Customer Reviews

Anthology

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First off, let me start by saying that I wasn't even born at the time the Monkees fizzled out, and didn't grow up on tv show, and still don't like the tv show very much. And for years I had read all the stuff from the usual Rolling Stone type elitists that the Monkees were nothing more than a soulless, cynical corporate attempt to cash in on the Beatles, and in my musical ignorance I considered all those Lester Bangs wannabes the authorities on modern music, so I believed them unquestioningly. So I never gave them another thought, until a couple years ago a friend of mine whose tastes and opinions I have a lot of respect for told me that she believed that they were an extremely underrated pop group. So since I had a few ten dollar bills to blow,I bought this album out of curiousity, and I have to say she was right. Yes, they were manufactured for a tv show and didn't write or play on most of this stuff, but so what? It's the material that counts, and nearly all of this stuff can compete with the best pop rock of the 1960's. Keep in mind that their outside writers included people like Carole King and Harry Nilson, and many of the session musicians on their records were alumni of Phil Spector's legendary Wrecking Crew and some of the same musicians also played on the Beach Boys and the Byrds mid-60's classics. With writers and musicians of that caliber, you cannot go wrong. Also, these guys ALL had musical experience prior to auditioning for the Monkees(Davy Jones was in musical theater, Mike Nesmith wrote "Mary Mary" for Paul Butterfield and released a couple of solo 45s, Peter Tork was active in the folk scene and was an original member of Buffalo Springfield, and Mickey Dolenz already played guitar and drums)and later on the Monkees rebelled against their corporate handlers, became a real band and did start playing their own instruments on their albums, and wrote a substantial number of their own classics, especially Mike Nesmith. His "Papa Gene's Blues", "Circle Sky", "Mary Mary" and "Listen to the Band" along with Mickey Dolenz's "Randy Scouse Git" are considered classics in their own right and rightly so. Most striking is the sheer diversity of their output, from the Beatles-soundalikes of the first two albums, to Mike Nesmith's country rock to the psychedelic experiments of the EXCELLENT Head soundtrack. Rhino, as usual, has done an excellent job with this compilation. The sound quality and the packaging are stellar. In short, ignore the Rolling Stone types, and give this much underrated band a chance. This collection is an excellent introduction. Also, if you want to REALLY have your preconceptions about the Monkees blown away, rent the movie Head.It was their attempt to basically destroy themselves and their image, and they went about it brilliantly. All the boy bands and the Britneys and Lohans of the world who want to rebel against their corporate handlers could take a few lessons from these simians and learn to do it the right way.

I am a big Monkees fan. I grew up with the Monkees and watched their show every Saturday way back when. I am completely biased with respect to the Monkees. During the era when the Beatles were THE big group, the Monkees garnered a huge following and their albums outsold those of the Beatles. In the face of harsh criticism, the members of the group began writing and performing their own music, and created classic rock.

There are numerous ways to buy Monkees music. Their albums have been available. There are at least a couple of greatest hits collections, a boxed set, and this collection. I have most of the original albums, and at least one greatest hits collection. I find the four disk boxed set to be a bit too pricey for me, and I find this collection to be a happy medium between the greatest hits collections, which are a bit limited, and the four disk box set. I should point out that the box set is much more expensive, at least at the time of this review.

This collection spans the Monkees' career, from the first album to their 1996 release "Justus." The song I love that can be difficult to find collected is the "Porpoise Song" from the Monkee movie "Head." Of course there are the hits, including "Daydream Believe," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "I'm a Believer," and more, more more!

Of course, if you suddenly learn that you love this group from four decades ago, this two disk collection will be insufficient, and you will suddenly need to have the original albums, though most of those have bonus tracks.

The Monkees were a created group. Call them a marketing ploy. Call them whatever you like. But respect them for what they did. They made wonderful, enjoyable music that I continue to play, decades later. This wonderful collection is a great introduction for a new fan, or the only thing you need to own if you are a casual fan. Even fans who must have everything by the Monkees will want this one. What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

I could go on about the music itself, but many other reviewers have done that. So we'll stick with just this collection...and it gets no better than this. Let's just say the Monkees were a great example of the best 60's pop music had to offer, despite their "pre-fab" origins.

