Rate and Review the songs of The Monkees Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Turk Thrust, Mar 31, 2019.

  1. D-rock

    D-rock Senior Member

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    The song that snagged me. Been a Monkees and super Nez fan ever since.
    5/5
     
  2. D-rock

    D-rock Senior Member

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
  3. I echo this. On the debut album there are actually quite a few strong songs on it but Nesmith's was among the best. Boyce and Hart were also terrific talents as well. "Last Train to Clarksville" is a sublime song as well. Still, I can see how The Monkees couldn't continue to make the same album over and over again.
     
  4. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    4/5. Great country rock, right up my alley.
     
  5. I find it surprising that "No Time" isn't listed there as well. I mean Nesmith, Dolenz and Tork wrote it and gave credit to their engineer (since they were contractually prevented from providing more than a certain amount of songs per album).
     
    JonnyKidd, Turk Thrust and D-rock like this.
  6. Mechanical Man

    Mechanical Man I Am Just a Mops

    Location:
    Oakland, CA, USA
    5/5.

    Play, magic fingers!
     
  7. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    The ratings for Papa Gene's Blues:

    1-0
    2-0
    3-0
    4-1
    5-24
     
  8. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    Today's song is Take a Giant Step.



    A very fine Goffin and King song, but I don't think the production is quite as strong as it could have been. A fine lead vocal from Micky, but I can't help feeling that the drums and background vocals could have been better recorded had they had more time (and a slightly different methodology).

    A harsh 3/5 as there are better songs to come in their career.
     
  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    It tickles me. 4/5. A lot of these songs are new to me, as I’m only familiar with the big hits, which I love, so I am really getting into this thread!
     
  10. Jimmy B.

    Jimmy B. isolation can harm you terribly

    5/5.
    Take A Giant Step is one of my very favorite songs by The Monkees.
    It's my favorite from this album, easily.
     
  11. D-rock

    D-rock Senior Member

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Great, deep song. One of my favs. Peter did this song justus in concert.
    5/5
     
  12. Celebrated Summer

    Celebrated Summer Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    3/5. I think some of the lyrics are trite, plus the additional drums and backing vocals are annoying.
     
    JonnyKidd likes this.
  13. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    5/5

    One of my favorites on the album (mentioned yesterday). I like the extra drums and psychedelic flourishes. Couldv'e been interesting if they covered more Taj Mahal songs.

    Here's his recording with The Rising Sons. Ry Cooder was part of the group too.
     
  14. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    Giant - 4/5
     
    JonnyKidd likes this.
  15. Hooperfan

    Hooperfan Your friendly neighborhood candy store owner

    Location:
    New York
    Take a Giant Step is a beautiful song. Great side closer on the first album.

    5/5
     
  16. wino14

    wino14 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edenton, NC
    Not sure why this didnt chart as a b-side as most of the Colgems bsides did. But I love it. Production a little muddy but a beautiful song

    5/5
     
  17. JuanTCB

    JuanTCB Senior Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    A great song, and it adds a little bit of mystique to an otherwise very straightforward album.

    Even the crappy sound seems to enhance things to me, somehow. A very solid 4/5.
     
    JonnyKidd likes this.
  18. spsimmons

    spsimmons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria Illinois
    3/5. Always thought it was kind of bland. I enjoyed the heck out of the version Mike and Micky did on the last tour.
     
    JonnyKidd and pablo fanques like this.
  19. Lostchord

    Lostchord Dr. Livingstone, I presume

    Location:
    Poznań, Poland
    my favourite song on the album - 5/5

    What I like about this S&G-influenced (pre)-psychedelia is that it's 'mystical' rather than 'druggy' , and it shows in the music, not in the lyrics (which I agree are a bit trite), beautiful harmonies and what an arrangement - the traditional Western instruments operating in Eastern (I guess) scales, and the whole build-up in the middle is superb, I personally love the overdubbed drums.
     
    Jimmy B., Wil1972, JonnyKidd and 3 others like this.
  20. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Take a Giant Step

    3/5

    It's a good song. Catchy melody, interesting lyrics, and unique instrumentation, but not one of the better songs in their catalog.
     
    JonnyKidd likes this.
  21. RobRoyF

    RobRoyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southland
    "Take a Giant Step" has a great melody and catchy lyrics. This song also fit well in with the TV show romps. Goffin/King penned songs are usually well done and among my favorites for this band. I've always liked this song, and I never grow tired of it.

    4/5



    Thanks to Turk Thrust for starting this thread.
     
    JonnyKidd likes this.
  22. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    "Take A Giant Step" is a very good song. Not great but I still really like it. There's really nothing on this album I dislike though, so there's that. I give it a 4/5.
     
  23. MagneticNorthpaw

    MagneticNorthpaw Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    It continues to mystify me how country rock is often credited as starting with the International Submarine Band. There are other antecedents - one can even go as far back as Rick Nelson, who often featured James Burton as referenced in the song. But "Papa Gene's Blues" is the start for me. The session snippets on the debut Super Deluxe Edition show that Nez knew exactly what he wanted from the Wrecking Crew in the studio, even at that tender early stage and no matter how much he downplays his early Monkees sessions nowadays. (Usually something akin to "I was just trying to make songs to get on the TV show.") Clearly, this song mattered to all the Monkees, as they created their own, simpler arrangement as early as the "Last Train to Capistrano" promotional event. It was nice to hear the raw, garage-y version from the Phoenix concert finally made available on the MOTM Super Deluxe.

    A bona fide 5/5.
     
  24. 905

    905 Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    Giant Step - 5/5
    Mystical indeed, and one of my favorites from the Monkees canon.
     
  25. mrbobdobalina

    mrbobdobalina Forum Resident

    Location:
    Not here
    4/5 for "Take A Giant Step". One of the better cuts on the debut LP, and the psych flourishes don't hurt at all. Micky sounds great as usual.
     
    JonnyKidd, D-rock and Guy Smiley like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine