Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
03-01-12, 12:55 PM
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Hokeyboy suggested it, and well, with Davy Jones' passing yesterday, somebody had to do it. Since the snow outside up here has seen fit to give me an extremely rare day off from work, I figured, why not? Feel free to chime in, and add info. I am also mainly only going to do the albums in the form the were originally issued - so if anyone wants to comment on later versions and/or deluxe editions with bonus tracks, knock yourself out. Without further ado, here we go...
The Monkees - Released October 1966, Colgems Records.
It was the first of four consecutive U.S. number one albums for the group, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks. The Monkees has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of over five million copies.
Track listing
1. "(Theme From) The Monkees"
2. "Saturday's Child" (David Gates)
3. "I Wanna Be Free" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
4. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" (Tommy Boyce, Steve Venet)
5. "Papa Gene's Blues" (Michael Nesmith)
6. "Take a Giant Step" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
1. "Last Train to Clarksville" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
2. "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
3. "Let's Dance On" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
4. "I'll Be True to You" (Gerry Goffin, Russ Titelman)
5. "Sweet Young Thing" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Michael Nesmith)
6. "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
Early pressings of the album cover and Side 1 label featured a misspelling of "Papa Gene's Blues" as "Papa Jean's Blues".
Produced by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jack Keller and Michael Nesmith. Music Supervisor: Don Kirshner, Engineered by Hank Cicalo and David Hassinger.
Group Members - Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith
I'll address the obvious elephant in the room just to get it out of the way. That being, that the band did not write or play musical instruments on many of their early hits, and more specifically, their first two albums. Because of Don Kirshner, who at the time was calling almost all of the musical shots, the members of The Monkees were pretty much forbidden from adding anything other than their vocals to already assembled tracks. On this album, only Mike Nesmith, because he was already under contract with Colgems, was allowed any kind of artistic leeway under Kirshner's well-defined lines. Even then, he was still only able to contribute minor songwriting and production on two tracks, other than adding his vocals elsewhere.
Many Monkees fans argued that controversy over the use of outside musicians and songwriters unfairly targeted the band, while conveniently ignoring the fact that a number of leading British and American groups (such as the Beach Boys) habitually used session players on their recordings, including many of the very same musicians who performed on records by the Monkees. This commonplace practice had previously passed without comment. However, The Beatles had led a wave of groups who provided most of their own instrumentation on their recordings and wrote most of their own songs. (Although it should also be noted that many of the early Beatles albums have their fair share of cover songs on them, too).
Session musicians on the album are numerous and noteworthy, including the likes of...
- Tommy Boyce, Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee, Louie Shelton, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, James Helms, Don Peake and Michael Deasy (on Guitars)
- Larry Taylor, Bob West, William Pitman (on Bass)
- Billy Lewis, Hal Blaine, Frank DeVito and Jim Gordon (on Drums)
- Bobby Hart, Michael Rubini and Jack Keller (various Keyboards)
- Gene Estes, Gary Coleman and David Walters (various Percussion)
- Bonnie Douglas, Paul Shure, Myra Kestenbuam, Fred Seykora, Joseph Ditullio and Jimmy Bryant (various Stringed instruments)
- Keith Allison (Harmonica)
Now, let's get on with the actual tunes...
"(Theme From) The Monkees" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Still a catchy little ditty that does what it was designed to do - stick in your head. The version here is longer and contains more verses than the TV show intro.
"Saturday's Child" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Written by David Gates, who would later go on to be a founding member and lead vocalist for the band Bread. Unlike his standard fare, the song features a heavier, fuzzed out guitar sound, which I quite like.
"I Wanna Be Free" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
There are two versions of this song that were recorded. A faster version also exists (and was used on the TV show), but the slower take used here is the more well know, and my preferred version of this maudlin ballad.
"Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Like many Boyce & Hart compositions, this one is meant to mimic the sound of The Beatles. And was also often the case, their more countrified numbers.
"Papa Gene's Blues" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Not surprisingly, since it was written by Mike, this has always been one of my favorites off this album. Some great guitar playing courtesy of James Burton and Glen Campbell - the "picking wizards' Mike refers to in it.
"Take a Giant Step" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Early psychedelic rock, in that it was one of the first songs to blatantly make reference to psychedelic drugs in it's lyrical content.
"Last Train to Clarksville" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Was was the debut single by The Monkees, released a few months before the album came out, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1966. It's still proably their best known song. It was inspired by the jangly guitar sound on the fade out section of The Beatles "Paperback Writer".
"This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Another Beatles inspired pleasant little romp. The vocal harmonies in the chorus sections are particularly impressive, though.
"Let's Dance On" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Every album needs a good rave-up, and this is this record's. One of many example where Mickey showed he was one of rock's great 'screamers'.
"I'll Be True to You" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Overly syrupy ballad the type of which Davy ended up singing far too often - but the teen girls still ate it up. It was also the only track from this album not to be featured in any episodes of the TV show. The song was originally titled "Yes I Will", and was recorded and released under that name by The Hollies a full year earlier, making it to #9 on the UK charts.
"Sweet Young Thing" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Good foot-stomping burner from Mike, and with it's fuzzed out guitars, also the heaviest sounding thing on the album. I also love Mike's vocal inflections on this one. Go Papa Nez!
"Gonna Buy Me a Dog" - Lead vocals by Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones
Just a straight up goof. Silliness for the sake of it - but fun, nonetheless.
The Monkees - Released October 1966, Colgems Records.
It was the first of four consecutive U.S. number one albums for the group, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks. The Monkees has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of over five million copies.
Track listing
1. "(Theme From) The Monkees"
2. "Saturday's Child" (David Gates)
3. "I Wanna Be Free" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
4. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" (Tommy Boyce, Steve Venet)
5. "Papa Gene's Blues" (Michael Nesmith)
6. "Take a Giant Step" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
1. "Last Train to Clarksville" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
2. "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
3. "Let's Dance On" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
4. "I'll Be True to You" (Gerry Goffin, Russ Titelman)
5. "Sweet Young Thing" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Michael Nesmith)
6. "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
Early pressings of the album cover and Side 1 label featured a misspelling of "Papa Gene's Blues" as "Papa Jean's Blues".
Produced by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jack Keller and Michael Nesmith. Music Supervisor: Don Kirshner, Engineered by Hank Cicalo and David Hassinger.
Group Members - Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith
I'll address the obvious elephant in the room just to get it out of the way. That being, that the band did not write or play musical instruments on many of their early hits, and more specifically, their first two albums. Because of Don Kirshner, who at the time was calling almost all of the musical shots, the members of The Monkees were pretty much forbidden from adding anything other than their vocals to already assembled tracks. On this album, only Mike Nesmith, because he was already under contract with Colgems, was allowed any kind of artistic leeway under Kirshner's well-defined lines. Even then, he was still only able to contribute minor songwriting and production on two tracks, other than adding his vocals elsewhere.