Simply put, this is the best, most complete (and then some) greatest hits package of the WAY too many that have been released. 50 tracks in total, all of their biggest hits, prime album tracks and favorite songs from the series. If you are only a casual fan or are merely curious about the Monkees' music, this is one-stop shopping. Probably the only collection you'll ever want or need.

Of course, I recommend further exploration into the Monkees catalog (the first 6 albums anyway) for more gems. If you want the Monkees, skip all the other best-of's and spend the extra. This is the place to start.

As a group the Monkees were neither exceptionally gifted musicians nor did they stretch the boundaries of pop music in the sixties. However, they did leave behind a string of catchy top 40 singles and enough enjoyable album tracks to fill this generous 50-song double disc set.

The story of the Monkees should be well known to fans. In an attempt to cash in on the success of A Hard Day's Night, Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davey Jones (listed in order of musical talent) were cast as a fictitious band for a weekly TV series. The rest--as they say--is history. [A more detailed history is included in the 32-page booklet along with complete info on all the songs--including session musicians. And, yes, Neil Young DID play on a Monkees song!]

The stigma that The Monkees were an artificial band certainly has its basis in fact. Nearly half of the songs on this collection--23 to be exact--include only one member of the band, and that is usually only to handle the lead vocal. In defense of Don Kirshner, the head of Screen Gems, he hired only top-notch studio musicians: Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon, Leon Russell, Larry Knechtel, James Burton, Glen Campbell, and others.

The Monkees also had access to some of the country's top songwriters: Neil Diamond, Boyce & Hart, Goffin & King, David Gates and Mann & Weil, not to mention Michael Nesmith, who wrote some of the band's best material ("What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" "Papa Gene's Blues," "Circle Sky" and "Listen to the Band").

But don't believe everything the Monkees' detractors say. For the bulk of the material included here from Headquarters (their best album) and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, they made limited use of session musicians. These two albums also represented a creative peak for the band. "You Told Me" and "You Just May Be the One" pointed the way Nesmith would go with the First National Band after his departure from the Monkees. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was their best single ever--period. Okay, "Shades of Gray" still sounds schmaltzy, but none of Davey's ballads have held up very well.

All the hits are here--except for "Tapioca Tundra," (a No. 34 minor hit from The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees), and "D.W. Washburn," (the band's final top 40 chart single in June of 1968 until Dolenz & Tork would take "That was Then, This Is Now" to No. 20 in 1986). So, if what you want is a heavy dose of the hits along with the best of the album tracks without forking out big bucks for the 4-CD Listen to the Band, this is what you need. RECOMMENDED

The Monkees Anthology CD set is a great collection. Although there is a boxset out there for around $60.00. This CD set is sound for sound the best investestment for little over $30.00 for 50 of they're best recordings! What impresses me the most about this collection is all four members of The Monkees gets a chance to do their own solo songs. While other singing groups just relies only on one member so sing the hits. The Monkees are backed by some of the greatest songwriters ever check out the talents of Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart,Carole King, David Gates (of Bread), Neil Diamond. And the list goes on. So if your up to the challange try to keep up with Micky Dolenz in the song "Going Down". I can understand why nobody's made a remake of this one. I'm "Going Down" for the count after just the first two verses. A fun CD and the TV series is a genuine treat to watch also.

A great irony is that after all of the Monkees catalog has become available, it should be obvious how diverse their musical output has been, yet the endless comparisons with the Beatles continue. At a remove of over 30 years, it can be seen that the Beatles were at least as "commercial" as any group in history, not to mention the Monkees. And, it can be seen that while Boyce & Hart attempted to emulate the Beatles on the Monkees first LP, the band recorded countless other albums & singles (as well as a wealth of other songs that went unreleased until Rhino rescued them) that went far beyond this original concept. R.E.M.'s early records bear some resemblence to the Byrds, but so what? The best always influence the best. In a nutshell, box sets are too expensive, and far too big to wade through in one or even two sittngs. "Anthology" does the trick. All of the Monkees are showcased within as the author of at least one quality tune, and each has at least one of their more memorable lead vocals included. The highlights from "Headquarters", "Circle Sky" live from "Head", and the showpiece "You and I" from the groups' 1996 album, provide ample testimony of their quality and versatility as a bonafide band. All the best from their critically aclaimed "Pisces" album is there too (-more session men again, but to a lesser degree, and they still perform the majority of their guitars/keyboard accompaniment & backing vocals-), as well as the hits & top "B" sides. With some some superior alternate takes/mixes, and a rarity or so, this one overlooks little within the amount of space two CD's allow. Great booklet(with lots of session info), cool 3-D cover. Anthology is the first truly well rounded collection that you won't need a hand-truck to carry. If you get one, get this one.

