More of the Monkees [DELUXE EDITION] [EXTRA TRACKS] [LIMITED EDITION]

Monkees

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 2006)
• Original Release Date: August 15, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Deluxe Edition, Extra tracks, Limited Edition
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B000G7PMAA
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,842 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
1967’s MORE OF THE MONKEES was the band’s top seller, racking up 70 weeks on Billboard®’s album chart, including 18 weeks at #1, becoming the 3rd best-selling LP of the ’60s (ranking higher than any Beatles album). The Monkees topped the pop singles charts again with the Neil Diamond-penned "I’m A Believer." Album also features the Top 20 hit "(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone" and the classic cut "She," both composed by Boyce & Hart. Twelve bonus tracks on Disc 1 include "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" with Peter’s narration, an alternate mix of "I’m A Believer" and the previously unissued "Whatever’s Right." Disc 2’s six bonus cuts include the first recorded version of Valleri" and a previously unreleased alternate version of "Tear Drop City." Each 2-CD Deluxe Limited EDITION features the original stereo album with bonus rarities on Disc 1, and the original mono album with even more rare treasures on Disc 2.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Monkees Best....and Worst, October 5, 2006

By	Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"More of the Monkees" hit the pop charts like a shot across the bow of everything that seemed `cool'. Teenagers destined to become hippies hated the band, the TV show, and everything that the Monkees represented, feigning a preference for the more `sophisticated' sounds of the Lovin' Spoonful and Buffalo Springfield. Little did they know that either of these bands would have sold their credibility for a piece of the Monkees superstardom; in point of fact, the Lovin' Spoonful almost were the Monkees but were rejected for a lack of personality, while Stephen Stills (of the Buffalo Springfield) got axed for the gap between his front teeth. "More of the Monkees" shipped with pre-orders of 1.5 million copies and then continued to sell in significant quantities, so nay-sayers who figured the band as one-hit wonders had to quickly reformulate their perspective.
Stylistically speaking. "More of the Monkees" duplicates the layout of their first album, but with exaggerated characteristics. The good bits are much better, while the bad bits are almost unbearable. Neil Diamond and the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin provide some of the best songs of their careers ("I'm a Believer" and "Sometime in the Morning", respectively). Monkee Mike Nesmith proves that he is exceptionally qualified to write his own material for the band, too. "Mary Mary" and "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" are album highlights, with a countrified, rocking edge that must have put some doubt in the minds of those who claimed that the bandmembers could not play their own instruments. Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart provided hits for the first album, and although they didn't provide the hit single here, they would have to settle for writing the best Monkees song ever, "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone", and the hook-laden opening track, "She." These six tracks mark a high-water mark in the band's career, but the balance of the album shoots a hole in the bucket. "Your Auntie Grizelda" is an oafish attempt at humor, but not nearly as bad as the forced stupidity of "Laugh," sung by the hapless Davy Jones. As bad as that track is, poor Davy is also saddled with the most painfully insipid love song ever written, a sappy moon-pie called "The Day We Fall in Love," (which he sings as "luff").
The dual disks present the album in both stereo and mono, with little discernible difference to the casual listener. The real bonus is in the extra tracks, which add a few excellent songs that were woefully overlooked, along with alternate mixes of songs from other albums. If you have ever harbored doubts about this band, then it's high time you check your preconceived notions at the door. When "More of the Monkees" is good, it is very, very good, so relax, lighten up and be very grateful that CD changers make it easy to skip over the bad tracks. A- Tom Ryan

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Holy Grail Found!, October 21, 2006

By	Davidp. (Jax. Florida) - See all my reviews

Previous reviewers have gone into great detail about the care and respect put into these first two deluxe reissues, but one thing I was very excited about on this particular release I haven't seen mentioned: The mono mix of this album contains the longer mix of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone".

I own a copy of the original vinyl mono release of this album, and have been hoping for years that Rhino would release this intriguing variation of "Stepping Stone". It's similar to the mono single mix ( previously released on the Rhino greatest hits CD ) with deleted background vocals, but the ending of the song is longer before the final fade-out. This version was heard once on the television series (in the episode where the lads disguise themselves as the 'Purple Flower Gang' to defeat a mob boss ) and only released on the mono album. I'm thrilled to finally have it on CD!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, August 15, 2006

By	Andrew Kruczek (Dearborn, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

THIS is the way reissues should be handled. Excellent sound on stereo mixes. Excellent sound on mono mixes. Excellent packaging. Excellent liner notes. Excellent pictures. Excellent bonus tracks. Can you imagine the Beatles getting the royal treatment like this? If you are a Monkees fan, snatch up these new deluxe editions right away!