The Monkees
More of the Monkees
Headquarters
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd.
The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees
Head
Instant Replay
Monkees Present
Changes
The Monkees Greatest Hits
Missing Links
Missing Links 2
Missing Links 3
Justus
Now, I won't concentrate on their TV show, which was successful but lasted only two seasons. It's pretty funny and harmless, from what I've seen. But I'm talking about their music. These poor guys sure were (and still are) blasted by critics and common folk. Complaints: ‘They don't write their own songs.’ Sure they did, although they wrote more toward the end of their career. ‘They don't play their own instruments.’ Here is the biggie. They sure didn't during Monkees and More of the Monkees. Over time, they demanded more musical control, and as a result, played on Headquarters. Then after that, I guess they started doing their individual thing, so they stopped working together as a group and went back to session instrumentalists. ‘That's not even Mike Nesmith's real hat!’ Sure was! A real wool hat!
I'm happy to see that critical opinion of these guys have somewhat gotten better over the years. Heck, even Mark Prindle and George Starostin have tackled these guys! But, one may argue they were the godfathers to every boy band, Milli Vanilli, and American Idol, among other atrocities. It's probably true, never before had a ‘group’ been manufactured by higher-ups aiming for the teen audience. But I'll take the Monkees over any of these acts. Why? 1. The Monkees had much better writers, primarily Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart; whereas N'Sync and Kelly Clarkson would stick to Diane Warren or other schlockmeisters. 2. The Monkees didn't rely on choreographed dance moves and synthetic instruments. 3. The Monkees had more discernable personalities than any boy band members.
As you can see, I have something of a Monkees bias. Started back in junior high: I had acquired every Beatle album I could. So what was the next logical step, I thought? The Monkees. I know, it was somewhat flawed thinking, but I did what I did. So I purchased all the Monkees CD's, the ones reissued on Rhino not too long ago. I'm not as enamored about them now, but I still defend them. And I will forever. Here's a brief description of the members:
Davy Jones- The only non-American Monkee, he hails from Manchester, England. His primary instrument: tambourine/maracas. He was also the main teen idol of the group. I guess that's why he was my least favotie singer. most of what he sings is schlock aimed for 13-year-old girls (“I Wanna Be Free”). I prefer his Broadway-pop tunes (“Daddy's Song”). After all, he did start his career in Broadway musicals.
Micky Dolenz- Besides Davy, Micky was the main Monkee. His voice was very commercial, and graces most well-known tunes (“I'm a Believer”, “Last Train to Clarksville.” Primary instrument: the drums. He actually had to learn them quickly before filming shows. He never was a great drummer, but it worked. He was more of an actor than a musician at first, but he eventually took to songwriting.
Michael Nesmith- My favorite Monkee. The most musically talented Monkee, he also was the most outspoken. He wanted musical input from the start, and he would get it. It was mainly because of his efforts that there was a Headquarters. He hailed from Texas and brought a country flavor to the group. He ended up concentrating more on a solo musical career as the Monkee years wound down. He did leave right before Changes and recorded some artistically successful country-rock albums.
Peter Tork- Oh, we all love an underdog. Peter did try the folk musician scene before his Monkes stint, and could play several instruments. Mostly, he contributed keyboards to the group. The poor guy never had much of a singing voice, much like Ringo Starr. He got shafted for most of the first albums, save “Your Auntie Grizelda.” He loved Headquarters very much, he loved working as a group. After that, his role was once again diminished. Now, he did have some good outtakes (“Lady's Baby”), but ultimately left the group in 1968.
Before I move on to music, lemme just say: Give these guys a chance. Buy their debut album, or if you want proof that they could play instruments, Headquarters. Then you can make your call.
1966
What a fun debut these guys had. Micky Dolenz sings most of the tunes, Davy Jones has a few, and Mike Nesmith handles two songs. The only thing Peter Tork did here was play guitar on “Papa's Gene Blues,” among other guitarists. Actually, he was the only Monkee to play an instrument on this collection. Way to go! Seriously though, these guys didn't have much to do with this record, but it's a great one. I should give props to their many writers here, they had some of the best at the time. Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Jeff Barry, Neil Diamond, Harry Nilsson, and many more. None of these people, however, contributed as much to the Monkees as songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. They wrote a ton of songs for the group, and they produced much of this album.
“(Theme From) The Monkees” kicks things off. It starts out with a drum fill, and the famous ‘here we come’ line that's nearly whispered. It starts out quiet, then it bursts into a joyful chorus. It's not the actual TV show theme, it has more verses and a guitar solo, but it doesn't ruin things. Even bigger was their first #1 “Last Train to Clarksville.” It's an awesome display of everything that's right with this album: a good guitar hook, nice harmonies, and a folk-rock 'American Beatles' feel. It ain't a happy song, though, it's about a young man leaving his girlfriend to go off to war. Only recently did I learn that Clarksville was a training ground for drafted soldiers before they went to Vietnam.
Most of the other highlights here are in the vein of “Clarksville.” “Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day” is exactly the same, but no less fun. “Saturday's Child” is more of a garage-rock stomper, with hilariously awful backing vocals (by Boyce and Hart?). “Take a Giant Step” is a bit more introspective, and I love the vocal overlapping and instrumental part. “This Just Doesn't Seem to be my Day” is more of the same, except Davy sings instead of Micky, and the Eastern leanings in the intro. They're all tons o'fun.
What about Mike's spotlights? They're all great, adding some country to the mix. “Papa's Gene Blues” is a cozy country ditty penned by Mike alone. “Sweet Young Thing” is even better, even though Mike collaborated with Goffin and King, a thing he didn't do often. It's more upbeat and the fiddle rocks out like I've never heard a fiddle do before. Favorite line: 'I know that something very strange just happened to my brain/I'm either feeling very good or else I am insane!' Good description, Nez!
The weak points here are mostly Davy's. “I Wanna be Free” and “I'll be True to You” are both sickly sweet and don't sound good here. I know they might work in the show, when Davy gets all starry-eyed over a cute girl and his slow tunes are played while they fall in love. But without that context, they're both hard to listen to. “I'll be True to You” has a better melody of the two, but then Davy had to whisper towards the end. Yeuch. The worst non-Davy track on here would be “Let's Dance On,” which was probably only written because songs that listed every hip '60s dance were money in the bank. So besides the generic lyrics, Micky's vocals aren't convincing, and everyone seems tired. If I want such a song, I'll go hear “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentry's or “Nobody but Me” by the Human Beinz.
