The Monkees complete TV show on Blu-ray box set.

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Pizza, Sep 8, 2015.

  1. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    I believe that's true. There are some new commentaries, but not with any Monkees. Gary Strobl does some, an actress who was in a few episodes does some.

    All the DVD commentaries are there. But for instance, Peter Tork did audio commentary on "Monkee Vs. Machine" and he made reference to the Kellogg's cereal boxes in the closing credits, But on the Blu-Ray set, the cereal boxes aren't there. There were some interviews, a long one with Bobby Hart, and a couple of short ones like Butch Patrick and someone else being interviewed at some collectibles show -- the latter two are "Easter Eggs" on the DVDs. Off the top of my head, there also is some NBC News film footage on the DVD set that didn't make the journey to Blu-Ray, as well as two (non-musical) clips from the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.
     
    Hep Alien and Grand_Ennui like this.
  2. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI

    Do you mean the short interview with Ruth Buzzi? I never knew there was one with Butch, I'll have to search for that one...
     
  3. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    Yes. They are both on there.
     
  4. spsimmons

    spsimmons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria Illinois
    I'm still holding out hope that there will be a series-only bluray release of the Monkees. I'm not yet convinced I want to drop $200 on the current set.
     
    goodiesguy, San, Kirk76 and 2 others like this.
  5. wingsoveramerica

    wingsoveramerica The Dude

    Location:
    Chambersburg, PA
    Has the packaging improved in the last several months? I'm thinking about buying it.
     
    Hep Alien and davenav like this.
  6. Midwest Rocker

    Midwest Rocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    I can't comment about the last several months specifically, but they did make some improvements (reinforced/strengthened the cardboard inner gold part) to the packaging earlier on. Unless there has been recent changes, I think you will need luck to get a set without at least some minor packaging issue. For some people it won't bother them at all or maybe be a minor annoyance, for others it is very bothersome.

    I've had my packaging replaced twice, and each time something was damaged (so I now have 3 boxes, none undamaged). I gave up. I didn't even bother contacting Rhino again to complain after opening and inspecting the second replacement.

    The most likely damaged parts seem to be the following:
    1. The lenticular cover falls off (incorrect glue)
    - Happened on my two replacement boxes, but not my original. It is the least concerning, because you can simply re-glue it yourself.

    2. The four corners of the red box tear (the cardboard is too thin and/or not shear resistant enough.)
    - Both my "replacements" had some torn corners, but my original did not. I'm guessing that what might have prevented the tears in the original was the fact that the "shrink wrap" provided enough support to minimize movement. The replacements are not shrink wrapped.

    3. Dented corners of the white front and rear covers (from sliding around in the shipping box due with inadequate bubble wrap or too big a box, or both)
    - Happened on one of my "replacement" boxes. Is a crapshoot but should not happen with proper shipping packaging.

    4. Scratched lenticular lens (likely rough handling during packaging, improper packaging as noted in #3, or something in manufacturing, who knows for sure)
    - Happened to my "original" but is probably rare (although there were some others who mentioned they had this problem with their original box)

    5. The inner four corners of the gold cardboard that contains the discs tear (cardboard too thin/not strong enough---this seemed to be fixed)
    - Happened with my original and first replacement. Should be o.k. now with packaging adjustments they made.

    Given my most recent experience, numbers 1 & 2 are the ones most likely to happen, and to my knowledge no specific "fix" has been implemented for these issues. My first replacement was shipped with more bubble wrap, but that didn't solve everything. My second replacement came directly from Rhino offices (not the warehouse), and it had some torn box corners and the lenticular cover was detached.

    I'm still glad I bought it, but I am understandably frustrated and disappointed in the packaging durability.

    Packaging issues aside, it is a fantastic set that I can recommend.

    I hope this helps.
     
  7. Dee Zee

    Dee Zee Once Upon a Dream

    [QUOTE="Midwest Rocker,

    I'm still glad I bought it, but I am understandably frustrated and disappointed in the packaging durability.

    Packaging issues aside, it is a fantastic set that I can recommend..[/QUOTE]

    Bottom line. Great set.
     
    Billy Budapest likes this.
  8. cabowabodude5150

    cabowabodude5150 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eunice, La 70535

    I don't know why Rhino always tries to something special with their box sets. this design for the handmade sets, are fine, but for a 10 disc set, not so much. personally, I bought a 10 disc container and someone on the Zilch fb site made a cover and sent everyone the link for it. I just printed it and put it in the container, the box is sitting on my dresser now, lol.

    chad
     
    Hep Alien likes this.
  9. Upsiditus

    Upsiditus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio
    IMO, the "alternate soundtracks" is a terrible idea. The shows were written to play to a specific song. If someone wants to listen to a different song, they should mute the TV and play it on their Ipod, computer, CD player, phonograph, etc.
     
