Customer Reviews

Extended Versions

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Monkee fans are probably wondering what this c.d. is about. Luckily, I was able to track down a copy. It is a budget c.d. featuring live recordings from the 2001 Tour. The c.d runs for approximately 30 minutes and features 10 songs
1. Clarksville
2. Daydream Believer
3. I'm a Believer
4. Look Out
5. Mary, Mary
6. Goin' Down
7. Can You dig it?
8. It's Nice to be with You
9. Steppin Stone
10. Long Title

The c.d lists No Time for track 10 but it is Peter's Long Title. This song actually sounds edited during the instrumental break - it seems like part of Peter's guitar solo is missing.
The packaging of this c.d is outright horrible. There are absolutely no liner notes - only one picture each of Micky, Davy and Peter on the front insert. But the sound quality is great. In fact, it is a lot better than the Live From Las Vegas 2001 c.d. which was sold during the latter concerts of the 2001 tour. If you can locate that limited edition c.d, you should program the tracks fromthe EXTENDED VERSIONS c.d along with LIVE IN VEGAS to simulate the actual 2001 tour program. This c.d. is a nice item to have for Monkees fanatics

I admit i hadn't heard of this one til I stumbled across it on amazon. The packaging is pretty crappy, plain. The songs themselves are rather good ( vegas show style renditions )as far as the audio quality.

1. Last Train to Clarksville--8/10 decent version, sounds like you d expect, Micky's vocals hold up to the original

2. Daydream Believer--8/10 good Davy has the audience join in for one chorus and at a couple points it sounds like hes getting winded BUT a good version

3. I'm a Believer--7/10 decent, nothing extraordinary, the keyboard backing on this is very good and it stays upbeat, does not stray from the original version

4.Mary, Mary--6/10 the music on this one is very much like its original ( doesnt seem the same w/o Nez tho )the vocals are weak here, Micky sings with Davy (possibly Peters singing too) but Micky sounds like hes singing from the back of a room, it seems like the singing is drowned out

5.I'm Not Your Stepping Stone--9/10 This is a replica of the song when it was done during their 80s tour. Very poppy, 80s rock sound, probably one of the best on this Cd. Micky really pours it on here.

6.Look Out Here Comes Tommorrow--7/10 This happens to be one of my fave Monkees songs so I may be baised here. When its performed here, it sounds more like a country/pop song. The guitar solo steps in where there was an organ/keyboard in the original (Peter playing) which is almost better. During the parts where Davy is 'talking to Mary and Sandra' he goes all out, overly theartrical as only Davy can

7. Can You Dig It?--8/10 Peter Singing??At first I couldnt tell but yeah, its the TorkMan. His voice is not as distinctive in this song as Mickys was but he does a great job.The backup music is pretty much a dead copy of the first version of the song that came out.

8. Goin' Down--7/10 Came out really good. Kinda hard to make out what Mick's saying here, whereas the original song was very clear. I liked this one though it did sound like a Vegas lounge act. Guitar and horns were excellent ( Listen for Micky at the end 'battling with the drums' then declaring "Guess I showed them, huh?)

9. It's Nice To Be With You--7/10 Opens with Davy asking the audience not sing along becuase it throws him off. The vocals are reasonably good here. This is Davys standout performance for this show IMO. He doesnt sing this one as ballad-y

10. THE PACKAGE LISTS THE FINAL TARCK AS NO TIME but it's Peter's Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again--9/10 A more rock-a-billy cover this time a round but for the vocals and guitars he shows he's still got it. He kinda hurries through the lyrics on this one. But hey still a nice cover

All in all I would say buy this.Its a fast , fun little Cd. Runs just under 30 minutes and for LIVE the sound is very good.

"Extended Versions," the live album by the Monkees (sans Mike) is amateurishly packaged and produced. The sound quality varies, but is better than in some live CDs of this type. The music is a strange collection of hits ("I'm a Believer") and obscurities ("Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?") with vocal arrangements occasionally altered from the original versions. Oddly, the track listing on my CD did not correspond to the actual tracks on the CD. On this CD Micky and Davy both sound strong, but Peter's voice sounds strained and isn't one of the highlights of his career. Some songs you would expect to be highlights aren't, and some of the songs you might not think of as greats are the standouts of the collection (especially "Look Out" and "Goin' Down"). My motivation for buying the disc was obtaining a good quality version of "Goin' Down" live, and on that account this CD is on the mark.

The packaging is off-putting and the production amateurish, but if you want a relatively recent live Monkees performance this CD is a good value due to the low cost, and is recommended to Monkees fans.