Circle Sky - JUSTUS 2/5 Lyric change unnecessary. I Do like how it comes out of the bridge directly into the verse. LISTEN TO THE BAND BOX 5/5 (coulda been better but the nostalgia of it being my first Monkees CDs makes me not quibble.
The release of Justus passed me by - it came out more or less at the time I first logged on to the internet, but I wouldn't have been searching for The Monkees at that point. It was some time later that I came across it - given that it is conceptually something like Headquarters II, it would seem like a no-brainer to buy it, but the reviews and general feedback were so bad that I have never been tempted to purchase, or as far as I can remember - even sample it. So until I had a sneak peek of some tracks yesterday, I had never heard any of it before. Not the greatest of first impressions if I'm honest - there are some areas of 90s rock that I'm not keen on, and Justus seems to stray quite a bit into those areas. This version of "Circle Sky" just seems clumsy, cluttered and overlong, and Mike's vocal definitely isn't great. There seems a fairly blatant mistake where the vocal comes in too late for "...smiling down". I'd rather hear one of the previous versions. 2/5.
I think 'Circle Sky' on Justus is the weakest version of the song. I particularly dislike the backing vocals, and I also find the lead vocal to be rather 'cold'. Not only that, there's a sort of overall brittle aggression in the song's presentation (I'm struggling to describe it) which puts me off. I can't think why The Monkees felt this track needed to be tackled again, given that the live version from '68 is definitely the keeper. (There's another song to come which I don't think needed to be done again either, but at least that one was less well known to fans.) Not a good start to the album - but it does get better.
Wonderful box, LITB. I thought about getting it back when it was new, foolishly passed, thinking I had all the Monkees I needed (Was still a fan, but not as rabid as a few years earlier) and regretted that faux pas for years. Eventually found a copy, and it’s worth every penny. All kinds of great rarities, deep cuts, and alternate versions of course. Great sound too. For me, LITB is worth it just for the “Porpoise Song” mix alone. FINALLY, a version that corrects/removes the two “pops” on the HEAD soundtrack, the original single, and basically every Monkees “best of” compilation before and after. This mix is my “go-to” version and it’s a shame it’s not available anywhere else (AFAIK). Wish they could similarly clean it up on the HEAD soundtrack too. Too late to count, but 5/5 for LITB. Best Monkees collection ever, hands down.
I wonder if the hurt feelings over the live version, where they all played as a foursome, being left off of HEAD (the album) had something to do with this? Like a “make good” by Nez to the other guys? Still a pointless remake though.
Circle Sky - 2/5 If I am remembering the Usenet days' rumors correctly, the whole Justus ball got rolling with Nez, Peter and Micky getting together to jam in order to determine if they had the goods to work together as a band again. Circle Sky was one of the first things they started jamming on which is really no surprise given that they had such a small repertoire as a working band - and, as evidenced by the jam sessions on the Headquarters Sessions - they were not really productive just jamming. So it certainly seems like the song was held up as a guiding light for the project. This version feels top-heavy and a little sluggish compared to the original studio recording or the live take. The processing on Nez's voice further detracts. If he was only planning to do one vocal on Justus, I would much rather have heard it on a new song. I get the intent of having it be the linkage from their old sound to the new sound but it's far from essential.
3/5. It's The Monkees playing Circle Sky as a band, so that's the least I can give it, even if it was ultimately needless. Compare it to Anytime Anyplace Anywhere for some perspective.
All the Monkees played on the ‘Justus’ album and Davy did play guitar on it. From the 1996 Billboard Live Show, the last time all four MONKEES performed live in the United States. The dog mascot is a running gag in the ‘97 TV special. He first shows up in the ‘You and I’ video with the Monkees in an ice rink and that seems a natural place to see him. Then he just shows up with no explanation throughout the rest of the special. It’s just an example of Nesmith’s wry humor which is very Monty Pythonish where the Pantomime Queen shows up for no reason.
