smoe.org mailing lists
ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "Karl Feick" <kc7999@worldnet.att.net> |
| Subject | Throwing a monkee in the wrench |
| Date | Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:00:29 -0600 |
[Part 1 text/plain Windows-1252 (2.9 kilobytes)]
(View Text in a separate window)
Thoughts from a lurker...
circa 1996: I come across the recent Rhino reissue of the s/t Monkees cd
for under 5$ used...take a chance and buy it for curiosities sake. I read
the extensive track-by-track liner notes and hear many of the songs for the
first time since watching reruns of the show 15 years earlier...feel
strangely compelled to find more Monkees music.
early 1997: I've bought missing links volumes 1+3, and Pisces AC+J Rhino
cd's. I feel the kind of high gamblers must feel when they hit a losing
streak and keep on betting trying to hit it big again. Nearly every Monkees
release, it seems, has its share of profound mid-60's pop bliss in equal
measure with utter and complete slop. Very little in the way of out and out
mediocrity, mind you, but every single track seemingly either extremely
brilliant or extremely horrible. I am by now, of course, horribly addicted.
I feel like that old prospector talking to Humphrey Bogart at the beginning
of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". Willing to endure the most hopeless of
times for the promise of striking gold.
late 1997 into 1998: I have by now aquired nearly every Rhino Monkees
release (although still with enough sense to pass on Changes: at least
until finding it used in the early 2000's). I start to frequent Videoranch
trying to get a handle on Nesmith's solo career.
subsequent years: OK, yeah, I own the Rhino Handmade Headquarters box set.
I own HEAD on VHS. I own "Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees" (a sort of Beatles
Anthology-type documentary, but much shorter) on VHS. Hell, I even own "33
1/3 revolutions per Monkees" on VHS. Now I got a DVD player and of course I
own both season DVD sets. I'm nuts. What the heck is wrong with me? They
didn't even play their own instruments!
Anyway...here's my recommendation for dabbling in Monkeeshines...
IF YOU MUST, get a greatest hits. there's a single CD GH, there's a 2CD set
called "Monkees Anthology", and there's two separate 4CD boxes to choose
from. Browse www.allmusic.com regarding these, but any of them will do
depending on your budget. If you feel adventurous, though, skip the hits
collections completely.
Before buying any actual albums, get Missing Links Volume Two. It's great.
If you have any ancient memories of the TV show, this one has quite a few TV
versions on it, plus lots of great unreleased tunes.
Now buy in this appoximate order: PiscesAC+J, ltd., Headquarters, The
Monkees Present, More of the Monkees. By now, you've heard enough and read
enough of these wonderful liner notes to make your own informed choices
about whether or not ot buy more and what to get next. In fact, the Rhino
liner notes make great basic reading on the band's history--as good as any
book out there, at least for a start.
Good luck!
..................and.....................back to lurking I
go................
kf
For assistance, please contact
the smoe.org administrators.