Many Monkees fans argued that controversy over the use of outside musicians and songwriters unfairly targeted the band, while conveniently ignoring the fact that a number of leading British and American groups (such as the Beach Boys) habitually used session players on their recordings, including many of the very same musicians who performed on records by the Monkees. This commonplace practice had previously passed without comment. However, The Beatles had led a wave of groups who provided most of their own instrumentation on their recordings and wrote most of their own songs. (Although it should also be noted that many of the early Beatles albums have their fair share of cover songs on them, too).
Session musicians on the album are numerous and noteworthy, including the likes of...
- Tommy Boyce, Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee, Louie Shelton, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, James Helms, Don Peake and Michael Deasy (on Guitars)
- Larry Taylor, Bob West, William Pitman (on Bass)
- Billy Lewis, Hal Blaine, Frank DeVito and Jim Gordon (on Drums)
- Bobby Hart, Michael Rubini and Jack Keller (various Keyboards)
- Gene Estes, Gary Coleman and David Walters (various Percussion)
- Bonnie Douglas, Paul Shure, Myra Kestenbuam, Fred Seykora, Joseph Ditullio and Jimmy Bryant (various Stringed instruments)
- Keith Allison (Harmonica)
Now, let's get on with the actual tunes...
"(Theme From) The Monkees" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Still a catchy little ditty that does what it was designed to do - stick in your head. The version here is longer and contains more verses than the TV show intro.
"Saturday's Child" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Written by David Gates, who would later go on to be a founding member and lead vocalist for the band Bread. Unlike his standard fare, the song features a heavier, fuzzed out guitar sound, which I quite like.
"I Wanna Be Free" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
There are two versions of this song that were recorded. A faster version also exists (and was used on the TV show), but the slower take used here is the more well know, and my preferred version of this maudlin ballad.
"Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Like many Boyce & Hart compositions, this one is meant to mimic the sound of The Beatles. And was also often the case, their more countrified numbers.
"Papa Gene's Blues" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Not surprisingly, since it was written by Mike, this has always been one of my favorites off this album. Some great guitar playing courtesy of James Burton and Glen Campbell - the "picking wizards' Mike refers to in it.
"Take a Giant Step" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Early psychedelic rock, in that it was one of the first songs to blatantly make reference to psychedelic drugs in it's lyrical content.
"Last Train to Clarksville" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Was was the debut single by The Monkees, released a few months before the album came out, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1966. It's still proably their best known song. It was inspired by the jangly guitar sound on the fade out section of The Beatles "Paperback Writer".
"This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Another Beatles inspired pleasant little romp. The vocal harmonies in the chorus sections are particularly impressive, though.
"Let's Dance On" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Every album needs a good rave-up, and this is this record's. One of many example where Mickey showed he was one of rock's great 'screamers'.
"I'll Be True to You" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Overly syrupy ballad the type of which Davy ended up singing far too often - but the teen girls still ate it up. It was also the only track from this album not to be featured in any episodes of the TV show. The song was originally titled "Yes I Will", and was recorded and released under that name by The Hollies a full year earlier, making it to #9 on the UK charts.
"Sweet Young Thing" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Good foot-stomping burner from Mike, and with it's fuzzed out guitars, also the heaviest sounding thing on the album. I also love Mike's vocal inflections on this one. Go Papa Nez!
"Gonna Buy Me a Dog" - Lead vocals by Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones
Just a straight up goof. Silliness for the sake of it - but fun, nonetheless.
03-01-12, 03:17 PM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Gonna listen to the album again tonight and chime in tomorrow with my thoughts, but long story short it's a fun, energetic pop album with a few real gems on it.
03-01-12, 03:56 PM
#4
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Great album and Nesmith really shines on it. Papa Gene's Blues should have been a single and Sweet Young Thing just dives into my ears and doesn't let go. I like the alternate version of I Wanna Be Free better than the one on the album and Saturday's Child is one of the best of the songs that should've but never saw single release.
03-01-12, 04:15 PM
#5
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The Monkees
Here's a link to Amazon to sample each song for those that do not have the album (myself included). Going back and listening really brought back some memories. This is really a solid album. Even the throwaway goof track of "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" had some great banter:
"I just got back from Africa. I was playing cards with the natives."
"Zulus?"
"No I usually won"
Here's a link to Amazon to sample each song for those that do not have the album (myself included). Going back and listening really brought back some memories. This is really a solid album. Even the throwaway goof track of "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" had some great banter:
"I just got back from Africa. I was playing cards with the natives."
"Zulus?"
"No I usually won"
03-01-12, 05:33 PM
#7
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Frankly, there isn't a bad track on this album, though "Let's Dance On" sounds just a little too much like "Twist & Shout" for my taste. The weakest tracks are the Davy Jones ballads. I have a version of the album with some unissued tracks and there is another, superior, Jones-sung ballad "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind".
"(Theme From) The Monkees"; "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"; "Papa Gene's Blues"; "Take a Giant Step" and "Last Train to Clarksville" are all classics in my mind, probably from a childhood of Monkees TV show re-runs.
"(Theme From) The Monkees"; "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"; "Papa Gene's Blues"; "Take a Giant Step" and "Last Train to Clarksville" are all classics in my mind, probably from a childhood of Monkees TV show re-runs.
03-01-12, 06:02 PM
#9
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Frankly, there isn't a bad track on this album, though "Let's Dance On" sounds just a little too much like "Twist & Shout" for my taste. The weakest tracks are the Davy Jones ballads. I have a version of the album with some unissued tracks and there is another, superior, Jones-sung ballad "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind".
I've got three different versions of most of The Monkees albums - the original versions, the 1994 re-issues with bonus tracks, and the "Deluxe Limited Editions" loaded with bonus material that Rhino started putting out in 2006. (And that's just in regards to CD versions. I have duplicates or triplicates on vinyl, too.)
However, since it's a lot of material to go through as is, I decided to keep it fairly simple while discussing each album initially. Feel free, however, too add any extra insight into any of this extra material that you care to.
03-01-12, 06:42 PM
#10
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Since we're still on the first album, I thought this would be appropriate...currently up on CNN.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/opinio...html?hpt=hp_c2
Why the Monkees -- and Davy Jones -- should get respect
(CNN) -- The death of Davy Jones on Wednesday from a massive heart attack at age 66 elicited all the standard commentary about the Monkees, the band that made him a star: The Monkees were a made-for-TV boy band. They recorded tunes written not by them, but by reputable songwriters like Neil Diamond ("I'm a Believer"), Harry Nilsson ("Cuddly Toy"), and the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin ("Pleasant Valley Sunday"). They were Beatles knockoffs and teen idols.
