MONKEES - 2016 , what happened?? has Rhino let the fans and the band down?

Complicated thread , no doubt.

2016 looked to be the Monkees victory lap, and then things seem to have gone horribly wrong.

I have just browsed various Message Boards , Twitter and Facebook in the last day. And have noticed some very well constructed complaints that have seemed to reach a peak with last nights debacle on AXS-TV.

No doubt, we saw a better new record then anyone could have ever expected.

But last nights tv show , the Rhino mis-haps with the LP Box , the Blu-Ray set , and now the Good Times vinyl issues. What happened??

Does Rhino/Warner take the full blame?

Andrew Sandoval , is this tour , too much for his skills set?

Let's be honest this tour is NOT what most fans wanted to see, and the inside word is that Nesmith did not trust Sandoval with a tour of this (potential) magnitude. Last nights TV show must have made him "thank the stars" that he was not involved.

Is it time for a revamp , there are still 4 months left this year, the good-press about the music on Good Times still has some relevance, so it is not like this year is total washout. The tide could still be turned. Some well-thought out live promotion could help.

Adam Schlesinger and/or John Hughes , should they step in and take charge of the tour?

What about Mike Nesmith? , the tour he was in charge of with the band, had nothing but critical raves for the most part.

Would Nesmith be more willing to rejoin the "playing live" aspect if Sandoval is gone?

The backing band, do they take any blame, or is the Vegas-Lite aspect even their fault?

And do not even get me started on some of ridiculous fan activities we have seen in the past year? The convention this year , seemed to be a cash-grab by whoever promoted it.

The Cruise nightmare, were many posted that Micky made no secret on the ship that he hated being on this cruise-ship and doing the events and interacting with people that were not real Monkees fans. Guess what, it was a 2 year contract he has to do it all over again , early next year. Though thankfully (for him ) , he is trying to get out of this if he can.

2016 just seemed to be everything breaking so-right for them, but again the "Monkee-Wrench" happens.

 

As a fan I see where you are going but 2016 has been a shock to me. Who would have ever predicted that the Monkees with Mike Nesmith would make a great album that hit the top 20, that came out on vinyl and various disc configurations and released in other countries? I saw them in Reno last week at a free concert and it was so crowded that even they couldn't believe it. 5,000 people? Not sure. The problem is that there are hard core fans and then there are gray hairs reliving their youth that have no concept of what Head is. They have to cateer to both. I saw them with Nesmith in 2012 and that was a fan show! No Schtick.

 

Anyone who expected more for the Monkees this year is deluded IMHO.

They are a nostalgia act at this point who, against all odds, released a pretty good album. They were never going to set the world on fire again. Those 15 minutes are long long past. And their chance at a rare second act was squandered in the mid '80s.

Take what you have now for what it is. It's more than you could hope for, especially at this late date, especially with one of the members deceased and another only tangentially involved.

 

By and large, I'd say no. But let's look at this point by point because there's a LOT here (my replies are in the quote box).

 

What are the issues with the vinyl? Just bought it today, cleaned, but haven't played.

With the release of Good Times!, there is no way in hell that I'm going to complain about anything. It was pretty much a dream come true.

I saw Mike with The Monkees three times and I'm damn glad that I did. It was very obvious that he wasn't touring with them this year. No biggie. It's Mike.

As far as the series BD, I didn't order it. I'd prefer the Deluxe MOTM.

I'm seeing them at the Pantages next month. I bought tickets based on the rumor that Mike was going to be there. Doesn't seem like that's happening, but that's okay. I know it won't be mind blowing, but I'm not going to complain that I'm able to see any configuration of these guys.

 

Rhino and the band let us fans down? That's nothing short of a hyperbole. Ok, so there was an issue with the RSD box. It's not some major catastrophic let down. Ok, so there was an issue with the Blu-Ray box set packaging. One, it's FREAKING PACKAGING! Everyone needs to stop getting their panties in a bunch over it. It's petty, no matter how much was spent (I know that card will be thrown). I requested a replacement, got it and it's good as new. Problem solved. To those who haven't gotten good replacements: Sorry, but it isn't a catastrophe. It's packaging. Don't make it a bigger deal than it is. Those complaining about things that "should have" been on the box: We got the complete series, Head, 33 1/3, in stunning HD and more extras than we ever deserved, and it's STILL not good enough! Ungrateful!

Plus the entitlement of those stating it's essentially Nesmith's "duty" since he "owes it to the fans" to be on the tour.

