Customer Reviews

The Monkees: Season 1

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What do you actually get for shelling out this much money?

Here are the good things to say about this set, and Rhino's work on it:
1. They actually released it, and it has all the episodes of the first season included in order, with the original songs, and in vibrant color. This earns it most of the points, and is the only real reason to buy this.

2. It includes commercials, and the pilot episode with Boyce & Hart singing the soundtrack, and text trivia screens about each episode.

Here is what I see wrong with this set in no particular order:
The commercials and Boyce & Hart pilot are pretty bad quality copies. The box set video, while mostly vibrant throughout, still includes dust and hairs sometimes. The audio quality never gets above mediocre, and sometimes is either tinny and harsh, or muddy and mushy. The Rhino Monkee audio CDs sound terrific, as do most Rhino CDs. I have not been at all impressed with any Rhino audio on other DVDs so far, and these DVD 5.1 soundtracks are worthless--and the mono isn't much better. Why couldn't they have just done a decent plain stereo mix from the master tapes Rhino had access to for all the Monkee CDs?

I agree with a previous review comparing what was done with the old Beatles Anthology audio and video, and should have been done on this set. The volume levels are all over the place in this set too. The dialog is mostly quiet so you crank it up to hear, and then the romp music is too much louder. But what is really bad, the menu music level just blasts in comparison to the episodes. So, because you can't just set it to play all the episodes at once, the menu comes back after each one and you turn it down while the menu plays, then turn it back up for the episodes, and so on, very annoying.

No commentary from Dolenz, but if he had as little to say as what is included from the others, we're not missing much. This is some of the most boring and uninformative commentary you will ever sit through. As implied in other reviews, basically any of us could have given these commentaries (many of you much better)--and we weren't even there! You may as well say there is no booklet either, something this small and uninformative in a set this big, at this cost, is unbelievable. The Monkee CD booklets put this to shame.

The most outragious aspect of this set, and the single reason Rhino so overpriced it for what little work they actually seemed to put into the episodes--the packaging. We are paying for AIR. The expensive (probably about a third of the cost at least) 3 inch deep box holding six discs and a booklet that are 3/4 inches deep. That's 2 1/4 inches of premium wasted shelf space for air. The cute sleeves inside don't protect the discs, they scuff them sliding in and out--so you have to supply your own safe way to store them yourself. Nice way to give people value for their money Rhino.

Yeah, I'll still get season two reluctantly when it comes out--because I want all the episodes. But I hate rewarding Rhino anymore for lackluster work packaged in an over-sized, overpriced, impractical holder.

We deserve better, and I feel we have already paid for better, but didn't get it.

I picked up this set with great anticipation. I loved these shows as a kid, stayed up for the marathon in the 80's to video tape them off MTV, and eventually got both seasons from Columbia House Home Video.

With all the recent technical advances these should have blown me away, like the Beatles Anthology set did. However, it appears Rhino didn't do any restoration at all to these shows, and used the exact tapes they did with the Columbia House videos. While DVD technology does make the pictures clearer, they still have many spots and flaws throughout like copies of films shown on old movie projectors. Even the ending credits on the first episode skip several seconds, like a bad 45. Couldn't they find better copies out there somewhere?

Yes, the special features are interesting. But why is the 16mm pilot black and purple? Same thing can be said about the commercials. I've seen better copies of these at the Monkees conventions BEFORE DVD's even existed.

Restoration can be done - check out "Strawberry Fields" (or any other video clip) from the Beatles Anthology. That stuff is as old, or older than these shows. Hardly any flaws are on the Beatles Anthology.

The sound doesn't blow me away either, especially how the volume fluctuates in "Last Train to Clarksville" in "The Monkees at the Movies". The soundtrack still sounds better to me on the Columbia House videos.

They did put the set in an interesting box - probably spent their budget on it, rather than improving the video quality. While visually cute, it's a bad design. It doesn't fit in the shelf with all the rest of your DVD' collection, and, even though the box is large, there's no protection for the DVD's. They slide out and stay in the cardboard holder when you pull out the 'record' cover, or you end up putting fingerprints on them trying to get them out if they do stay inside. The box itself will self-destruct if you aren't careful because the upper lid is larger than the lower. You can't open and close it very often before a corner will split (mine actually came damaged from delivery in the mail).

To say I'm very disappointed is an understatement. I hope they get their act together for Season Two (and re-do this one, too).

