The Monkees - Worth checking out?

I should have written "Greatest" @ 192/24 from Acoustic Sounds and thought it is pretty good.

 

Particularly if you like country-rock/pop/r&B, yeah. Dig into the box sets.

 

Sorry, friend, this is wrong. I actually think the comps are the most tiresome of what the group has to offer. You won't find Nesmith's treasure trove on any single disc comp, nor any of Jones' stronger material that sheds light on his possibilities. Single disc greatest hits comps are what anti-Monkee folks point to as case-in-point, while completely ignoring the group's better material. Those things don't define the group at all. (And I wish anti-Monkee folks would admit that they're actually largely ignorant to the group's catalog. Let alone facts like Tork playing on Harrison's Wonderwall. And Nesmith's solo career killing probably all 4 Beatles combined.)

 

I'm always annoyed that the whole group gets held hostage to some of Davy Jones' work. As if the Beatles never evolved beyond Thank You Girl. Or Nesmith was writing stuff for 13 year old girls.

 

Is Tork on the Wonderwall cd or just the soundtrack of the film itself?​

 

I have had interactions here with some people who openly state they haven't heard their music beyond a few hits, but that's okay because they don't have to hear it. Word on the street in 1967 was that they were a fake band and "I'm A Believer" is fluff, therefore anything with their name associated with it is disposable bubblegum. It's as if someone scoffed at the White Album and dismissed it without hearing it because they didn't like "When The Saints Go Marching In."

Not everything appeals to everybody, and that's fine. But I guess if someone misses out on hearing something they might have liked because they didn't like something else, it's their loss.

I like Nesmith's solo material too, but wow, that's a high bar. I bet he'd disagree.

 

Worth checking out ?!

some of the greatest pop music
of the past 50 years !

 

Yes Micky was one of the greatest voices in pop music all time. Lead vocal was great but when he harmonized it made whatever song they were doing twice as good. Underappreciated voice imo

 

Well, you've probably gone out and checked 'em out by now.
If anyone wants to but doesn't know where to start, I would
NOT start with "I'm a Believer". Try "I'm Not Your Stepping
Stone" instead. Your mileage may vary because the songs do.
What group's don't? None.

 

Just the actual film score. However someone on the forums did find his snippets on youtube.

 

My basic point is The Monkees, whether you like the music or not, are one of the most eclectic bands in mainstream history. It's almost essentially 4 solo acts. So, in that sense, they really are a hard band to "get a feel for" via single disc comp. Not only did they have 4 separate musicians in the group, each musician went through different phases, like everyone else in the 60's did. that creates an enormous wealth of styles. They're a very hard group "break into" (as an adult) unless you're willing to check them out from various "angles".

 

Of course he would, nobody would be fool enough to challenge the Fab 4 like that. Least of all a Monkee. Doesn't change the fact that it's true. The dirty secret is Fab 4 solo work is generally tiresome, uninspired, coked out or contractual fluff. Nesmith only ever brought it when he had a solid product he could stand behind. I'm not dismissing solo Beatles, but there wasn't that much back-to-back-to-back solid brilliance. Just a few gems amongst many albums of...I dunno...stuff.

 

Only by wannabe famous musicians. The actual musicians of the day had no problem with the Monkees (except my beloved, but misinformed The Doors). The Kinks, The Beatles, CSNY/Buffalo Springfield, Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Zappa, The Mamas & Papas, Paul Revere, Janis Joplin, etc. etc. were all on board with the group. Someone on this forum even posted photo of Jimmy Page with the band. Not to mention the fact that Nesmith was producing guys in the Wrecking Crew and Nashville Cats from the very start(he was probably playing with David Briggs before Neil Young was). Only mis/uninformed/jealous critics were whining about the band being bubblegum. And that's probably just because Tork or Jones probably stole their girlfriends.

 

Love Nesmith's solo stuff. Every note of it.
Love Beatles' solo stuff more.
But if I'm in the mood to listen to a 1967 album with a way too long title, I'd definitely be more likely to put on PACJL than SPLHCB

 

I can't help but notice that Pete Quaife is sporting a Nesmith cut in the top photo.

 

Whew that is high praise for Nesmith, though for me, sitting in the second row of a small theater and watching him do solo material most of which I knew, was as thrilling to me as if it was McCartney himself. He is one of my music heros, Monkees material included. PACJ gets as much CD play by me as every other epic 67 LP.

 

The Monkees were a major influence on The Beatles...

 

Given that Ringo and Hendrix were at Nesmith's FNB gig in 1970, and Ringo's country album following not long after I'd say this could be true to some extent. Whether that was snark or not.

 

It's a line from Dumb & Dumber

 

Fans, avoiding all the greatest hits songs, how about posting some great Monkees music here?