Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IGNORE THE CRITICS!!!, May 30, 2006
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for a New or Casual Monkees Fan, February 9, 2006
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!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best bang for the buck, August 18, 2006
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.
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by The Monkees 