I'm giving it 4 stars since I really do love the shows. If I graded it on quality, it would get 2 stars.

Overall, I think Rhino's Monkees First Season DVD box is very well done. But, there is one major aspect of the Monkees TV show that I wish Rhino considered when they compiled this collection:

As you may know, many of the songs played during the "Monkee-Romps ®" were changed when the show was rerun during the summer of 1967, and some were changed again when the show was shown on Saturday mornings. In many cases, it was these re-worked shows that were included when the show went into syndication in the 1970's. Since many of us grew up with the syndicated versions, it would have been nice for Rhino to include them on this set. It gets a bit tedious to have to sit through "Last Train to Clarksville" or "I'm a Believer" for the umpteenth time. Since DVDs are capable of containing many soundtracks, it would have been fun to have "You Told Me", "Forget That Girl", "Shades of Gray", "For Pete's Sake" and "Steam Engine" available on this collection. (These songs only appeared in the syndicated episodes while the songs they replaced could be found on other episodes.) As a result of Rhino not including the alternate soundtracks, the wonderful Headquarters album doesn't get much representation here at all...

Apart from this, the set boasts very handsome packaging. The record player design is just as novel as the TV set design the old VHS box had (but the booklet included in the video box was much better than the small pamphlet included here). As others have mentioned, the DVDs *do* fall out of the cases rather easily. To solve this problem, I placed the DVDs into some CD-ROM sleeves that were handy. This works well and keeps the DVDs from rolling across the floor when you take them out.

I also liked the commentaries, although Micky's absence from the proceedings is unfortunate... I hope he turns up on the second season box, as it would be sad if he didn't provide commentary on the episode he co-wrote & directed! (I also hope Peter provides commentary on the episode he directed!)

So, I think this is a very good collection, but with a little more thought on Rhino's part, it could have been a bit better for those of us who grew up with the Monkees every day after school (when the show was in syndication).

I've been wanting the Monkees television show for years on video or DVD so I was thrilled when I heard season one was out on DVD. They did it just right. The DVD's are packaged in a box that looks like a record player and the sleeves look like the covers of old 45's. If that weren't enough of a treat in itself they also included some great extras like the original Kellogg's commercials the Monkees did in the 60's, the original version of the pilot and commentary on some of the episodes. I really enjoyed the commentary by the Monkees themselves which unfortunately is only on a few episodes. Micky Dolenz did not do a commentary on any which is a minor drawback. There is also trivia about every episode and a feature that allows you to watch just the music romps themselves. I was used to the reruns of the show so it was also a real joy to see them with their original season one opening credits and their original songs restored to them. This show is clean, fast paced and fun so it's great for kids. My ten year old son and I love watching these together. Well, worth the price. I will definitely buy season two if they bring it out.

I have been a fan of The Monkees since I originally saw them on Nick @ Nite. I prayed and wished until they finally came out on DVD. This is an amazing for any Monkee fan.

First Season Episodes: Royal Flush, Monkee See, Monkee Die, Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers, The Spy Who Came In From The Cool, Success Story, Monkees In A Ghost Town, Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth, The Chaperone, Here Come The Monkees, Monkees A La Carte, I've Got A Little Song Here, One Man Shy, Dance, Monkee, Dance, Too Many Girls, Son Of A Gypsy, The Case Of The Missing Monkey, I Was A Teenage Monster, The Audition, Monkees In The Ring, The Prince And The Pauper, Monkees At The Circus, Captain Crocodile, Monkees A La Mode, Alias Micky Dolenz, Monkee Chow Mein, Monkee Mother, Monkees On The Line, Monkees Get Out More Dirt, Monkees In Manhattan, Monkees At The Movies, & Monkees On Tour.

All episodes come on 6 disks. Each has a special extra's section with a trivia game, behind the scene's information, and sometimes commentary. Also on certain episodes they have interviews by The Monkees and old commercial ad's. You also have easy to navigate menu's and you can play all of the episodes if you wish on one click.

All episodes are uncut. The package is really clever. It comes as you can see in the picture a little square record box and is neatly packaged and easy to use and store.

Again for any Monkee fan new or old this is a must for your collection!