Those points are all valid, but they miss two essential aspects of the Monkees' story. The first is fairly simple: Despite their undoubtedly contrived origins, they turned out to be one of pop's finest bands, arguably the most underrated in rock history. The second is deeper: Their ongoing lack of critical respect speaks to struggles within the music world — authenticity vs. artifice, pop vs. rock — that continue to this day, more than 45 years after the launch of their short-lived sitcom.
It's unlikely that anyone, least of all the Monkees themselves, thought there was anything serious about the project when their TV series debuted in fall 1966. NBC and creators Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson were in search of actors to play a fictional band modeled after the Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" After many auditions, they chose two young show biz professionals (Jones, the sole Brit, and Micky Dolenz) and two folk-rockers who knew how to sing and play (Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith).
From the start, the Monkees had little control over their music and even album covers. Sparkling early hits like "I'm a Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville" were written by outside tunesmiths and played by studio musicians.
Fairly soon after the show's launch, the Monkees, Nesmith especially, began to chafe at their artistic constraints. In what TV Guide called "The Great Revolt of '67," they demanded control over their records, and out went Don Kirshner, the venerable publisher who had overseen their early releases. This period, what we could call Monkees 2.0, resulted in "Daydream Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and many other songs on which the Monkees were far more involved (producing and playing many of the instruments themselves).
No matter the period or who was behind the console, the Monkees could make magical records, as I was reminded when, by strange coincidence, I plowed through their "Music Box" boxed set just last weekend. The collection's four discs reaffirm the largely high quality of their material and multihued variety of the arrangements.
They could do credible garage rock ("[I'm Not Your] Steppin' Stone," "Words," "She"), exquisite ballad-centric pop ("Sometime in the Morning," "I Wanna Be Free"), and quasi-psychedelia ("Daily Nightly," which features one of the first appearance on record of a synthesizer).
Songs that Nesmith wrote or sang — "The Door into Summer," "I Don't Think You Know Me" — wouldn't have been out of place on more highly regarded Byrds albums of the same '66-'70 period. "For Pete's Sake," the snappy "... in this generation" song heard over the closing credits of each episode of their show, was written by Tork. The Sex Pistols and Run-DMC both covered songs made famous by the Monkees: "Steppin' Stone" and "Mary, Mary," respectively.
Jones, who had proven his stage chops before the Monkees by starring in a British production of "Oliver!", was more than just their eternally cherubic, always-on singer and maracas player. He could caress the hits ("Daydream Believer"), invest a song with suitable snideness (the groupie song "Star Collector") and even co-write a very credible pop reverie ("Dream World").
Yet for all that musical breadth, the Monkees still don't quite get the credit they should, which gets to the issues of credibility that swirl around them and anything considered too Top 40. By the time their show launched and became an immediate hit, it was becoming de rigueur for pop and rock bands to write their own songs, to express themselves. The Monkees did this on later albums like "The Birds, The Bees and the Monkees," but they never recovered from being seen as puppets.
They were the right band at the wrong time, and unfairly so. Iron Butterfly wrote its own material, too, but I dare anyone beyond the most devout "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" nostalgist to make it through any of their albums in 2012.
These issues, especially in an era when indie signifies authenticity, still linger. Whenever I tell a friend I'm a fan of Lady Gaga, I receive the same puzzled, "Are you serious?" looks I used to get when I told my teenage friends that I'd bought the Monkees' "Greatest Hits" long after they broke up.
Whatever one thinks of her wardrobe or bombastic, disappointing "Born This Way" album, Gaga has genuine talent: She can sing, write songs and play various keyboards. Yet something about her still makes some people squirm in the way they don't when someone mentions an intentionally grating indie band like Sleigh Bells. The music is seen as too polished and produced, and therefore not credible enough.
The Monkees may always be tarnished, and perhaps there's a weird badge of honor in that: so disreputable that they're reputable! Davy Jones didn't die for our integrity sins, but the Monkees' reputation has suffered plenty for them.
(CNN) -- The death of Davy Jones on Wednesday from a massive heart attack at age 66 elicited all the standard commentary about the Monkees, the band that made him a star: The Monkees were a made-for-TV boy band. They recorded tunes written not by them, but by reputable songwriters like Neil Diamond ("I'm a Believer"), Harry Nilsson ("Cuddly Toy"), and the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin ("Pleasant Valley Sunday"). They were Beatles knockoffs and teen idols.
Those points are all valid, but they miss two essential aspects of the Monkees' story. The first is fairly simple: Despite their undoubtedly contrived origins, they turned out to be one of pop's finest bands, arguably the most underrated in rock history. The second is deeper: Their ongoing lack of critical respect speaks to struggles within the music world — authenticity vs. artifice, pop vs. rock — that continue to this day, more than 45 years after the launch of their short-lived sitcom.
It's unlikely that anyone, least of all the Monkees themselves, thought there was anything serious about the project when their TV series debuted in fall 1966. NBC and creators Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson were in search of actors to play a fictional band modeled after the Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" After many auditions, they chose two young show biz professionals (Jones, the sole Brit, and Micky Dolenz) and two folk-rockers who knew how to sing and play (Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith).
From the start, the Monkees had little control over their music and even album covers. Sparkling early hits like "I'm a Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville" were written by outside tunesmiths and played by studio musicians.
Fairly soon after the show's launch, the Monkees, Nesmith especially, began to chafe at their artistic constraints. In what TV Guide called "The Great Revolt of '67," they demanded control over their records, and out went Don Kirshner, the venerable publisher who had overseen their early releases. This period, what we could call Monkees 2.0, resulted in "Daydream Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and many other songs on which the Monkees were far more involved (producing and playing many of the instruments themselves).
No matter the period or who was behind the console, the Monkees could make magical records, as I was reminded when, by strange coincidence, I plowed through their "Music Box" boxed set just last weekend. The collection's four discs reaffirm the largely high quality of their material and multihued variety of the arrangements.
They could do credible garage rock ("[I'm Not Your] Steppin' Stone," "Words," "She"), exquisite ballad-centric pop ("Sometime in the Morning," "I Wanna Be Free"), and quasi-psychedelia ("Daily Nightly," which features one of the first appearance on record of a synthesizer).
Songs that Nesmith wrote or sang — "The Door into Summer," "I Don't Think You Know Me" — wouldn't have been out of place on more highly regarded Byrds albums of the same '66-'70 period. "For Pete's Sake," the snappy "... in this generation" song heard over the closing credits of each episode of their show, was written by Tork. The Sex Pistols and Run-DMC both covered songs made famous by the Monkees: "Steppin' Stone" and "Mary, Mary," respectively.
