The Garden - 3/5 About the most I can give it. I really do not listen to this album all that often. I've enjoyed going through it for this. I do appreciate it more, but it's not a type of music I seek out. I will revisit it again soon.
I'm in agreement. I remember when I really got into The Prison. It was the 1990 remix and I completely fell in love with that album. It still remains my favorite of all time. Shortly after that release the MBF announced Nez was working on the sequel. I was ecstatic. Couldn't wait. Four years later The Garden was released. I was a little upset with the lack of vocals but it was and still is a beautiful album. After The Garden there was talk of it being a part of a trilogy. The next one was to be called The Magic Ball. I waited 20 years for that one. Almost giving up hope. The last of the trilogy would be the biggest disappointment ever from Nez for me. Devastating. But more about that later. The book for The Garden was a bit more out there and hard to follow along with the music. But with both albums, the phenomenon of reading and listening, to me, was always a once, twice or a three time occurrence. The music was the real winner on both albums. Although I find it neat and fun that at different points during the songs from The Prison, I'll recall what was going on in the story at that time. The Garden 5/5
I'm not going to rate The Garden as I haven't had enough chance (and don't really) to listen to it as an album. I don't own a copy, and unlike The Prison, I haven't rushed out to buy one. However, it's an interesting album which diverges from the Nez material that I'm familiar with. (As I've found out, that's only a small fraction of his total output.) I appreciate that he has done something new and inventive.
Today's song is Girl: I enjoy the first section of this remake, but the rest of the track is a mixed bag. I can appreciate them doing something completely different with the song, and I can enjoy some of the guitar madness, but the leaden drums don't do anything for me. It's one of those tracks that I can appreciate if I dig it out for an occasional listen, but it's not something that I would add to a playlist. 2.5/5.
"Girl" -- 2.5/5 In 1995, I thought this was hilarious and brilliant within the context of The Brady Bunch Movie. Taken out of context, as a standalone audio track, it didn't have the same effect, and the '90s-ness of it has really not aged well. "Girl" is a great song, but not this version of it.
Girl (Grunge Version) - Davy’s cameo in the Brady Bunch Movie and this version of Girl was the best part of the film for me. (Micky and Peter make a surprise cameo later in the movie.) It’s a nice homage to the original episode and Davy’s bemused performance when the band shifts gears on the song is classic, and then he really gets into it and looks like he’s having a ball. This should have been released as a single from the soundtrack album, it might have become a minor hit like the original was. A really fun track. 4/5.
Girl @intv7 says what I was going to say. It worked very well as a musical joke in the film, but as a standalone track it's a bit of an unusual combination. Davy's eyes when the band kicked in were hilarious. (If my memory serves). However, I appreciate Davy doing a bit of harder rock. It has aged a bit, but I appreciate it. I like covers to bring something new to the song, and I think this cover does. I wouldn't rate it so high if I hadn't seen the movie. 3.2/5
Girl remake 4/5 Probably a little high but as others have said it’s hilarious in the context of the movie
Girl (Remake) I love this song and what the movie does with it. It's fun, it's unexpected, and Davy looks genuinely surprised when the guitar kicks in. I'm a fan of grunge and of heavier guitar music, so this works for me. 4/5
Girl (grunge version) - 3/5 I do like this version, but have to be in the mood to listen to it. The original is still hard to top and will remain the best version for me anyway. Remakes are usually somewhat lame-ola, but this one is fun on occasion.
It's totally over the top, which suits the movie perfectly, but I just get a kick out of the fact that Davy's appearance on the Bradys is part of pop culture. It's a semi-jokey update of a little piece of fluff that really is only remembered because of the Brady Bunch in the first place by a guy who already had a few comebacks of his own... it's all so meta that it makes your head spin. I'll give it a 3/5 only because I don't really know whether or not I like it... of if I'm even supposed to! Kidding - kind of. But yeah - 3/5.
Girl (Grunge Version) - 2/5 - Davy + Grunge = Fail Like most posters here, I prefer the original version. Davy's "Broadway Rock" just doesn't jive with grunge. It worked (usually) with The Monkees, but not here. I haven't seen The Brady Bunch Movie, so I don't have that context, but I have seen the original BB episode with Davy. Girl (Original) - 3.5/5
I won't change my vote, but after another day to reflect I like this even more. Davy should have done more grunge.
By the mid-90s Davy had roughly an entire album of material stockpiled, which was later issued on Just for the Record Vol.4. We have already discussed It's Not Too Late, You're in My Heart and If I Knew (the latter song I mistakenly posted much earlier than I should have done). I guess with so many songs to choose from, it was no surprise that Davy contributed some of the best material on Justus. What a Night You and I (and Promises Not Broken) I Miss You I Wanna Fall in Love With Someone (Who's Been in Love Before) Couldn't Have Been Love Rough to the Touch (Robert Mitchum mix) Just a Matter of Time The Only Thing Left
Today's song is What a Night: I like The Monkees version, but this early attempt is somewhat bizarre. I can understand the keyboards and drums sounding cheap due to budgetary constraints, but I'm not sure what the excuse for the female vocals might be. I wonder what Mike's reaction was if Davy played him this demo. I still think under the horrible arrangement that you can hear there is a decent song trying to get out. 2.5/5.
What A Night - I also prefer the Monkees version of this song. Davy’s demo is interesting, you can hear the potential that it has. The female background vocals don’t bother me as much, they serve as a guide for how Micky was going to do his vocals on it. The production is not as good as the Monkees version, but nice to hear for comparison. 3/5.
What A Night - 2/5 Wow, what a difference here! The Justus version is really good. This one is subpar and it's just crappy-awful. Only Davy's vocal saves it - the rest is distracting from the computerized drum to the female background vocals. It's almost like it was terrible on purpose, but that cannot be the case.
Girl was a nice tune in its original form and a perfect tune for the scene in the movie in which it was updated. Davy may not get the scores for some of his Monkees work and definitely for some of the solo stuff we have heard but he was willing to give things a go, like turning Girl into "Grunge" and performing it that way in a movie. Kudos to him. The demo for What a Night is nowhere near what was on Justus, so for that song, the production helps make this song what it was, a really good Davy tune.
