Hello Friends,
One of our favorite Monkees songs!
That's a session guitarist by the name of Louie Shelton on those flamenco-style guitar fills!
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Monkees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monkees. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees
The Monkees - "The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees" (1968) - Colgems
Hey Hey Friends,
The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees is the band's fifth album in just two years! With a string of hits under their belts, as well as a hit television series in its second season, what a run it had been for Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith & Peter Tork. Something was bound to give and the overall sound of this record is the sounds of the other shoe beginning to drop!
If Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd was the band's Sgt Peppers, then Birds & Bees is their White Album.
It would be their first album produced by the band themselves and not by Chip Douglas or the Boyce & Hart team. As The Monkees became viewed as more of a legitimate "band" and less of a gimmick (especially on their previous two records), this album ironically finds the boys breaking off into individual factions with each member picking their own material and producing their own sessions. Peter Tork, for some reason, is barely present and, in fact, there are only two songs on the LP that feature more than one Monkee on them: "Auntie's Municipal Court" & "Daydream Believer".
Still its a pretty great (and fun) late 60's pop record with some real hints of some interesting, darker stuff bubbling beneath the surface.
Side One is home to the amazing "Dream World" (Davy Jones at his best), the Dolenz-sung "Auntie's Municipal Court", Jones' sappy "We Were Made For Each Other", Nesmith's psychedelia-tinged "Tapioca Tundra", the beloved "Daydream Believer" and Nesmith's ominious and organ-laden "Writing Wrongs" (which plods along and sounds more like something by early Procol Harum than something by a manufactured bubblegum pop group!)
Side Two falls everso slightly off with the shuffling "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet" (featuring more annoying horns that your average Herb Alpert recording!); another charming Jones composition "The Poster" (a nod to The Beatles "Benefit of Mr. Kite"?); Dolenz's terrifically upbeat "P.O. Box 9847"; Nesmith's old-timey-sounding (no thanks!) "Magnolia Simms" and the album's other hit, the great "Valleri".
The Dolenz-penned and sung "Zor and Zam" closes things out. There's marching band drums, some noodling lead guitar, some booming brass, a strong antiwar sentiment and some psychedelic sound effects thrown in for good measure. By this stage in the game, The Monkees were surely outgrowing their pre-teen audiences.
If you thought this one was a little weird, their next record, the soundtrack to the movie Head, would truly be a mindfuck!
RATING: 4 six o'clock alarms that never ring out of 5
The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees is the band's fifth album in just two years! With a string of hits under their belts, as well as a hit television series in its second season, what a run it had been for Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith & Peter Tork. Something was bound to give and the overall sound of this record is the sounds of the other shoe beginning to drop!
If Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd was the band's Sgt Peppers, then Birds & Bees is their White Album.
It would be their first album produced by the band themselves and not by Chip Douglas or the Boyce & Hart team. As The Monkees became viewed as more of a legitimate "band" and less of a gimmick (especially on their previous two records), this album ironically finds the boys breaking off into individual factions with each member picking their own material and producing their own sessions. Peter Tork, for some reason, is barely present and, in fact, there are only two songs on the LP that feature more than one Monkee on them: "Auntie's Municipal Court" & "Daydream Believer".
Still its a pretty great (and fun) late 60's pop record with some real hints of some interesting, darker stuff bubbling beneath the surface.
Side One is home to the amazing "Dream World" (Davy Jones at his best), the Dolenz-sung "Auntie's Municipal Court", Jones' sappy "We Were Made For Each Other", Nesmith's psychedelia-tinged "Tapioca Tundra", the beloved "Daydream Believer" and Nesmith's ominious and organ-laden "Writing Wrongs" (which plods along and sounds more like something by early Procol Harum than something by a manufactured bubblegum pop group!)
Side Two falls everso slightly off with the shuffling "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet" (featuring more annoying horns that your average Herb Alpert recording!); another charming Jones composition "The Poster" (a nod to The Beatles "Benefit of Mr. Kite"?); Dolenz's terrifically upbeat "P.O. Box 9847"; Nesmith's old-timey-sounding (no thanks!) "Magnolia Simms" and the album's other hit, the great "Valleri".