Thanks, Fred. I knew they all played, and just them, on Justus (Hence the name). Just didn’t know if Davy played on that somg. He almost seems to be miming his guitar in the CS video. A bit too overenthusiastic, I’d say. That Billboard performance... Saw it on You Tube once (Clearly taken from a lousy VHS tape) and they sounded good. Micky’s growth as a drummer especially impressed me. Shame they didn’t stick together as a quartet for awhile and tour the States. I’ve apparently forgotten almost everything about that TV special, including the “dog.” I remember Micky “vomiting” sparkles (Don’t ask), I remember not liking the new songs much, and, of all people, Chuck Woolery?? WTF. I know Mike’s a friend of (Monty Python’s) Terry Jones, and was good friends with the great author Douglas Adams too, but I have to say any similarities between that special and the Pythons was lost on me.
Yea, same with me during most of the 1990s, I left my Monkee fandom in dormant mode. Meaning, I'd look something up about them online, listen to the music now and then, but rarely purchased anything Monkees-related. I came back to them in the early 2000s when I started buying stuff online from eBay and so on. For all the compilation boxes that I have, Listen to the Band is my favorite. I don't have all of them, but a fair number from over the years. For compilations, I will give it a 5/5. And like some of you here, I was somewhat disappointed when I first listened to Justus. It took some years for it to grow on me. I will save some of that for later as we progress thru this uneven effort.
There are a few worthy tracks, but I was quite disappointed when I heard this album. Bought it on release day as well
The special had too much of Mike's dry humor in it, which is one reason some of the jokes are not all that funny ... and just odd or better yet awkward. Hmm... I mean, I'm glad they did do a special looking back now over 20 years later - but it's just not that good. Mike directed and wrote it, I believe. I like Mike's humor, but it just did not translate well for this special in my opinion - something about it was very off. The Justus VHS tape is somewhat better, it mostly consists of the Monkees singing to music videos with very little dialogue. I think it is somewhat more palatable to enjoy. With all the time that has passed, I'm glad there is something to enjoy but I would say it is only slightly better than 33 1/3 Revolutions. Another mistake, the Monkees should have had more outside input on their TV special along with Justus.
Sounds like you and I had similar fandom paths, during the 90s at least. The Monkeemania of 1986 cooled off in a hurry (Not unlike the initial wave, really) and the 90s/early 2000s really were a fallow period for most of us. Still loved ‘em, but Justus/the TV special really disappointed and Nez bailing on the U.S. tour shot down my interest in seeing them live. Wasn’t til Nez came back (Post-Davy, unfortunately) that I got really interested again. Got to see them in 2014 and that was a joy. Good Times!, of course, brought it all back for me a big, big way for me after that and cemented my fairly rabid fandom again.
For me, at least, the weirdness of 33 1/3, along with a handful of good songs and that wild jam session at the end (I unapologetically love it) makes me rate that way, way above the 1997 special. Then again, I just love the music and culture of the 1960s way more than I do anything from the 80s or 90s (or now) — even if I wasn’t around for that decade — so that’s likely part of why I look down on much of the later Monkees stuff too. I dig Mike’s sense of humor. Elephant Parts is funny stuff (Which holds up, one or two cringy moments that haven’t aged well aside), as is Television Parts and some Mike’s other projects. I always thought his dry humor worked well on The Monkees show too. It just didn’t click in that special. Part of me wants to watch it again, but I know I’ll likely be just as down on it now as I was then.
I can see your point of view, but I really like it. Just a very weird coda to the tv series. Amazing to see the guys in the pad and on the beach again 30 years later, trying to get some dumb gig.
The album may not be grunge, but it has a sound immediately recognisable from the time it was recorded, as much so as the Then And Now/Pool It material does for it's time. A kind of self-conscious post-alt dull dryness. It is still a good album, though.