Jones, who had proven his stage chops before the Monkees by starring in a British production of "Oliver!", was more than just their eternally cherubic, always-on singer and maracas player. He could caress the hits ("Daydream Believer"), invest a song with suitable snideness (the groupie song "Star Collector") and even co-write a very credible pop reverie ("Dream World").
Yet for all that musical breadth, the Monkees still don't quite get the credit they should, which gets to the issues of credibility that swirl around them and anything considered too Top 40. By the time their show launched and became an immediate hit, it was becoming de rigueur for pop and rock bands to write their own songs, to express themselves. The Monkees did this on later albums like "The Birds, The Bees and the Monkees," but they never recovered from being seen as puppets.
They were the right band at the wrong time, and unfairly so. Iron Butterfly wrote its own material, too, but I dare anyone beyond the most devout "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" nostalgist to make it through any of their albums in 2012.
These issues, especially in an era when indie signifies authenticity, still linger. Whenever I tell a friend I'm a fan of Lady Gaga, I receive the same puzzled, "Are you serious?" looks I used to get when I told my teenage friends that I'd bought the Monkees' "Greatest Hits" long after they broke up.
Whatever one thinks of her wardrobe or bombastic, disappointing "Born This Way" album, Gaga has genuine talent: She can sing, write songs and play various keyboards. Yet something about her still makes some people squirm in the way they don't when someone mentions an intentionally grating indie band like Sleigh Bells. The music is seen as too polished and produced, and therefore not credible enough.
The Monkees may always be tarnished, and perhaps there's a weird badge of honor in that: so disreputable that they're reputable! Davy Jones didn't die for our integrity sins, but the Monkees' reputation has suffered plenty for them.
03-01-12, 08:34 PM
#12
Senior Member
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
I do love the Nesmith-oriented tracks along with the outtakes from the session he produced (Which included "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" and "Prithee"), and it sounds like he worked really well with the players in the studio judging from what you can hear on a few studio chatter bites found on various releases.
The record itself still sounds great, and I even like the Davy stuff. "I'll Be True To You" even sounds good when it's hard to believe there was a time it was cringe-worthy.
"Buy Me a Dog" and "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" are still catchy.
Of course, the one worth the price of the record is "Sweet Young Thing". Always loved the sound of Nesmith's voice, both pre- and post-tonsil removal (The reason for the change in the timbre of his voice noticeable on both the records and the TV show in mid-1967; I always knew something was odd there, but no one was talking about it), and the blend of the fiddle and fuzzy guitar, and that stompy beat!
The record itself still sounds great, and I even like the Davy stuff. "I'll Be True To You" even sounds good when it's hard to believe there was a time it was cringe-worthy.
"Buy Me a Dog" and "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" are still catchy.
Of course, the one worth the price of the record is "Sweet Young Thing". Always loved the sound of Nesmith's voice, both pre- and post-tonsil removal (The reason for the change in the timbre of his voice noticeable on both the records and the TV show in mid-1967; I always knew something was odd there, but no one was talking about it), and the blend of the fiddle and fuzzy guitar, and that stompy beat!
Last edited by HUG-H; 03-02-12 at 12:02 PM.
03-02-12, 05:48 PM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
I have always been a minor Monkees fan due to some old 45's my Dad had but didn't really know who The Monkees were until MTV somehow latched onto the old shows and showing the shit out of them in the mid-80's. I watched the hell out of those episodes and even though they were super silly and I recognized this, I was only 12 or so at the time so I was at a silly age myself.
MTV revived them, then dumped on their sister channel Nickelodeon which also ran the shit out of them (at least that's how I remember it). They became huge again and I discovered all their pop confection tunes. I am a sucker for good pop songs and looking at their early songwriting teams, you can see why they did so well.
The only album I ever bought from them was
and the only cd I have bought since that vinyl record was 
but I still have both.
So I am loving Spotify since I am able to now stream the special edition of this album with 29 great tracks!
Anyway, I have always been partial to Mike Nesmith's songs and to my surprise he wrote my favorite song on this album among all these superstar songwriters - Papa Gene's Blues. Such an awesome way to spend two minutes. TWO FUCKING MINUTES! Damn I miss songs that got in, got out and were awesome for every second.
Not every song on the album is a gem though. I Wanna Be Free is just a terrible song and is the worst one on the album. Poor vocals by Davey don't help and already weak song. The revised fast edition included on deluxe editon with Mickey singing is so much better than the original it's not even funny. Nice to see an early songwriting credit from one of my favorites - David Gates - in Saturday's Child. Not the greatest song in the world but you gotta start somewhere.
Last Train To Clarksville super pop at its best and it is hard for me to even give a good judgment of it since it has been in brain ever since I a tot (one of my Dad's 45's). Buy Me A Dog is just so surprising they would include it on such a polished album. It sounds like something done in a couple of minutes but it is definitely a fun song. Guess they were going for a Beach Boys Party type tune.
A couple of these I have never heard since listening to this album now on Spotify. And it makes me want to run out an buy this special edition right now. Hell, it is worth it just for the obviously Nesmith song The Kind Of Girl I Could Love. I Don't Think You Know Me and I Won't Be The Same Without Her are great. It also includes the TV version of You Just May Be The One which is a fantastic song. It appears this set is out of print on CD which is a shame. You can download it at Amazon but for stuff like this, I prefer the usually included extensive liner notes that only come with the CD.
Regular Album rating - **** out of *****
Deluxe Album rating - ****1/2 out of *****
MTV revived them, then dumped on their sister channel Nickelodeon which also ran the shit out of them (at least that's how I remember it). They became huge again and I discovered all their pop confection tunes. I am a sucker for good pop songs and looking at their early songwriting teams, you can see why they did so well.
The only album I ever bought from them was
and the only cd I have bought since that vinyl record was but I still have both.So I am loving Spotify since I am able to now stream the special edition of this album with 29 great tracks!
Anyway, I have always been partial to Mike Nesmith's songs and to my surprise he wrote my favorite song on this album among all these superstar songwriters - Papa Gene's Blues. Such an awesome way to spend two minutes. TWO FUCKING MINUTES! Damn I miss songs that got in, got out and were awesome for every second.
Not every song on the album is a gem though. I Wanna Be Free is just a terrible song and is the worst one on the album. Poor vocals by Davey don't help and already weak song. The revised fast edition included on deluxe editon with Mickey singing is so much better than the original it's not even funny. Nice to see an early songwriting credit from one of my favorites - David Gates - in Saturday's Child. Not the greatest song in the world but you gotta start somewhere.
Last Train To Clarksville super pop at its best and it is hard for me to even give a good judgment of it since it has been in brain ever since I a tot (one of my Dad's 45's). Buy Me A Dog is just so surprising they would include it on such a polished album. It sounds like something done in a couple of minutes but it is definitely a fun song. Guess they were going for a Beach Boys Party type tune.