And that's your debut...wait, I forgot something! The hilarious “Gonna By Me a Dog”! The lyrics aren't funny, in fact they're dumb. Stuff like how a dog would be more faithful then a girlfriend. It's a stupid song, and Micky and Davy knew it. What did they do? Hammed it up, like they do on the show. They told dumb jokes like ‘I was playing cards with the natives.’ ‘Oh, Zulus?’ ‘No I usually won.’ It's the most spontaneous track on here, and a good closer. If you come in withough prejudices, you're bound to love this album. It's one of their best.
P.S. The CD reissues on Rhino include several bonus tracks apiece, and they do not affect my album rating. The bonus tracks here are disposable, unless you want early versions of the theme and the dorky “I Can't Get Her Off My Mind.” “I Don't Think You Know Me” is the most interesting, a Mike-produced tune sung by Micky. The drum beat later appeared on Mike's own “You Just May Be The One.”
1967
A bit weaker this time around. The story behind this album is not good. After The Monkees came out and the show debuted in late 1966, the Monkees went out to tour. That’s right, tour. Where they play their own instruments. Whilst on tour, this album was released without their approval. The Monkees themselves were pretty incensed when they learned of the album’s release. They would soon fight for creative control, primarily against their musical supervisor, Don Kirshner.
You might have heard of Kirshner, he was also the guy who took credit for the Archies and apparently had a variety show after that. On this album, he and his cronies handpicked the tracks from many Monkees recordings that were made before they left for tour. As a result, this album feels more disjointed than The Monkees. Whereas the latter had a uniform sound, this had random recordings from different producers. More dorky pop than folk rock, for another thing.
Boyce and Hart are nowhere near as present here, but what they lack in quantity they make up in quality. “She” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” are two of their best tunes ever. “She” follows the garage mold of “Saturday’s Child,” with Micky lamenting lost love with exuberant harmonies. “Steppin” Stone” is even better. The proto-punk speed and Micky’s rich chick put-downs make it worthy of Nuggets. Not surprising that the Sex Pistols and Minor Threat covered it. Micky’s got other highlights on here as well. “Mary Mary” is tight pop-rock penned by Nesmith, who I guess was in a pop mood at the time. Goffin and King’s “Sometime in the Morning” is a beautiful ballad sung tastefully.
And of course, you got your “I’m a Believer.” Not only was the Monkees’ biggest hit ever, it was one the biggest (best?) pop songs of the entire decade. Man, this one cooks. That cheesy organ is great, Micky’s delivery is enthusiastic, and I love Davy’s ‘I’m a believer!’ shout right at the fadeout. But you gotta love the lyrics, the insecurity in the verse leading to the happy realization in the chorus. What teen couldn’t relate to that? And Neil Diamond wrote this? Hmmm, not bad for the guy behind “I Am, I Said.”
Despite the success, all was not well with Peter and Mike. Peter actually gets a vocal spotlight here on “Your Auntie Grizelda.” Musically, it’s little more than a grungy “19th Nervous Breakdown” rip-off, but Peter’s nasal voice fits in just fine. As for Mike, he doesn’t get to shine as much here. He did write “Mary Mary,” but that was more pop than country, which was probably why Micky sung it. “The Kind of Girl I Could Love” dates back from The Monkees sessions, but it pales in comparison to either of his spotlights on that album. Unsurprisingly, Mike and Peter were the most upset, as both were under-represented.
The same can’t be said for Davy ‘Teen Idol’ Jones. Kirshner was no fool, he knew who the teenyboppers liked the most. As a result, we’re subjected to 5 fluff-crap tracks sung by Mr. Jones. Actually, “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” is a winner, with a great pop melody and angsty lyrics courtesy of Mr. Diamond. So there’s only 4 pieces of dung. “Hold on Girl” is at least listenable and has a desperate vibe. “When Love Comes Knockin’ (At Your Door)” is the kind of crap that you’d hear from some pre-Beatles crooner like Neil Sedaka (hey, he wrote it too!). Even worse, the lame “Laugh” is so bad its not even laughable. Even even worse is “The Day We Fall In Love.” I refuse to call it a song, it’s just Davy whispering against ‘pretty’ orchestration. Shame on you Kirshner! Pure exploitation. It may make the teen girls swoon, but it makes the rest of us reach for a barf bag. Yeuchhh.
Overall, More of the Monkees may sound like their debut, but it’s more crass and ‘commercial.’ And Davy’s exploited. Good thing the Monkees got pissed off, or else the albums would get worse and worse.
P.S. Bonus tracks are not essential. Early versions of “Don’t Listen to Linda” and “I’ll Spend My Life With You” may or may not be better than the originals. On the other hand, the early version of “I’m a Believer” sucks. “I Don’t Think You Know Me” sounds more pop and has nice vocals from Peter. Peter is also featured on “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” as a song announcer introducing the instrumental and the fade-out. Haha! The things you do to get heard on a record! It kills me!
1967
First, a little more history. After the More of the Monkees debacle, the Monkees attended a meeting with the higher-ups. It was there that Mike Nesmith lashed out at Don Kirshner for not having enough creative control. Basically, he threatened to quit if the group didn’t get more input. When he was told he wasn’t allowed to quit, he hit the roof. He angrily punched a hole in the hotel wall, yelled how it could have been his face, and ran off. I love that story. Monkees get mad! Well, after Kirshner tried to release a single behind their backs, he was fired, and the Monkees got their wish.
Many feel this is the best Monkees album, and it’s not hard to see why. This was the only time that the Monkees truly worked as a group. Even during their next effort, which I still say is their best, they started to go off in their own directions. But I consider this their 2nd best album, because it has that group feel. Aside from occasional bass parts played by new producer Chip Douglas, French horn, and cello, everything was played by a Monkee.
Were they masters at their instruments? Not exactly. Mike obviously has some chops as a guitarist, and Davy was named the best tambourine player in rock’n’roll back in the day, which isn’t too big an achievement. Peter is a decent keyboard/bass player, but Micky’s drumming ain’t that hot. They were learning new things as they recorded. “Band 6” shows them trying to play the Warner Brothers theme and failing. “Zilch” shows all four of them simultaneously chanting weird lines like ‘China clipper calling Alameda’ and falling apart. Sort of like Making the Band, but not as dumb.
