Monkees INSTANT REPLAY appreciation & potential Rhino Handmade deluxe

Everyone,

Instant Replay is one of my favorite Monkees albums. I wanted to use this thread to discuss what a potential Instant Replay deluxe edition would look like if Rhino Handmade eventually releases it. I would also like to use it as an appreciation thread for the album, with perhaps everyone sharing their alternate track listings for it (if they have one). Finally, what are your comments on the sound of the vinyl, the CD?

Take a moment to vote in the poll for your 2 favorite songs from the album.

 

Good topic and let's hope we'll see this Handmade edition this year!! Picked "While I Cry" which is a great Nesmith track along with Jones' best Monkees song "A Man Without A Dream".

It's just too bad Bones Howe didn't get more involved with the rest of the guys on this project.

Still one of my favorite albums and really liked the so called depressed nature that all of the songs possessed on this album.

 

I love the album even though "Teardrop City" and "I Won't Be the Same Without Her" (as much as I love the song) would have best remained in the can with "St. Matthew" and "Someday Man" taking their place. I've always been puzzled by the revised artwork on the '90s Rhino reissue, though.

I would like to see Rhino Handmade to a combined Instant Replay and Present box with all existing outtakes and maybe even some Sam and the Goodtimers live recordings (if they exist).

(edit) I picked "You and I" and "While I Cry" as my favorites from the album.

 

I pretty much love the entire album (Me Without You in this mix irritates my ears). I love You And I and While I Cry the best, but it's close for most of the rest as well. Just A Game is, to me, highly underated- a great (albeit short) Dolenz tune.

 

Love this album. I think "The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees", "Instant Replay" and "Present" are the Monkees best ... for me anyway. My favs on IR are "Don't Wait For Me" and "While I Cry". Close runner-ups are "Just A Game", "Shorty Blackwell", "You And I" and "Man Without A Dream".

I do hope Handmade releases a deluxe version of 'Instant Replay' soon. The bonus cuts are gonna be amazing. Hope something totally new and unheard ends up on there. And I mean on one of the CDs, not a 45. Which cover pics do u think they will use?

 

I'd also like to hear recollections from those who bought the album at the time it was released. Do your remember any fanfare for it? Do you remember any tracks from it on the radio? When you bought it, were there any promo materials in the store for it? Etc....

 

I chose "I Won't Be The Same Without Her" and "You and I". I agree that the album's "depressed" theme works well and wish that Rhino had kept the original US cover pictures for the '90s reissue, as it better reflects the music. Hope this one gets its own deluxe treatment separate from Present.

 

I Won't Be The Same Without Her and TearDrop City. IR is a good album - miles better than Present.

 

The last song on each side: Don't Wait for Me & Shorty Blackwell. It's a good solid album.

The one song I sometimes skip is "The Girl I Left Behind Me." Perhaps Mike Nesmith (w/ either Carlisle Wheeling or St. Matthew) should have had four tracks instead.

 

"I Won't Be The Same Without Her" & "You And I" (the latter song being one of Davy's finest moments & featuring Neil Young on guitar).

 

Don't Wait for Me
While I Cry

Runner up...
I Won't Be The Same Without Her

Darryl

 

I knew I liked you Ed!
My fave songs and exact same feelings as well.

 

I'm almost with you guys. I voted for "While I Cry", but "I Won't Be the Same without Her" edged out the other Goffin/King song "A Man without a Dream" by a hair for me.

I'll post the line-up again for my two LP Instant Replay if anyone's interested.

 

The only, and I mean ONLY, reason I would drop "I Won't Be the Same Without Her" is its 1966 vintage. There were simply too many worthy, more recent tracks that could have potentially enhanced the album's critical or commercial standing. Other than that, I do love the song.

 

I agree. You & I is quite good. The Nesmith songs are fine, too.

 

Have to give Jones the underdog some love. Davy's vocal for "Man Without a Dream" seems so effortless. 'Course "You & I" is also a winner. Then again, so is Someday Man. Tough calls, all.

Then there's "That's What It's Like Loving You," a Jones written song, that only exists as a backing track. It's been traded for years and had potential as the best thing Jones evah touched, man. Neil Young on guitar as well.

Do it up, dude!

 

You & I and While I Cry.

I like this album a whole lot and would gladly drop the money on a deluxe version.