The Dolenz-penned and sung "Zor and Zam" closes things out. There's marching band drums, some noodling lead guitar, some booming brass, a strong antiwar sentiment and some psychedelic sound effects thrown in for good measure. By this stage in the game, The Monkees were surely outgrowing their pre-teen audiences.
If you thought this one was a little weird, their next record, the soundtrack to the movie Head, would truly be a mindfuck!
RATING: 4 six o'clock alarms that never ring out of 5
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Movie Night: Head
Hey Hey Friends,
Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!
Tonight we got a weird one! Head-- the trippy and incomprehensible 1968 film starring The Monkees!
Head was written and directed by the great Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, The King of Marvin Gardens) and co-written by Jack Nicholson (yes, that Jack Nicholson). It stars The Monkees in various vignettes that tow the line between the avant garde and the absurd.
To be honest, it really doesn't make a lick of sense!
But, who cares?
It features great songs, weird, psychedelic imagery & fantastic cameos, including Dennis Hopper, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa & a giant Victor Mature!
Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!
Tonight we got a weird one! Head-- the trippy and incomprehensible 1968 film starring The Monkees!
Head was written and directed by the great Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, The King of Marvin Gardens) and co-written by Jack Nicholson (yes, that Jack Nicholson). It stars The Monkees in various vignettes that tow the line between the avant garde and the absurd.
To be honest, it really doesn't make a lick of sense!
But, who cares?
It features great songs, weird, psychedelic imagery & fantastic cameos, including Dennis Hopper, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa & a giant Victor Mature!
The songs are, of course, all awesome! "Porpoise Song", "Circle Sky", "Can You Dig It?" & "As We Go Along" are some of the best songs of The Monkees ever recorded!
At some future date, we'll give a proper review to the soundtrack LP but for now we're still trying to wrap our heads around what the hell we just watched!
Anyways, we give this one two raised cocktail glasses!
At some future date, we'll give a proper review to the soundtrack LP but for now we're still trying to wrap our heads around what the hell we just watched!
Anyways, we give this one two raised cocktail glasses!
We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.
(* not really)
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Another Pleasant Vinyl in the Valley Sunday
The Monkees - "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd" (1967) - Colgems
Hey Hey Friends,
We're listening to The Monkees again tonight on Vinyl in the Valley!
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd is the fourth Monkees album and second of 1967. Bucking the trend they started on Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd found the boys once again relying more heavily on studio musicians and outside songwriting contributors. The result, oddly enough, is not only one of their best records, but one of the best records of 1967. Which is nothing to sneeze at!
Great record from start to finish! Not coincidentally, its also the most Nesmith-y of all the Monkees' records with Mike singing lead on five of the thirteen tracks!
Interestingly, we noticed a lot of parallels between this record and The Beatles' Revolver album. From the pencil drawings of the band on the album's cover to the lead-off track, "Salesman" coming off like a deliberate and tongue-in-cheekish response to "Taxman"- Revolver's cynical, George Harrison-penned opener. "Salesman" features Mike Nesmith on lead vocals.
Future star of television's The Brady Bunch, Davy Jones takes over lead vocals on the next track, the very Beatles-sounding rager, "She Hangs Out", written by Jeff Barry.
Nesmith is back with a twinge of country-rock on "The Door Into Summer", which might not sound out of place on a Byrds' record or even on an early Crosby, Stills & Nash album.
Revolver had the Lennon classic, "I'm Only Sleeping"; Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd has the equally amazing, "Love is Only Sleeping" again featuring Nesmith doing some of his best Brit-style singing!
Songwriter, singer and Beatles-pal, Harry Nilsson wrote the creepy "Cuddly Toy" and the Monkees turn it into a British Invasion-sounding classic! Did we mention that its creepy? I honestly think (hope) it might be about a gang-bang...
Nesmith definitely gave a country-feel to Side One's "The Door into Summer" but he goes full out country on Side Two's "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" which predates Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons. Nesmith is hardly ever brought up in conversations about alt-country icons (like Gram Parsons, The Byrds, The Band, The Burritos, etc.) but he was definitely laying some groundwork for the genre on this record. Maybe it had something to do with his goofy wool hats!
Gerry Goffin & Carole King wrote the album's hit single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the band. Producer Chip Douglas takes over bass duties here freeing up Peter Tork to play keyboards. Douglas & Nesmith decided to double-tracked his lead guitar riff modelling after Harrison's double-tracked lead on Revolver's "I Want To Tell You".
Nesmith wrote the trippy, "Daily Nightly" (which would be the Monkees at their most psychedelic until 1968's Head) which once again owes more than a nod and a wink to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" from (you guessed it!), Revolver! (Dolenz sings lead!)
Mike takes his cowboy boots off and puts on his best lounge act to sing on the torchy "Don't Call On Me".
Goffin & King are back to write the album's closer, the fun & frenzied ode to groupies, "Star Collector" featuring Davy Jones on lead vocals and some funky-sounding keyboard sounds courtesy of a recently invented synthesizer by Robert Moog.
Fun Fact kids! Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones Ltd in addition to being arguably The Monkees best LP also has the distinction of being one of the first records to feature the Moog as an instrument. (It appears on "Love Is Only Sleeping", "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector") Here's an interesting article outlining some of the Moog's earliest recorded appearances: Moog: A History in Recordings by Thom Holmes.
Classic record! Probably The Monkees' best!
RATING: 5 Local Rock Groups Down The Street Trying Hard to Learn their Songs out of 5
Great record from start to finish! Not coincidentally, its also the most Nesmith-y of all the Monkees' records with Mike singing lead on five of the thirteen tracks!
Interestingly, we noticed a lot of parallels between this record and The Beatles' Revolver album. From the pencil drawings of the band on the album's cover to the lead-off track, "Salesman" coming off like a deliberate and tongue-in-cheekish response to "Taxman"- Revolver's cynical, George Harrison-penned opener. "Salesman" features Mike Nesmith on lead vocals.
Future star of television's The Brady Bunch, Davy Jones takes over lead vocals on the next track, the very Beatles-sounding rager, "She Hangs Out", written by Jeff Barry.
Nesmith is back with a twinge of country-rock on "The Door Into Summer", which might not sound out of place on a Byrds' record or even on an early Crosby, Stills & Nash album.
Revolver had the Lennon classic, "I'm Only Sleeping"; Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd has the equally amazing, "Love is Only Sleeping" again featuring Nesmith doing some of his best Brit-style singing!
Songwriter, singer and Beatles-pal, Harry Nilsson wrote the creepy "Cuddly Toy" and the Monkees turn it into a British Invasion-sounding classic! Did we mention that its creepy? I honestly think (hope) it might be about a gang-bang...
"You're not the only cuddly toy that was ever enjoyed by any boy
You're not the only choo-choo train that was left out in the rain the day after Santa came
You're not the only cherry delight that was left out in the night
And gave up without a fight"
Side One ends with the groovy and somewhat psychedelic "Words" featuring Mickey Dolenz & Peter Tork on dueling lead vocals.
Side Two kicks off with the loungey, "Hard to Believe" which is basically a Davy Jones torch song. I don't think any other Monkees appeared on this track and, in fact, this is the only song on the record NOT to appear on an episode of their television show!
Nesmith definitely gave a country-feel to Side One's "The Door into Summer" but he goes full out country on Side Two's "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" which predates Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons. Nesmith is hardly ever brought up in conversations about alt-country icons (like Gram Parsons, The Byrds, The Band, The Burritos, etc.) but he was definitely laying some groundwork for the genre on this record. Maybe it had something to do with his goofy wool hats!
Gerry Goffin & Carole King wrote the album's hit single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the band. Producer Chip Douglas takes over bass duties here freeing up Peter Tork to play keyboards. Douglas & Nesmith decided to double-tracked his lead guitar riff modelling after Harrison's double-tracked lead on Revolver's "I Want To Tell You".
Nesmith wrote the trippy, "Daily Nightly" (which would be the Monkees at their most psychedelic until 1968's Head) which once again owes more than a nod and a wink to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" from (you guessed it!), Revolver! (Dolenz sings lead!)
Mike takes his cowboy boots off and puts on his best lounge act to sing on the torchy "Don't Call On Me".
Goffin & King are back to write the album's closer, the fun & frenzied ode to groupies, "Star Collector" featuring Davy Jones on lead vocals and some funky-sounding keyboard sounds courtesy of a recently invented synthesizer by Robert Moog.