You know what you’re in for in the opening track “You Told Me”, when every Monkee tries to count off. They’re probably mimicking the count-off of “Taxman” on the Beatles’ Revolver. Heck, the song itself has the exact same bass riff as “Taxman”! Comparisons end there; it’s just a cool countrified Mike ditty. Mike had his tonsils removed between albums, and his new voice is more clear. It’s especially apparent on “You Just May be the One”, one of his best early tunes. The drum rhythm is pretty cool (doo, doo doo, dididid!), and you feel a real group effort here. Mikes other tune “Sunny Girlfriend” is the weakest, it borrows too much from the Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now”, and the lyrics are kinda dumb for Nesmith standards.
Mike wasn’t the only one writing songs within the group. Micky and Peter each came out with cool songwriting debuts. Peter didn’t sing on his own “For Pete’s Sake” (it was Micky), but it shows his hippie leanings, and it has a nice folk feel with organ cries all over the verses. Micky’s effort, “Randy Scouse Git”, is even better. It alternates between ragtime-style verses about his trip to Britain and a freak-out chorus (‘Why don’t you cut your hair?! Why don’t you live up there?!’). One of the best songs on here, it was released as a single everywhere except the U.S., and became an international hit.
Davy hadn’t yet taken to writing, but that’s a good thing. He instead sticks to tasteful pop like “Forget That Girl”, which is a big improvement over stuff like “When Love Comes’ Knockin’”. Even better is the moody “Early Morning Blues and Greens”, which in a nutshell describes getting up on dark winter mornings. Cool organ parts, too. Only weak spot of his is “I Can’t Get Her off My Mind”, which is like an even dorker rewrite of Herman’s Hermits’ “I’m Into Something Good.”
For their best true ‘group’ recording, look no further than “Shades of Grey.” It’s a beautiful ballad with every Monkee, save Mike, contributing vocals. The cello and French horn (played by John Entwhistle! Haha, just joshing) add sparse orchestration that isn’t pompous at all. As I said before, this is perhaps the peak of their working together. It’s totally mature and great.
Other tracks include the nonsensical ‘50s- style rocker “No Time,” the decent but oversung “I’ll Spend My Life With You,” and the Simon and Garfunkel-esque “Mr. Webster.” Each of these is sung by Micky, and they’re OK, but not my favorites. But they don’t spoil a great album that unfortunately didn’t silence their detractors. But if you’re one of those types who claimed the Monkees never played their own instruments, you have to get your hands on this baby.
P.S. Yeah, there are bonus tracks. Guess what you get to hear? The group butchering another classic! (“Peter Gunn’s Gun”) Micky and Peter messing around with a French Horn and singing a spiritual! (“Jericho”) A completely stoned Micky working on a new song! (“Pillow Time”) Mike demo-ing his first all-out country tune! (“Nine Times Blue”) And two of their first ‘group’ tracks as well. “All of Your Toys” is one of their best outtakes, a dark pop tune about who knows what. The early version “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” is inferior, as Mike’s vocals are awkward, and there is less energy.
1967
Not a lot of people I know rate this higher than Headquarters. But I shall take my place in the minority here. It’s not quite as much of a group effort; they did play some instruments, but they went back to utilizing session musicians too. In some ways they’re better off like that, especially drumming. Micky must have realized his limited drumming skills, as he gave the job up to ‘Fast’ Eddie Hoh. What makes this a step better than Headquarters is its diversity. It’s certainly the Monkees’ ‘psychedelia’ album, but it also touches on country, lounge, and bossa nova, of all forms.
Not only does Micky not drum, he doesn’t get a lot of vocals on this album. You do hear him on the awesome single “Pleasant Valley Sunday”/“Words”. I think “Pleasant Valley Sunday” took on the point of view of a bored suburbanite who felt he was missing out on the Summer of Love. Whether it is or not, it’s got the most memorable riff in their catalog, and a funny freakout at the end. It deserved to be the Top 5 hit it was. “Words” is almost as great, a bitter tune washed with organ. Micky and Peter trading off vocals in the verses make it worth your admission. So is that middle eight; it was the perfect segue from the moody verses to the angry chorus. It also made the Top 40, I believe.
A lot of Pisces belonged to Mike Nesmith, although he only wrote two songs: “Daily Nightly” and “Don’t Call on Me.” “Daily Nightly” always reminded me of Jefferson Airplane, probably because Micky tries to sound like Grace Slick at parts. It’s standard rock augmented with obscure lyrics and weird Moog synth stabs. Micky sure had fun with that Moog. Some say the Monkees were the first to use a Moog in a rock song. “Don’t Call on Me” was written prior to his Monkee days, and is a decent attempt at lounge. Recorded live in the Pomer House in Chicago! So they say.
Besides those, Nez lends his voice to four other ditties. “Salesman” is a hilarious look at traveling salesman who have to walk ‘110 miles’ and sells ‘secret goods’ (drug dealer, per’aps?). Love that Tex-Mex beat too. “The Door Into Summer” is pensive pop-rock based on a book with the same title which I have never read. “Love is Only Sleeping” sounds slightly similar, but adds some psychedelic effects like echoes and...fizzing champagne? “What am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round” is unabashed country that I wouldn’t like if anyone but Mike was singing. Is that an electric banjo too?
You know things are going great when Davy doesn’t do any schlock. He comes close on the bossa nova “Hard to Believe,” which is probably the weakest track on here, but keeps things tasteful. “Cuddly Toy” sees him going super-sweet and innocent and I dismissed at first. But the words are a bit darker than the happy la-la music. “She Hangs Out” is a different story. I have NEVER sound Mr. Nice Davy sound so raunchy, he turns an innocent tune upside down. There is a good story behind this tune, which I’ll tell later. Finally, the album closer “Star Collector” is a cool tune regarding groupies, and I think Davy would know about those. It’s the most overlong Monkees song to this point, as the Moog goes on and on. It’s not the same Moog sound here, it’s more musical but no less freaky-sounding. Then the guys go ‘Bye bye! Bye bye!’ and it fades out. And that is that.
Oh, don’t forget Peter’s other track! “Peter Percival Patterson’s Pet Pig Porky” is just 30 seconds of Peter using as many P words as possible with that funny lip thing he does. Nice. Pisces is the Monkees’ peak for sure, it takes the Headquarters sound and adds some, ahem, influences. Lots of creativity here. What’s up with the album title, you ask? It’s each member’s Zodiac sign, except Davy shares a birthday with Mike (Dec. 30), so they put Jones instead of repeating Capricorn. You just learned something, my friend.
