The Monkees "Head"- What Do You Think About The Album?

First of all, the songs are ALL good. ALL of them. The major highlight, of course, is "Porpoise Song", arguably the best Goffin-King contribution ever to appear on a Monkees album: a lush, soulful organ-dominated epic with Dolenz taking lead and the orchestration embarking the band on something in between a Procol Harum and a Pink Floyd performance.

"As We Go Along", where Micky also takes lead vocals and again presents us with a Grace Slick-alike vocal delivery. The gentle acoustic shuffle and humble, unintrusive flute cannot be beat.

The Harry Nilsson's cheesy, but catchy "Daddy's Song"; goes without saying, impossible not to hum it.

"Circle Sky" a great little country-rocker in the true sense of the word. Love that descending riff in the intro and throughout.

The two songs are Pete's songs are very good songs. "Can You Dig It" is, like, folksy psychedelia a la Lovin' Spoonful.Moody minor guitar chords and sad melancholic refrain. And "Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?" is a very good rocker with Stills on guitar.

"Head" is quite a fascinating listen, and it goes without saying that an attentive listen to this stuff will convince many a listener that the Monkees weren't such trivial no-goodnicks as they're pictured by people who mostly slam the Monkees in order to "establish" their snubby persona without even giving the music a fair chance.

 

Weird that you posted this thread right now. I'm doing a countdown of Monkees' albums and this album is next to be played, at #5 in my Monkees' list. You're right, all the music is excellent. Some of the best songs in The entire Monkees' catalogue. If there was more music I'd rank the album higher. Not a huge fan of all the clips from the movie. Still, it's a great album anyway and the music is awesome!

 

It has to be taken within context of a couple of things. First, the time period in which it came out; secondly, it helps a great deal if you're familiar with The Monkees story, their success, how it was formulated and how and why they wanted to break out of "the mold" . And to go along with that, a knowledge of their musical history would help as well. All three of these factors played a significant role in what led to Head as a concept, movie, an album and an "event". Taken on all those terms, I think it's an important 60's album to own. My personal feeling on it based on everything I just said...I love it. It's not "typical" Monkees and wasn't meant to be. It succeeds on that level as well.

 

Yes, In between you get the weird stuff that ruins the album.

 

I think it's great and serves as a better soundtrack than other typical soundtracks of it's period. It also works because it's more a soundscape that identifies with the film but it's more in a hodge podge sense. It is it's own little thing and it works. My only complaint is the mix of "Circle Sky" and not having the coda for "Porpoise Song." Rhino did fix the latter with their 80's reissue.

 

I've always wondered why Mike's vocals are so buried in the mix.

 

I think it adds to the atmosphere of the album; it's not an album simply about the proper songs. In fact I consider the actual songs a vehicle for relaying to the public what and who The Monkees were really hungry to be percieved as, as serous music artists. This is truly an album "about the movie". It wouldn't serve the same purpose without the "inbetweens".

 

Mike being Mike.

 

What did I say about this when I did my thread? Ah, yes...

I first heard this album via the 80s Rhino reissue I purchased at a certain record shkp in Manhattan that used to be across the street from The Strand bookstore. It's closed now so I won't mention its name.

What did I think? I thought as an album HEAD made even less sense than the movie but still filled with some of The Monkees best tunes. ["Porpoise Song (Theme from "HEAD"), "Circle Sky", "Can You Dig It", As We Go Along", "Daddy's Song", "Long Title: Do I have to Do This All Over Again"]

Oh wait, I left a note for myself; "mention the irony of of the album featuring two tunes from the one who would leave the group right after the movie opened." Well, I think I just did that so...

I still own that LP and there's the CD from the complete albums set. Oh wait, there's the mono CD I made from the deluxe edition and other elements.

 

I like the movie better than the album. Of course, Circle Sky is one reason for that

 

I really like this album. I resisted this lp for a long time because the movie was so 'out there'. I got the deluxe cd version several years ago and then started to love it. But I do hate all the movie dialog. The 3cd version is just chock-full of goodies, mono and stereo. All my go-to versions are there.

 

Other than Daddy’s Song it is a stellar collection of tracks and Pete’s finest hour. If only they had fleshed out the soundtrack songs with some other outtakes of the era (ala The Beatles’ Help) it could have been their best album.

 

I've always preferred the buried vocal mix.

 

I love the music , "Porpoise Song" especially and I love the movie.

 

I think it was Peter Tork who said that the LP is an "alternate trip." In other words, the film was one trip and the LP is another trip.

Anyway, I love it. All of the songs are great, and I love the Monkees' freakier side.

I gotta say, though, when I originally bought the LP sometime around 1970 (when I was 6 or 7), it confused the hell out of me.

 

Prefer the mono mixes and non-buried vocal of Circle Sky. So I'm thankful for the super deluxe version. As We Go Along is a top-ten Monkees track. Also I'm with Tork: Nez should've included the Monkees' live version of Circle Sky on the e.p...ahem...album.

It was the end of their psychedelic phase (save for Shorty Blackwell) and like another strange band film with an e.p. soundtrack (Magical Mystery Tour) it was excessive in its weirdness (both music and film) and followed up with an entirely different type of sound from the group.

The album and film is one of many Monkee crowning achievements.

 

Disagree. The deluxe version has 4 other versions that have better recordings for the vocals, in my opinion.

 

The result of The Powers That Be and Jack Nicholson dropping acid, turning on a tape recorder and beginning to ramble.
And some of that trip ended up on the record. And some of THOSE lines have stuck in my head as catch phrases.
Skunk bait. That's what this economy is BASED on!

 

"Are you telling me that you don't see the connection between government and laughing at people?"

 

My second favorite Monkees album. Contains my two favorite Monkees songs. Porpoise Song has been my favorite Monkees song since this 10 year old boy dropped the needle on his Monkee Business picture disc LP fir the first time. Yes, it's only 6 songs but they are all great songs and the whole thing works as a companion piece to the film.

 

"Houwzabout some more steam?!"

I say that to my friends all the time but they never get the reference. Why am I the only one around my circle of friends who knows that movie is a classic? I hope my judgement isnt "permafried." Which it could very well could be!

 

The least favorite of all the Monkees albums.

 

Head is one of their best albums. For repeated listenings, I prefer not to hear the filler, dialogue non-music tracks.

Several of the songs here are true standouts in their catalogue. Porpoise Song, As We Go Along, Long Title, and Circle Sky are some of the best music they performed.

 

Outside Monkee fandom, any dialogue from Head is indeed obscure!

 

It’s a good album but too short.i would never be interested in the non musical segments.