A couple of these I have never heard since listening to this album now on Spotify. And it makes me want to run out an buy this special edition right now. Hell, it is worth it just for the obviously Nesmith song The Kind Of Girl I Could Love. I Don't Think You Know Me and I Won't Be The Same Without Her are great. It also includes the TV version of You Just May Be The One which is a fantastic song. It appears this set is out of print on CD which is a shame. You can download it at Amazon but for stuff like this, I prefer the usually included extensive liner notes that only come with the CD.
Regular Album rating - **** out of *****
Deluxe Album rating - ****1/2 out of *****
03-02-12, 09:22 PM
#14
Senior Member
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Not to get too far away from the discussion of the debut album, but if we are to include mention of compilations, probably the best places to start are the box set Music Box and Rhino's The Monkees Greatest Hits (It was really nice for the inclusion of the single mixes of Steppin' Stone and Pleasant Valley Sunday).
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
03-03-12, 01:40 AM
#15
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Not to get too far away from the discussion of the debut album, but if we are to include mention of compilations, probably the best places to start are the box set Music Box and Rhino's The Monkees Greatest Hits (It was really nice for the inclusion of the single mixes of Steppin' Stone and Pleasant Valley Sunday).
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
03-03-12, 01:36 PM
#16
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Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Not to get too far away from the discussion of the debut album, but if we are to include mention of compilations, probably the best places to start are the box set Music Box and Rhino's The Monkees Greatest Hits (It was really nice for the inclusion of the single mixes of Steppin' Stone and Pleasant Valley Sunday).
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
I don't know how many of you ever owned Monkeemania, the Australian 2-LP set, but for a while that was a highly-recommended collection for avid fans of the rarities, and I managed to flag down a copy of it and owned it for a while. The sound quality was questionable on a lot of it because they recorded a few things from a TV like "Circle Sky" (live version) and "Steam Engine", but those songs were unreleased at the time, so it didn't seem to be a huge sacrifice.
03-03-12, 03:31 PM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The Monkees, as a debut album, can be viewed in a variety of ways. Is it a "band" effort? Not in the strictest sense of the word, as the assembled "band" simply consists of studio musicians and outside songwriters (predominantly Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart), with 3 of the 4 Monkees providing lead vocals for each song. Peter Tork only shows up doing backing vocals on 2 tracks... Tommy Boyce himself is far more prevalent on this album than poor Pete, and Pete was easily the most accomplished musician in the band! (Michael often lamented that Peter should have been the band's "guitarist", as he was a far better player)
Nope, no matter how you slice it, The Monkees isn't a band effort. But it's a great slice of 60s pop, with quality songs, fine arrangements, memorable hooks and great playing all around. Sure there are some "throwaways" -- "(Theme From) The Monkees" is silly and "Gonna Buy Me A Dog" is throwaway, but the rest of the (relatively short) album is a great listen. The vocal arrangements on "This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day" are beautifully contrasted against the Eastern-tinged guitar riffs linking the choruses. Killer songs like the slightly sinister-sounding "Saturday's Child" and the Motownish rocker "Let's Dance On" are so good they make you forget the mawkish "I'll Be True To You". The thump of "Sweet Young Thing" is highlighted by Michael's Texan affectations and a heavier, almost proto-metalish beat.
And of course we have the hits "Clarksville" and "Papa Gene's Blues". Oldies radio has killed Clarksville but it remains a fine song, and Papa Gene's Blues is the true standout of the album, a wonderful piece of country-tinged harmonies and simple, heartfelt lyrics.
Overall I think this is a pretty wonderful little album. Not a classic, no, but superb 60s pop. I can't recommend the Rhino's two-disc deluxe edition enough for fans. Not only do you get the album in both stereo and mono, there's a wealth of alternate takes, bonus tracks, even a Kellogg's commercial and the TV version of the theme song.
Nope, no matter how you slice it, The Monkees isn't a band effort. But it's a great slice of 60s pop, with quality songs, fine arrangements, memorable hooks and great playing all around. Sure there are some "throwaways" -- "(Theme From) The Monkees" is silly and "Gonna Buy Me A Dog" is throwaway, but the rest of the (relatively short) album is a great listen. The vocal arrangements on "This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day" are beautifully contrasted against the Eastern-tinged guitar riffs linking the choruses. Killer songs like the slightly sinister-sounding "Saturday's Child" and the Motownish rocker "Let's Dance On" are so good they make you forget the mawkish "I'll Be True To You". The thump of "Sweet Young Thing" is highlighted by Michael's Texan affectations and a heavier, almost proto-metalish beat.
And of course we have the hits "Clarksville" and "Papa Gene's Blues". Oldies radio has killed Clarksville but it remains a fine song, and Papa Gene's Blues is the true standout of the album, a wonderful piece of country-tinged harmonies and simple, heartfelt lyrics.
Overall I think this is a pretty wonderful little album. Not a classic, no, but superb 60s pop. I can't recommend the Rhino's two-disc deluxe edition enough for fans. Not only do you get the album in both stereo and mono, there's a wealth of alternate takes, bonus tracks, even a Kellogg's commercial and the TV version of the theme song.
03-03-12, 11:19 PM
#18
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The 2 disc Rhino Ultimate Editions are just plain awesome! Unfortunately, they are also out of print already. I wish they would have continued doing the whole catalog that way (or at least most of it, I don't know if Changes really needs/deserves such treatment), but they only went up to Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD., before switching over to only doing them as "Handmade" discs direct from Rhino, itself. Because they were far more expensive, I didn't bother getting any of them. Yet.
03-04-12, 02:46 AM
#19
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The Head from Rhino Handmade is one of the best "deluxe editions" Ive ever bought, both in content and presentation, Totally worth dropping everything to grab asap. But more on that when we get there. 
03-04-12, 04:57 AM
#20
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
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Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Love that debut! I don't care whatever the band was tagged with in the talent department. All I know is that it's a very strong album and could go up against most of their rivals.
03-04-12, 01:53 PM
#21
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Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The 2 disc Rhino Ultimate Editions are just plain awesome! Unfortunately, they are also out of print already. I wish they would have continued doing the whole catalog that way (or at least most of it, I don't know if Changes really needs/deserves such treatment), but they only went up to Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD., before switching over to only doing them as "Handmade" discs direct from Rhino, itself. Because they were far more expensive, I didn't bother getting any of them. Yet.
03-04-12, 02:43 PM
#22
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Same here, i have the four 2cd deluxe editions but none of the handmade box sets. I looked into buying The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees handmade set but look out, the original list price of $59.99 is long gone. Best price i could find online was around $200 or higher even for a used copy!