P.S. Bonus tracks? Only note of interest is the jazz stylings of “Goin’ Down”, with Micky spitting out lyrics at a breakneck speed. “Special Announcement” is another Peter spoken track, dealing with studio tapes or whatever. The rest? “Salesman” with Mike mumbling at the end, “The Door Into Summer” with mellow vocals, “Love is Only Sleeping” pre-champagne, “Daily Nightly” pre-Moog-noodling, and “Star Collector” with more Moog. All useless, unless you prefer any of these to the originals.
1968
This release sparked the beginning of the end for the Monkees; their show was soon to be canceled after 2 seasons, and their popularity was already dwindling. Even their usual writers were moving on. Boyce and Hart were still around, but they had their own solo career by this time (not to mention their Top 10 hit “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight.” Ever heard it? It’s bubblegum-rock that’s too insecure even for the Monkees).
If Pisces only hinted at each member going off in their own direction, this here album confirms it. No two Monkees play together on a track, except “Daydream Believer.” Mike was off experimenting with his music, Peter was trying to get his songs in, Davy was writing crappy tunes, and Micky was happy to get whatever leftovers were lying around. Not quite their White Album, but the basic idea was the same. It makes for an uneven listen.
The biggest hit off here was “Daydream Believer,” which was #1 for a month in late ‘67. It was actually recorded during Pisces sessions, when all Monkees were still working together. Let me go on record and say this is the most overrated Monkees song ever. It’s just sappy Davy sentiment with horrid lyrics. ‘You once thought of me/As a white knight on his steed’? Uh uh. I don’t think so. Davy reportedly didn’t like this song at first, and was dismayed over how many takes was needed (that explains the ‘7A’ banter at the start of the track). Not my favorite Monkee tune by a long shot.
Slightly better is the #3 followup “Valleri.” Even that was only recorded out of public demand. See, an early ‘66 version popped up in the first season of their TV show, and some people were bootlegging it off the TV onto tape. This early version appears on Missing Links 2, and is better than this. I do like Louie Shelton’s guitar noodling, but not the muddy production with unneeded brass. Once again, Davy’s on vocals.
These two are gems compared to Davy’s other spotlights on here. What happened was, Davy attempted to write some tunes with friend Steve Pitts. The results are “Dream World” and “The Poster”, which both suck. It just sounds so naive and happy-sappy that it’s hard to listen to them. And “We Were Made For Each Other”? He didn’t write that, fortunately. It’s even worse; nauseating schlock that should have been left behind when Kirshner was booted.
Oddly enough, Micky hadn’t gone back to songwriting himself at this time. He just sings on outtakes like “I’ll Be Back Up On My Feet.” That particular tune is what “Valleri” failed to be: a good remake of a tune with tasteful brass parts. Some say it’s half-baked, I say it sounds fine. Boyce and Hart’s want-ad tune “P.O. Box 9847” is quite different. Not only the lyrical content, the production. Orchestra on acid, perhaps?? I guess its psychedelic. Micky strikes out on “Zor and Zam,” a weak antiwar tune that tries to cover itself up with an overblown arrangement. And Micky’s Grace Slick tone at the end sucks too.
What about Mike? He was off in his own world. His was a period of music experimentation, far from his country roots. The most grounded of these is “Auntie’s Municipal Court,” a cool guitar-jam piece where he shares vocals with Micky. Elsewhere, he goes into Latin-psycho-pop on “Tapioca Tundra,” the best tune on the album. “Magnolia Simms” is an odd 1920’s send-up with weird effects: record scratching, and only coming out of one speaker. Must have had people sending their record back, claiming it was defective. Ha! “Writing Wrongs” doesn’t work for me, it’s dull and overlong. Not even the fast piano jam is interesting, I’d rather hear Elton John’s “Burn Down the Mission” if I wanted that.
All these tracks add up to spotty, confused-sounding record. Don’t make this your first Monkees purchase. Even worse, Peter Tork is shut out again! He recorded a bunch of tunes for this album, but none made it. It must have been the final straw for him.
P.S. Oh yeah, bonus tracks. More Davy. I don’t want another piece of Jones-Pitts naivete “I’m Gonna Try,” but at least the early version of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” has some bite. The farting Moog on “P.O. Box 9847” sucks, too. Peter has a short, silly nursery rhyme called “Alvin,” but even better is famous outtake “Lady’s Baby.” Frankly, I’m mad this cool jam didn’t make it on the album. Stephen Stills is on guitar.
1968
We have here a soundtrack to their 1968 movie Head, produced by Bob Rafaelson and Jack Nicholson. I won’t tell you too much about the movie, it says to be about the boys trying to destroy their clean image by a series of vignettes. Each Monkee plays upon his stereotype: Peter claims he is the dummy, Davy is that girl-crazy nut, etc. It was a box office flop at the time, probably due to purportedly vague advertising. But now it’s a cult classic in its own right.
Plenty of clips movie abound here. They’re great! They’re plentiful! They’re out of context! That’s right, what you hear ain’t exactly what you’d see. Bob did a great job of splicing together different quotes from the movie. Here’s the best example, from “Poll”: Frank Zappa: ‘That song was pretty white’ leads into Mike saying ‘And I’ll tell you something else. The same goes for Christmas!!’ ‘GASP!’ Brilliant, I tell ya! These clips are separate tracks, and many are great (“Gravy,” “Superstitious,” “Dandruff?,” “Poll”) while the others work better within the movie. But the best is “Ditty Diego - War Chant,” where the Monkees Four chant a little rhyme denouncing their fame with lines like ‘the money’s in, we’re made of tin, we’re here to give you more!’ Why this track was sped up and slowed down a lot on the soundtrack is unknown; it ran at normal speed in the movie.
And the songs? They’re all great, by George! The main theme “Porpoise Song” was written by the do-no-wrong team of Goffin and King. It’s an awesomely mature track with one of my favorite vocal performances from Micky. King also lent a hand to the acoustic tune “As We Go Along,” marred only by Micky’s oversinging at parts. And Peter was extra productive, with two tracks!!! This was his last effort with the Monkees, and he makes it count. The Eastern-tinged “Can You Dig It” lets us know where Peter’s mind’s at, even though he let Micky sing instead. “Long Title: Do I Have to do This All Over Again” is a cool jam-rocker. Even Davy’s song works: his Broadway rock on Nilsson’s “Daddy’s Song” is jolly good. Dumb but catchy.
