Alternate/Fantasy MONKEES albums

when is this coming out..tracklist was done already?

 

http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/the-monkees-the-birds-the-bees-the-monkees-boxed-set

 

Michelle66, can you present in this thread separate front and back covers for your take on the MORE OF THE MONKEES album cover?

Thanks!

 

OK, now that the deluxe BB&M set is out, I can now *finally* attempt to finish up the last of that "Alternate Reality" project I've been working on.

In case you're late to the game (and don't want to wade through the earlier posts in this thread), the original concept of the "AR" project was to compile and make mini-LP sleeves for the original early track line-ups for HQ, PAC&J, & BB&M.

The idea was then later expanded to imagine how Changes might have looked had Mike stayed around for it, and then how More might have appeared if Boyce & Hart weren't sidelined by Kirshner.

Another idea was to get all of Mike's 1968 Nashville recordings on one LP. Since Monkee fans all know about the original 2-LP idea for The Monkees Present, I expanded this by imagining that instead of making a film in '68, each Monkee got to produce his own "solo" LP (ala the solo Kiss LPs of the late 70's).

The idea would be that these LPs would have been released in the fall of '68, so no recordings on them can come from after this time.

Mike's LP was easy to compile - every Nashville track, plus a couple of other countrified tunes to get the total to 12.

Davy's LP's theme is the Broadway show-tune sound that he favored. I was able to come up with 10 songs (the bare minimum for an LP).
Peter's LP was compiled by using every released version of Lady's Baby and giving that song the entire second side.
Micky's LP exists in concept only for two reasons: 1) he didn't produce enough music to put on an entire LP, and 2) no recordings are available for the goofy concept idea.

So, I've got a pretty good idea of the songs to use, but I'd like some opinions on which versions of the songs to use.

First up, is BB&M. Now, for this LP, I plan to use the original LP compilation as per Andrew Sandoval's book (quoted here):

"March 19, 1968 - In the studio, engineer Pete Abbott assembles a stereo master for the group's next album, which becomes The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, with the following line-up: Side One: 'Through The Looking Glass', 'We Were Made For Each Other', 'Writing Wrongs', 'I'll Be Back Up On My Feet', 'Valleri', 'Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again'. Side Two: 'Dream World', 'P.O. Box 9847', 'Tapioca Tundra', 'The Poste'r, 'Alvin', 'Daydream Believer', 'Zor and Zam'.

"Over the next week the album will be recompiled and resequenced, resulting in a number of musical casualties. 'Through The Looking Glass' will be dropped from the album and eventually remixed for its appearance on next year's Instant Replay. (The mix of the song intended for The Birds.... is later included as a bonus track on 1995's expanded CD reissue of Instant Replay.

"Today's master also features 'I'll Be Back Up On My Feet' and 'Valleri' in some form of quasi-medley probably achieved through editing. They will be completely separated and resequenced on the final release. Likewise, 'The Poster' and 'Alvin' are edited together in Abbott's compilation to form a medley. Not only will they be separated for the final release but 'Alvin' will be dropped entirely and the master tapes for this spoken track lost in the process."

If anyone knows about these "medleys", please describe how they were edited together.

As for the tracks, I'd substitute the 1967 stereo mix of Tapioca Tundra for the released version. The rest of the tracks would be the standard stereo mixes from the new CD set.

Davy's songs for his LP are: Look Down, Party, Daddy's Song, Changes, So Goes Love, Ceiling In My Room, War Games, My Share of the Sidewalk, Smile, and I'm Gonna Try.

Which versions of these songs are the best, and what would be a decent running order? (And if you've got ideas for two more songs, I'd like to know what they are. (Remember, think "Broadway show tunes".))

Peter's LP looks like this: Side One - Seeger's Theme, Tear The Top Right Off My Head, Come On In, Merry Go Round, Can You Dig It, I Prithee (from 33 1/3). Side Two: Lady's Baby (x 6).

As before, what's a good running order for side 1? And, which versions of the songs are best?

Finally, since so much of Instant Replay was used elsewhere, that LP also needs to be redone a bit. A rough idea:

Side One
1. You And I
2. Auntie's Municipal Court (replacing Through The Looking Glass, which is now on BB&M.)
3. I Won't Be The Same Without Her
4. Me Without You
5. Just A Game
6. Circle Sky (Don't Wait For Me is on Mike's solo LP)

Side Two
1. Tear Drop City
2. Don't Listen to Linda
3. Magnolia Simms (While I Cry is on Mike's solo LP)
4. The Girl I Left Behind Me
5. A Man Without A Dream
6. Shorty Blackwell

I'd probably go with Micky's version of Auntie as it would be replacing another Micky tune. Magnolia Simms would be the stereo remix.

So, that's about it. If you have any suggestions as to which versions to use, or track running order, I'd love to read them.

