The Monkees (debut) Rhino Handmade Super Deluxe 3-CD set

Me too. I had myself talked out of it because of the inclusion of Davy's album taking up a disc (If it didn't finally see a commercial CD release I could understand its inclusion.) I sort of knew I'd give in. At this point I really wish they'd just make these double CD sets without the album proper included. We all got them several times over plus they can be had easily for the few who don't.

 

Come on everyone, let's keep this thread on the first page and dislodge all that Classic Rock guff.

Anyway, a few pages ago a few people were reminiscing about their Monkees journeys. Sometimes it's nice not to feel alone.

I can remember when my parents bought me Missing Links 1 (for Christmas or my Birthday, they're quite close together). I was totally confused as to what these tracks were. Were they a proper album? Why didn't I know about this stuff? It was completely out of the blue. I remember raving about this song called "Party", telling my friend I'd discovered a funky Monkees song, then playing it to him and him saying something along the lines of "It's OK, now play the funky one". Oh those pre-internet days.
Then I was slightly more prepared for Missing Links 2, I was so excited about all the tracks I had never heard before I actually turned down the opportunity of going home with the mum of one of my friends. In retrospect I could have waited another few hours before hearing "St.Matthew", but back then I couldn't.
And then there was stuff like "Penny Music".

Obviously I will buy this set, but in my heart of hearts there's nothing that I really can't wait to hear. Maybe the Michael Blessing tracks will come up trumps and then there's the fun of making the ultimate alternative 12 track album but we're getting near the end now, we must be.

Which is a shame because I really like the debut album. Sometimes it's my second favoruite. There's a real sense of fun about the whole thing because I guess at the time they never knew just how successful the whole enterprise was going to be. Donnie hadn't brought in so many of his cronies to dish up some of the MOTM dross, (or weaker material to be kind) and it was before anybody really got the dollar signs in their eyes.

But maybe I Wanna Be Free with brushes will change my world...

 

I think we might have missed out on some alternate "Mommy and Daddy" mixes.

 

I think we could have an entire album of mixes for Mommy And Daddy! It would be interesting to hear the evolution of the song, like the grey market disc of Strawberry Fields Forever. It starts with the demos, and moves int other various mixes, and remixes, and the 2nd version-the same could conceivably done with Mommy And Daddy (if a demo survived). True, not even close to the song by Lennon, but it still might be a fun listen...

 

Side one Mommy and Daddy, Side two Lady's Baby

 

Actually, this raises something I've been wondering about. Are there any records (in any sense of the word) of any '66-'69-era demos for songs written by the Monkees themselves? The closest I can think of is Mike's acoustic "Tapioca Tundra" on the Birds & Bees deluxe set and his in-studio run through of "Nine Times Blue" from HQ Sessions. Home or rough studio demos of anything they wrote would be really fascinating.

 

didn't Davy have a demo for How Can I Tell You & Opening Night ?

 

There's also the Micky demos for "Midnight Train" and "She'll Be There." There's a "Shorty Blackwell" demo as well but I'm not sure if that's a studio run through or not. Also, "Propinquity" by Mike is on one of the deluxes, plus Peter's "Seeger's Theme." I'm sure they could come up with a pretty decent demo collection using those plus some others that have to be out there. Chances are they're not really owned by Rhino, so they'd have to get the guys and Davy's estate to dig up any demos that we haven't acquired already.

 

I agree bubba-ho-tep, why not include the fake stereo version to make it "complete"; especially if there was disc space available.

 

That's the thing, there isn't any disc space available-all 3 discs are full to capacity per Andrew Sandoval. So, do you want to remove something else to put this on? I don't. I doubt I will listen to the David Jones album all that often, so, I'd rather the space is used on something I will actually listen to.