The only misfire is on Mike’s “Circle Sky.” It’s one of his best rockers ever, and one of his most frustating. The movie showed the boys energetically performing it live, and it’s absolutely perfect, no doubt their best live performance. But Mike instead put a studio version on here, which he’s never been able to perfect. It does rock out, but the vocals suck! Was Mike not in the studio when he sung ‘em? The alternate mix on ML3 has better vocals, but no ‘lectric gee-tar. Go figure.
But anywho, you gotta go see the movie! It’s a total trip! And where else can you see avantgarde rock icon Frank Zappa, Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, boxer Sonny Liston, and football great Ray Nitschke all in one film? If you can find another film...well, you’re lying!
P.S. Bonus tracks aren’t too bad. The awesome live cut of “Circle Sky” is worth the admission alone. Alternates are of Tork singing his own “Can You Dig It” and “Daddy’s Song” as sung by Nesmith(!) You get to hear the guys work on “Ditty Diego,” the movie clip “Happy Birthday,” and a deliberately confusing radio promo for Head.
1969
The Monkees take a step back here. As one can tell on the album cover, Peter Tork was no longer a Monkee by this time. His last involvement in the group was on the ill-fated TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee, made months after Head. I know nothing about this special, but I must not have missed much. Peter then left the group to stake it out on his own.
As for the rest of the guys? They kept toiling in vain, without their TV show and without much popularity. This happens to be their weakest album to date. It’s filled to the brim with outtakes and weak new tunes. What’s worse, the outtakes are mostly better than the new tunes. And there’s an overall feel of malaise here. Each song here is unhappy and pessimistic. Reflecting their moods, I guess??
Big disappointment: Mike doesn’t have a good tune on here. Wha?! There’s Goffin and King’s “I Won’t be the Same Without Her,” but that dates back to Monkees sessions, doggone it! It’s actually a fine ballad with good vocals and the same drumbeat that propelled “I Don’t Think You Know Me” and “You Just May be The One.” The other two? “Don’t Wait For Me” and “While I Cry” are both disappointingly straightforward. “Don’t Wait For Me” is from the Nashville sessions, and is much weaker than similar songs like “Propinquity” and “Some of Shelly’s Blues.” “While I Cry” is just plodding country.
What about Micky? He took to writing again, but you can see why he stopped all this time. “Just a Game” just sounds awkward in every way. Weird delivery, rhythm, and backing instruments, it doesn’t cut it for me. But in terms of badness, it does not touch “Shorty Blackwell,” one of the biggest pieces of crap to ever come from the Monkees catalog. Self indulgent and blathering, I dunno if its inspired by Sgt. Peppers or what, all I know is that is five unlistenable minutes.
Micky’s better off with outtakes here. Well, not exactly with “Teardrop City.” A Boyce-Hart-penned ‘66 outtake, this completely flopped as a single 3 years after being recorded. It’s the same as “Clarksville,” except drenched in whiny self-pity. No, Micky’s only really good spot here is another Boyce-Hart leftover “Through the Looking Glass.” It has the same orchestra-on-acid feel as “P.O. Box 9847,” and is just as good.
And then there was Davy. He’s found a new writing collaborator in friend Bill Chadwick, and they contribute “You and I.” It’s miles ahead of crap like “Dream World,” as it deals with the end of a relationship, and it rocks. That’s right, a Davy song rocks. You can thank Neil Young for supplying the biting guitar parts. What else? Well...’ve tried to hate “Me Without You,” Boyce-Hart’s “Your Mother Should Know” rip-off, but it’s so dorky its endearing. “A Man Without a Dream” is so-so MOR. But yes, he’s still got saccharine up his sleeve. “Don’t Listen to Linda” and “The Girl I Left Behind Me” are much slower and inferior than their early counterparts.
But whatever, the Monkees were completely falling apart as a group at this time. They show up on TV shows together, but they’re working by themselves. This wasn’t the end of the rope, as they thankfully had one more decent album up their sleeve. But things sure looked dismal on this album.
P.S. Yep, bonus tracks. Throw out the brass-filled alternate of “Through the Looking Glass” and the pile-every-instrument-as-possible cut of “Me Without You.” Toss an undeveloped “Rosemarie” and the dull “Carlisle Wheeling”; both of these would reappear in superior versions on Missing Links. Keep the Davy tracks if you want: “Smile” is a not-so-icky Davy ballad, and “Someday Man,” a good anthem that stalled on the charts. Be sure to keep Mike’s “St. Matthew,” a Dylan-inspired country-psycho tune.
1969
And so the Monkees carried on without Tork. At least this album isn’t as depressing/poor as Instant Replay. It’s good to know they weren’t completely on a downward slope creatively, even if they were so as a group. By this time they were playing in half-full venues and barely getting along with each other. It goes without saying that they once again did each song independent of one other. Only 3 of these tunes were penned by outsiders, too.
This was to be Mike Nesmith’s last album, as his musical ideas were getting more and more abundant. He peaks here with the brilliant “Listen to the Band,” which only did slightly better as a single as “Teardrop City.” As the story goes, Mike took his tune “Nine Times Blue,” reversed the chords, and added new lyrics. It may or may not be true, but I sure don’t care. I’ll take it as Mike’s swan song, reflecting on the group’s lack of popularity (‘sings a song, and no one listens’) and carrying on without him or Tork (‘tell them they can live without her’). At least I think. But its upbeat feel and nice horn section make this the best tune on the album.
Mike’s other efforts are no slouch. “Good Clean Fun” is 100% country, down to the fiddle and banjo. But it’s a nice shuffle, albeit not so hot as a followup single to “Listen to the Band.” Mike didn’t write the country-rocker “Oklahoma Backroom Dancer,” but it’s so darn booty-shakingly fun that you I ain’t counting. I am counting for “Never Tell a Woman Yes,” a surprisingly childish and cutesy country tale. What a disappointment, Sir Nez. Tsk tsk tsk.
Micky, however, has written more tunes on this collection than Mike. You heard right, he wrote four to Mike’s three. He luckily stayed away from crap like “Shorty Blackwell,” instead making acoustic ditties better than “Just a Game.” “Little Girl” and “Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye” are harmless but ditty, each with little good things: Louie Shelton’s guitar picking on the former, and the line about ‘sitting there thinking about, sitting there thinking.? “Pillow Time” is weaker, a boring lullaby that worked better on Headquarters, when Micky was stoned out of his gourd. “Mommy and Daddy” is completely different, a rare stab at social commentary disguised as a kiddie tune. It’s not too shocking, but it’s a change of pace for Dolenz, and it’s his 2nd best written tune behind “Randy Scouse Git”.
