Monkees - Justus
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Free Music Notes for Justus
Free Music Review: WARNING!! This Monkees CD may not be suitable for kids!
Hit: 3 Stars
The reason why is in "Regional Girl", the word that is also the name of a female dog in the song. And in "Run Away From Life" Davy sings the words "making love". If you hate their 60's music and like cuss music, get this,and don't let your kids listen to those 2 songs,"You and I" isn't bad, but "Admiral Mike" is WORSE!Free Music Review: At Least THEY Played On It!
Hit: 2 Stars
Though never much interested in their TV show, I have been a lover of Monkee tunes since I was a grade schooler. Obviously The Monkees were many kids' introduction to rock music and I am no exception. While noone can deny Don Kirshner's genius for arrangement and choosing the right musicians to pad his hit factory, it's little wonder The Monkees grew tired of his approach to pop production and broke ranks to create "Headquarters". While not as slickly played as in the previous two Monkees releases, "Headquarters" yielded some true gems, such as "For Pete's Sake", "You Just May Be the One" and "Randy Scouse Git", that proved The Monkees were capable of producing fine rock with little outside assistance. But "Headquarters" has remained their one true group effort - until '96's "Justus" came along.
When I heard the original group was recording with Nesmith again, not only was I extremely surprised but anticipating the result. Still, I couldn't help but be a bit cynical at the timing: never mind The Monkees' thirtieth anniversary hype, The Beatles just returned with new product the previous fall. This may or may not have been the impetous behind "Justus", but one can't help wondering.
So when I put the cassette into my player and the first notes banged upon my virgin eardrums, I was taken aback. Hmmmm ... well, a repeat of "Circle Sky" is unnecessary, and Nesmith's vocals are once again nearly lost in the mix as they were on the studio cut on "Head". Loud guitars, an old tune reworked to sound contemporary - a misfire. The next two songs fair much better and lead to the collection's best track, "You and I", which is not a reworking of the song found on "... Presents". This track sounds as if it could come straight from "Headquarters", the instrumentation is indeed the way the group sounded in the spring of '67. "Major Mike" disappoints though; it needed Nesmith's vocal. Side two contains more of the same.
Which is the basic problem of "Justus": too much emphasis on Mickey and David and not enough of Peter and Mike. Pete's only vocal, "I Believe You", has a nice hook to it, but the lyrics are flat out BAD. Other groups who've attempted reunion CDs, notably Deep Purple, have lost little instrumental prowess, but unfortunately time has dulled their capacity to deliver a decent lyric. Poor writing plagues much of "Justus" and too many songs drag at a mid- to slow- tempo, giving the recording a labored feel. The biggest obstacle older groups grapple with is sounding current while maintaining a semblance of its original incarnation. Then again, it's a Catch-22, because if a group tries to please its fans and sound as it did in its glory days, the band will be dismissed as a pure nostalgia act. If the band sounds too updated, it will be dismissed as trying to sound too current with unflattering results.
The story goes that Nesmith initiated the project on the condition that The Monkees would also produce a film project , which must have been their bittersweet TV special, it's truly odd that Mike and Peter didn't contribute more to "Justus".
Since Nesmith dropped out of its '97 tour without notice, the band probably will never record as a foursome again. That's too bad, because "Justus" will serve as a reminder that The Monkees was just another band we expected too much from and gave the critics one more reason to jeer.
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Free Music Review: Half empty or half full?
Hit: 2 Stars
I bought "Justus" about a week after its initial release. I remember shoving the CD into my car's player ... and I almost got into an automobile accident as I frantically flipped from track to track trying to find a song that didn't make me cringe with embarrassment. Later that same day I tried to listen to the CD from start to finish; and I still ended up skipping from tune to tune.
I filed the CD away (far away) and didn't play it again. Until last night.
So have six years improved "Justus?" Yes and no. At the very least the passage of time has lessened the shellshock I experienced the first time around.