 

Prior to the release of the track listing for the Super Deluxe version of the Monkees Debut album, I would have tended to agree with you that they wouldn't go that direction. The fact that the solo David Jones album was included in this set may mean all bets are off. As the remaining available tracks becomes more sparse, maybe Andrew's focus will be less on keeping releases "time period/album related" and more towards making sure all these cool tracks/alt. versions get released. If he thinks the chances are slim for a Missing Links 4 type release as a way to get these tracks out, I am 100% in support of including them on any future release regardless of logic of "fit". The bottom line for me is I will take them any way I can, as long as I can get them!

 

There should be more Nez singles !

 

Buy the standalone CD. Or download the track. I agree it's an odd decision to leave it off. Personally, I would have left off the entire stereo version. (Actually, the mono too.)

 

Can anyone tell me why Davy's first album is being included when it was already rereleased a couple of years ago?

 

Yep, we are in agreement on that BobT. Only if there is space. I was commenting on speculation that it was not included just because of an objection to it being "fake stereo", not space limitations. Sorry for any confusion on my part.

 

So they can release a 3-disc package without 3 cds worth of available content.

 

Including Davy's album on here is, to me, similar to including the screen tests for the series on the DVD for "Head". It may not have much direct relevance to the "feature presentation", but it kinda shows how they got where they are.

That said, I doubt I'll give those tracks many spins.

 

I agree, I'd love to have them, but evidently they are not owned by Rhino/WEA. I wonder who does own his other early solo singles.

Also -- the instrumental "Curson Terrace" credited to "Mike & Tony" which was the B-side of the reissued single "Just A Little Love" -- that is another situation like the Micky Dolenz solo single B-sides "Plastic Symphony III" and "Fate," i.e. it has nothing to do with Nesmith, right?

Do we even know with any certainty how many early solo singles Nesmith did in the pre-Monkees era? It seems like more have been discovered along the way than were previously known.

 

Well there are the 4 known records plus the one you mentioned on the Edan label. I'd like to get more of photos of and actually hear the first one, the Highness "Wanderin'/Well, Well", too bad that's not on the set. For the amount of writing and playing Nez did, it is surprising there are only 4 records. The 2 new songs on this box set were not widely known, having seen no official release, but there has got to be more out there.

 

I thought the Monkees were Classic Rock

 

I take it people here really hate the stereo mix of Davy's first album? It's making its CD debut here and people are unhappy about it.

 

If you ask me, it's not because of the mix. It's just that it's not a good album. In fact, I'd say it was some of the longest 25 minutes I can recall listening to an LP in recent memory. I went in with low expectations and I got what I expected.

I was thinking for days of avoiding this set because except for the Blessing tracks, that Disc 3 looks like a painful listen to me. Especially without Dolenz's "Don't Do It" which is actually pretty darn good. But given all the other unreleased material, I broke down and ordered it. It's the first set that didn't feel worth the price to me though.

 

Now that would be a good thread.

 

Hey cwitt1980 Actually, VeeFan64 and Rfreeman shed light on the mystery songwriter for "She'll Be There" earlier this year on the forum:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/monkees-tour-2014.346716/page-20

VeeFan64: "I don't think Micky wrote it because....there is a demo of this track on Sharon Sheeley's "Songwriter" compilation of 60s demos sung by various artists. I believe the demo is sung by Delaney Bramlett - don't have the cd handy but the dates for the demos are roughly 1960-1962 and it sounds like it's from that era - typical Everly Brothers or Bobby Vee harmonized double tracking. Nice tune."

Rfreeman: "Confirmed that She'll Be There, credited to Sharon Sheeley by Allmusic is the same tune. Clip can be heard here.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/songwriter-mw0000100013#no-js
I'll take All Music and the absence of any other similarly melodic Dolenz compositions over an internally inconsistent unsourced wiki entry.
Sorry Micky, your one potential claim to great songwriting just vanished.
This place really is better than google."

P.S. I agree Rfreeman, this forum IS better than Google and uncovering the actual songwriter of "She'll Be There" still blows my mind. I wondered who it was, ever since the release of Missing Links, Volume Three!!!

 

According to monkees.com half of the boxsets are gone already. This set may sell out fast!