Backstage Pass: The Monkees Studio Albums Ranked

I've been revisiting my studio albums, and here's what I thought of them, in order of preference - all 13, not including Missing Links or the early Rhino Box Set "Listen to the Band", which I love - love many of these missing numbers, but I'll get lost in the weeds if I go down that path, so to keep it simple (stupid), I'm doing Justhese.

The weak and fair...

Changes (June 30, 1970)

Recorded to fulfill the recording contract they signed in the 60s, and indeed, this sounds like a couple of guys who are just going through the motions, recording the vocals, and aside from one Dolenz penned track, that's about it for personal artistic investment and expression - it's like the early days but with weak tunes - Davy hated the album and I agree; the dreamy, repetitive Ferry Ride is about the only song I can finish. 

Should I include "Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart" (1976)? Some do; others don't. I remember seeing them on a talk show, never bought the LP, but did give it a listen and... soft vanilla pop, tunes the Partridge Family would have rejected.

Pool It! (Aug 1987)

In 1986 MTV reran episodes of the TV series (I remember watching them) and that sparked renewed interest from a new generation. The next year, a brand-new album, with music videos. I remember liking "Heart and Soul" well enough, and Davy's "Every Step of the Way" was fine - there are decent songs here and there, but mostly this was overproduced, very 80s, and pretty me'h. I know they were originally created for TV for your viewing and listening pleasure, but at least the songs were damned good way back when, but this is plastic and contrived, and not in a winning way.

Christmas Party (Oct 12, 2018)

After being wowed by Good Times! I was really looking forward to this, and the opening tracks had me high—Andy Partridge and Rivers Cuomo get things started off in an energetic way, as does "House of Broken Gingerbread", but eventually that energy, and my interest, evaporated. It's a weird mix, there are the traditionals (which Davy handles well), some rock standards (didn't care for Mikey's sluggish "Jesus Christ" (for a great cover, try the one from "Considering Lily") and did we really need another version of "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time?") Also, Peter's autotuned vocals on a track are sad and painful to hear; it made this old Monkees fan want to cry.

Great Mike Allred cover, however. Expand that image and drink the details.

Justus (Oct 15, 1996)

9 years after Pool they were back at it again, this time with Mike joining in, and an LP filled with original material written by the band... odd that one time songwriting ace, Nesmith, only gives us one (Admiral Mike, which he doesn't sing on), his other is cover of an older tune. Anywho, this is not as plastic as Pool It, and they are playing their own instruments, which is cool - Peter impressed me with his bass playing on "You and I", and the guitar work on "Dyin' of a Broken Heart" is sharp. There is some good material here and I think it's a step up from Pool it! Unfortunately, it does crash and burn as it approaches the end.

Instant Replay (Feb 15, 1969)

A mixed bag, you have stupid crap like Shorty Blackwell (which even Dolenz disparaged years later—and he wrote it!) alongside killer cuts like Davy's "You and I" with Neil Young providing that sweet fuzz guitar. Replay's not a horror, but there's too much filler (Don't Wait For Me, The Girl I Left Behind Me) and the sprinkling of skippers don't help (Me Without You). Not an album I enjoy revisiting, and often I'll just play "You and I" and that's it. 

The Toppermost...

8. The Monkees Present (Oct 1, 1969)

First LP without Peter - Mickey finally gets "Mommy and Daddy" on a album (rejected in the past due to the lyrics), and Nesmith's "Listen to the Band" is a knockout, arguably the only one that qualifies as a big timer, though I do enjoy this underrated release - I'll admit, it was a grower, I had to give it a few listens before it coalesced into something worthwhile, but there's some real groovy vibes (Jones' French Song), and a a certain playfulness I liked (Oklahoma Backroom Dancer).  Wouldn't have been a bad way to close this chapter on the band, buuut, that wasn't the end, even with Mike checking out, there was a contract they had to honor (see Changes).

7. The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees (April 22, 1968)

A slow starter that opened with fair material—the highlight being "Daydream Believer". It's the second side where the record catches fire. "P.O. Box 9847" (both versions) is a Boyce & Hart psychedelia laced gem, and while "Magnolia Simms" sounds like Nesmith's just dicking around, it's a kick. BB&tM closes with its best pieces - The Jones sung "Valleri", a simple tune, built primarily on 4 chords, but vibrant, with a cool flamenco guitar riff - the song just grabs you and doesn't let go, unfortunately this is the fade out version, and I prefer the longer take with the clear cut finish. Lastly, the anti-war anthem "Zor and Zam" wraps up the record, adding a dramatic horn and string section (not heard in the TV version), which elevates the track to a whole new level of great.

6. More of the Monkees (January 9, 1967)

Monkee mania was in full bloom - MotM stayed at No. 1 for 18 weeks, the longest run of any Monkees album, and is notable as the first pop album to become the best-selling album of the year in the U.S. Nesmith contributes two more songwriting gems (the amazing "Mary Mary" & "The Kind of Girl I Could Love"), Dolenz slays on the grooving "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", as well as providing great vocals on "She", the melodic and harmony rich "Sometime in the Morning" and of course, the big hit staple, "I'm a Believer" (to counter these, there's Jones' cringy, spoken word "The Day We Fall in Love"). Now, the group wasn't happy as they had no say in it and were surprised by its release. Nesmith punched a wall during the conflict with Kirshner and called it the worst album in the history of the world - he was wrong on that point, but the end result of all this hubbub was more creative freedom, which they used to record one of their very best.

Note: My Deluxe edition includes a song I love, “(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love” with vocals by Mickey (Peter and Davy gave it a go as well - but Dolenz's take is the best, even better than the original).

5. The Monkees (Oct 10, 1966)

Sure, they were created for a television series, but the music was so damned good, the melodies, hooks and harmonies - Mm-mm-good. The talent they picked to play this band were an entertaining, personable bunch, and along with the singing, they could play and write, even though it took a while to convince the bosses of this (it's funny that Davy was a drummer, though that's where producers put Mickey - they wanted handsome Jones up front). Still, the Boyce and Hart numbers are catchy and fun, and Mike Nesmith quickly establishes himself as a talent to be reckoned with, his originals "Papa Gene's Blues" and "Sweet Young Thing" (written with Goffin & King) are among the best things on this album, along with the Dolenz sung #1 hit, "Last Train to Clarksville". First album released, also my first album owned, and I was head over heels for it. 

4. Good Times! (May 27, 2016)

I can't remember why I bought this, as I wasn't overly impressed with the previous comeback albums. Was it getting good notices, did a friend recommend it - maybe mom sent me birthday money, and I used it on the CD (perfect timing Monkees)? Whatever it was, I clearly recall hitting play and being knocked out. This wasn't just okay, passable old guy rock, no, this was amazing, joyous in sound and tone, from a variety of songwriters both old (Jeff Barry, Goffin & King, Boyce & Hart) and new (Andy Partridge & Ben Gibbard composed my favorite tracks). Yes, the record is dominated by Mickey Dolenz, and Davy Jones, who'd passed away 4 years earlier, is only represented by an older tune, Neil Diamond's "Love To Love", an unreleased track which found its way on several compilations and a box set (it's a goodie) - but Peter did write a unique bluesy original and sings on another, and Mike takes lead on the amazing "Me & Magdalena", and shares vocal duties with Mickey on another (written by Gallagher & Weller)  - so it still has the feel of a Monkees release, no longer young, voices not at peak power, but beautiful and lively - Good times indeed.

3. Head (Dec 1, 1968)

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. has some trippiness in it, but Head is even more out-there; a soundtrack to their avant-garde feature film, it blends 6 new songs, with sound collages overseen by Jack Nicholson, that gives the release a bit of a "Revolution 9" flavor. Peter's contributions were among his finest - the groovy, "Can You Dig It" with its memorable guitar work (supplied by Tork?) and, "Long Title: Do I have to Do This All Over Again?" (dig that Lance Wakely bass). Also, Goffin & King's hypnotic "Porpoise Song" is a surreal, keyboard infused Acid classic.

2. Headquarters (May 22, 1967)

The Dolenz written “Randy Scouse Git” was the standout for me when I first listened to the record, I loved how it starts as an easy-going stroll, which gives way to urgency in the vocals, and a dramatic timpani for added punch. But the entire record, their first with some creative control as songwriters and performers, showed that yes, they we're a talented unit, not simply glorified karaoke singers. Headquarters opens with Nesmith's "You Told Me", Lennon & McCartney-like, with a bassline straight out of Paul's playbook. Mike continues to soar with "You May Be the One", and the western twanged "Sunny Girlfriend". I admit, I prefer the other version of "I'll Spend My Life With Her" to this album cut, and there are throw aways like Band 6 & Zilch, which was like White Album stuff, a year before the White Album (or Head, for that matter), but mostly this is fantastic.

Notes: "For Pete's Sake" co-written by Peter Tork, became the closing theme for the second season of their TV show. The Deluxe edition includes several versions of "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", and other goodies.

1. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (Nov 6, 1967)

Davy Jones was the old-style entertainer who could sing and dance. Tork, the musician, keys, banjo's, guitars and bass were his tools, Mickey was silly on screen, but could be experimental off, his Moog contributes to the psychedelic tone of the LP, and Mike Nesmith, the songwriter, was the bands John Lennon so to speak—that's the Monkees mix, and this record is the Monkees masterpiece. The foursome took control with “Headquarters” and with PACJ, they recorded a bon a fide classic. This time with a little more help from their friends, songwriters and session musicians.

Mike is well represented vocally, he sings lead on 5 tracks, gives the album some country flavoring, and establishes the tone with Salesman, a song about a drug dealer (NBC executives thought so)? Yeah, this going to go down a few different lyrical paths, from anti-war statements (The Door Into Summer), to the Sunset strip riots (Daily Nightly) and lyrics whose meanings that were being interpreted or misinterpreted (The Lennonesque, "Love is Only Sleeping"). And then you have the single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a social commentary on status symbols, boredom and conformity of life in suburbia, and "keeping up with the Joneses" (wiki), but on the outside, musically, it's a happy sounding rocker, with strong melody and hook and boosted by Mike's distinct, 'Beatles inspired' guitar riff - by the end this 'not so' paradise comes crashing down with reverberation and echo. A classic fusion of songwriting, performance and production coming together to perfection.

Great album from top to bottom.