Still following the Beatles lead after all these years (and that's not a bad thing) this "Anthology" (unlike the Beatles Anthology series) is not demos/outakes/unreleased tracks etc. It is a nice compilation of singles and stand out tracks which offers the listener more than the single CD "Greatest Hits" and not all the filler that is on the "Listen To The Band" Box Set.

All debate aside, the Monkees for a few years, made a darn good sound which some of it still sounds real good after all these years, which can't be said of most of their contemporaries. I do agree though, with the reviewer who says that the Davy Jones ballad/pop love songs haven't aged well. Even "Daydream Believer" which was one of their biggest hits has 60's pop all over it. However, the Mike Nesmith and Mickey Dolenz songs sound great. Mike comes to the fore on this "Anthology" as a viable musical force (which would in the 70's become a country star)and a confident third lead singer in the group. Such songs as "You Told Me", "Love Is Only Sleeping", and "You Just May Be The One" are pure pop brilliance which stand up today, a true testament to Mike.

As far as Mickey Dolenz, his vocal range is outstanding, and again to agree with another reviewer, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" is their greatest song and puts a big smile on my face to this day (Even though the version here is subpar compared to the "album" version which contains more backing vocals and a more raucous ending). However, the reviewer who even compared him to and knocked Paul McCartney is off his rocker (to put it nicely). Dolenz is the best voice in the Monkees, but their is only 1 Sir Paul!!

Back to the "Anthology", some songs like "Laugh", "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love", "DW Washburn", "Tear Drop City", "Regional Girl" (from the reunion "JUSTUS" album in 1996), and the superior TV version of "The Monkees Theme" should all be here, but that is only a minor gripe. Enjoy this box for what it is, some great pop songs (some of which stand up nicely) by 4 guys thrown together, who themselves were the Monkees look, feel, and eventually sound! Thanks Davey, Peter, Mike, and Mickey for creating some lasting joy and making a legitimate band out of nothing at all!

Okay, so this band was cynically manufactured by television executives and relied a good deal upon session musicians and outside songwriters for material. But the fact remains that this band recorded some of the best (and even most ambitious) songs of the late 1960s. Mike Nesmith, for one, wrote a great deal of his own material and proved to be an enormous songwriting talent. His songs cover the gaument from folk-rock ("You Just May Be The One") to psychedelia ("Auntie's Municipal Court") to country-rock ("Listen To The Band", "Good Clean Fun"). Mickey Dolenz displays a knack for demented vaudvillian-styled pop in his own compositions ("Randy Scouse Git", "Mommy And Daddy"), songs that hardly constitute for "bubblegum" in subject matter or content. Plus this band covered a great deal of songs that buck romantic themes altogether ("Pleasant Valley Sunday", "The Door Into Summer", "Porpoise Song"). It must be said, though, that the band's finest song (the jazz-soul-rock fusion "Goin' Down") was a group-penned B-side! All of this proves that, underneath the teenybopper hits, lied a great deal of sophisticated music that any band would have been proud to record.

Even though I've heard every one of this 2-CD release's fifty tracks like a zillion times before, if I'm in the correct frame of mind, I can still get plenty from this timeless made-for-televison bubble gum band's repertoire. Part of the fact might have to do with the fact is I haven't heard all THESE cuts in years. All your Monkees favorites are here, and then some. Tunes like the "Monkees Theme Song", "Last Train To Clarksville", "Saturday's Child" (one of my personal Monkees faves), "Sweet Young Thing", "Mary Mary", the single edits for "Steppin' Stone" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" plus too many more to list here. An absolute must-have. Would make a great gift. Quick footnote: remember the song "For Pete's Sake"? Some fans I've come across still don't recall that cut right off hand. It was the TV's show closing theme for the second season.

"Anthology" is the perfect Monkees compilation. It's extremely difficult to limit The Monkees' contribution to popular music to only one disc. This collection contains not only all of the hits, but the essential album tracks as well. It also covers their entire 30-year recording career. Music Box is great for the die-hard fan, but "Anthology" deserves a spot in every music lover's collection.