Though you came back later to the fandom than I did, glad to see you returned! I bet there are quite a few fans who came back to the fold late as well Grunge / not grunge Some of you say Justus is not grunge. I guess technically that is right. A few of the tracks on Justus are not exactly grunge, but the heavy guitar parts sorta remind me of that type of 90s music. Hmm.... Moments of Monkee heavy metal then? Just wondering what would be the correct musical category to put some of it in?
It took a long time for "Justus" to grow on me and I like it as a stand alone album these days. As for "Circle Sky" well, this one hasn't grown on me at all. Possibly my least favorite song on the album. I give it a 2/5 because it is still "Circle Sky" after all
Circle Sky - 3/5 When I first heard the four Monkees were recoding again I was hoping for 3 or 4 country toons from Mike and an album that would sort of follow on from (the best bits) of Instant Replay and Present. Oh well. I was pretty disappointed when I got to hear it. Two main reasons, I guess I’d expected Mike to come back as 1969Mike and secondly I thought it would sound a little more like The Monkees. My mistake on both counts. I agree with most of you about the vocal on Circle Sky. But something strange has happened! The album has really grown on me over the last few years and now I think it is a pretty fine album. I can listen to it without discomfort (bar the aforementioned vocal) and I don’t pine for a country tune (or two) when listening. Bring on the other tracks. The Listen To The Band box is great. Personally I’d pick a better (and longer) disc 4 but personal preferences aside, it’s 5/5.
I guess I’m in the minority, but I like the “Circle Sky” remake. Sure, it could never top the original versions. But, it’s a fun way to hear all 4 Monkees together again on record. Not sure why Nez felt the need to make the silly changes to the lyrics. But, that’s Nez for ‘ya. 3/5.
I agree that the albums are similar in the sense that in both cases, the Monkees tried to modernize their sound, but I think it worked FAR better on Justus than it did on Pool It! And maybe I feel that way because I was heavily into alt-rock/grunge at that time, and still find the general '90s rock sound to be better than the general '80s slick/synth sound, but there you have it. Circle Sky (Justus) I was introduced to the Monkees in the mid-’80s, when I was about 10, and I loved them, but I largely forgot about them/didn’t pay attention to them during my junior high/high school/early college years. But then, during my junior year of college, I believe it was, I learned about a new Monkees TV special that would soon be airing. So I watched it, and I think I liked it at the time (though I recently rewatched it and realized that it’s not very good, other than bringing the guys back together in the beach pad and playing music as a band), but the one thing that stuck with me from that special was Circle Sky. My experience with the Monkees up to that point was limited to the original TV series and the music played on those shows, and I’d never before heard Circle Sky—but I absolutely loved it on the special. Some time later—months, maybe a year or two, I can’t remember—I was in a local music store and I saw the Justus CD, and saw that it included Circle Sky, but for whatever reason, I didn’t buy the CD. Fast forward to last year, when I reconnected with the Monkees and discovered the depth of their catalog—including the fact that Circle Sky originated in the ’60s, and sounded differently back then as compared to how it sounded in the TV special. In fact, it wasn’t until I was browsing some Monkees videos on YouTube that I rediscovered the version from the TV special—and I loved it then as much as I had all those years ago. I don’t know why they chose to redo it, and I don’t know why Mike chose to write new lyrics—though this doesn’t bother me, as I’ve never understood the original lyrics anyway—but I like the end product. I’m a rock ’n roll guy at heart, and I love the hard edge to this version. It’s slightly discordant at points, but in a sort of psychedelic way that just works for me. My favorite part is the crunchy guitar, and how the song (in all of its versions) just doesn’t let up from beginning to end. I agree with those who think Mike should’ve had more leads on Justus (although I think you can hear him on backing vocals on at least a couple of tracks?), but that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this rocker. 4/5
I'm in the 3/5 camp for the Justus 'Circle Sky' and def like the LP more than Pool It but can still recall my disappointment 22 years ago that they blew another opportunity ti get it right. I cringed through the TV special as I watched on the 20 inch SONY Trinitron in my bedroom at the time and again wondered "Why? Just...WHY?!?"
