Which is the worse album? The New Monkees or The Monkees Pool It?

This wins my nod for least necessary poll on Shtv, and it was up against some stiff competition.

 

And yet you felt the need to waste your time responding to it. That's time you could have spent listening to Pool It!

 

I felt that it was noteworthy in its frivolousness!

 

Hey, there's a good band name- "Noteworthy Frivolousness"!

 

good lord that was horrendous.

 

What was the story between David & Arista.
I have heard bits & pieces over the years, but never got the full picture.

Darryl

 

Everyting you need to know about Pool It is in this interview with the producer:
http://www.tapeop.com/interviews/90/roger-bechirian-bonus/

round 1986 you produced The Monkees' comeback album called Pool It...
This is not one of my favorite stories. [laughter] Yes. Disastrous. The record label and I had an idea to sort of recreate the shaky garage band sound that they kind of had from the '60s. The band, especially Davy Jones, wanted a very polished, middle of the road record. It was a constant tugging of the two. I was getting flack from the label because it wasn't what they wanted to hear and I was getting flack from the band because they wanted to go another way.

Was this the original four?

Mike Nesmith wouldn't partake, very sensibly. Actually Micky Dolenz was great. He was living in England at the time. He actually called me out of the blue. "Hi, this is Micky Dolenz. Can I come over?" What in the heck? I grew up with these guys and their TV show. I was like, "Heck, you can come over now!" [laughter] He and Davy Jones showed up one day and had coffee in my home. They'd heard the Squeeze album, East Side Story. Micky loved it and wanted to make a record like that. I thought I could see it, but we made an album that was really middle of the road. Davy Jones brought in all these schmaltzy ballads. The sessions ended with us having a big row in the studio one late afternoon. Davy was calling me every name under the sun. I really lost it. I told him to get out of my studio. Anyway, there were two songs on the album that could've been big hits. "Heart and Soul" was one. The other was a version of a Wreckless Eric song ["(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World"]. The album was not great.

Did they play on it?

Yeah, Micky played some drums and some guitar, although we had session drummers and whatnot. You know who was good? Peter Tork was an amazing multi-instrumentalist. I had no idea! He had a bunch of songs that would've made a great album. But of course they wouldn't have it — Jones wouldn't have it. Peter was great. I was really, really taken with him. He was full of life and had loads of ideas. He'd had a really rough time since they broke up, but he'd really come out of it all. He still plays around New York. The record came out but it bombed. There was a single that did fairly well, but they lost opportunities. It was distributed through Rhino; they lost a lot of money, which is a shame. It was a chance for me to work with childhood heroes, which is something that probably shouldn't be done. It's like actors — you love them on screen, but you really don't want to know about their private lives. It ruins the myth. That was definitely the shame about it.

 

I've only heard bits and pieces too, so I'm far from 100% sure of it all... But from what I pieced together, I'm under the impression that he blamed Bell Records for his solo LP flopping due to poor/no promotion etc. (A poor selling album couldn't have helped his solo career either.) Since Bell Records morphed into Arista, he held the grudge against them as well...

If anyone has anything to add to this, step in and add any information you might have... I'd like to know more about Davy's grudge against them too...

 

I knew the producer had some issues with Davy during the Pool It! sessions, but I didn't realize it got to the point of Davy calling him every name under the sun and Roger telling him to get out of his studio... I like(d) Davy, but it does seem like he was the wrench in the gears on quite a few occasions...

I did know the producer liked Peter and a lot of the ideas he had: It's too bad that they weren't able to get those going, but Davy Jones struck again! I don't know what Micky's position was, but I suppose even if he wanted to "side" with Peter and Roger, then David would have left altogether... Another case of The Monkees not being able to compromise within their ranks...

 

But are you okay with Onekee? It at least rhymes with Monkee.

 

Can't even say that term is agreeable...

 

I found New Monkees much more listenable when it came out then Pool It!. It was a good pop album. Pool It! has it charm, and a has a few really good moments, but there was a bit of a missed opportunity there. Now, I'll say it's a tie. Turn It Up!

 

I can hear Mickey now...'Hey-Hey, I'm A Onekee'

Darryl

 

I attempted the same thing! Exciting times!

 

Thanks for posting that! I still love the album but I'm intrigued by what could have been....

 

Like Pool It!, never heard (nor do I wish to hear) The New Monkees.

-Richard

 

I have never heard, nor do I have the desire to hear either of these albums.
That being said I chose POOL IT because it has members of the original Monkees, right?

 

Guys, spend $5 on a used CD of Pool It! and give it a chance. It's worth the $5 gamble.

 

What can I expect for my $5? Some good Nes country rock? If so, maybe I will.


edit : I see now Nesmith wasn't on that one.

 

He's the missing Monkee.

 

Uh well, if you want Nesmith country rock, Pool It! is definitely not the album for you, no...

 

I like Pool It! and have it on CD already. It's the New Monkees that I have no desire to hear.

 

Okay, then you're a wise man.

 

I always liked this scene, which is the way I like to remember a Monkee.

 

I simply avoided The New Monkees like the plague, the show and the album.
Pool It is a decent album, decent in a way that I simply tolerate it as a Monkees album, the same way I tolerate Changes. I will listen to them for the context of their history, but neither of them is a Headquarters or PAC&J, and basically I expected that they were both duds.
Justus, on the other hand, is such a grave disappointment that I barely even give it that much respect. It had the potential to be so cool, and they dropped the ball.