Acapulco Sun-Weak album filler, along with the squeals, this one is probably the lowlight of this album. Low 2/5.
Cheers Fred. A long time ago, maybe back in the early 80’s, I was given an Archies album, which is long gone now but as a result I’ve always thought that Changes had an Archie’s sound / feel. It’s cool to see that some people enjoy the album; Monkeedom, like the SH Forums is a broad church!
Just an aside from The Monkees Live Almanac on a ‘Changes’ 8-Track tape. "Changes" 8-track tape surfaces on eBay
Damn! The $500 opening bid was a bit silly, but as far as tape formats go I'm going to guess that's the rarest issue unless a R2R turns up.
Pretty sure no R2Rs exist for Birds Bees, Present, or Changes. Those Colgems 8-tracks look super cool, but they’re way out of my price range!
A bit off topic, but check this out! IMWAN • [2019-11-15] Michael Nesmith With Red Rhodes "Cosmic Partners: The McCabe's Tapes" 1973 concert (7a UK) I think this is the live tape I read about on Monkees Live Almanac last year, and posted about on a couple of other Monkees/Nez threads here. Thanks to Iain Lee and the folks at 7a! Really looking forward to this!
Acapulco Sun When I first listened through the Changes album, Ticket On A Ferry Ride and Acapulco Sun were the two songs on the album I disliked right away ... and since that time I've come to enjoy both. I don't love either of them, but I appreciate them, and I find that they have good elements that make them (for me) worth listening to (that is, I listen to them when I'm listening through the whole album; I don't have either of them on any playlist). I actually like the backing vocals, in a humorous way, and the squealing noises mentioned by others don't bother me—I actually view them as kind of an interesting reminder of the era in which the songs were recorded, knowing that such "tape squeals" aren't even possible in today's digital recording world (unless added deliberately as made-up sound effects). Soooo, 2/5.
Today’s song is 99 Pounds: I guess if Kirshner had remained in place this might have made it onto the group’s third LP. I can’t see it as a great loss as I don’t rate either the song or Davy’s strained lead vocal. He was a long way out of his comfort zone here and it shows. 1/5.
‘99 Pounds’ - I didn’t know it was an older song at the time. I really like this song, a good rocker for Davy. He’s using his ‘Valleri’ voice on this, down to his scream. Always liked when Davy tackled rockers. For me one of the better songs on’Changes’. A high 4/5.
Promising guitar and 'waoh' at the start. Unclear production. Lack of Mickey in the backing vocals. Fairly generic song. Good organ solo. Overall a reasonably catchy rock and roll number that needed better production. E.g. that guitar hook needs to be much more prominent. IMHO. But, props for Davey not engaging in schmaltz. This is one of his more rocky outings. In fact, so far the Davey songs on Changes - I'm not too familiar with the album - show a greater range of styles for the Davey songs than I expected. I'm giving it: 3/5
3/5 for 99 Pounds. A solidly decent rocker, but I never seek it out on it’s own. I appreciate that it’s in mono!
4/5. More spirit in this hyper garage throwaway from early 1967 than the whole of the 1970 sessions. It is a flimsy composition, but the performance kicks ass. Hearing Davy in much happier times and vocal form throws a harsh light on the rest of the record.
Sounds a little out of place on Changes. I like Davy’s vocal and although it’s not the greatest rock number ever penned, it has more about it than much of the material here. 99 Pounds - 3/5 Shame about the backing vocals though. Unlike some people, I am not in the least bit bothered if only one Monkee appears on a track; Headquarters apart, it was how they chose to work but when backing vocal are mixed up front and it is clearly not them, it can jar a bit. Thankfully there’s not many cases. And Micky and Mike do sound great together.
I really don't like '99 Pounds'. Quite apart from anything else, it sounds more like a rough demo to me rather than a finished track. I suppose Davy's vocal isn't too bad for the most part, but there are a few odd places where he doesn't seem to quite make it. It's also the case, in the context of Changes, that '99 Pounds' sounds jarringly different from the tracks that have preceded it. It was probably a good idea (potentially) to squeeze a rocker in somewhere, but the production on this track (despite being from Jeff Barry, albeit some three years earlier) sticks out as unrefined by comparison. The biggest problem, however, rests with the stupid lyrics. I wouldn't know what 99lb means off the top of my head (I looked it up, it's 7st 1lb or 44.9Kg), but it looks like it means underweight! But then, she is said to be 52", which is 4'4" or 1.32m - so she's child-height. I know the message is that's Sheba small but powerful, but it just sounds daft to me.
99 Pounds - 4/5 I like this song. On its own, it's a catchy rocker and it's performed well. On this album, it does stick out quite jarringly but it's like a breath of fresh air to me. It sounds like they put more effort and energy into this admittedly throwaway song compared to the new material on Changes, even though this song was recorded under similar circumstances several years prior (i.e. very quickly with basic production along with a bunch of other songs) and by the same producer. Yes, it does sound out of place, but considering how bland the previous songs have been, I find the addition of this particular song quite welcoming. However, regardless of whether it's on Changes or not, I would still give it the same score either way, although I much prefer the stereo remix from the Headquarters deluxe edition.
"99 Pounds" -- 3/5 I've always liked this song, but I recognize that it's not much to write home about. It's a decent rocker with a ramshackle garage band sound. Its inclusion gives Changes a much needed change of pace.
I like that “99 Pounds” is a needed change (heh) from most of the rest of this album (Micky will have a similar change of pace on an older song coming up as well). I like hearing Davy sing rockers, even if his singing on this one isn’t quite up to the task. Had they worked on it a bit more, he’d have gotten it down. Solid garage-pop that would’ve made a good release in 1966 or 67. Makes for an odd inclusion in 1970, but itworks well enough to make “99 Pounds” something of a standout on the album (Such as it is). Only thing left I have to say is “Only 99 pounds?” Tell that young lady she should eat a cookie or two. 3/5.