  10. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    I assume the soundtracks stayed the same until the songs as originally broadcast were restored in the 80's as mentioned above.
     
  11. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    In between the 1969-73 Saturday morning reruns and the 1986 MTV marathon (where the shows were newly mastered on video), the show was syndicated to local stations via 16mm film. The versions I saw were mostly summer 1967 redubs for the first season shows. But syndication then wasn't like today. They were sending out many multiple 16mm film prints then. Odd variations sometimes popped up from one city to another. Stations would make their own time edits. That's what leads me to believe they may not necessarily have been uniform all around the country during the syndication on film era. The Saturday morning era likely would have kept the same song dubs throughout, but then there was a switch of networks (from CBS to ABC) in there, so maybe all bets are off.
     
    Hep Alien likes this.
  12. modrevolve

    modrevolve Forum Resident

    Looks like there is a 20% off sale at the Monkees store including the blu ray and handmade items through Tuesday.
     
  13. Daily Nightly

    Daily Nightly Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Did they ever restore the season 1 titles to the (actual) season 1 episodes? Most of the repeats on tv in the last 15 years DO NOT show them the way they should be (they use season 2 intros and 1967-later songs in a lot of cases).
     
  14. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member

    Got the 20%-off sale ad in my inbox this morning.

    It's a sale at Rhino.com, not the store at Monkees.com. So, stuff like the group's first album super deluxe set is not included (as that is supposedly a Monkees.com exclusive).

    But, wait....

    The blu-ray set was also marketed as a Monkees.com exclusive. Yet it's now also being sold at Rhino.com. (Guess it's harder to move 10,000 units than they had originally thought.)

    What's more, Rhino.com is even boasting content the set DOES NOT ACTUALLY HAVE... (Why am I not surprised?)

    This was discussed here last year, so there is no sense in rehashing it again, but why can't Rhino stop promising stuff like the song the group did with Johnny Cash ("Everybody Loves a Nut") when it has been known for over a year that it wasn't included? Or 10 Saturday morning alternate episodes (later changed to "songs" on the Monkees.com website)? Or the "NEW" Micky Dolenz commentary?

    Here's the Rhino.com content info for the set, as of right now:
    It's too bad the sale wasn't actually at Monkees.com. I wouldn't have minded saving 20% on a few concert t-shirts.
     
    Hep Alien likes this.
  15. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member

    Rhino restored the first season titles for first season episodes all the way back in the 90's for their VHS box.

    The same masters were used for the DVD release so you can find them there as well. (The blu-ray set uses newly-mastered elements with the correct openings.)
     
    Daily Nightly likes this.
  16. Daily Nightly

    Daily Nightly Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Thank you. The last time I remember seeing the shows "intact", were: when I first found out who The Monkees were -I'm 41- in 1987; watching reruns on the WOR Superstation. The film quality was bad, but they were "chronologically correct" and with the red/green/blue NBC "snake logo" still at the ends of them(!). The ScreenGems syndicated packaged copies of the late-'90s and the Antenna TV copies are different.
     
  17. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member

    I discovered the show in 70's syndication. At first, my very young mind never thought about the opening titles, but eventually could not understand how first season episodes had shots from second season episodes in the opening.

    Then, once in a blue moon (actually, whenever the episode "Too Many Girls" aired) an alternate opening would appear – complete with Peter wearing a suit under a drysuit and the group actually singing (OK, "singing") the theme...!

    From what I understand, the second season opening was grafted to first season episodes when the series was shown on Saturday mornings, but "Too Many Girls" was never shown on that day, so its original opening was never sheared off.

    That's why when the series went into syndication in the mid-70's, "Too Many Girls" was different than all the other eps.

    In the early 90's – before Rhino got control of the series – a Japanese company released a 40-episode laserdisc set. The one show with the original first season titles was...you guessed it..."Too Many Girls".
     
    goodiesguy and Hep Alien like this.
  18. Today's sale convinced me to pull the trigger. Yes, even at 20% off, the $160 price is one of the most expensive Blu-ray sets I have ever bought, but I think it will be worth it. Listen to the Band!
     
    Drifter likes this.
  19. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    What!?! I don't remember that. I remember the WOR being the same as the local syndicated ones (at the time) -- pre-edited on video, with Colex in place of Screen Gems.

