Speaking of those gifs, which Monkee would win in a 4 way fist fight? I know Peter and David had a small punch up once
A little late to the party, but did want to give my opinion on ‘While I Cry’. This is my favorite Nesmith penned Monkees song. Nez gives a very poignant vocal performance. I love the guitar work and the wonderful harmonies. I’ve always wanted Nez to perform this song in concert and told him this a couple of times. Was hoping he would do it on this past Mike & Micky Tour. He’s pretty much said this was definitely his last go round with The Monkees. This song is so close to what he’s done with the First National Band, I can always hold out hope.
Today’s song is Shorty Blackwell: Micky has sometimes been very dismissive of this song and while I can partially understand that, I can’t help but liking it. No doubt it will divide opinion (and I think they were sensible to make it the final track so that listeners could just remove the record from the timetable if they so desired), but I think the album needed something different after the previous two Davy songs and there is a charm to it. Not one of the group’s greatest moments by any means, but an interesting oddity. 3/5.
I only give 2/5 for Shorty Blackwell. It could be better, some of it sounds OK, but overall I cringe just a little when it comes up on my random playlist. And yes, there are worse songs!
"Shorty Blackwell" – 2/5 Sorry, folks. While I respect the unbridled ambition behind this track -- and even find certain sections of it truly amazing – there are enough elements in there that I actually loathe that I can’t give it a higher rating than this. I struggled with whether or not to give this a 2 or a 3, and changed my mind several times, settling on a 2. From the standpoint of composition and overall arrangement, it deserves very high marks. From a standpoint of execution, there are a few things I dislike so much that I often just turn the album off after "A Man Without A Dream". The opening a capella falsetto vocal is literally right there with "The Day We Fall In Love" in cringeworthiness to me. I wince in embarrassment for Micky when I hear it. I hate it. The song has some very interesting moments, though. It’s his most daring composition by a country mile. That instrumental section at about 2:45 – I’ve heard "Shorty Blackwell" so many times over the years, I can’t even recall if that piano part is based on a classical piece, or if Micky composed it himself. If that came out of his head alone, then kudos to him. It also wouldn’t surprise me to learn it’s a piece by Mozart that I’m just not placing. How’s that for high praise? But as great as that middle section is, Micky and Coco soon ruin it with their off-pitch whining, which, especially at the 4:00 mark, is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. It sounds like they were purposely trying to make a sound that was grating and repugnant. And as the song winds down, and they start into the "I’ve been away" bit, there’s more off-pitch falsetto from Micky that is just dreadful. I feel like with a few tweaks, this track could’ve gotten a much higher rating from me. The stuff I hate about it, I really, really, reeeeaaaalllyyy hate, but a lot of what is offered up within is fantastic. "Randy Scouse Git" is Micky’s masterpiece. "Shorty Blackwell" is the sound of a man flying too close to the sun.