 

"While I Cry" & "I Won't Be The Same Without Her"...but this is far from my fave Monkees, some better moments on an OK album...now Headquarters & PAC&J Ltd are stone cold classics & there's other fine albums too...

 

I love "Shorty Blackwell" and "Don't Wait For Me". I think "SB" is another of Dolenz brilliant compositions even if it IS about his cat.

 

Definitely one of my all-time favorite Monkees albums!!! Add me to the list of folks here who loved the depressed nature of the songs. My favorites on IR are "I Won't Be The Same Without Her" and "Through The Looking Glass." Mike's take on the latter exactly captures that feeling of loss and hopelessness one feels when the girl of his dreams deserts him. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! As for "Looking Glass," I'd never heard a pop song like that from anyone! To me, it sounded so elegant and poppy! I think IR, to me, was the album that really made me see the Monkees as much more than a "manufactured rock band."

 

While I Cry is an absolute classic, any group would be lucky to have that in their cannon. My 2nd vote was for The Girl I Left Behind Me, I just love the sense of loss in that one and the slow/fast tempo. I Won't Be The Same Without Her is also a knockout as is A Man Without A Dream which I'm dying to hear on this tour along with Someday Man. Honorable mention to Don't Wait For Me, another Nesmith classic that could have easily been part of his solo work.

 

My Instant Replay highlight tracks are Through The Looking Glass, I Won't Be The Same Without Her, Me Without You, While I Cry, You And I and Teardrop City. I like the rest very much, too, but those posted are my favorites. The only track I feel truely should have been reconsidered was The Girl I Left Behind Me -- it's dated and doesn't fit. They should have used the superior version cut by Davy during the BB&M sessions.

I think we've heard some of the bonus tracks on the potential IR Deluxe release already, on Andrew's Monkees Come To The Sunshine podcast. We heard outtakes of Shorty Blackwell, You And I, Don't Wait For Me, as well as notable era track outtakes of Someday Man, St. Matthew and Of You. There is also the obvious mono mixes of Teardrop City and A Man Without A Dream that would be included. Then there's the ones that would be included, maybe remixed, from other collections from this era like Smile, Rose Marie (alternate lyrics), Carlisle Wheeling (alternate version), Nine Times Blue, Me Without You (alternate mix), Someday Man, Of You, The Crippled Lion (alternate vocal), If I Ever Get To Saginaw Again.

There should be a featured section of Nesmith's Nashville tracks, including Hollywood, Propinquity, Some Of Shelly's Blues, How Insensitive, The Cripple Lion, and possibly early or alternate mixes of Listen To The Band and Good Clean Fun.

I would also suggest the incomplete backing tracks from 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee -- I think the fans would love to hear these bits. An alternate or addition disc would be The Monkees Live In Japan; the tape with the Japanese commentators introducing the songs. There's a lot of things that could be done with Instant Replay that would make it a very exciting box set.

 

Does anyone know why the front cover was changed for the Rhino CD? I like the original version much better.

 

Maybe Micky and Davy didn't like their disembodied heads?

Nice to see "You And I" doing better in the voting now - it wasn't receiving enough appreciation, IMO.

 

I posted this before in the alternate Monkees artwork thread, but in case it may be of interest to anyone, just for fun I "reconstructed" Instant Replay using the original concept of one side per band member. Since the album as released blended the old with the new, I used one "ringer" track from the Kirshner days per Monkee to bolster it a bit. I think it plays beautifully, but you be the judge:



THE MONKEES - INSTANT REPLAY (J.P.'s 2-LP VERSION)

Side One: Michael
1. Listen to the Band
2. St. Matthew (alt. mix)
3. I Won't Be the Same without Her
4. While I Cry
5. Carlisle Wheeling and the Effervescent Popsicle (first version)
6. Nine Times Blue

Side Two: Peter
1. Come on In
2. Tear the Top Right Off My Head (Peter vocal)
3. Seeger's Theme
4. I Don't Think You Know Me (version 2 - Peter vocal)
5. Lady's Baby (mix 2)
6. Merry-Go-Round

Side Three: Davy
1. Look Down
2. Someday Man
3. You and I
4. Smile
5. A Man without a Dream
6. Looking for the Good Times

Side Four: Micky
1. Through the Looking Glass
2. Just a Game
3. Teardrop City
4. Mommy & Daddy (alt. version w/ intro)
5. Rosemarie
6. Shorty Blackwell