Monkees - Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (Deluxe Edition, 2CD)
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Free Music Notes for Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (Deluxe Edition, 2CD)
Free Music Review: All the tracks from the previous edition plus the mono/stereo mixes
Hit: 4 Stars
After The Monkees made their seminal album as a band Headquarters (Deluxe Edition, 2 CD) they returned with a more experimental album influenced by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", Love's "Forever Changes" and other albums happening at the time. "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd" is equally as strong as its predecessor although it lacks the large amount of previously unreleased songs (we do get a number of previously unavailable here and the available remixes/alternate mixes ported over from the previous edition), it's an important album for the group.
The album sounds terrific and features both the mono and stereo mixes of the album for the first time together on CD. Bill Inglot has done a fine job of remastering these and Andrew Sandoval's notes and production supervision is, as usual, top notch. If you own the previous edition, this might be worthwhile if you want the mono mixes and the previously unavailable alternate mixes of the album. This reissue isn't quite as essential in many respects as "Headquarters" (which had a mixture of previously unreleased takes as well as tracks from the "Missing Links" CDs assembled all in the first place for the first time with "Headquarters" where they belong). Some audiophiles may quibble with Inglot's mastering choices but overall, it's a fair representation of the album with a lot more detail than has been heard on CD before.
It features arguably one of the best songs they ever recorded by outside writers the brilliant Goffin-King "Pleasant Valley Sunday" which they arrange (producer Chip Douglas and Mike Nesmith came up with the infectious lick that opens the song inspired by songs like "Day Tripper" and "Satisfaction")brilliantly. The group, with the exception of a handful of songs, went back to bringing in session players to play on the sessions enabling them to finish the album in a timely fashion but also broadening the type of sounds on the album. Nevertheless THEY were in charge.
Nesmith contributes two songs the jazzy/nightclub sounding "Don't Call On Me" (written with bassist John London who played on many of their sessions) and "Daily Nightly" with Mickey singing lead vocals. The band revived the Boyce/Hart song "Words", covered soon-to-be rock star Harry Nilsson ("Without You", "The Coconut Song", "You're Breakin' My Heart")"Cuddly Toy" a song with an infectious melody and a darkly misogynistic lyric. Bill Martin and Chip Douglas' "The Door into Summer" and the Mann/Weill "Love is Only Sleeping" are marvelous showcases for Nesmith's vocals.
The next couple of albums would continue the experimental trend with the guys superivising the albums but still bringing in session players. Unfortunately, Chip Douglas (aka Douglas Farthing Hatlelid)would only produce one more track on their next album.
Free Music Review: Pop-Psych from late 1967, an enduring gem
Hit: 4 Stars
The fourth in Rhino's series of reissues from the original Monkees, catalog, this album rates as possibly the best from the Faux Four, with its inclusion of one of their best singles--"Pleasant Valley Sunday," b/w "Words"--as well as their most sincere attempts at psychedelia, here referring to "Love is Only Sleeping," "Daily Nightly," and "Star Collector." Of these three, the latter two include wonderful, albeit amateurish, playing of an early Moog, which Mickey purchased earlier that summer (June 1967) upon encountering the Moog sales booth (presumably staffed capably by Paul Beaver of Beaver & Krause fame) at the Monterery Pop Festival.
Even though the album marked a step backwards in terms of its artistic ambitions--the group rejected the members only format of Headquarters in favor of frequent use of session personnel--it represented their high point in terms of balancing group compositions with material solicited from the outside. Even the throwaway tracks, "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky," possess a charming insouciance, with this track seguing from its final plosive consonants, "He popped . . ." directly into the majestic opening riff of "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
A must for fans of the synthetic foursome, as well as an essential period piece, Rhino's two-disc reissue represents the latest in this series of reissues. Can we dare hope for a two-disc Head reissue next year sometime?
Free Music Review: Monkees at their peak
Hit: 4 Stars
We all know the Monkees were the most successful of the pre-packaged bands during the mid-60s and were derided as such. Still, it seems they tried to put their own creative stamp on their music and this release shows it with some unique numbers.
A combination of good tunes penned by some Tin Pan Alley greats, along with creative production yield some classic tunes. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate the record but I think it's stronger than that.
This issue suffers from the current trend to stuff the CD with bonus tracks, alternate mixes and mono and stereo versions. If you really want to take the time to see if the Mono mix was better than the Stereo, fine, but for me they could have made a single CD release.
Free Music Review: Tied with Headquarters as their best album
Hit: 4 Stars
On several songs, The Monkees almost achieve Beatledom.
I can give no higher compliment.
The Monkees were a very good band who, because of their perceived "fakeness", are seriously underrated and overlooked. Naysayers should give this album a listen.
If you're a Monkees fan, you'll love it. If you're not a Monkees fan, give it a chance.
Free Music Review: The last "really good" Monkees album
Hit: 4 Stars
Some really good things on the CD, one of the last really good efforts by the Monkees - except for the latter day reunion CD, Justus, which was also pretty darned good in a different way!