Fun Fact kids! Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones Ltd in addition to being arguably The Monkees best LP also has the distinction of being one of the first records to feature the Moog as an instrument. (It appears on "Love Is Only Sleeping", "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector") Here's an interesting article outlining some of the Moog's earliest recorded appearances: Moog: A History in Recordings by Thom Holmes.
Classic record! Probably The Monkees' best!
RATING: 5 Local Rock Groups Down The Street Trying Hard to Learn their Songs out of 5
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Monkees Headquarters
The Monkees - "Headquarters" (1967) - Colgems
Hello Friends,
We got the third Monkees LP on the turntable tonight.
In an earlier post, we listened to the first two records by The Monkees. These two records are highly listenable and fun, but there was still some doubt about who was playing what, who was writing what, etc. By 1967, The Monkees were no longer the "Pre Fab Four" and by all accounts a full-fledged band: writing, arranging and playing their own songs!
If there's any doubt if the Monkees are a "real band" then just listen to the first track, the swingin', Nesmith-penned, "You Told Me."
The fun continues on track's like "I'll Spend My Life With You", "Forget That Girl", "You Just May Be The One", "Shades of Gray", "I Can't Get Her Off of My Mind", "For Pete's Sake", "Mr. Webster", "Sunny Girlfriend", "No Time", "Early Morning Blues & Greens" and "Randy Scouse Git." Jangly guitars, clever lyrics and fantastic harmonies all around! Hints of psychedelia with even subtler hints at late 60's social awareness. The direct influence of the Beatles is hard to deny, however-- "You Told Me" and "Sunny Girlfriend" would sound right at home on Revolver; "Mr. Webster" sounds like a Monkeefied version of "Eleanor Rigby"; "Randy Scouse Git" has a line referring to "The Four Kings of EMI... sitting stately on the floor"; Micky Dolenz even gives a shout out at the end of "No Time": "Rock on George for Ringo one time!"
FUN FACT: Hey kids! Headquarters was produced by Chip Douglas, former member of the Modern Folk Quartet and The Turtles. He wrote the great track "Forget That Girl" for this album!
FUN FACT # 2: Hey kids! In June of 1967, Headquarters was the Number One record on the Billboard charts. Can you guess what album usurped its Number 1 spot? (Hint: It rhymes with "Argent Lepers Roaming Farts Stub Hand"!)
RATING: 4.5 EARLY MORNING BLUES & GREENS OUT OF 5
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Monkee Punch!
Hello Friends,
There's a lot to be said when it comes to the first two records by the Monkees!
On the one hand, there's some really great melodies, some solidly written songs and some really fun, Beatles-influenced bubblegum pop! On the other, music purists might argue that these two albums are more representative of clever marketing rather than artistic music-making. Hmmm?
Here on "Vinyl in the Valley" we'll leave these arguments to the intellectuals because tonight we know what side of the Monkee Bars we're swinging on!
There's a lot to be said when it comes to the first two records by the Monkees!
On the one hand, there's some really great melodies, some solidly written songs and some really fun, Beatles-influenced bubblegum pop! On the other, music purists might argue that these two albums are more representative of clever marketing rather than artistic music-making. Hmmm?
Here on "Vinyl in the Valley" we'll leave these arguments to the intellectuals because tonight we know what side of the Monkee Bars we're swinging on!
The Monkees - The Monkees (1966)
Eleven of the twelve songs on the The Monkees' eponymous debut are written by non-Monkees. Pretty much every track features either Micky Dolenz or Davy Jones singing with a band of session musicians who provide the backing music. It does have the superhits: "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville"; the sappy, "I Wanna Be Free"; the sole Nesmith composition, "Papa Gene's Blues"; and the fantastic, Stonesy, "Saturday's Child" (written by David Gates of Bread fame.)
Plus, I always enjoyed Mike Nesmith's scowl on the otherwise smiley cover photo! What's wrong Mike Nesmith? Is that hat making you itchy?
RATING: 4 itchy hats out of 5
Click for More of the Monkees...
Plus, I always enjoyed Mike Nesmith's scowl on the otherwise smiley cover photo! What's wrong Mike Nesmith? Is that hat making you itchy?
RATING: 4 itchy hats out of 5
Click for More of the Monkees...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)