This DVD boxset of the Monkees' TV series first season is beautifully designed to resemble an old carry-around record player from the 1960's, which I actually owned at one time, even showing the record speeds at 33, 45 and 78 rpms! The six discs are packaged in cardboard replicas of some of the original Monkees 45 picture sleeves, including a few import sleeves, a very cool touch from Rhino. The only problem I see with them is that the DVDs might tend to slip out too easily from the sleeves and get damaged, so I'd advise everyone who buys the set to be careful how they handle the discs.

The booklet has some photos and interesting information on the Monkees first season, but it's very thin and not nearly as nice and colorful as the booklet from the VHS version of the box set of the entire series.

A sampling of some of the shows on DVD has them in pristine condition, the best I've ever seen them. There are special audio commentaries spread out on some of the episodes on the discs by Bob Rafelson, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork. (I guess Micky Dolenz was too busy to comment on some of the episodes, a pity, would have loved to hear what he thought of 'Monkees at the Circus'. Maybe he'll record some commentaries when Season 2 is released on DVD.)

The sixth disc has the most bonus material, including the 16mm version of the original Monkees pilot with Boyce & Hart singing the songs, an interview by Bobby Hart, a gallery of photos and rare memorabilia, audio commentary by Mike and Peter on the 'Monkees on Tour' episode, and original Monkees commercials, though some of the commercials looked like they came from video dupes, a pity Rhino couldn't seem to find original film sources.

Overall, this is an excellent presentation of the first season of the Monkees, beautifully produced and packaged. Hopefully, Season 2 on DVD will be just as handsomely produced. Suggestions I'd make to Rhino for the Second Season box set is to definitely include the '33 & 1/3' TV special (and please Rhino, marry the better video picture from the VHS box set with the better sound of the single tape release of the special), the 1976 'Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart' special, the 1997 'Hey Hey, It's The Monkees' TV special, the Rhino produced 'Hey Hey, We're The Monkees' documentary, some of the Monkees rare late 1960's TV appearances, like Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Hollywood Squares and others, more rare commercials, including the Kool Aid commercials, which were the last things Nesmith did with the Monkees before he quit.

Also, if any rare outtakes exist from the show, they must be included, and get commentaries on some of the episodes from all four Monkees, I definitely want to hear Micky's commentary on 'The Frodis Caper', the episode he directed. What would also be nice would be to include the videos the Monkees did in the 1980's for 'That Was Then, This Is Now', 'Heart & Soul', 'Every Step Of The Way', and the 'Justus' videos as well. Rhino should make the second box set as complete as possible, with a thicker booklet filled with rare photos and show information to make it appealing to the fans. If the second season box set comes out by Christmas, I definitely want to see it under my tree.

Kudos to Rhino for putting together a really great DVD set that does justice to the first season of the Monkees TV series.

The 2003 Rhino release repackaged at half the price - and easier to store.

It seems that I've been prefacing my Amazon reviews a lot lately by stating that Amazon has a dumb policy of grouping reviews of ALL releases of any video. If I film was released on VHS and later on DVD and then on Blu-ray, ALL the reviews appear on all products. So readers should always click on "Newest First" and look at date review is posted.

This is the case of this Complete Monkees Season One. The set was released on DVD yesterday by Eagle Rock Entertainment, and yet there are 63 reviews of it going back to 2003, when Rhino first released the six-disc set - in a package that looked like a record play and had a list price of about $89.95. The new set from Eagle Rock comes in a much more conservative foldout digipak and lists for $39.95. After watching much of this new set - and reading details of the prior Rhino release, it most definitely appears that this is just a re-packaging of the earlier set at a price reduction of about 50% - an a package that will be easier to store. All the bonus features are the ones listed for the earlier set. So, if you already own the earlier volume, there is no need to purchase this one. BUT...... if you didn't buy it because of the price, now's your chance.

I was never a huge fan of the show but did watch it occasionally, hoping that there would be lots of musical performances. But there weren't as I learned then and remembered as I watched these DVDs. Most of the music came during the "romps" (scenes where Monkee's hits would play in the background. There is an option to just watch the romps on this set (same as earlier one) and they rarely ran much over a minute each.

There is lots of bonus material here with multiple commentaries from the cast or directors. And there are the vintage Kellogg's commercials. But the prints have not been newly remastered and the color quality does vary.

