Customer Reviews

Two Man Band

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

 

 

The entire album is awesome! The high point has to be the version of Pleasant Valley Sunday. The gentle voices and accoustic guitars are pleasant and energizing! Definately one of my favorite CD's!

Peter Tork. The name alone inspires thoughts of the Monkees, the goofy TV show, and the pop-friendly albums produced for it. But there has always been depth to Peter Tork that the Monkees only hinted at. This album shows off Peter's true musicianship, along with that of his best friend and co-hort in this project, James Lee Stanley. The album alternates between the two, starting with Stanley. (Probably so Tork could close the album out with a nifty rendition of "Pleasant Valley Sunday", the only Monkees tune here.) By doing this, one can contrast and compare the two artists' styles, showing how well they compliment each other. Since they are the only two on the album, they also act as each other's backing vocalists. The harmonies produced are wonderful, particularly on the Stanley songs, where you can see that Peter's vocals were often the backbone to many a solid Monkees song. The songs are mostly re-recordings of songs from previous Tork or Stanley albums, and range from thoughtful "Everyday" to the extremely quirky, "Milkshake." Peter also performs a nifty version of my favorite song of his, "MGB-GT." This cut alone made the purchase worth it. If there is one thing I didn't like about the album, it was that it was too short. Clocking in at 32:44, I'm usually just getting into the groove, and the album's over. This is a solid introduction to Peter Tork's non-Monkees work and the work of James Lee Stanley. If you've any interest in either of these talented artists, I urge you to buy this album.

I thought this album was great, yet not as good as his previous solo effort (Stranger Things Have Happened) His rendition of "Pleasent Valley Sunday" Is terrific, and MGB-GT Is rockin', this is a must have for any Torkaholic

i don't know what it is, but these guys can't seem to give me the goosebumps when i hear them on cd. i see them live and they are so good. the songs are exquisitly executed on stage. it looses its lustre on record though. they're good songs. this cd does have it's shining moments: everyday...all i ever wanted...i liked how they put my sharona into milkshake. pretty clever guys (?) 'ts good, 'ts good.

If you don't own any other of Peter's solo stuff I suggest getting one of those first. Or if you are viewing this for James Lee Stanley. While they have a few shining moments, and I'm sure had a great time recording; this CD is not for the uninitiated. An acoustic heavy CD with James and Peter sharing vocals. Peter and James compliment each other well, but sadly on couple of tracks Peter sounds like he's straining and James goes off key (or seems to).

I really felt like I'd gone to see them at a local bar, hence the title.

This CD is a nice mellow collection, with the opening song 'Touch Like Magic' being a sweet love song feel with James on main vocals.

'Pirates' is a song Peter's brother Nick wrote, and is also on Peter's debut solo album from 1994 (Stranger Things Have Happened). James adds some higher harmony which is nice though the song tempo is much slower so it changes the feel of the song. That and it's missing the horns.

'Everyday' is another James Lee Stanley voiced track, with a rocky nostalgic feel and Peter on harmonies. This one had me swaying in my seat.

'MGB-GT' a tune Peter has been playing since the Monkees. Definitely a car driving tune, fun! However; this version sounds a bit depressed/empty.

'Everybody Knows' James singing with himself on this track, really nice cohesion on that part, the song has an easy to dance to beat, though the lyrics aren't really all that happy.

'Milkshake' another Peter song originally on his debut album, but not written by him. I actually don't care for this song, it's not a song about food. It's about a woman and how she makes him feel. It has funny time change in the chorus that bothers me. This version lacks the depth of that one. Though James harmonies are nice. I smiled at the riff in the middle (My Sharona!).

'Two Wrongs' another James only song. Though I bought this disc for Peter, this so far is my favourite track with a happy little picking riff and a catchy hooky chorus.

'Miracle' written and sung by Peter, another off his debut album. James harmonies are a nice addition, even with the song being in a lower octave. The solo is nice. Sadly the percussion in this version sounds like a metronome to me.

'All I Ever Wanted' James on lead with Peter backing (that couldn't even hear until about 3:00), a "sway in your seat" love song.

The closing song is a an old Monkees tune (Pleasant Valley Sunday) , slowed and
James' high harmony is nice, but personally this was one of my least favourite Monkees tunes. It has the right chords, and lyrics, but really sounds nothing like you are used to.

The insert was a bit disappointing, just some pictures and no lyrics. I'm a lyrics guy.

Not too long after Peter Tork's first solo album, "Stranger Things Have Happened", here he is again alongside his friend James Lee Stanley for this duet album. It seems this album was recorded live--aside from the occasional drum machine, it's 2 guitars + vocals all the way, so in theory, it seems like this should be at least a pleasant, tasteful effort. Unfortunately, "Two Man Band" is a bland and occasionally embarassing affair that does not hold up as well as Tork's aforementioned solo album.

Tork holds up a lot better than Stanley. Concerning lead vocals, it's Stanley on all the odd-numbered tracks & Tork on all the evens. Of the even-numbered songs, 4 are from Tork's solo album, along with the (inevitable) Monkees' staple "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (perhaps because he didn't want ALL of his songs to be from his lone solo effort). Still, Stanley basically ruins the disc. This album was my first exposure to James Lee Stanley, and based on this, I got the impression he was a really lousy artist not worth exploring. I decided to give Tork & Stanley's follow up disc "Once Again" a try, & I was stunned at how much better it is than this disc. From there I decided to give more of Stanley's work a try, something I would have previously scoffed at. That said, Stanley is simply captured in extremely weak form here, making for an awful introduction to his music. It's nice to hear "Pirates" in an acoustic version opposed to the "Stranger Things..." version which is loaded with synth horns, but Stanley sings along, or in other words, gets in the way of Tork on nearly the whole song.

Worse still are the handful of songs written or co-written by Stanley--they're loaded with exhaustingly lame, frequently cliched lyrics. Plus, his singing is corny, & he sounds full of himself, lacking in good taste & genuine emotion making the songs pretty much unbearable--the self-referential "Touch Like Magic" is grating; the love song "Two Wrongs" is given an extremely dull performance (they slip in the "Day Tripper" riff briefly at the end); & the 'cautionary' "Everybody Knows" has obnoxious, knuckleheaded lyrics that are simply appalling.

Since the versions of the Tork songs on "Stranger Things Have Happened" are superior & more alive to the versions here in every instance, this release is inessential unless you're a diehard/ completist of Tork and/ or Stanley.