Monkees - Music Box
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Free Music Notes for Music Box
Free Music Review: the greatest monkees collection yet!!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I bought the Listen To The Band box set in '95 (I think it was '95), I thought it was great, and I still do --- though maybe not quite as much so as before. It had lots of great stuff on it. As I later came to find out, a lot of songs on it had been remixed, but that doesn't really bother me. Although I still enjoy that set, Music Box is even better, in a lot of respects. It has even more tracks overall. Not only do these include most of the tracks that were on Listen To The Band, but there are also more originally-unreleased ones. Also, a lot of the tracks sound better than they did on Listen... Again, some songs are in different mixes from their "original" mixes, but not all of them are ones that were remixed on Listen... Most of the songs that were remixed there were ones that were released on singles. I wouldn't have complained if those "single remixes" had been included here, but I don't really find it a problem that they weren't. I think the stereo version of "All Of Your Toys" may be the most notable track on this set (I don't mean that negatively!). As far as I know, this is the first (and only) time the song has appeared in stereo. There is much more great stuff on this set than I can talk about here. However, I do have a few complaints. I personally think that the Peter Tork-sung version of "I Don't Think You Know Me" included on Listen... is better than the "first recorded version" featured here (and on Missing Links). I also prefer the stereo mix of "Of You," which features Micky singing harmony along with Mike. (That appears on Missing Links, too.) I also find the mix of "Sometime In The Morning" that was icluded on Listen... (which features a doubled vocal by Micky and, I think, better sound overall) preferable to the "original" mix included here. I haven't quite decided if the mix of "Do Not Ask For Love" included here is better than the one on Missing Links Volume Two (although I think it might be). (The Missing Links CDs are now unfortunately out of print and are VERY, even HORRENDOUSLY expensive if you can find them, at least at this site.) My biggest complaint is that Rhino left "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" off of the set. I think it's one of the best, if not THE best, of the group's '80s recordings, and it's also one of their rarest recordings, or it seems that way to me. As far as I know, it has only been released on Arista's Then & Now compilation from '86, and and on the Listen... set, and its exclusion here seems almost criminal to me. (I have to admit that the packaging of this set could have been better too, as the CD holders come off too easily!) Oh well. Despite these shortcomings (well, to ME they're shortcomings), this set is, overall, even better than Listen To The Band, and is still in my opinion the greatest Monkees compilation ever realeased. The pros far outweigh the cons (even the fact that "Anytime..." isn't here). Most of my gripes have to do with the first CD! I won't say that Music Box completely blows away Listen To The Band, but it certainly has its advantages over that set. Great job, Rhino!!Free Music Review: Don't put all your Monkees in one barrel-or maybe u should!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to say that this boxset is definitely a high point in illustrating the career of The Monkees. I've been a huge fan since the mid 80's when I just a little kid, but recently I've come to really enjoy and respect their music. Sure they were the "pre-fab four", but Micky, Davy, Mike and Peter later proved (sadly, not to public appeal..) that they were real people, not just their TV personalities, and that they could form a band, and actually WRITE and PLAY their own songs. I actually respect the guys for breaking away from their teeny bopper image, and actually going on to learn how to actually play, and BE a band.
This boxset seems to be the be all, end all of the Monkees. It has almost every song the Monkees ever did all on this one set.
The CDs are each by year, CD1 is from 1966, featuring a majority of the songs from the TV show (minus "Laugh" for some reason..) and their biggest hits like "Clarksville" and "I Wanna Be Free", as well as a really cool alternate version of "I Wanna Be Free" featuring Micky and Davy and a faster pace. CD2 is from 1967 featuring some hits from the TV show and other songs that appeared on "Headquarters" and "PACJ". CD3 features songs from 1968, which shows the band branching out from their TV personas (as the TV show only lasted 2 seasons) this features songs off of "Head" as well as a lot of other songs, while CD4 consists of the "last leg" of the Monkees, 1969-1996, which follows them through the end of the 60's and early 70s and includes their comeback hit from 1986 "That Was Then, This Is Now" as well as a few other cuts from Pool It! and their 1996 album "JUSTUS".
The later songs lack the intensity and richness of the older 60's pop songs, as it was harder for the Monkees to fit into a new era of music, but this is a fantastic collection of the hits (and perhaps some misses?) for the group.
There are a lot of really cool alternate versions and outtakes that are included here (many of which appeared on the Missing Links CD's which is very cool, and worth getting this boxset for if nothing else!)
The book included is very indepth and also has a section where each song is explained by either the writers (Boyce/Heart or Goffin/King or the Monkees themselves) There is also a comprehensive section about each song, when they were recorded, by whom and who actually played on the songs. Very interesting and worth a read. Of course the book also goes in depth about the career of the Monkees from the ad placed in the paper about a new TV show, all the way to the formation and breaking up and getting back together of all 4 original Monkees.
This set is the ultimate Monkee fan's dream, and even perfect for those starting to get into the group (especially disk 1 with all of the "hits". Pick this up today. I got it for $30 from eBay but even the 60$ pricetag is worth it, it really is one of the most listened too CD sets I own.
Free Music Review: Much anticpated box set from the Monkees
Hit: 5 Stars
Of course the story of the Monkees is well documented. I feel that their musical clout will someday be realized in the annals of rock history. Yes, some of it was pure bubblegum. Yes, you could say they were the Backstreet Boys of their time. That aside, let's remember what all music is meant to be: fun. And that's what the Monkees were, nothing more, but nothing less. One could never expect to compare them to their contemporaries, e.g. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the like. Still, the Monkees have their place. Any critic should remember that the likes of John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, and the late Jimi Hendrix held the Monkees in high regard as artists--even at the height of their fame (and their disdain). Thier music has been repackaged again and again, but looking at the track listing of this complilation one can see a treasure trove of great music. I'm not talking about "Last Train To Clarksville," "I'm A Believer," and the like. That's drivel compared to the heights they soared to once they gained creative control of their own musical direction (albeit record sales plummeted). I call your attention to later tracks that showed their flair and creativity, most notably from the albums "Headquarters" and "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, LTD." The "Head" Soundtrack yielded gems such as "As We Go Along" and "Circle Sky." Succesive albums showed great talent in songs such as "Listen To The Band," "While I Cry," and "Good Clean Fun." Still, many of these great songs have gone unnoticed for thirty years. This new package demonstrates a public interest in the Monkees, a band that never was really a band--at least not in the truest sense of the term. But what is the truest sense of that term anyway? Can we forget that Michael Nesmith brought us such classics as "Different Drum" (an early hit for Linda Rondstadt)? Should we remember that the Monkees creators went on to such heights as "Easy Rider," "Five Easy Pieces," and "The King of Marvin Gardens." The Monkees were short lived as an entity, a crative element in the rock industry, and public memory. Still, things like "Music Box" beg the question: what if?Free Music Review: The quality of this box set will come as a shocker
Hit: 5 Stars
You just never know. Sure, like many, I thought to myself "a 99-track box set for the Monkees ??". But guess what ? This set has more varied musical styles and consistent top-notch song quality than many of the box sets from the "classic" rock artists. I'm not kidding. And I'm amazed. These guys were really, really good. On many other box sets, you find yourself asking "why did they put THIS on here ?". That doesn't happen on this set until Mike Nesmith's participation in the band ends - which isn't until after "Good Clean Fun", which is track #85 out of #99. Not bad ! And, no, the last fourteen tracks aren't awful. They just don't reach the heights of what came before them on this set.
I have to admit it...for me, the main highlight of 'Music Box' is the confirmation once and for all of Mike Nesmith's brilliance as THE country-rock pioneer. Micky Dolenz may have been "the voice" of the Monkees - and Davy Jones may have provided the charm - but the strongest tracks are unquestionably Nesmith's. And they are wonderful. Songs like "You Just May Be the One", "Sunny Girlfriend", "Papa Gene's Blues", "Tapioca Tundra", "Nine Times Blue", his incredible vocal on "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round ?", "St. Matthew", many others...man, oh man ! It's not an exaggeration to say that the best Nesmith material can stand right alongside top-notch stuff from Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Wilco.
I never owned the previous box set 'Listen to the Band', so I can't say if this one is a marked improvement in comparison. But I can say that the flow of 'Music Box' is immaculate, the sound quality is crisp and clear, and the music itself will provide you with a new appreciation for these guys. It's easy to forget that there always were two real musicians in the band (Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork), and by their third album ('Headquarters') they could function as a true, operating, recording-and-touring unit. Yeah, the TV show was pretty dumb and hasn't aged particularly well. But these tracks sound better than ever. Ahead of their time, even.
Thumbs-up Rhino. This is a wonderful set.
Free Music Review: Some Unadvertised Oddities
Hit: 5 Stars
While I pretty much agree with my fellow Wisconsinite's review of this box set, I would like to point out that there are a number of oddities on here besides the unissued mix of Of You and the unissued extended version of Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)(thank you, Rhino, it's about time!) that are not advertised on the package that this information might be useful to potential buyers. For instance, the following tracks carry the same mixes on the Listen To The Band box set but are different on the rereleases of the individual CDs of the mid 90's; they are: Tapioca Tundra, Auntie's Municipal Court, Listen To The Band (stereo single mix), and Steam Engine. All The King's Horses is a mono mix which has a better sound balance than the one found on Missing Links vol 2. Do Not Ask For Love has a "guide" vocal along with Micky that's not present on Missing Links vol 2. All Of Your Toys is a stereo mix that's not available anywhere else. Carlisle Wheeling has an extended ending not found on Missing Links. The Girl I Left Behind Me has a much better mix than the version that's on The Birds The Bees And The Monkees and has a guitar intro that's also missing on that particuliar CD. For those that are frustrated with the Head CD version of Ditty Diego-War Chant here it is corrected at the proper speed and has a much better resolution. Daddy's Song is indeed the long version, but is NOT the film version; this version modulates into a different key and has an additional verse that's not in the film. Along with MGBGT making its official CD debut this pretty much rounds out the package. All the songs I mentioned benefit with the additional mixing with the exception of Carlisle Wheeling (the conventional fade would have been prefered) and Do Not Ask For Love where the guide vocal ruins Micky's reading of the song. This information might seem like overkill but that's what happens when you get mixed up with Monkeemaniacs!!!;)~ As you can probably tell, I do recommend this box set!