The passage of time has been kind to the actual musical arrangements on "Justus." While the beat might be a tad too slow for its own good, the musicianship is solid. The Monkees play together quite nicely on "Justus." Everyone sounds as if they've mastered their chosen instruments (with Tork and Nesmith, this has never been in doubt). Had "Justus" been an instrumental album, The Monkees would have proven once and for all (to those with a blind eye for Headquarters) that not only could they play their own instruments, but they could play those instruments well TOGETHER.
Sadly, Justus is not an instrumental effort. The true ear-crushing problems on "Justus" manifest as soon as any Monkee opens his mouth to sing.
'Insipid' is too weak a word to describe most of the lyrical elements on "Justus." Every song save two manages to be a 'groaner.' Lines like, "There are often times when life is not so kind. But there are those around who need your feet on the ground," ... ouch. And that's one of the best lines on the album! Davy Jones has always been cheese when it comes to songwriting ... but where did Dolenz's spark go? Or Tork's? Most of all, why didn't master tunesmith Nesmith step in to help? Were the guys so focused on playing well that they ran out of steam when it came to song construction?
Then there's the singing, which with few exceptions typically ranges from awful to pitiful. Gone is Dolenz's compelling vocal range. He sounds like a poor man's Rod Stewart on virtually every track. Jones' range has always been limited, but on "Justus," he squawk-talks through his songs in a manner that makes them indistinguishable from each other. Tork's strained voice sounded better on the quasi-Monkee reunion album "Pool It." And Nesmith's lilting vocals are absent save his macho butchering of "Circle Sky."
Two tracks manage to rise above the mess; "Regional Girl" and "Dyin' of a Broken Heart," and BOTH tracks could be greatly improved with tighter vocals/harmonies. (another round of post-production was needed, perhaps?) The otherwise interesting Nez original "Admiral Mike" is sabotaged by Dolenz's screechy singing.
"Justus" is an effort that deserves polite applause for its creation, but it's not worthy of a standing ovation. It seems that the harder the Monkees tried to prove themselves, the more they failed. Too bad they forgot that the most appealing aspect of their music was the "fun" it embodied.
For fans only.
Free Music Review: Just Don't Bother
Hit: 2 Stars
What a disappointment. I mean, I wasn't expecting "Sargent Pepper" or "Pet Sounds" or event "The Monkees - Headquarters", but there's very little that's even mildly interesting on this disc. As a Monkees fan since their inception, when I was 6 years old, I bought this disc as soon as it came out. I was so enthusiatstic..... right up till I heard it.JUSTUS, of course, is "just us" as in only Mickey, Davey, Mike and Peter. That's ok, except its more JUST Davey and Mickey, with barely cameoes by Mike and Peter. Mickey and Davey write 8 of 12 songs here, that should've set off some alarms. Of the 2 Nesmith songs, one is a nothing-new remake of the oft recorded Circle Sky - WHY?? And Mike couldn't be bothered to sing on his other tune "Admiral Mike". Peter adds 2 songs, but only sings one. Peter's "I Belive You" is by far the best song on the album, and is COMPLETELY non-commercial and a different tone than the rest of the disc.
Bottom line, skip this one. Dig out Headquarters, THERE's a 5 start disc. Or pick up Peter's "Stranger Things Have Happened", which is interesting and charming. JUSTUS is at best DULL.
Free Music Review: Go back to Hell, you giddy fools!
Hit: 2 Stars
This album was released in 1996, for the Monkees 30th Anniversary. For the first time since 1968, all four Monkees contributed to the album. And for the first time ever, the Monkees performed all the instruments, sang all the notes, and wrote all the songs. They were probably shooting for something like their classic album Headquarters. But what they ended up with is an album that contends with Changes for the title of "Worst Monkees Album". The problem is that, frankly, most of the songs aren't very good. Sure, "Circle Sky" is a good song, but the Monkees already recorded that twice, so what's the point of doing a third version? Nesmith wrote one other song besides that one; the lousy "Admiral Mike", featuring an overacted vocal by Dolenz. The other Monkees wrote the other songs, and they aren't that impressive for the most part. There are a few interesting moments here and there, but they are few and far between. As a longtime Monkees fan, this album was a big disappointment.