There have been issues this year for sure but the entitlement and ungratefulness is appalling!

 

I got to see The Monkees three times... twice with Davy (3 Monkees, no Mike) and once with Mike (3 Monkees again but no Davy).
I have another opportunity coming up to see just Micky and Peter, but I'm not interested. To make things more complicated, the only two Monkees I'd see together would be Micky and Mike (not Peter).

I liked the new Monkees album. I bought it on CD and was hoping to get the vinyl too at some point, but can someone explain what, if anything, is supposedly wrong with it?

 

I think Mike doesn't want to associate himself with a nostalgic act, he's a serious musician (when he's making music)

 

I haven't heard about any issues with the vinyl, if there was it would be a 6 page thread here by now. The OP didn't explain themselves, which doesn't help. I'll be listening to mine within the hour and report back.

 

Yeah, I wasn't aware of some of these recent snafus, but I have to say, all things considered, it's been an extraordinary year for the band. They released an album that totally surpassed our expectations and made it into the top 20. It's hard for me to fathom how Rhino has let the fans down here.

 

I heard someone mention the teal exclusive at FYE has issues, but I've seen nothing about that.

Serves 'em right for shopping at FYE, honestly...

 

a Pretty Good Lp ?? compared to what masterpiece released this Year???? or last for that matter,The only problem I see is that they left some of the best tracks as bonus tracks here and there, and of course the dreadful cover art

 

They just released a new album.

 

I got the vinyl version of Good Times today and it just needed a little cleaning. Sounded just fine to my ears...Packaging was nice and I thought the extra promotional stuff included with purchase was a nice touch.

 

I think he was talking about live performances.

 

Seriously who's your source on this inside information? I love it when people drop bombs and hide behind made up facts that are total BS, and don't give me that I can't reveal crap. You come in here drop bombs and leave it. Pure crap and total BS.

 

He's devoting time to himself because of his writing his memoirs, not because of Monkees concert song selection, which have included new songs, from my understanding.

 

"Good Times": I think it's a great album and I was extremely pessimistic. I don't even mind the song Dolenz wrote, and my eyes practically rolled out of my head when I first saw the title.

The tour/AXS: Honestly, I don't know if I'd go even if Nesmith was on board. I've seen him with them three times, which is exactly three more times than I ever imagined. However, barring a major setlist shake-up, I feel like I've seen this movie by now and adding "Heart and Soul" and "Let's Dance On" to the mix don't exactly sweeten the pot. That said, if a cheap ticket pops up for their next area show in November, I'd consider it. As for the AXS show, I haven't seen it but hey, s_t happens, right?

Schlesinger: Did a great job on the album and is a talented and seasoned touring musician. Not sure if that would qualify him to handle a global tour any more than Sandoval.

The backing band: Good players that are true to the original arrangements. Not an issue at all.

Ridiculous fan events: The fault of ridiculous fans.

Nesmith and Sandoval: I have no idea. Obviously they're able to work together in some capacity when the situation arises.

Dolenz on a boat: A gig's a gig. He knew what he signing up for. I say, let him crash!

The blu-ray issues: Sounds like a cluster. This may be heresy but I'm fine with the ancient DVD's that I rarely put on...as I think the show hasn't aged particularly wonderfully in a lot of cases. Maybe I'm old and my soul's dead. Either way, if people didn't get what they paid for (or got it in bad condition), that is bad customer service and it should be addressed.

To sum up, I'd have been happy with the "More" deluxe someone mentioned. "Good Times" is a nice bonus. If the tour's not what you wanted, I'm sorry but I feel fortunate to have seen what I've seen (and know what I know) in the recent past.

 

He's pretty much avoided playing live with the Monkees for longer than I've been alive.

 

Why would he perform with Davy if they didn't get along together?

 

I really don't know what your point is. If you saw in my post, I pretty much said that Mike is Mike. I saw him 3 times with The Monkees and it was amazing. I don't care if he's not on this particular tour.

 

Since he's in the twilight years of his life, he's going to have to compromise his schedule to complete his memoirs.

 

This is Why,Folks We should Never let these Monkees Haters spew their Hatred on these Sites!

 

I thought it was a great year for The Monkees. Just as good of promotion as the Beach Boys-That's Why God Made the Radio IMO..

 

Again, I have no qualms with that. You responded to someone's post, I explained what they meant. Maybe you should be responding to them, not me?