members left till their was only 2 left. But in those years some excellent songs were made.The Monkees Theme,Last Train To Clarksville,I'm A Believer,(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone,A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,Pleasant Valley Sunday,Daydream Believer,as well as many other hits on this cd.Another song i like which is not here called Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow is a favorite of mine. They had some great songwriters helping them such as Neil Diamond and the Boyce and Heart team.They also had writing credits to alot of songs of their own.This group was one of the best 60's bands. Rating: - Fantastic ReissueThe Monkees created good music with catchy tunes and lyrics. Occasionally throughout their musical career The Monkees achieved a musical excellence the reached a level of greatness. You can hear elements of that greatness in this reissue, which includes both the stereo and original mono versions of the album, along with a bunch of bonus tracks. Some of the bonus tracks were released previously, but about a half dozen or so are new. If you have yet to get this album, this version is the version to have. On the Monkees 1966 debut CD we get to hear Tommy Boyce and Bobby lead a team of writers and musicians to back a group of guys to create good music; perhaps not great music, but certainly good. I think that because The Monkees were the first created group, and they were created for a comedy show targeted for a young audience, they caught a lot of undeserved heat. There was a lot of talent in this group, most especially that of Michael Nesmith, who has been called "the greatest musician you've never heard" because he has created excellent, non-commercial music for many years after the demise of the Monkees. The original CD began with the theme from The Monkees' TV show; catchy and memorable, and actually pretty good for pop music of the mid-60s. The David Gates' penned "Saturday's Child" is pretty standard pop fare, and had a Beatles flavor to it. The guitars and drum style are lifted right from The Beatle's playbook. "I Wanna Be Free" is a slower and more mellow song, uncharacteristic of the typical manic Monkees' song. Well matched to Davey Jones' voice, this mellow song was an indication of the musical range this group would eventually achieve. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be another Day" jumps back into standard Monkees pop; a catchy beat, catchy lyrics and pretty solid bubblegum. Michael Nesmith penned and sang "Papa Gene's Blues." The lyrics are catchy and have an interesting combination of Latin instrumentation with a twist of country flavor that make this one of the standout songs on this CD. This song was used during one of The Monkees episodes, but clearly did not fit The Monkees' bubblegum image well enough to be released as a single. The next song was one of those penned by musical greats, in this case Carole King and Gerry Goffin. This semi-psychedelic song features oboe, harpsichord, and glockenspiel in addition to standard rock instruments. The lyrics describe looking at the world from a different perspective, a topic that would be much for thoroughly explored in the following two years as psychedelic rock reached its height of popularity. "The Last Train to Clarksville" is a catchy pop song that was one of The Monkees' earliest hits. The beat and lyrics appealed to its pop-rock audience and rocketed The Monkees to prominence, and critical disacclaim by those who wanted to see rock music treated as a legitimate form of music. The next song, "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" is another routine pop song. The following song, "Let's Dance On," has an opening rock riff that just seems to be an immediate descendant of The Beatles. Even the lyrics target the music and dance styles of the day. "I'll Be True to You" has Davey Jones singing in a mellow heart throb style for the teen girl audience of 1966; not one of Davey's better vocal performances. "Sweet Young Thing" offers another Michael Nesmith song, written with Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Michael's characteristic country flavor shows through strongly, and he offers another strong vocal performance. This song is another strong song from this CD, and an indication of the excellence of the song-writing team. "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" is a comedy song with an informal style worthy of some of the leading artists of the time. The lack of polish improves the appeal of an otherwise gimmick song, and gives a touch of experimental edge to this pop album. There are seventeen bonus tracks on this release. Some of the tracks fall in the category of "why bother," but some demonstrate the things the Monkees experimented with. The Monkees were not a cookie-cutter group as the bonus tracks reveal. I rarely make a comment on sound quality because my stereo is far from state-of-the-art. However, reviewer Ludix did a phenomenal job of analyzing the sound, and his recommendation of the sound on this release appears definitive to me. So if you want to know more about how this CD sounds, please read his review. The Monkees were an oddity in the music world. They were created, true. However, the songwriters and musicians that backed The Monkees, along with the talent of The Monkees themselves, caused the group to be musical success. Any album that can remain 78 weeks on the Billboard Album chart is an album to have, especially when it remained at #1 for 13 weeks. As I noted in this review, some of the songs were as good as or better than many of the pop songs of the day. Much of what they started singing was bubblegum, but they stood by each other and yearned to reach for artistic recognition. Enjoy!
|