What about Davy? He’s still with Chadwick, but they didn’t come up with a good tune this time. “If I Knew” is yet another ‘wanting-to-be-nice-to-the-cute-girl’ piece of sap, but I guess Davy lives for that. Hmmm, maybe Kirshner wasn’t exploiting him as bad as I thought. There is no such excuse for the dumb, artsy “French Song,” which might sound better if the obvious lyrics were sung in French. Besides those, Davy sings on two table scraps from the Boyce-Hart ‘66 sessions. “Looking For the Good Times” is a half-baked attempt to rock out. But it’s a masterpiece compared to “Ladies Aid Society,” the complete nadir of the Monkees’ catalog. I don’t even want to describe it’s crappiness, I can’t find any clean words. Was it meant to be funny? Sure. Is it funny? Hell no. What a complete and utter misfire. Yeuch.
Sorry I had to end this review on a sour note. I still give this a higher rating than Instant Replay because Mike and Micky have better efforts, and while the older outtakes suck (let me once again nail “Ladies Aid”), there aren’t as many. After this, Mike left to pursue a successful solo career, more so artistically than commercially. And they left poor Micky and Dave to fare for themselves, which would prove fatal.
P.S. OK, bonus tracks. Do you need Davy reciting some poem called “The Good Earth,” a horn-less “Listen to the Band,” or a useless radio promo? I didn’t think so. The alternate of “Mommy and Daddy” tries too hard to shock, with added lyrics concerning JFK’s murder. Mike’s “Calico Girlfriend Samba” is an amusing throwaway, ending with Mike warbling about going back to Rhode Island. As ALF would say, ‘Ha!’
1970
Uck, me no like. Oh no. Things are so bad now, only Micky and Davy were around to finish up their contract to Colgems Records. Since no one gave a flying *forgive me if I hesitate* at this point, they were sent to some hack writers and producers for material. And since these hacks were in the bubblegum business (in fact, one of them was teen idol Andy Kim), bubblegum we get. Davy once said something like how this was basically an Andy Kim album with Monkees vocals instead of Andy’s. He’s probably right, it’s all generic Bobby Sherman-esque poo. And I won’t defend it, even if fellow reviewers Prindle and Starostin did so.
There are a few highlights. If not, I’d hand out a 3 or even a 2. “Oh My My” was their attempt at a single in vain. It’s actually sorta funky, in a white-bread way, with good vocals from the Mickster. I wish I could say the same about its flipside “I Love You Better,” but alas. Similar backing, vomit-inducing lyrics like: ‘I once went with a history teacher (lum doo lee la dee day). I really tried, but I couldn’t reach her (lum doo lee la dee day).’ I don’t usually cringe during a song, but...
Two other tracks are listenable, the ones that weren’t by said hacks. “99 Pounds” dates back to Kirshner’s final session with Davy. It actually kinda rocks out, surprising considering Kirshner’s exploitation ways. Similar to the Beatles’ Larry Williams covers. “Midnight Train” is a Dolenz track, but the better version is on Missing Links 3. I don’t care if it was a demo, the lyrics were funnier there.
So there’s one good song, one half-good one, and two decent tracks. That’s the best she gets. Everything else is soul-less and faceless to the core. Some are just painfully generic (“You’re So Good To Me”, “It’s Got to be Love”, “Tell me Love”, “Do You Feel it Too?”), and some are unlistenable (the endless “Ticket on a Ferry Ride”, “Acapulco Sun”, and the nadir “All Alone in the Dark”). Oh, did I forget “I Never Thought it Peculiar”? Well, the only difference is that it’s yet another Boyce-Hart ‘66 leftover, and it’s as bottom-of-the-barrel as you can get.
And there it is, the end of the Monkees career. Going out with a whimper. Don’t get this album unless you’re a fan. Even so, you might have a hell of a time finding it. Rhino reissued it, but you’d have to order it or something.
P.S. Bonus tracks? Who cares? “Time and Time Again” is a dippy Davy ballad that sounds OK after the crap before it. “Do It in the Name of Love” makes me smile, because it reminds me of a friend who thought it was the funkiest tune ever. “Lady Jane” is very dull and feels longer than it is. The last two tracks have Micky and Davy sharing vocals, something kind of rare. For what it’s worth.
1995
Let’s get things straight. Lately there have been several different Monkees greatest hits and box sets being released. And this particular Greatest Hits CD of which I speak came out in 1995, when Rhino was reissuing all the other Monkees albums. I don’t have this anymore, but I give it a high rating because it has all the hits, and works best for those who don’t want to delve too deep into the Monkees’ discography.
As is expected, all of the Monkee tunes the casual listener would know are on here. These include “I’m a Believer,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Valleri.” Some are in shorter single edits, so they might be different from their album counterparts. But I wouldn’t know, there are only six songs I will talk about, because none of them made it to any other album.
“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” was the successful follow-up to “I’m a Believer,” even though it just missed #1 (behind some Frank Sinatra tune). Like “I’m a Believer,” this song was composed by Neil Diamond, and it even sounds like a rewrite of his own “Cherry Cherry.” But it’s still a nice tune, with Davy sounding like Neil on vocals. Of course, this came from the infamous final sessions with Kirshner. When he issued this as a single along with some other tune from said session without consent, he was ousted as music supervisor. But he did recover to cash in on the even more pre-fab Archies.
Now the real B-side of that track was “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” No other track in the Monkees catalog has such a victorious. Yes, they did play instruments on this one, and it’s great. Even though Mike wrote it, it was a good idea to let Micky sing on this decidedly commercially track. It’s PPP (Pure Pop Perfection) in every way, from the confident performance to Peter’s harpsichord parts. Oh, and when Mike does come in as a vocal counterpart to Micky in the last verse, that could very well be their finest moment as a group. I know I’m going on, but this is one of their absolute best pop songs.
