After wresting control of the Monkees from Don Kirschner and recording the very good "Headquarters" album as a mostly self-contained unit, the bandmembers returned to using studio musicians to augment their sound as well as looking outside the group for the majority of the songs on their fourth album, "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.". Whatever the reason for the decision, the resulting album is one of their best. Filled with hooky pop like "She Hangs Out" and the Harry Nilsson-penned "Cuddly Toy," psychedelic ravers "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector" (both of which feature the newly invented Moog synthesizer), Mike Nesmith-produced rockers ("Love Is Only Sleeping"), and ballads (the lovely "Don't Call on Me"), the album is filler-free and fun-filled. That it contains three of their finest songs ("Words," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and the song that "invented" country-rock for better or for worse, "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?") means that not only is it one of theMonkees' best, it is one of 1967's best. To think that both this album and "Headquarters" came out the same year! Most bands would be lucky to have two albums this good come out their entire career. "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." is a must-have for any fan of smart, fun, and exciting '60s pop. It doesn't get much better than this. (Tim Sendra in AllMusic)
After the release of "More of the Monkees", on which the band had little involvement beyond providing vocals and a couple Mike Nesmith-composed songs, the pre-fab four decided to take control of their recording destiny. After a well-timed fist through the wall of a hotel suite and many fevered negotiations, music supervisor Don Kirschner was out and the band hit the studio by themselves. With the help of producer Chip Douglas, the band spent some time learning how to be a band and set about recording what turned out to be a dynamic, exciting, and impressive album. "Headquarters" doesn't contain any of the group's biggest hits, but it does have some of their best songs, like Nesmith's stirring folk-rocker "You Just May Be the One," the pummeling rocker "No Time," the MOR soul ballad "Forget That Girl," which features one of Davy Jones' best vocals, Peter Tork's shining moment as a songwriter, "For Pete's Sake," and the thoroughly amazing (and surprisingly political) "Randy Scouse Git," which showed just how truly out-there and almost avant-garde Micky Dolenz could be when he tried. Even the weaker songs like the sweet-as-sugar "I'll Spend My Life with You," the slightly sappy "Shades of Gray," or the stereotypically showtune-y Davy Jones vehicle "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" work, as they benefit from the stripped-down and inventive arrangements (which feature simple but effective keyboards from Tork and rudimentary pedal steel fills from Nesmith) and passionate performances. "Headquarters" doesn't show the band to be musical geniuses, but it did prove they were legitimate musicians with enough brains, heart, and soul as anyone else claiming to be a real band in 1967. This edition adds six previously unissued tracks recorded during the "Headquarters" sessions including an early take of the single "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" and rare demos "Nine Times Blue" and "Pillow Time."(Tim Sendra in AllMusic)
The Monkees
second album "More of the Monkees" lived up to its title. It was more successful
commercially, spending an amazing 70 weeks on the Billboard charts and
ultimately becoming the 12th biggest selling album of all time. It had more
producers and writers involved since big-shots like Carole King and Gerry
Goffin, Jeff Barry and Neil Sedaka, as well as up-and-comers like Neil Diamond
all grabbed for a piece of the pie after Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the men
who made the debut album such a smash, were elbowed out by music supervisor Don
Kirshner. The album also has more fantastic songs than the debut. Tracks like
"I'm a Believer," "She," "Mary, Mary," "
(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," "Look Out (Here Comes
Tomorrow)," "Your Auntie Grizelda," and "Sometime in the
Morning" are on just about every Monkees hits collection and, apart from
the novelty "Grizelda," they are among the best pop/rock heard in the
'60s or any decade since. The band themselves still had relatively little
involvement in the recording process, apart from providing the vocals along
with Mike Nesmith's writing and producing of two tracks (the hair-raising
rocker "Mary, Mary" and the folk-rock gem "The Kind of Girl I
Could Love"). In fact, they were on tour when the album was released and
had to go to the record shop and buy copies for themselves. As with the first
album though, it really doesn't matter who was involved when the finished
product is this great. Listen to Micky Dolenz and the studio musicians rip
through "Stepping Stone" or smolder through "She," listen
to the powerful grooves of "Mary, Mary" or the heartfelt playing and
singing on "Sometime in the Morning" and dare to say the Monkees
weren't a real band. They were! The tracks on "More of the Monkees" (with the
exception of the aforementioned "Your Auntie Grizelda" and the
sickly sweet "The Day We Fell in Love," which regrettably introduces
the smarmy side of Davy Jones) stand up to the work of any other pop band
operating in 1967. Real or fabricated, the Monkees rate with any pop band of
their era and "More of the Monkees" solidifies that position. (Tim Sendra in
AllMusic)
The Monkees'
first album was a huge success, following on the number one single "Last
Train to Clarksville."The Monkees spent 78 weeks on the Billboard chart including an astounding 13
weeks at number one. The record wasn't only a commercial juggernaut, it also stands
as one of the great debuts of all time, and while the record and the group have
faced criticism from rock purists through the ages, it stands the test of time perfectly
well, sounding as alive and as much fun 40 years later. Prefabricated? Yes.
