The Monkees

REVIEW: I took my time before buying the deluxe reissue of The Monkee's debut album, after all, the original Rhino issue is only a dozen years old, with great sound, good liner notes, and a plethora of bonus tracks. Plus, there's something about a double-disc edition of what was originally a brief, thirty-minute running time which screams "over-padded." But finally, given the option of purchasing them on trade, I picked up both this and the sequel and put them in my CD player. First things first, the sound on both the stereo and mono versions of the album are excellent; even better than the Rhino remasters that preceeded them. And surprise, surprise, the mono mix of the album, which comprises the bulk of disc two, is eye-opening; it's punchy, rawer, and more visceral than the stereo mix, and has a somewhat nastier feel than the more mannered stereo mix I've become used to. Worth hearing for the subtle, and not-so-subtle changes in mood. The bonus tracks are mostly culled from previous reissues, as well as the triple-disc Missing Links CDs which Rhino gleefully released between other Monkee projects, but there are a handful of unreleased tracks, the best of which is arguably Mike Nesmith's demo recording of "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" and an interesting alternate vocal of "I Don't Think You Know Me" which features Micky's distinctive vocal in place of Mike's drawling tone. Is this deluxe package worth getting if you already own the previous Rhino recording? Probably not. I can't see myself throwing on the two discs just to compare the stereo/mono differences, and the majority of bonus tracks I already own - the few unreleased gems that show up here are neither revelatory nor electrifying enough to justify paying out full-price again for the same album. On the plus side, the sound is noticeably better, and at most retailers, you can purchase these deluxe, two-CD sets for the price of a single CD. And before I forget, I need to mention that the booklet included in the package is awesome; Andrew Sandoval takes great pains to minutely detail the making of this album, and the completeness and depth he brings to understanding the creation of The Monkees debut album is unsurpassed. I guess this is the price Monkee fans pay for sticking around so long.

REVIEW: More of the Monkees features more of the same careful remastering, documentation, and assignment of relevant bonus tracks as its predecessor, but with less in the way of previously unreleased material, it's even more questionable whether old-time fans will be lured into purchasing this reissued double-disc document of The Monkees sophmore effort. Long-time Monkees fans are well aware of the genesis of More of the Monkees, with the tracks assembled without imput from the Monkees themselves; in fact, the Monkees often have related the story of how they had to go to a local retailer and purchase the album in order to find out what songs had been included. In fact, it was this album that eventually led to the dismissal of Irving Kirshner, the publishing mogul who had created a marketing monster with the Monkees debut disc. But the Monkees, despite their self-righteous anger over having their product pushed without their consent, really had little to be upset about, (except perhaps the atrocious JC Penny clothing they were forced to model on the cover pic), since the album itself is a tight, stylistically varied carbon copy of their first album, with a sprinkling of rockers, ballads, novelty numbers, and the vocal debut of Peter, who had been cut out of the first album entirely! As with the previous re-issue, the mono mix is included on the second disc, and is perhaps the one to hear, since it has a vicious, earthier attitude than the stereo mix, which is highlighted on disc one. For new fans, this reissue will be pure gold, since it collects all relevant bonus tracks on both discs, taken from the previous reissue, as well as individual CDs in the Missing Links collections. Of the two previously-unreleased tracks included here, you'll find a fuzzier early take of "Tear Drop City" included on disc two, and the mono mix of "Ladies Aid Society" on disc one. Again, the liner notes by Andrew Sandoval are dense, literate and easily give the best picture of the creation and fallout of this album of anything I've read before. And the remastering, by studio wiz Bill Inglot, is clear and bright, far surpassing previous remasters.

REVIEW: Even after we've had a remastered edition, a deluxe box set, and a plethora of bonus tracks, Rhino still hasn't finished lauding the masterwork that is The Monkees' Headquarters. Now, in the Deluxe Edition, we get to hear a stunning new stereo mix, a handful of new, unheard bonus tracks, and the dense mono mix as well. Is it worth it? Oh yeah. The stereo separation makes hearing the album an entirely new experience, which, for someone like me whose heard the album several times now over the years, is a revelation. And if you haven't heard Headquarters yet, what are you waiting for? It's a brilliant conglomeration of everything that made the Monkees great - the country/rock/psychedelic/pop influences of each of the band members different muses blend in a unique, and flabbergastingly successful way that defies all logic about how rock bands are supposed to work. And adding to this unlikely mix is the Monkees own surreal sense of humor which pokes its head up on tracks like "Band 9" and "Zilch" which lead away from traditional album tracks and cheerfully skip into MonkeeLand. My only real regret about this release is what's not here - the punchy "Do-de-ron-de-ron"-led intro to "She Hangs Out" isn't found on either the mono or stereo single mixes included here, and while the producers have included a sparkling new version of "If I Learned To Play The Violin" (previously only available on a long-deleted CD-ROM program) the original mix is AWOL. Still, what's here is thrilling, and the liner notes, by Andrew Sandoval, again pull out intriguing facts and stories and theories that are fresh and interesting, and contain a few pictures which I've not seen before. It's strange to think that on the eve of the Monkees being denied entrance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame due to their "illegitimacy" - a reminder of how legitimate they became (and how hard they had to fight for that right) is put into consumer's hands.

REVIEW: I've never been much of a fan of PAC&J as other reviewers seem to be; after the unity of Headquarters, their follow-up album seems to be pulling the band apart stylistically, as well as literally (which was indeed happening behind the scenes.) To some extent, I blame Mike for this - he states unequivocally in the liner notes that he consciously wanted to push the band in a more country-blues direction, and the twangy opening track, "Salesman" immediately points out the more pronounced direction in sound. With Headquarters, the different stylistic bents of each member was synthesized into a unique whole, but for PAC&J, each member of the band (with the exception of Peter) decided to pursue their own musical muses, producing their own tracks with Chip Douglas (who was carried over from the Headquarters sessions), but bringing in their own players, choosing their own songs, and reverting back to Kirschner's model of record producing, but now with the Monkees in charge. The problem is, Kirschner had a golden ear for choosing hits, and the Monkees, despite their many talents, weren't up to his level. The album has many great moments, with "Words", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Cuddly Toy" as well as "She Hangs Out" (in the arrangement that I prefer) and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round" my favorite tracks; but others, such as "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector" injecting dark cynicism into the Monkees cheery blend, and the syrupy "Hard To Believe" and "Don't Call On Me" knocking a star off of the album. Peter Tork also takes a far less visible approach here, with the novelty track "Peter Percival..." being his only solo number. Davy Jones's solo numbers also show him beginning his descent into squishy ballads and treacly dance-hall numbers which clash with the Monkees pop/rock audience. As far as the remastering and stereo mixing goes, this is the first album where the stereo mix sounds too strident to me; I actually prefer the mono mix on disc two, which sounds less distracting than the bright stereo on disc one. The liner notes by Andrew Sandoval contain fine interviews with Mike and Peter as well as Chip Douglas. Again, a fine upgrade from Rhino's previous release, but it's this album that portents the beginning of the end for the Monkees.