 

Michelle, I was just wondering if you intend to find a home for any of the left over Head soundtrack songs. I reworked the later day Monkee albums a couple of years ago, and I used Porpoise Song, As We Go Along, Can You Dig It and the studio version of Circle Sky to help flesh out Birds & Bees, Present and Changes. I see you used Circle Sky on your new Birds & Bees, I just wondered if you thought the others deserve a home somewhere.

 

Hi Tim! - All of the Head songs will have homes (They're such strong tunes it would be criminal not to use them!). This is how I was envisioning it:

Porpoise Song - non-LP single (Instant Replay bonus track.)
As We Go Along - non-LP single (Instant Replay bonus track.)
Daddy's Song - Davy's solo LP
Can You Dig It (Peter's vocal version) - Peter's solo LP
Circle Sky - Instant Replay
Long Title - BB&M (as per the original track line-up)

The whole "alternate reality" affair is really like trying to take different jigsaw puzzles and trying to mix & match the pieces so they make a logical-looking picture.

The basic rules were to get all of the Monkees' output onto one of the releases (includes all of the 60's albums, Missing Links collections, and every bonus track Rhino has released (not every version of the songs, but at least every title).

The next rule was to limit the LPs to 12 songs (as per Colgems' albums of the 60's).

Also, original authentic early line-ups were to be used if there was one known. (This is why HQ, PAC&J, & BB&M have "set" line-ups that I needed to work into the mix.)

The different, self-imposed rules were to help ground the project, as it's too easy to be tempted to push the song total to 14 or something else along those lines. Working within set parameters is more challenging, but more satisfying if the results work out OK. (I mean, compiling LPs and then designing artwork for them is fun! The fact that so many people here have been supportive is just icing on the cake!)

 

You've done a great job with your alternate program Michelle and mine was much less ambitious. I just found myself with those last five albums sitting on the shelf and the only one I ever touched was Instant Replay once in a while. At the same time I thought there was a lot of very good stuff left in the vaults for whatever reason, so I remade them the way I liked them and it was like getting three brand new Monkees albums in the deal. I listen to my versions fairly often and I honestly can't remember exactly how the original albums were sequenced anymore.

 

...actually, if some of the (originally intended) alternate lineups had been released (in this "alternate reality"), then we might have ended up with, say, "No Time" and/or "Love Is Only Sleeping" coming out on Missing Links in 1987. We could just keep going on and on with this...

 

Actually , Love Is Only Sleeping was originally set to be the A-side of a single (coupled with Daydream Believer). So, its first LP appearance might have been BB&M - or on Greatest Hits in '69.

A LIOS single would have been amazing, as I prefer it to DB. Mike getting his first A-side - and with song he didn't even write or produce himself! How ironic would that have been?

And, what's with the mix of LIOS used on the show? It's got those electronic sound effects on it mixed way up. (That mix is something I wanted to see on the PAC&J special edition.)

I wonder how the Monkees' fortunes would have been different if LIOS had come out as originally planned....?

 

I've taken some time recently to rearrange the track listings for the first several Monkees albums. My goals were to stick to the original track listings as closely as possible, and any tracks I cut were replaced by tracks that were recorded at the time of the album's sessions.


THE MONKEES
(Theme from) The Monkees
Saturday's Child
I Wanna Be Free (fast version with Micky's vocal up front)
Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day
Papa Gene's Blues (alternate mix with group backing vocals)
Take a Giant Step

All the King's Horses (deluxe edition mix)
This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day
Let's Dance On
(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love (alternate mix with David lead vocal)
Sweet Young Thing
Last Train to Clarksville

---

MORE OF THE MONKEES
She
When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)
Mary, Mary
Hold On Girl
I'll Be Back Up On My Feet (TV version)
Your Auntie Grizelda
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone

Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) - longer TV version
The Kind of Girl I Could Love (alternate mix with group backing vocals)
Valleri (first recorded version)
Sometime in the Morning
I Don't Think You Know Me (Mike lead vocal/deluxe edition mix)
I'm A Believer

---

HEADQUARTERS
You Told Me
I'll Spend My Life With You
Forget That Girl
Band 6
You Just May Be The One
Shades of Gray
All of Your Toys (stereo remix from deluxe edition)
I Can't Get Her Off My Mind

For Pete's Sake
The Girl I Knew Somewhere (first recorded version)
Mr. Webster
Sunny Girlfriend
Zilch
No Time
Early Morning Blues and Greens
Randy Scouse Git

---

PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN AND JONES LTD.
Love Is Only Sleeping
She Hangs Out
The Door Into Summer
Salesman
Cuddly Toy
Words

Goin' Down (stereo mix)
What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daily Nightly
Don't Call On Me
Star Collector

---

What do you think?

