Rate and Review the songs of The Monkees Thread

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

  1. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    "Another Side to This Life"-3.25/5
     
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  2. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    The ratings for Bulldozer:

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

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    The ratings for Another Side to This Life:

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

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    Today's first song is Dirty Job:



    We will discuss two songs again today, and I think this James Lee Stanley number is what the album needed at this point. It is positively effervescent in comparison with the previous 3 tracks and injects some life into proceedings.

    Peter plays very much a supporting role, but that doesn't spoil my enjoyment.

    3.5/5.
     
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  5. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    Today's second song is Little Girl:



    I confess that I wasn't aware of this recording when I first listened to the Good Times! album.

    I probably prefer that Monkees version, but there's nothing inherently wrong with this one. One of Peter's better writing efforts and, while I think he once said that he would have liked Davy to have sung it, I think it suits his voice.

    3.5/5.
     
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  6. intv7

    intv7 Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    "Dirty Job" -- 3/5

    Agreed that an uptempo tune was overdue by this point, and I enjoy this one. I've always felt that James sounds a bit like Cat Stevens when he sings something in this range. Peter's really in the back seat for this one, which is fine.

    "Little Girl" -- 3.5/5

    I must also confess that when Good Times! was coming out, it didn't click with me that I already had this song on this album -- nor did I recognize that I'd also had it on bootlegs from his CBGB appearances in the late '70s, labeled as "Sunny Side Up"! I hadn't played Once Again in many years, and this song had only barely clicked with me early in the millennium. In retrospect, this is a neat little version that isn't quite up to the Good Times! recording, but is still fun and very respectable.
     
  7. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Easy Rider - Meant to comment on this earlier. It’s a good song, Peter and James do a nice performance of it. Peter had envisioned the song being played during the opening credits of the movie. 4/5.

    Here’s a live solo performance where you get the idea of how it could have fitted, you can imagine a fuller production.

     
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  8. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Playing Catch up:

    Bulldozer - A very nice acoustic song by James harmonizing with Peter. 4/5.

    Another Side To This Life - A nice Peter Tork lead vocal with harmonies by James. Has sort of a Nesmith touch to it. Really enjoy the acoustic instrumental break. 4/5.

    Dirty Job - A grooving number with James singing lead and Peter on harmonies. I like the reverb in the vocals. I can hear a bit of Pete Townshend influence on it. 4/5.

    Little Girl - This is the song Peter wrote for Davy Jones as an answer to I Wanna Be Free. This version benefits from the harmonies by James and the layered vocals. Would be nice to have heard a Davy version of it. 5/5.
     
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  9. DaveJ

    DaveJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    "It's a dirty job, someone's got to do it..." Maybe, but they didn't have to put it in song. Another bland number that makes me think that James was struggling for inspiration.

    Dirty Job - 2/5


    Little Girl is far more interesting melodically and I like this gently sung version.

    Little Girl - 3.5/5
     
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  10. super sally

    super sally Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mint Hill, NC USA
    I'm just not feeling "Dirty Job" 2.5/5

    Little Girl- 3.5/5 I think Peter wrote a nice song here. This would have been a four for me but the "Little Girl" reference just grates irritates me for some reason
    I really like the Good Times version though and this is a nice companion.
     
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  11. RobRoyF

    RobRoyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southland
    Dirty Job - 2.5/5
    I think this song would grow on me if I listened to the album often. I don't have it yet, so I will rate it based on just a few listens so far. It's middle of the road for me.

    Little Girl - 3/5
    The Good Times one is my favorite. This is a good runner-up. I really appreciate this song more now. I have to be in the mood to enjoy it, sorta the same with country music or some other type of music that does not always grab me. I had the same recording that @intv7 mentions from years back. I forgot about Sunny Side Up, similar in that I rarely listened to the live show over the years. Often I do think about Davy as Peter sings this song. I wonder how Davy would have sounded on it.
     
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  12. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    "Little Girl"- a lower end 3/5
     
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  13. JuanTCB

    JuanTCB Senior Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Dirty Job just sounds kind of goofy... and not intentionally, either. Just forced and awkward. 2/5

    Everything about Little Girl just sounds so Peter - the chord changes, the arrangements, the whole sensibility. Too bad the recording here basically sounds like a demo - that takes some of the shine off. 3/5
     
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  14. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    Dirty Job

    I think this is an OK song saved by the great guitar parts. I was initially surprised to hear the drum machine (presumably) at the beginning, but it fits the song and arrangement.

    3.1/5

    Little Girl


    I must admit that nowadays I'm a bit allergic to songs called or referencing 'little girl'. However, I won't penalise this song for that. It's an interesting song, but not as well arranged as others. The song goes up a whole step with the fuller Monkees recording for 'Changes'. Overall it's a good song but lacks a really hook. It has an interesting melody, and it gets bonus points for being an original.

    3.2/5
     
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  15. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    The ratings for Dirty Job:

    1-0
    2-4
    3-3
    4-1
    5-0
     
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  16. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    The ratings for Little Girl:

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

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    Today's first song is One Trick Pony:



    Not a bad lead vocal here from Peter on this Paul Simon cover, even if he struggles a little with the speed of the delivery sometimes.

    It's the musicianship that impresses me most though and there is some very nimble guitar work.

    3/5.
     
  18. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.K.
    Today's second song is Some Say:



    A rather uninteresting and undistinguished piece of songwriting from James Lee Stanley.

    It also drags on for rather longer than perhaps it needed to and, while I do enjoy these collaborative songs, they get a little samey after a while.

    2.5/5.
     
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  19. JJR

    JJR Forum Resident

    Location:
    delaware
    I have listened to all of the previous six tracks. I agree with Turk's assessment of "samey". I did take the opportunity to check out Gram Parsons and Lovin' Spoonful's version of Another/Other Side to This Life. Parsons was more demo like but the polished LP track from Spoonful was a nice song. I now have listened to each song with Peter and JLS. I still have not fallen in love with JLS voice and of course never fell in love with Peters. Lots of nice guitar work throughout all the songs but these releases I would never purchase especially now when I could revisit here or YouTube, etc. Still while I listen to Stranger Things, in a weird way if that was more like these. arrangement wise. I would probably like it even better.
     
  20. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    One Trick Pony - A nice lead vocal by Peter and musicianship and backing vocals by Peter and James. I've seen Peter perform the song in concert and it was fun seeing him cover a Paul Simon song. 4/5.

    Some Say - I like James vocals on this song, for me it has a James Taylor quality to it. The musicianship is very good and Peter's background vocals blend well with James. 4/5.
     
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  21. DaveJ

    DaveJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    Not a fan of Paul Simon's album, One Trick Pony or the song of the same name. It's the first time I've heard Peter's take and after just a few plays I can say that I prefer it to the original. Just.

    One Trick Pony - 2.5/5

    Some Say - 2/5

     
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  22. super sally

    super sally Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mint Hill, NC USA
    I find “some say “ rather appealing . A very generous 4/5

    “one trick pony”
    This is my favorite cut on the album. It’s different enough from the original… Peter sounds good on it… I suspect the lyrics have some meaning to him. Generous 4.5/5
     
  23. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    One Trick Pony

    Now, this is what Peter (and various other Monkees) should have been doing. If you're going to cover other people's songs, then choose good ones. And there is no shortage of good songs to cover.

    I in some ways prefer covers of slightly more obscure songs (albeit an album title-track).

    Perhaps the backing vocals could be 'tighter'. The vocal arrangement overall could be better.

    3.5/5

    Some Say

    'Some say the pie, it's in the sky'. I'm not sure that's the best lyric I've heard. There have been quite a few good JLS songs on this album, but this is probably the one I've liked least so far. But, it's OK. So, I'm not going to go under 3.

    The vocals near the end with JLS and Pete singing together work very well, in my opinion.

    3/5
     
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  24. NudieSuitNezHead

    NudieSuitNezHead No Michael, "teriyaki" is NOT 13 letters...

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    One Trick Pony - 4/5 - Peter's vocals here are quite good. I like the guitar work. The rhythm reminds me of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."

    Some Say - 4/5 - This is a nice break from JLS's usual vocal style. Peter's voice blends in well and the harmonies are breathtaking.

    I agree with the others that the first few tracks on this album sound alike.
     
  25. intv7

    intv7 Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    "One Trick Pony" -- 4/5

    Peter always -- ALWAYS -- made the joke of introducing this as "a song of my own composition -- this one written by Paul Simon", which rarely got more than a confused chuckle from the audience. Really good version of this, and I do like it significantly more than the original.

    "Some Say" -- 3/5

    Not really a standout JLS composition, but a pleasant listen with some really great harmonies, even if they're not always completely nailed effortlessly. Peter does a fine job in a supporting role here, and his vocal contributions are actually pretty strong here.
     
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