Friday Music (http://fridaymusic.com/releases/monkees.html) has been doing some of the re-issues of the later albums (in roughly the same format as the '94 versions, with a single disc and handful of bonus tracks). So far, they've put out Present and Changes, and a couple of other Monkees related things are supposed in the works, but they haven't really stated what all of them are. Currently The Birds, the Bees and The Monkees is oop, aside from being part of a UK 5 disc box set.
Right now, Instant Replay and Head are still available from Rhino Handmade (http://www.rhino.com/artist/The-Monkees), yet still pricey. I wish dropping $60 on a single release was an easier prospect to make, but that's six or so other albums I could be purchasing, instead.
On another note, moving on to More of The Monkees tomorrow - so if anyone has more to say about the debut, now's your chance.
Last edited by Rocketdog2000; 03-04-12 at 02:50 PM.
03-04-12, 04:16 PM
#23
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
The Monkees are one of my top 5 bands from the 60's, if not all time. I grew up listening to them on top 40 from 7th grade on. I had their debut on vinyl when it came out and played it a lot. Today the standout track is "Sweet Young Thing". Beside the above shout outs to this great track I want to had that it is Davy in the background of the second verse coming in behind Mike's fine vocal that perfectly sums up the agony/insanity/rush of the beginnning arc of love. Davy's deep resonating "SWEET YOUNG THINGGGaH" has always been a great sonic pleasure for me to hear.
I never understood the dis on them for not playing their own music! Very few artist play on their albums. So what. Did Whitney, MIchael, Mariah, etc. get knocked for not playing an instrument? Sigh.
I never understood the dis on them for not playing their own music! Very few artist play on their albums. So what. Did Whitney, MIchael, Mariah, etc. get knocked for not playing an instrument? Sigh.
03-05-12, 02:01 PM
#24
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Ok, next up is...
More of The Monkees - Released January 1967, Colgems Records.
Is the second full-length album by the group. It was number one on the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks - the longest of any Monkees album - and spent a staggering 70 weeks total on the charts. It also went to number one in the UK. In the U.S. it has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA with sales of more than five million copies.
Track listing
Side 1
1. "She" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" (Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Sedaka)
3. "Mary, Mary" (Michael Nesmith)
4. "Hold On Girl" (Billy Carr, Jack Keller, Ben Raleigh)
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda" (Diane Hildebrand, Jack Keller)
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
Side 2
1. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" (Neil Diamond)
2. "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" (Roger Atkins, Michael Nesmith)
3. "The Day We Fall in Love" (Sandy Linzer, Denny Randell)
4. "Sometime in the Morning" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
5. "Laugh" (Phil Margo, Mitch Margo, Hank Medress, Jay Siegel)
6. "I'm a Believer" (Neil Diamond)
Produced by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Neil Sedaka, Carole Bayer, Michael Nesmith, Jeff Barry, Jack Keller Gerry Goffin & Carole king. Music Supervisor: Don Kirshner.
Group Members - Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith
Session musicians virtually identical to the first release, as many songs were recorded around roughly the same time period. The exception being songs recorded in New york, of which, relatively little to no information is still available about (more on that in a bit*).
Monkeemania had reached full swing by the time the album was released. The Monkees' second single, "I'm a Believer" - released prior to the album - held the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 and they were about to embark on a highly successful concert tour. The songs on the album were selected by musical supervisor Don Kirshner from a total of 34 songs. Although with this album's release, and the circumstance surrounding it, it was the beginning of the end for Kirshner's control and involvement with the band.
The Monkees had complained that the producers would not allow them to play their own instruments on their records, or to use their own material. These complaints intensified when Kirshner moved track recording from California to New York*, leaving the Monkees out of the musical process until they were called upon to add their vocals to the completed tracks. It was a struggle of wills with Kirshner believing he controlled and was responsible for The Monkees sound, and the band feeling they should have more direct input, since they were ultimately going to be judged by what was being put out. In Mike Nesmith's opinion, particularly - if the Monkees were going to be perceived as being an actual band, than they should, in fact, be an actual band, and have far more of a say in what was being released under their names.
Nesmith and Tork were particularly upset when they were on tour in January 1967 and discovered that a second album, More of The Monkees, had been released without their knowledge. The Monkees were annoyed at not having even been told of the release in advance, at having their opinions on the track selection ignored, at Don Kirshner's self-congratulatory liner notes, and also because of the amateurish-looking cover art, which was merely a composite of pictures of the four taken for a J. C. Penney clothing advertisement. Indeed, the Monkees had not even been given a copy of the album; they had to buy it from a record store while on tour.
The climax of the rivalry was an intense argument between Nesmith, Kirshner, and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis, which took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel in January 1967. Kirshner had presented the group with royalty checks and gold records - basically telling them to just "shut up and take the money". Nesmith had responded with an ultimatum, demanding a change in the way the Monkees' music was chosen and recorded. Moelis reminded Nesmith that he was under contract. The confrontation ended with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall and saying, "That could have been your face!"
The team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, themselves very crucial to the sound of The Monkees early period, were also staring to wear out their welcome amongst all parties. Rather than wanting to share what he considered "his" success with them, Kirshner started cutting them out of the process, tending to favor his other stable of singer-songwriters in New York. (They only ended up getting two tracks on the album, while they had worked on many more during the recording sessions) The boys in The Monkees, while they liked Boyce & Hart and their material, felt they, too, were being a little too controlling in the studio. As a result, while The Monkees would still end up recording some of their songs in the future, Boyce & Hart's actual involvement with them would be minimal.
But back to the music.
In Kirshner's defense - for what's essential a somewhat rushed hodgepodge of tracks recorded in different parts of the country, by a myriad of producers, songwriters and musicians - More of The Monkees is an overall decent second album. That's mainly due to the quality of the material contained within it, which includes...
"She" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Kicking off the album with Louie Shelton's guitar whine, "She" is great little Boyce & Hart thumper, also featuring Bobby Hart's organ work and solo. Mickey Davy and Peter also lend some sweet vocal harmonies.
"When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Nice bit of faux Merseybeat sound - the type of which, with his English accent, was tailor made for Davy. He does a fine job doubling his vocal harmonies here, too - something he and Mickey were quite adept at, and would do often on Monkees recordings.
"Mary, Mary" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
The first of two Nesmith composed and produced tracks, it was previoulsy recorded by The Butterfield Blues Band for their 1966 album, East-West. For The Monklees version, Nesmith brought in the crack group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew" (James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon, Michael Deasy and Larry Knechtel) to beef up the sound. He also opted to use Mickey as lead singer, instead of himself, as he felt Mickey gave the track more of what it needed vocally. The song is so groovy, that Run-D.M.C. even ended up covering (and revising it to their own needs, changing some of the lyrics) in the mid 80's.
