I thought they would have done a "deluxe" "Good Times" set maybe with some DVD/Blu-Ray content before Christmas last year but they released the "50th 3 CD set" instead and the "Forever" single CD set instead.
Having Good Times! Plus dampens the pain, but yeah, a BluRay would have been nice, plus the fact GTP has no download makes it a pain beyond Terrfying/M&Mv.2
This ... with all three sitting around talking about the "music", playing acoustic versions of the hits, deep cuts and solo tunes. All together, not separate as Nez did with Good Times. This is what I'd like to see filmed. Classy.
I made playlists for my 6 and 8 year-old grandsons for Christmas using a wide variety of music. Jazz, Classical, Country, R&R, etc. Each of the two playlists was about 70 songs with very little overlap. Their favorite song at this point: "You Bring The Summer"!
I was actually going to post today, that after all this time. I still absolutely love "You Bring the Summer" (It popped up while shuffling music on the way to work this morning). Good Times! is truly a wonderful album.
Coming back to Me and Magdalena. I love both versions, but there is a transcendent 60s vibe going on with version 2, the electric 12 string, the drums and organ. It’s gorgeous, and I have to say, awe-inspiring. Not the usual description of a Monkees performance? The vocal harmonies are so splendid. This is really something. David
The song is brilliant too. lyric sample: “Tell me Magdalena What do you see in the depths of your night? Do you see a long lost father? Does he hold you with the hands you remember as a child? But know everything lost will be recovered When you drift into the arms of the undiscovered And I don't know if I've ever loved any other Half as much as I do in this light she's under.” God that’s brilliant.
Well guys, I have to ask: What happened? Why didn't this come to fruition? I ask because your statements made it seem as though a deluxe edition was a done deal, not just something they were kicking around...
I loved that when the song was performed live, the video in the background cued up to the scene from ‘Head’ of Davy walking through the flowers when the lyrics “Do you see a long lost father? Does he hold you with the hands you remember as a child? But know everything lost will be recovered”. The imagery suits the lyrics perfectly and always made me a little teary eyed.
^^^ I know that people absolutely *love* 'Me & Magdalena', but I myself just don't get the mad love for it, especially when people begrudge the songs of 'Justus' for example for not being the so-called 'sunshine pop' they expect from The Monkees, and yet these same folks love a song by them about the end of life/death... They grumbled about Micky singing about his divorce, but a song about dying is a-okay: Just seems like a bit of a double standard as far as both songs not being 'sunshine pop' but one's held on a pedestal, and the other's deemed to be nothing but a middle-aged grudge song.
I don’t see it as a double standard. I think the difference is that not everyone goes through a divorce but everyone has had the sad experience of having a loved one pass away. While both are sad events, the latter is more relatable which is why I believe the song is better able to strike home.
Me & Magdalena gets all the love because it's a gorgeous song/production. The piano lick, the harmonies, and the bridge in particular are all fantastic but the whole thing is just incredibly well written and arranged. People I know who aren't even Monkees fans love that song. And it's very evocative lyrically. That song would get props if Death Cab or anybody else put it out - Ben Gibbard struck gold with that one. The Justus stuff? The subject matter doesn't really put me off but by and large the hooks aren't there and the whole sound is just very hamfisted and dense. Even with the same tracklist, Justus could have been exponentially better if they had an outside producer. Not to make it sunshine pop, just to make it not sound like it does - it's an absolutely terrible sounding album. Does it have its moments? A few, sure, but not enough to compensate for its other shortcomings. As for the subject matter, guys in their 70s singing about death is poignant. Guys in their 50s singing about divorce is... guys in their 50s singing about divorce.
I love the song, but listening to it hits me hard. My other half was mainly into country music, but she went with me to see Micky and Peter in 2016 and came away very impressed with the guys, especially Peter for his ease of switching between multiple instruments. She enjoyed hearing the "Good Times" album. She passed away suddenly while we were camping with her family a few months later and there are a couple lines in the song where I can't help but be taken right back to that night. But it's a beautiful song. She was a beautiful soul.
That's par for the course with The Monkees. Since Day One in 1966, all these wonderful pronouncements about upcoming projects were made and statements given about things "happening any day now" that never materialized from every direction. The guys themselves, Rafelson, Kirshner, 16 magazine, Tiger Beat, Screen-Gems, Colgems/RCA. So many tantalizing "Gee...if only that happened" moments. More than just about any other 1960's band/project.
I enjoyed the hell out of that album - and I'm a very casual Monkees fan. I even attempted a cover of Me and Magdalena: I sure wish The Byrds had made an album of this sort whilst Crosby was still alive.
I am with you about subject matter. Great or good songs can be about anything and have been. On the other two points I have a slightly different opinion. While I think the production of Justus does hurt it on some tunes, there are others produced beautifully. I do think Mike could have produced a better CD. He produced all his records - The Prison, Radio Engine, Tropical Campfires even Tantamount. My point is, He could have made it sound differently. I guess collectively they chose that sound for the CD and it was intended to be just them. As far as Magdalena, while I like the song , I prefer the faster version, I know I am in the minority but that take sounds about as close to a Monkees tune from the heyday and I really took to it right away.
It’s not my favorite one on the album, but… …the lyrics to, say, nearly every song on Instant Replay? Monkees are the kings of happy songs with sad lyrics to me!
I like both versions and to me they are different enough that they almost seem like completely different songs.