    Maybe I just didn't bother paying attention by then, since MTV and Nick ran them unedited (except for the end logos).

    I did catch one or two odd showings on Antenna TV that had the NBC snake at the end -- I believe it appeared AFTER the added distributor logos, as if they took a tape transfer of a show and "cut in" Colex, or LBS, or Columbia, or Sony, or whoever it was at that point. The more recent distributor logo was shown, then a few seconds of black video, then the NBC snake (or in one case, the Screen Gems followed by the NBC snake) as if someone in master control was asleep at the switch. Seems like that stuff was on the master film sources.
     
  20. HELLOLARRY

    HELLOLARRY Forum Resident

    When the shows were on back in the mid 80s via MTV, a local station picked them up again (channel 50 WPWR) and they had different song edits too. I think there were so many prints that bicycled around the country that any station just got a mix of what was available; some original songs, some '67 repeats, while others '69/'70 repeats. When Channel 32 ran them in my area, their print of Monkees Chow Mein had 'Words' instead of 'Your Auntie Grizelda'. To this day I still have 'Words' playing in my head whenever I see that romp.

    Now interesting part with Columbia/Screen Gems with another property, the Partridge Family. When the shows popped back up on cable in the late 80s / early 90s they redubbed all the season one episodes with 'C'mon Get Happy' - season one originally had a different song 'When We're Singin''. Now I haven't seen it in syndication for quite some time since I have the full series on DVD (where the themes are correct) so I'm not sure if they have been corrected for syndication now or not. I will go one further. In season two - originally they used the same pictures of Danny and David from season one in the opening credit sequence but it had the new theme (C'mon Get Happy). Then in season three they inserted new pictures of them (Danny is obviously a little older and David has the pooka shells. In syndication though, they have the credit sequence from season 3 (and 4) grafted on to all the season 2 episodes with one exception. I don't recall which episode but I know I saved the credit sequence over to DVD for myself just so I had it. The giveaway is the pooka shells which didn't make an appearance until season 3. It must be a Columbia/Screen Gems thing to tinker with everything to make it uniform. Maybe they felt they would confuse the audience - who knows? Ultra geeky stuff but I love finding it out and/or learning about it in this forum.
     
    Hep Alien likes this.
  21. wingsoveramerica

    wingsoveramerica The Dude

    Location:
    Chambersburg, PA
    Even at $160, it is still too expensive for me. I still really hope that they release the show in HD somewhere else. I don't care if it's physical media or not, just as long as it is the HD remasters.
     
    audiomixer likes this.
  22. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    As often as I have ever watched these shows, which is not much, the 2 Rhino DVD box sets will more than suffice. I little of these shows go a looooooooooooooooooooooooooong way. Just give me the albums. :cool:
     
    BobT likes this.
  23. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member

    I'm still fine with the Japanese LD set. (Copied its 40 episodes to the hard disk recorder and watch those whenever I need a Monkees fix.)

    While I also have the DVD sets (and still dig them out for the remaining 18 eps), there is just something about the Japanese LD set that I like. I think it might be the brighter & warmer colors the shows have compared to the DVDs. (I also prefer the alternate soundtracks and second season titles on first season shows. Reminds me of watching the series on UHF as a kid.)

    I have seen a couple of the blu-ray episodes (as well as all of the bonus material). They do look quite good.

    But, they don't give the "familiar" experience the Japanese LDs do. (It's kind of like a remix version of a song you enjoy. While you might pick out certain new details, you might also find yourself drawn back to the original as that's what feels truly authentic to you. And for better or worse, the 1970's syndicated versions of the episodes were my first exposure to the series and still what feel "correct" to me.)
     
  24. Tracy Robison

    Tracy Robison Forum Resident

    The Bluray is worth it. Even with its shaky roll out and obvious flaws, there won't be a better presentation of the Monkees 60s film vault in years to come. Right now you have a friendly label and an extremely knowledgeable archivist that make these kinds of releases a reality. The episode have never looked or sounded better.
     
    Drifter, monkeetrade and jjh1959 like this.
  25. cabowabodude5150

    cabowabodude5150 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eunice, La 70535
    just speaking on the prices, the original dvd sets were priced around $80. that's $160ish for the regular sets with no restoring whatsoever. the new set has a good bit of bonus content not counting head as well being in the set. to me $200 is a good price, 58 episodes, 1 movie and tv special in hd. if I hadn't purchased it at the $200 sales point, i'd definitely being getting it at $160.

    chad
     
    Tracy Robison, jjh1959 and FJFP like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine