The Monkees "More of the Monkees" Rhino Handmade Deluxe Box Set

Perhaps, once there are enough 45-exclusive tracks to fit on a CD, they could release that as a limited edition standalone via Rhino Handmade.

 

I think a genuinely unique outtake (such as "I Didn't Know You Had It In You Sally" or the "St. Matthew" demo) should be considered of sufficient "worth" to include in the careful chronologies these sets have now established. If the 45 track is yet another mix of a song that is probably already on the set three or more times, then it's less imperative to include them.

They could strike a happy medium by making digital files of the bonus 45 tracks available. In fact, this would revisit one of the avenues Andrew said Rhino was exploring with Monkees outtakes circa the 2-disc sets in 2006 and 2007, i.e., offering them as digital only files on the Rhino website. This would also be a good way to clean up the remaining material that completists would love to hear (e.g., "Who Will Buy," "Tears of Joy," etc.).

 

I like the 45's as is. Putting them out on CD kinda kills the exclusive...
How many times is one gonna cue up Sally on their CD player anyway ?

 

I'm trying not to included a judgment call on the relative quality of the track. After all, there have been multiple mixes of "Ladies Aid Society" and "Kicking Stones" on multiple Rhino releases - with still more to come. "If I Learned To Play The Violin" - another dog from the NYC sessions - was originally only available on the long-defunct Monkees CD-ROM, but it was collected on the 2-disc version of Headquarters. For that matter "You Can't Tie a Mustang Down" and "Ceiling In My Room" first appeared as extras on budget hits collections, years before the 2-disc and Handmade editions. "Sally" had the vocal added in 1969, which qualified it for the Present set...yet it wasn't included, even while a peripheral remix of "Circle Sky" for a foreign market was. When comparing the two, I feel like the objectively more odd choice was made.

I'm not incensed in any way - and, all that said, "Sally" is a very lackluster tune. I just find these instances to be quirky blindspots when Andrew is seemingly trying to chronologically give each and every finished song (regardless of mix) a spot in these collections. Or maybe "Sally" would be included in the NYC stuff on the presumably-inevitable Headquarters box? After all, "Love To Love" - another one with a vocal apparently not completed until 1969 - was included on the 2-disc version and not represented on the Present box.

OK, I think that's more than I ever need to write again about "I Didn't Know You Had It In You Sally."

 

Probably for outtakes though, Andrew said that there'll be no more remixing (for original catalog/canon) . As they want to stick w/ original stereo/mono mixes (unless an alt mix happens to be a remix I suppose).

 

Too bad. The Pieces/BBM/Head era has ripe opportunities for remixes. Maybe even 5.1?

Imagine a surround sound Star Collector!!!

 

I am assuming the multis for 'The Kind Of Girl I Could Love' are missing, hence no 2017 remix.

 

There's was talks, dunno what happened (?):

The Monkees- Coming soon to a surround sound system near you!

 

More than slightly off-topic, but that new film Ladybird has a trailer with Thr Monkee’s As We Go Along in the soundtrack. I wonder if it’s been remixed for the film?

 

I view them as tracks that didn't fit on the box, but we got them (in some form) anyway. Well, except when they repeat an alternate mix of "Circle Sky" on the Present box, when it was already on the Head box.

 

I like the 45s. I wouldn't buy the boxes without them. Didn't buy the last one

 

It was remixed on Music Box.

 

They have everything for that song. It's from the first album sessions so it's on the first album box.

It would appear there is only one song missing: When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)

(Perhaps it's on the same reel as I'll Be Back Upon My Feet (which is also missing)?)

 

First off, I totally respect the opinions of my fellow Monkee maniac brethren.

But some of the comments are totally missing the point.

1. Including the 45's in the set does indeed make it a lot cooler for a small niche of fans (not me obviously, but I still am genuinely happy for the vinylholics that really love this). I am NOT saying to stop including the 45's. I just want the song(s) to also be included on the CD as well.

2. Including the songs on the CD as well as the 45 vinyl does not kill the exclusive. The bonus songs should be the "exclusive" to the Super Deluxe set, not the format. The bonus songs should be jus one more little extra enticement to the buyer to pony-up the premium dollars for a special edition expanded set. Don't penalize the majority of listeners who don't play vinyl.
[And don't even get me started on the crap Rhino pulled with the "extra" four (4) Good Times era tracks (that should have been made available on a Deluxe Edition CD (and Vinyl) simultaneously with the standard CD at release date).]

I must note that I personally agree with the point about "how many times is one gonna cue up "Sally" on the CD player anyway". BUT, what songs people "like"- or not- is too subjective to dismiss which songs fans might not be so upset about being left off the CD. (For the record, the two songs found only exclusively on 45 vinyl that I am most ticked off about not being on CD is the "no horns" version of "Daydream Believer" and the 2017 remix of "I'm A Believer" from this set)

As far as offering these vinyl tracks available as digital download files.......I still would much prefer them to be included on the Super Deluxe CD, especially considering this is an expensive $60 set, not a typical 10-12 track standard album. Until and unless Rhino offers them as uncompressed full 16 bit 44.1k files (or better), it's a non-starter for me. I am not interested in MP3 or any other compressed format. If in the future Rhino offers Monkees tracks left over (that didn't make it onto CD on any of the Super Deluxe Sets), that they are willing to sell as uncompressed downloads, then count me in, as I agree this would be a way for completists to get them.

This should not be an either/or situation. Monkees fans should not have to "choose sides" on this issue and Rhino shouldn't put us in a position to have to. The Win-Win situation is to include the vinyl 45 tracks on the CD as well. It's senseless for Rhino to alienate dedicated fans with stuff like this when it can be so easily be avoided.

So moving forward Rhino, put all of the tracks on CD...and make plans to get those previously released 45 vinyl exclusives on CD as well.

 

Yeah, I was going to mention that demo of "St. Matthew" as definitely being one I would have preferred to have had in the Deluxe Box on CD. I love Nez's early demos of this nature, and there's no other version like that one on the box set. Agreed that when it's an alternate mix of a song already in the collection it's not as big of a deal, but that was one I would identify as unique and very noteworthy.

 

Yes, I'm missing the Birds & the bees 45.

 

Then I guess I am disappointed that we didn't get a 2017 remix or some session chatter.

 

They did something similar when The Headquarters Sessions first came out. Two instrumentals were edited to fit onto the CDs, but if you went to the Rhino Handmade website, you could stream the tracks in their entirety. (In a streaming resolution that would, I'm sure, sound atrocious today.)

I missed that one when it came out - I bought the box, but too late for the 45. Years later, Andrew Sandoval was involved in an attempt to crowdfund a documentary about Boyce & Hart. They didn't make the target, but because the crowdfunding site collected the money up front (instead of at the end, contingent on hitting the target like Kickstarter), I got the premium I'd ordered. It was the BB&M 45, autographed by Micky Dolenz. (Which is a bit odd, because he's the only living Monkee who didn't play on those two songs, but I'll take it.)

 

My .02 cents on the 45's: They're cool. I like them, but I would really like a digital download of them too. This is partially because it's easier, but also I haven't felt the vinyl quality has been that great. Some of my copies (particularly on some of the quieter passages) has been a little bit noisier than I prefer. And although I know what many have said about the "quality" of some of the tracks ("Sally"), I'm a complete-ist and really would like to have them in digital form. Plus certain things, have been huge favorites of mine. My go-to version of "Good Clean Fun" for example; also, I am one of the people here who have been waiting for this new mix of "I'm a Believer" and I'm quite surprised that it didn't make the CD's, when the alternate vocal version did. - Didn't we get the alternate vocal version in a remix already?

Having said all of that, I'm not upset, I'm still flabbergasted we have been able to get so much stuff.

I thought Andrew told me he remixed the entire album for surround. I wonder why that didn't come out? I guess maybe Rhino didn't think it was viable? Or maybe someone wasn't crazy about the mix. All I know is that I'm sure I'll love what's there, but sadly, I'll always want more!

Seriously, we are very lucky. And I was sad when I heard Andrew's comment on the Zilch broadcast about everyone hating the blu-ray set. I didn't hate it, I loved it. With all of the things we've been so fortunate to get over the years, we're such a whiny lot, that we complain about what we're really lucky to have ever had a chance to get our hands on, because it could have been SOOOO much less and it could all end tomorrow and we'll never get another note because people are so unwilling to buy product anymore.

 

I wonder if when Ron Furmanek found the multi tracks of I'm A Believer and handed them over to Andrew Sandoval, he thought it would wind up only on a 45 that a lot of people without turntables would never hear.

 

Didn't we get both on the last box set?

If I recall correctly, it sounded atrocious even then! In fact, I used to have them recorded but really could never get past the sound quality, I don't think I have them anymore, which I'm pretty sad about.

I'll try to find it, but somewhere I read something where (I think it was Bobby) said they had obviously planned the song to have bass, but stumbled across hearing it played with no bass and they thought it sounded pretty cool because the song was such a typical song, having no bass made it sound different. (or something) - Honestly, I think I only like the song because there is no bass. It's a cool idea and any type of bass part you put on it, makes it sound like so many other similar songs. - If they wanted bass, there was no way it would have come out with no bass. It would have taken 2 & 1/2 minutes to put a bass part on that song.

Couldn't have said any of this any better myself. I remember talking to Andrew a bit about this too in instances where vocal overdubs are not documented, Davy's voice is so clearly different in a fairly short amount of time. So did "Looking For the Good Times" have a 1966 lead vocal? Probably not, just listen to Davy's voice on that one.

 

The lead guitar line is almost bass-like anyway; it's certainly on the low end for such things.

 

Sounds like too much of a hassle. But not too difficult to have done.
Maybe they were so used to bass being on the tracking session it didn’t cross their minds.

 

I'm aware of Davy's vocal changes from '67-'69, but "Looking for the Good Times" is hard to pinpoint. In some ways his voice sounds similar to '66 and in other ways, it does have the '67-'69 tone to it. Would be great to have a definitive answer on when it was done. I believe, though, in Andrew's book, it says the only 1966 track not to have finished vocals that year was "I Never Thought It Peculiar".

 

This is from memory, but pretty sure "Whatever's Right" never got a vocal either. Said to lean country-ish. Looking forward to hearing it.