"Hold On Girl" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Another fine track featuring Davy. A slower version was also recorded, but I prefer the tempo on this one. The keyboard work, although I don't know who it is, is also very nice.
"Your Auntie Grizelda" - Lead vocal by Peter Tork
Marks Peter's first lead vocal appearance on a Monkees album, although that wasn't the original plan. The song was initially conceived as a Rolling Stones styled number along the lines of "19th Nervous Breakdown" (which is clearly obvious, musically), but producer Jeff Barry had other ideas. He instead turned it into more of a comedy vehicle, and gave the track to Peter. Partially, I believe, to give Peter more of a presence on album (his obligatory Ringo moment), and also, I think, because the idea more closely follows the character Peter played on the show. It ends up coming off as what it turned out to be - a bit of a laugh.
"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
One of the albums highlight's, one of Boyce & Hart's best compositions, one of the best "kiss-off" songs ever, and one of my favorite Monkees songs. Period. The snarl and intensity of the music perfectly matches the lyrics, and Mickey sells it with the kind of vocal delivery that only he could. Right from the opening drum kick off, this one just hit's you in the gut, grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Great example of the build and release of tension musically. Even though it's been covered by numerous other artists (most notably The Sex Pistols), and was previously recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders before The Monkees, their version is still the superior one, and still holds up to this day.
"Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
The first of two Neil Diamoind penned songs here, and feature the man himself on guitar. A pleasant enough little ditty, but in pale in comparison to his other offering here. I could do without Davy cooing his affects at the end, though.
"The Kind of Girl I Could Love" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Second Papa Nez track, and this time out he does take the lead, with the rest of the boys handling backing vocals. More featured guitar work from James Burton and Glen Campbell, too. Good, but not necessarily one of his best offerings.
"The Day We Fall in Love" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Almost ever Monkess album features some terribly syrupy ballad sung by Davy, and this is this album's. (Although in truth, he speaks rather than sings it) Just awful. I'm sure back in the day swooning girls would melt over this kind of thing, but now it's the album's glaring weak spot. What's even more perplexing is that it was written by the team of Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, who contributed a far superior track - "Ill Be Back Upon My Feet" - which while recorded, didn't make the record's final cut. It really should have, instead, but the group wound end up revisiting and rerecording it for their 5th album, instead. more on that when we get there.
"Sometime in the Morning" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Following that dreck, however, is a truly exceptional ballad written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, and beautifully sung by Mickey. It's one of my favorite Mickey ballads, let alone Monkees ballads, out of their catalog. My only complaint would be that I've always thought the musical backing track sounded a bit muddy, but that aside, it's still gorgeous.
"Laugh" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Previously recorded by The Tokens, Davy puts his spin on this groovy little track. Decent, but forgettable.
"I'm a Believer" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Pure pop perfection, but upon first being presented with a very rough version of it, Mike Nesmith initially didn't think the song had any potential. Good thing he changed his mind, as it ended up being The Monkees most successful song. Hitting the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last #1 hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling record for all of 1967. It is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. While songwriter Neil Diamond had already recorded this song before it was covered by The Monkees, it's safe to say that their version helped make the then up and coming singer/songwriter's career. Not much more I can say about it, except I always found it an interesting choice to have the biggest single be the last cut on the album. That, and on a personal note, it was also the cake cutting song at my wife and I's wedding.
And that's about that for the album.
Don Kirshner's fate with The Monkees (and ultimate dismissal) came in early February 1967, when he violated an agreement between Colgems and the Monkees not to release material directly created by the group together with unrelated Kirshner-produced material. In other words, for every A-side, The Monkees themselves would have the B-side being a song of their own creation. Kirshner did this when he released "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", composed and written by Neil Diamond, as a single with "She Hangs Out", a song recorded in New York with Davy Jones vocals, as the B-side. While it was only released in Canada, it was quickly recalled. It's a great song, and like The Beatles and other groups of the time, was only ever issued as a single, and never made an album proper. I would have much preferred this making More of The Monkees than Diamond's "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)", but I think Kirshner's ultimate goal would have been to have it on the next album, instead. With his ouster from the group's involvement after this, and given what The Monkees had in mind for their next release, that did not come to pass.
More of The Monkees - Released January 1967, Colgems Records.
Is the second full-length album by the group. It was number one on the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks - the longest of any Monkees album - and spent a staggering 70 weeks total on the charts. It also went to number one in the UK. In the U.S. it has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA with sales of more than five million copies.
Track listing
Side 1
1. "She" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" (Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Sedaka)
3. "Mary, Mary" (Michael Nesmith)
4. "Hold On Girl" (Billy Carr, Jack Keller, Ben Raleigh)
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda" (Diane Hildebrand, Jack Keller)
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart)
Side 2
1. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" (Neil Diamond)
2. "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" (Roger Atkins, Michael Nesmith)
3. "The Day We Fall in Love" (Sandy Linzer, Denny Randell)
4. "Sometime in the Morning" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
5. "Laugh" (Phil Margo, Mitch Margo, Hank Medress, Jay Siegel)
6. "I'm a Believer" (Neil Diamond)
Produced by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Neil Sedaka, Carole Bayer, Michael Nesmith, Jeff Barry, Jack Keller Gerry Goffin & Carole king. Music Supervisor: Don Kirshner.
Group Members - Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith
Session musicians virtually identical to the first release, as many songs were recorded around roughly the same time period. The exception being songs recorded in New york, of which, relatively little to no information is still available about (more on that in a bit*).
Monkeemania had reached full swing by the time the album was released. The Monkees' second single, "I'm a Believer" - released prior to the album - held the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 and they were about to embark on a highly successful concert tour. The songs on the album were selected by musical supervisor Don Kirshner from a total of 34 songs. Although with this album's release, and the circumstance surrounding it, it was the beginning of the end for Kirshner's control and involvement with the band.
The Monkees had complained that the producers would not allow them to play their own instruments on their records, or to use their own material. These complaints intensified when Kirshner moved track recording from California to New York*, leaving the Monkees out of the musical process until they were called upon to add their vocals to the completed tracks. It was a struggle of wills with Kirshner believing he controlled and was responsible for The Monkees sound, and the band feeling they should have more direct input, since they were ultimately going to be judged by what was being put out. In Mike Nesmith's opinion, particularly - if the Monkees were going to be perceived as being an actual band, than they should, in fact, be an actual band, and have far more of a say in what was being released under their names.
Nesmith and Tork were particularly upset when they were on tour in January 1967 and discovered that a second album, More of The Monkees, had been released without their knowledge. The Monkees were annoyed at not having even been told of the release in advance, at having their opinions on the track selection ignored, at Don Kirshner's self-congratulatory liner notes, and also because of the amateurish-looking cover art, which was merely a composite of pictures of the four taken for a J. C. Penney clothing advertisement. Indeed, the Monkees had not even been given a copy of the album; they had to buy it from a record store while on tour.