 

I love making alternate albums for The Monkees. Your side two of Pisces has some time problems, though. I would kick off Goin' Down from side two, than the sides should run about the same amount of time. Or, add it to the end of side one, and put Hard To Believe or Daydream Believer as the opener for side two. Side two is just a little too heavy with that current running order. But, yeah, it's fun. I tend to butcher them pretty good when I do it. I also put Toys and Girl I Knew on Headquarters. More Of is tough, but I usually have Of You on there and I Don't Think (Mike's) is on the debut. It's hard not to pick Boyce/Hart tracks for More Of, but having seen the future, I can't put on Valleri, it's a Birds track. I make EP's for the leftovers, like The Beatles did with Long Tall Sally. A choice after-More Of EP can have Valleri, Words, I'll Be Back, and Mr. Webster or I'll Spend My Life With You. Explore the EP option, it solves a lot of problems -- trying to find homes for those leftovers and tv versions.

 

It is a fun exercise isn't it? Your idea of EP's is a good one and I may explore that. I used a lot of the left over songs by making an album called The Early Monkees basing the cover art on the old Beatles album.

You are also right that it becomes hard to use some of the logical songs on the early albums because they ended up being redone and used later. Valleri is a logical replacement for the terrible "On the Day We Fall In Love" but then you have messed up Instant Replay. I endedup using "Love To Love" on More Of The Monkees, but I realize it is probably cheating since it was included on Headquarters as a bonus track. I also have always thought that Goin' Down deserves album space, but I have failed to find it a home.

 

"Pisces" should probably have "Daydream Believer" on it.. and I don't think "Headquarters" would ever have that many tracks. "Band 6" and "Zilch" can also easily go. I also don't prefer the early versions of the songs like Valleri, Back up on my Feet, Words, You Just May Be the One, etc.. but I know there are different opinions on that.

 

Your right about Headquarters, when you add something you need to remove something. It should only have 12 "real" songs not counting Zilch and Band 6.

The problem with putting "Daydream Believer" on Pisces (where it really does belong), is that you have then pulled an important song off of "Birds & Bees".

 

The amazing thing is that even with 16 songs on my version of HQs, it still only runs 37 minutes. Out of curiosity, did any pop/rock LP in the 1960s ever have 16 songs on it? Or would this be a total non-starter?

I'm hoping after receiving this Birds boxed set to give the Birds lineup/sessions a much closer look. I have always liked the album to begin with, but always felt Daydream Believer was just really out of place on it. I'm thinking with all these bonus tracks and with everything in context, a worthy replacement could be made on any 'alternate' track listing.

 

Valleri: I think I prefer the earlier version. The single version sometimes feels cold to me. Obviously I'm torn on this one, but I'm going with the earlier version, at least for today. I love the story of how DJs taped the first version off the show thinking the song would be the next big single. I like the somewhat raw feel to this take as opposed to the tinny remake. I wouldn't miss the single version on the Birds track lineup, either. There's just too much other worthy stuff to include.

Here's why: I always see Birds as the first post-TV show album, even though it technically wasn't quite yet. Its track listing is dominated by songs that never appeared on the show (9 of 12). I find that Daydream Believer and Valleri mess the flow of this 'theme' I have for the album. Plus, we all know that Lester Sill kept Daydream Believer off of Pisces just to have an 'ace in the hole' for the next album. So, it doesn't really belong on the Birds album.

Words/You Just May Be The One: the band versions of these songs from HQs and Pisces are the vastly superior takes, and any other thoughts on this are near sacrilegious to me.

I'll Be Back Up On My Feet: I used to think the TV version was vastly superior, but over the years I've come to really enjoy the album version. I might have to reconsider my More Of alternate lineup and take this one off it so it can remain on tap for the Birds album.

What's another good unreleased song from the More Of era that could replace I'll Be Back Up On My Feet on More Of???

 

Can you imagine if Daydream Beliver was on Pisces instead of Birds Bees...I think even harsh critics of The Monkees would have had to deem this as one of the best albums of all time (athough, I still think it is).

Salesman
She Hangs Out
The Door Into Summer
Love Is Only Sleeping
Cuddly Toy
Words

Daydream Believer
What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daily Nightly
Don't Call On Me
Star Collector

 

You noticed something: that the show referred "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet",while the later released "BB&M" track omits "Up" from the title? That leads me to wonder: did the show make a typo,or was this the Lp cover's maker's fault?

 

Hmmm, I see the full title on the back cover:

 

That's strange,the US cover omits this for some unknown reason!

 

My 1980s Rhino back cover has it there!

 

They've must had changed it since 1968,since COLGEMS pressed several copies with this misprint,which I've a copy of this myself..now,if I only had a scanner to show you this...Oh,well,you can't win 'em all!

 

The show got the song titles wrong quite a bit.

I think one episode lists "You Just May Be The One" as "You May Just Be The One".

There are other examples too.

 

I seem to remember "I'll Be Back Upon My Feet" being listed as "I'll Be Back On My Feet Again" in the credits of at least one episode.

 

Yeah THAT'S what I'd meant..Sorry! Thanx for that,man!