After a fast buck? Yes. Exhilarating? Yes! Fab? Definitely! The music may have
been created by studio cats instead of the band themselves but the pros weren't
merely phoning it in. Listen to the aggressive guitars on "Saturday's
Child," the raw romp of "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day," or
the cascading wall of guitars and fiddles on "Sweet Young Thing," and
you know they weren't just padding their bank accounts. They were playing some
real rock & roll and you can credit the producers for that. Producers Tommy
Boyce and Bobby Hart aren't craftsmen on the level of Phil Spector (who was
actually approached to produce the band but probably laughed the Monkees' team
right out the door), but they knew how to craft razor-sharp and exciting pop
tunes with lots of spark, soul, and the occasional psychedelic touch.
And they
knew how to get great vocals from their group. While the Monkees themselves
didn't do much more than sing, the singing they did was first-rate. You'd be
hard-pressed to find a better pop/rock vocalist than Micky Dolenz; his work on
"Take a Giant Step" and "Last Train to Clarksville" is thrilling and bursting
with life. The other lead vocalist, Davy Jones, thankfully doesn't get a chance
to show off his full range of annoyingly whimsical mannerisms; Boyce and Hart
keep him under wraps and his vocals on "I Wanna Be Free" and
"I'll Be True to You" are achingly sweet, even a little soulful in a
very British way. Boyce and Hart weren't the only great producers involved with
the record, as a listen to "Papa Gene's Blues" and "Sweet Young
Thing" show that Mike Nesmith also knew how to produce great pop music,
despite what Don Kirshner may have thought. The various producers, supervisors,
and coordinators were also savants when it came to both writing (in Boyce,
Hart, and Nesmith's case) and picking songs for the group. Indeed, the only
songs that feel like filler are the rudimentary rocker "Let's Dance
On" and the silly "Gonna Buy Me a Dog," but even these
throwaways are charming and stand up to repeated listens. It's easy to see why
kids were buying this record as fast as the label could press them up. Despite
the origins of the group and the behind-the-scenes machinations, the music
itself is young, exciting, and free. Who cares who did what and who didn't do
what when the results are as rock-solid as "Last Train to Clarksville" or "Sweet Young
Thing"? You could stack the Monkees up against almost any record of 1966
and the competition would be fierce, with this record coming out on top except
in only a few cases.
After wresting control of the Monkees from Don Kirschner and recording the very good "Headquarters" album as a mostly self-contained unit, the bandmembers returned to using studio musicians to augment their sound as well as looking outside the group for the majority of the songs on their fourth album, "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.". Whatever the reason for the decision, the resulting album is one of their best. Filled with hooky pop like "She Hangs Out" and the Harry Nilsson-penned "Cuddly Toy," psychedelic ravers "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector" (both of which feature the newly invented Moog synthesizer), Mike Nesmith-produced rockers ("Love Is Only Sleeping"), and ballads (the lovely "Don't Call on Me"), the album is filler-free and fun-filled. That it contains three of their finest songs ("Words," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and the song that "invented" country-rock for better or for worse, "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?") means that not only is it one of the Monkees' best, it is one of 1967's best. To think that both this album and "Headquarters" came out the same year! Most bands would be lucky to have two albums this good come out their entire career. "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." is a must-have for any fan of smart, fun, and exciting '60s pop. It doesn't get much better than this. (Tim Sendra in AllMusic)