The climax of the rivalry was an intense argument between Nesmith, Kirshner, and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis, which took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel in January 1967. Kirshner had presented the group with royalty checks and gold records - basically telling them to just "shut up and take the money". Nesmith had responded with an ultimatum, demanding a change in the way the Monkees' music was chosen and recorded. Moelis reminded Nesmith that he was under contract. The confrontation ended with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall and saying, "That could have been your face!"
The team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, themselves very crucial to the sound of The Monkees early period, were also staring to wear out their welcome amongst all parties. Rather than wanting to share what he considered "his" success with them, Kirshner started cutting them out of the process, tending to favor his other stable of singer-songwriters in New York. (They only ended up getting two tracks on the album, while they had worked on many more during the recording sessions) The boys in The Monkees, while they liked Boyce & Hart and their material, felt they, too, were being a little too controlling in the studio. As a result, while The Monkees would still end up recording some of their songs in the future, Boyce & Hart's actual involvement with them would be minimal.
But back to the music.
In Kirshner's defense - for what's essential a somewhat rushed hodgepodge of tracks recorded in different parts of the country, by a myriad of producers, songwriters and musicians - More of The Monkees is an overall decent second album. That's mainly due to the quality of the material contained within it, which includes...
"She" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Kicking off the album with Louie Shelton's guitar whine, "She" is great little Boyce & Hart thumper, also featuring Bobby Hart's organ work and solo. Mickey Davy and Peter also lend some sweet vocal harmonies.
"When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Nice bit of faux Merseybeat sound - the type of which, with his English accent, was tailor made for Davy. He does a fine job doubling his vocal harmonies here, too - something he and Mickey were quite adept at, and would do often on Monkees recordings.
"Mary, Mary" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
The first of two Nesmith composed and produced tracks, it was previoulsy recorded by The Butterfield Blues Band for their 1966 album, East-West. For The Monklees version, Nesmith brought in the crack group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew" (James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon, Michael Deasy and Larry Knechtel) to beef up the sound. He also opted to use Mickey as lead singer, instead of himself, as he felt Mickey gave the track more of what it needed vocally. The song is so groovy, that Run-D.M.C. even ended up covering (and revising it to their own needs, changing some of the lyrics) in the mid 80's.
"Hold On Girl" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Another fine track featuring Davy. A slower version was also recorded, but I prefer the tempo on this one. The keyboard work, although I don't know who it is, is also very nice.
"Your Auntie Grizelda" - Lead vocal by Peter Tork
Marks Peter's first lead vocal appearance on a Monkees album, although that wasn't the original plan. The song was initially conceived as a Rolling Stones styled number along the lines of "19th Nervous Breakdown" (which is clearly obvious, musically), but producer Jeff Barry had other ideas. He instead turned it into more of a comedy vehicle, and gave the track to Peter. Partially, I believe, to give Peter more of a presence on album (his obligatory Ringo moment), and also, I think, because the idea more closely follows the character Peter played on the show. It ends up coming off as what it turned out to be - a bit of a laugh.
"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
One of the albums highlight's, one of Boyce & Hart's best compositions, one of the best "kiss-off" songs ever, and one of my favorite Monkees songs. Period. The snarl and intensity of the music perfectly matches the lyrics, and Mickey sells it with the kind of vocal delivery that only he could. Right from the opening drum kick off, this one just hit's you in the gut, grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Great example of the build and release of tension musically. Even though it's been covered by numerous other artists (most notably The Sex Pistols), and was previously recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders before The Monkees, their version is still the superior one, and still holds up to this day.
"Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
The first of two Neil Diamoind penned songs here, and feature the man himself on guitar. A pleasant enough little ditty, but in pale in comparison to his other offering here. I could do without Davy cooing his affects at the end, though.
"The Kind of Girl I Could Love" - Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Second Papa Nez track, and this time out he does take the lead, with the rest of the boys handling backing vocals. More featured guitar work from James Burton and Glen Campbell, too. Good, but not necessarily one of his best offerings.
"The Day We Fall in Love" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Almost ever Monkess album features some terribly syrupy ballad sung by Davy, and this is this album's. (Although in truth, he speaks rather than sings it) Just awful. I'm sure back in the day swooning girls would melt over this kind of thing, but now it's the album's glaring weak spot. What's even more perplexing is that it was written by the team of Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, who contributed a far superior track - "Ill Be Back Upon My Feet" - which while recorded, didn't make the record's final cut. It really should have, instead, but the group wound end up revisiting and rerecording it for their 5th album, instead. more on that when we get there.
"Sometime in the Morning" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Following that dreck, however, is a truly exceptional ballad written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, and beautifully sung by Mickey. It's one of my favorite Mickey ballads, let alone Monkees ballads, out of their catalog. My only complaint would be that I've always thought the musical backing track sounded a bit muddy, but that aside, it's still gorgeous.
"Laugh" - Lead vocal by Davy Jones
Previously recorded by The Tokens, Davy puts his spin on this groovy little track. Decent, but forgettable.
"I'm a Believer" - Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
Pure pop perfection, but upon first being presented with a very rough version of it, Mike Nesmith initially didn't think the song had any potential. Good thing he changed his mind, as it ended up being The Monkees most successful song. Hitting the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last #1 hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling record for all of 1967. It is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. While songwriter Neil Diamond had already recorded this song before it was covered by The Monkees, it's safe to say that their version helped make the then up and coming singer/songwriter's career. Not much more I can say about it, except I always found it an interesting choice to have the biggest single be the last cut on the album. That, and on a personal note, it was also the cake cutting song at my wife and I's wedding.
And that's about that for the album.
Don Kirshner's fate with The Monkees (and ultimate dismissal) came in early February 1967, when he violated an agreement between Colgems and the Monkees not to release material directly created by the group together with unrelated Kirshner-produced material. In other words, for every A-side, The Monkees themselves would have the B-side being a song of their own creation. Kirshner did this when he released "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", composed and written by Neil Diamond, as a single with "She Hangs Out", a song recorded in New York with Davy Jones vocals, as the B-side. While it was only released in Canada, it was quickly recalled. It's a great song, and like The Beatles and other groups of the time, was only ever issued as a single, and never made an album proper. I would have much preferred this making More of The Monkees than Diamond's "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)", but I think Kirshner's ultimate goal would have been to have it on the next album, instead. With his ouster from the group's involvement after this, and given what The Monkees had in mind for their next release, that did not come to pass.
03-05-12, 05:30 PM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Album By Album Thread - The Monkees
Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) could be one of my favorite alltime pop songs. Just so unbelievably catchy and singable. Davy's delivery is perfect. 
More in depth comments to come.
More in depth comments to come.