I was attracted to the set to see how much I remembered and to re-watch an episode I remembered well (well, pretty well) with guest star - satirist Stan Freberg. It was nice to see again. And I've spent hours with this set already, hitting the fast forward button only occasionally when things got a bit too "silly"

I won't rehash comments from many of the reviews from 2003 because they pretty much remain the same. The Monkees were TV icons of the 1960s and have a very strong fan base. That base will want to own this set - again, if they don't have it already.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

This is simply a repackaging of Rhino's 2003 edition. Same menus, same commentaries, same extras. The only difference is that this comes in a tri-fold package with the discs overlapping each other (which I prefer over the bulky, inconvenient old packaging with the paper sleeves). If you have the original releases, hang on to them. If you missed out the first time, now's your chance to own one of the late 60s most popular sitcoms. Enjoy!

Its great to finally see the Monkees on DVD! I loved this show as a child, I watched it in reruns on Nickelodeon and MTV in the 80s. Sure, I was around 5 or 6, but I loved the show, I thought Micky, Peter, Mike and Davy were adorable, and the music was really good. Of course I've caught the show on TV since then, and I remember they had a special in 1996 or 1997 where they attempted to re-do the Monkees (apparently they tried this in the 1980's as "The New Monkees" which didn't last.. and neither did this remake)

I think what made the Monkees work, was that there were 4 cute, young guys, each of whom appealed to a vareity of people in their own way. Micky was the zany sort of Jerry Lewis like character with his slapstick. Peter was the "dummy", Mike was the strong silent type, or the mature one, and Davy was the short, cute "teen idol" of the group. I think I liked every one of the boys at some point. But I think Mike is my favorite. :)

Also the entire idea of the show worked (all the silly comedic hijinks) because of the innocence of Micky, Mike, Peter and Davy, and of course the music was solid as well. I think one thing about the Monkees that I love also- are the outfits. This is a time when people actually dressed up on TV, even if their clothes were "funny" for the time. I think they all look handsome all dressed up. I wish people would do that today on TV!

Onto the DVD- again its great to see this show in DVD finally, its a classic. As silly and unreal as it is, it works. Now, there are a few things that annoy me about this DVD. You cannot "PLAY ALL EPISODES"(if there is a way someone PLEASE post it!) - you can "Play all Romps" which is great, but this is a show I'd like to watch and then have on in the background, and you can't do that because once an episode ends it returns to the title screen where you have to pick another episode.

Another semi-annoying thing is that there isn't commentary on each episode. Only a handful have cometary from Peter, Mike, Davy, James Frawley and Rafelson. Which is fine, but some episodes have multiple tracks, so that 2 people are commenting on the same episode but on different tracks, so you have to watch an entire episode twice to hear each persons comentary.

On a high note, I do like the packaging of little 45 records and a record holder. Very unique. Also I know some have complained about the quality of the DVD. I think its fine, I don't really notice a lot of "noise" or "dust" unless I'm watching it on a computer DVD player. Other than that, it doesn't look bad at all on TV. Remember, these films are almost 40 YEARS OLD! So you can't expect it to be perfect, even if coming from the masters. The sound is good, it isn't perfect, but again its almost 40 years old as well, that includes the songs. They are a little noisy, but again if that really bothers you, check out a Monkees CD for the music.

I think overall this DVD set is worth owning. The show is still entertaining after all these years, even though its a bit silly with its slapstick humour. But I enjoy the show, and the songs- I believe the Monkees were pioneers for the whole music video age, and this was WAY before your MTV and your VH1! I hope this helps in your decision to purchase this DVD!

I'm in the UK and had two potential problems with this release: it's Region 1 and it's also NTSC format (we have PAL in the UK).

However, not only did my DVD player deal with the Region 1 disc with no problem, but my cheap Samsung TV dealt with the NTSC issue as well.
So far, so good.

After reading some of the reviews here, I was expecting to be a bit disappointed by the sound and picture quality but, apart from over-saturation of colour in some episodes, (which could be an product of the NTSC translation) so far I haven't found this release to be anywhere near as 'bad' as others have done.
I have, for comparison, some episodes saved on my Sky Plus hard drive recorder (like TiVo only better) when Disney Channel screened them in the UK about 12-18 months ago. These are definitely cleaner versions than in the Rhino box set BUT the Rhino ones are perfectly acceptable, in my view.
Let's face it, there is no alternative at the moment - and definitely not at this price. Even after I got stung for some customs duty (about £9 in total) I still thought I'd got a bargain.
So if you're in the UK, and can play Region 1 and NTSC, I'd say buy with confidence.