Then you have your “D.W. Washburn,” which managed to crack the Top 40 in mid-1968. It’s one of their worst singles, a horrid retro exercise where Micky hams it up. “Listen To the Band” and “Porpoise Song” should have charted higher than this. It’s B-side “It’s Nice to be With You” isn’t any better, more nauseating schlock courtesy of Davy. Closing things up is their 1986 comeback single “That Was Then, This is Now” and “Heart and Soul” from their 1987 Hindenburg Pool It! Both are horribly dated and have nothing to do with the Monkees. At least “That was Then” has some nostalgia, and nearly hit the Top 20. “Heart and Soul” is absolute dog doo, bad enough to deter me from ever getting Pool It!
As I said before, there isn’t much here that isn’t already on the albums. But it’s good for the casual listener who just wants hits. For those more adventurous but frugal, you can settle for the 2-CD Anthology or the box set Music Box. They mostly have the good stuff from the albums.
1987
Here’s the deal with these Missing Links compilations: the Monkees had all kinds of alternates and outtakes that never made it to albums. Some ended up as bonus tracks on the reissues, others made it onto the Missing Links series. And some made it on both. Oddly enough, two of these ML‘s were released before the massive reissuing of Monkees albums. So overlaps are inevitable. But there are so much here, coupled with a strong presence of Davy, that makes this the weakest of the three.
Let me point out that I know I have sort of a bias against Davy. I much prefer his Broadway-influenced tunes than his sugar-sweet ditties. “If You Have the Time” is of the former, and sounds very similar to “Daddy’s Song,” but still a nice track. “Party” and “War Games” are self-penned attempts from BBtM sessions, but are a tad better than “Dream World” and “Poster.” I even prefer “War Games” to “Zor and Zam” at times, because the anti-war slant doesn’t sound so forced. “Storybook of You” is dull dull dull, and Goffin-King’s “So Goes Love” sounds way too close to ‘60s MOR for me. “My Share of the Sidewalk” is very bizarre: the only Nesmith-written song sung by Davy, and in an odd jazz tempo with a fluctuating rhythm. It’s unique, and great.
As I said before, there are too many alternates that are repeated as bonus tracks on the albums. The early “I Don’t Think You Know Me” has Mike instead of Micky on vocals; “All of Your Toys” has a bit more effects than on Hdqtrs; “Lady’s Baby” eliminates the cooing baby and has smoother vocals than on BBtM; “Time and Time Again” is identical to the one on Changes, except with Tinker Bell sound effects added on. These are all petty differences, and I could live without any of them.
But hold up! Some alternates here are the best versions of their song! Remember when I said I didn’t like “Carlisle Wheeling” on Instant Replay? This here arrangement is much more vibrant, yet more plaintive. It really brings out the introspective lyrics, which I feel are among Mike’s very best he’s ever penned. Elsewhere, Nez’s “Nine Times Blue” has a full-out country arrangement that differs from the folk reading it got on Hdqtrs. Micky’s jazz attempt “Rosemarie” seems to be more of a song here than the Instant Replay track. Not that it’s much of one as it is, but this doesn’t feel like a demo.
The rest come from the ‘66 sessions. Nesmith handles vocals on “Of You,” an excellent slice of folk-pop reminiscent of Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face” at parts. “Teeny Tiny Gnome” is neither funny nor awful, just...bizarre. I don’t think it’s a Boyce-Hart song, they never wrote drug-related tunes. They did pen “Apples, Peaches, Bananas, and Pears,” which is both funny and horrible. This “Clarksville” clone must not have been taken seriously, I hope. Hey girl, he loves you so much, he’ll give you fruit! How could you resist? Oh well, it’s the weakest ML, but not the last.
1990
Second time around, better than the first. The only superfluous tracks are Mike’s “St. Matthew” with normal vocals instead of echoey ones on Instant Replay, and the live cut of “Circle Sky” from Head. Most of the others are earlier versions of later songs. Some of these early cuts actually made it on the TV show, like “Valleri” and “Words.” Besides these, the album is dominated by Mike instead of Davy. Now you know he is my favorite Monkee, so that’s a plus for me.
Mike was unarguably the most prolific Monkee in the later years. His Nashville sessions are very legendary in Monkees circles, although only “Don’t Wait For Me” and “Good Clean Fun” made it onto record. Until now. ML2 includes “Some of Shelley’s Blues” and “The Crippled Lion,” fine country ballads that beat the tar out of “Don’t Take the Girl” or other modern country drivel. Elsewhere, the story-song “If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again” is a bit too close to the country I don’t like, but at least Mike didn’t write it. “Michigan Blackhawk” shows country-rock at its beginnings. But the best Mike song on here could be “All The King’s Horses,” a kick-butt punk(?) rocker from his very first session in ‘66. I don’t know, it’s always reminds me of the Ramones for some reason.
What about the early outtakes? Well, a lot of these are debatable. See, I’ve heard many say that the ‘66 alternates of “Words,” “I’ll be Back up on My Feet,” and “You Just May be The One” are better than its album counterparts. To this I say piffle. “Words” is less emotional and driven, “I’ll be Back up on My Feet” sounds uninviting with no brass and bad vocals, and Mike’s “You Just May be The One”? It was one of their best ‘group’ efforts on Hdqtrs, but the studio-guys version is unmemorable. Plus, early cuts of “Hold on Girl” and “Mr. Webster” are way too slow and dramatic (esp. “Mr. Webster”).
Now if you say “Valleri” here is better than the original, you’re on to something. This version was featured on the TV show, and the public loved it. Some radio DJ’s taped the song off TV and played it on the radio. To prevent bootlegging, the Monkees cut a different version in late ‘67, which became a hit. But here, the song feels fresh and a bit slower. No brass either! And I much prefer the first take of “I Wanna be Free,” as it has a folk-rock feel and a good vocal duet with Micky and Davy. But there was that pre-teen girl audience, and so this song would be reworked for them.
Rounding things up is a dorky Jones-Pitts tune “Changes,” which is more Wayne Newton than Davy Jones. “Do Not Ask For Love” is odd, a normal love song written in Medieval style and sung well by Micky. Peter comes up with the genial “Come on In,” which you’d like if you liked “Lady’s Baby,” which you should. Tork also takes up the banjo on the short instrumental “Seeger’s Theme.” and we close with an a cappella rendition of the Spanish Christmas carol “Riu Chiu,” which I’ve sung in choir before. Overall, a step above Missing Links, mostly due to Mike.
1996
The final edition in the Missing Links series. They’re really cleaning house this time, as we have 24 tracks. Then again, five of them are bumpers/themes from the show, so never mind. Except hey! Not a lot of alternate mixes here! A whopping 14 never-heard-before tracks! More than the 9 on ML, and 10 on ML2. Yet they’re not always high quality, so the rating stays at 7.
ML3 kicks off with the real Monkees theme, the one-minute long song that was on every episode. I’ve always preferred this to the long version on Monkees, and I’m glad it’s on CD. Then we have a musical ad for Kellogg’s, one of probably many of that sort. There are also two amusing “We’ll Be Back in a Minute” spots from the show. The final track is the Monkees theme sung in Italian, due to that pesky law in Europe of having American themes sung in their native language.
What about alternates? Only five here, and most are good. The early runthrough of “Through the Looking Glass” is straightforward; if you didn’t like the psychedelia on Instant Replay, you’ll like this ‘un. I prefer the acoustic demo of “Midnight Train” to the one on Changes, because of good harmonies between Micky and sis Coco and better lyrics (‘kick your head from here to hell’). “Zor and Zam” appears here in a longer cut that lacks Micky’s Grace Slick put-ons and bombast, and that ain’t bad for me. Mike’s “Circle Sky” adds to the frustration: he’s never been able to make a perfect studio version of his best song! This has better vocals than the Head one, but lacks the electric guitar to push it forward. Urg!!!
Here is where you’ll find the controversial early cut of “She Hangs Out.” Cut during Kirshner’s final session, Kirshner issued the “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You”/“She Hangs Out” single prematurely, and was fired for it. This version is so darned timid, you can see why the boys raunched it up for PACJ. So now you know why I consider the PACJ version a big middle finger to Don Kirshner.
On to the real outtakes, Nez once again is the most productive here. Three more songs from the Nashville sessions are present, including his best country ballad “Propinquity.” In a perfect world, this would be on IR instead of the similar but weaker “Don’t Wait For Me.” Then there’s “Hollywood,” that sounds like a inferior prequel to “Good Clean Fun.” “How Insensitive” adds a little Latin to the Nashville proceedings, but isn’t interesting. Non-Nashville tracks include the surprisingly funky “Little Red Rider” and the bluegrass cover “Angel Band.” But why is “Angel Band” credited to Nesmith?? The Stanley Brothers’ version on Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? was recorded in the 1950’s, and was better! Maybe just a typo.
Micky’s tracks are mostly hit-and-miss experiments in other styles. He simply doesn’t have the chops to do “You’re So Good,” a soul tune rendered unsoulful by the Mickster. He does better wailing on the organ-flavored R&B of “Steam Engine.” Listen to the chorus, and tell me the Who didn’t rip it off years later! I won’t tell you which Who song I’m talking about. “She’ll Be There” is an acoustic track augmented by Coco’s Everly Brothers/Mamas & Papas harmonies. “Shake ‘Em Up” is a retro failure that’s even more crappy than “D.W. Washburn” (ouch!).
Oh, then there’s Davy. His only stinker here is the happy-go-pukey “Penny Music.” He’s much more convincing on “Look Down,” which totally out-souls “You’re So Good.” and that’s Carole King on back-up vocals! Hi Carole! “Love to Love” is another Neil Diamond tune from Kirshner’s Last Stand, and it’s good pop-rock. But surprise, surprise...my favorite tune on here is graced by Peter Tork! Nooo, not the dull circus crawl of “Merry-go-Round.” I’m talkin’ about “Tear the Top Right Off my Head,” an all-out rocker that wasn’t on BBtM (urg!). I love the mellow verses that give way to utter chaos in the chorus. See, Tork was vastly underrated by everyone! But it’s probably his last say. I think there aren’t any more Monkees outtakes left. Oh well.
1996
Now, don’t be fooled into thinking this is the 2nd Monkees reunion. When Monkeemania had another moment in the mid-’80s, Mike Nesmith had no part in it. He didn’t tour with the Monkees, nor did he appear on the disaster Pool It! This here album is probably the only true reunion of the Monkees. They played every instrument, wrote every song, and are credited as producers. Not even Headquarters could boast such accomplishments. Justus has to be better, right?
Ehhh...no. Father Time was not kind to the Monkees. Everybody’s songwriting skills have gone south, as every Monkee but Davy has an abysmal song here. Their voices have all hit the skids, they all sound cranky and bitter. Well, Peter sounds the same as before, which isn’t saying much. And the backing? Middle-aged pop-rock with horrid stabs at metal. Heck, most of the lyrical matter is middle-aged. Maybe if I were their age, I’d identify a little more. But for now, I just hear arrogant barking and unmemorable tunes.
Mike’s contributions are just flat-out awful! I know he had abandoned songwriting in the ‘80s to take up video directing and other business interests. But did it erase his lyrical chops?? Oooh, the sacrilege of remaking “Circle Sky” into a metal monster with different lyrics. And his barking vocals. Hell, it’s not even as bad as “Admiral Mike.” Dammit, I hate that tune!!!! It’s a complete metal nightmare denouncing some corporate suit with milquetoast terms like 'stupid twit.' Mike let Micky sing, er, bark on this tune, but he’s still held responsible. I just have to shake my head.
Peter doesn’t do too much here, as is usual. His “I Believe You” is a nice-sounding mantra that’s a bit overproduced. He also embarrassed himself with “Run Away From Life,” an awkward piece with ultra-shaky vocals from Davy. Speaking of Davy, his tone on Justus is unpleasant and slightly shaky. That Father Time, what can you do. Davy’s “You And I” is pleasant, yet weaker than the IR classic of the same name. “Oh What a Night” (not the Four Seasons disco song) is unmemorable, and his “It’s Not Too Late” is failed attempt at an epic; it’s way too generic and unconvincing.
Our friend Micky dominates the album. He wrote five tunes here, and sung on the train wreck “Admiral Mike.” But his voice has also disappeared, now sounding like a cranky bark. It works in his favor on the simmering “Never Enough,” which wins for subtlety. “Dyin’ of a Broken Heart” and “Regional Girl” do rock somewhat, but are bogged by lyrics that are either embarrassing (the former) or cantankerous (the latter). “Unlucky Stars” is lame doo-wop, and the ballad “It’s My Life” (not the Animals song, or Talk Talk, or even Bon Jovi) goes in one ear and out the other.
I shouldn’t be too surprised at the failure of this album. The guys never had all-around musical talent to begin with, and they just can’t recapture days of yore. But this album is out of print, so it won’t bother you. I refuse to purchase 1987’s Pool It! I hear it’s even worse than Justus. Think cranky Monkees and synth-backing. It could be the Worst Album Ever.