The Monkees: Classic or Dud?

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"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is smarmy.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 19 December 2002 13:21 (twenty-one years ago) link

"(I'm Not Your) Steeping Stone" is very much overrated, especially in its Proto Punk role- it's just a slightly poppier Garage Rock tune that happened to get covered by The Sex Pistols.

The Monkees are endlessly fun to analyse, but pretty uneven as far as pure listening enjoyment goes fer me. Even the Rhino best of has a few stinkers (I mean, "I Wanna Be Free", wtf?)

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Thursday, 19 December 2002 17:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

I was in the car with my mother once and the radio had a little interview snippet with them about how "Last Train To Clarksville" was intended as commentary on Vietnam. (They were opposed, I guess.) It was the most political they could be without upsetting the suits. My mother and I listened to the song and tried to figure out how anyone was ever supposed to pick up on that. She said it certainly didn't seem political at the time.

― Chris P (Chris P), Thursday, 19 December 2002 23:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

Monkees = good music/great tv
what since has dared?

― horace mann, Friday, 20 December 2002 04:38 (twenty-one years ago) link

I've been playing "auntie grizelda" a ton lately...such a fine song. the only monkeys songs I have are on my gf's tapes from when she was a youngster.. . I have to get some.

anyhow, definitely classic. I for one like the tv show, though I've only seen the same 4 episodes over and over again. I approve of Head.

― nick ring (nick ring), Friday, 20 December 2002 06:16 (twenty-one years ago) link

Best connection ever: Listen to the Monkees' "Sweet Young Thing" and then Loop's "Heaven's End"

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Friday, 20 December 2002 06:35 (twenty-one years ago) link

i must get head at the video store.

― di smith (lucylurex), Friday, 20 December 2002 08:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

Whenever I say that they throw me out...

― Prude, Friday, 20 December 2002 08:37 (twenty-one years ago) link

Gonzo from crawlspace gave me head once, it was great!

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 20 December 2002 08:48 (twenty-one years ago) link

one year passes...

Private joke that which prob Di didn't even get

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 10:31 (twenty years ago) link

No, she would've actually.

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 10:33 (twenty years ago) link

Listening to "Birds Bees Monkees" now, "The Poster" is a pretty funny idea, the Beatles did "Mr Kite" so let's do a song about a circus poster too

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 10:50 (twenty years ago) link

A Monkees thread without a single mention of Neil Diamond?

― shookout (shookout), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

classic when rodney bingenheimer sits in with them

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:58 (twenty years ago) link

The non-Tork songs from Head are beautiful of course but my aboslute favorite, and I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, is Randy Scouse Git from Headquarters. I've always thought of it as in the vein of,though superior,to most Kinks songs. Dolenz' lead vocals on the track are furious and fun. The song has a neat structure as well, nice old-timey piano intro and outro, contrasted sharply by the punk rock chorus.

― theodore fogelsanger, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 21:44 (twenty years ago) link

three months pass...

(Way after the fact I know, but Theodore I mentioned "Randy Scouse Git" in the question text!)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 13 August 2004 14:39 (nineteen years ago) link

hh my...so you did. well I'm sorry I neglected to notice that but I don't regret going slightly further into the subject of Randy Scouse Git's greatness.

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Saturday, 14 August 2004 04:04 (nineteen years ago) link

da da da Da! da da da Da!

My teenage years would have somehow been a little less fulfilled without "She" from their second album. Or was it their second hit from their first album?

Never ashamed to wear my Monkees badge here...

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 14 August 2004 04:46 (nineteen years ago) link

one month passes...

Girl
I don't wanna fight
I'm a little bit wrong
You're a little bit right
Girl
You know that it's true
It's a little bit me
And it's a little bit you
Too

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Sunday, 26 September 2004 18:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, "Words" is another song with Peter singing in lead capacity (he trades off with Mickey on the verse).

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Sunday, 26 September 2004 18:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Best Monkees song? "If I ever get to Saginaw" of course. Best damn sentimental countrypopsong ever.

― dr do-good, Sunday, 26 September 2004 21:12 (nineteen years ago) link

six months pass...

I'm so glad I'm not alone here! I just got these songs off of iMusic:
For Pete's Sake, Take a Giant Step, She, Papa Gene's Blues, Auntie Grizelda, A lil bit me A lil bit you, Goin' Down...

verdict: CLASSIC!

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 01:29 (nineteen years ago) link

"For Pete's Sake" is totally on my fantasy cover-band set list. We have a "Favorite Episodes" DVD from Netflix right now and watched a couple last night — CLAHSSIC. EPIC. RACK 'EM.

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 01:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Pretty dang good through the first four albums.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 01:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Sold back the discs after Mickey left, but everything up through Head, now that's mighty fine.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 01:57 (nineteen years ago) link

"Porpoise Song"!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 03:23 (nineteen years ago) link

The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees is kind of crap, though.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 05:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Some more Pete love: "For Pete's Sake" was more punk than "Steppin' Stone," and "Do I Have to Do This All Over Again" is the best rock song about reincarnation ever.

Some more Davy love: "You And I" called the star game what it was far more accurately than "So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star."

Some more Mike love: "Carlisle Wheeling" is one of only 3 or 4 songs I will always always always know every every single word to.

Some more Micky love: His morning radio show here in NYC is occasionally humorous, at least when he's not being snarky to people asking him Monkees questions.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Mickey has a morning radio show? which channel?

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:57 (nineteen years ago) link

and "Do I Have to Do This All Over Again" is the best rock song about reincarnation ever

Fairly easily one of the best things any of the Monkees ever did. That bridge is pretty astonishing.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:23 (nineteen years ago) link

That's Stephen Stills playing guitar on that that is!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 09:44 (nineteen years ago) link

Mickey has a morning radio show?

'Sometime In The Morning' perhaps?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 09:46 (nineteen years ago) link

is that really stephen stills? wow! sounds way too good for him, not nearly lumpen enough. For some reason (wishful thinking I guess) I imagined Peter played it himself.

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 09:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Stephen Stills was a great guitarist, listen to Buffalo Springfield - it wasn't all Neil Young ya know!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 09:57 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd say classic, although the fact that they didn't write their own songs (at least not the good ones) is a hint of dudness.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:01 (nineteen years ago) link

In fact they wrote a lot of their best songs - as has probably been mentioned upthread

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:02 (nineteen years ago) link

No, they wrote none of their best songs. Their best songs were the ones that sounded English, with absolutely no R&B nor country elements, and they were all written by outside songwriters.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Classic, as long as Mickey, not Davey, is singing lead. Davey sings crap.

Only classic as long as Davey sings lead. He was the one who managed to sound English. Mickey sounded like a fucking American country singer. The Monkees - like absolutely everybody else - were at their best when they sounded like The Beatles, like on their debut album.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:27 (nineteen years ago) link

Sorry Geir, it's not working today, you're trying too hard

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:33 (nineteen years ago) link

No, they wrote none of their best songs. Their best songs were the ones that sounded English, with absolutely no R&B nor country elements, and they were all written by outside songwriters.

geir shouldn't you be looking for a white whale somewhere?

He was the one who managed to sound English.

that, almost creepily coincidentally, is cos he was english

Stephen Stills was a great guitarist, listen to Buffalo Springfield - it wasn't all Neil Young ya know!

i know buffalo springfield well, and i always thought of him as very competent, but lacking taste or focus, too prone to meandering and throwing out boringly weird counterintuition. Not something I'd say of the utterly direct and thrilling guitar lines in 'do i have to do this...'

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Actually, you're right, his playing on "Do I Have to Do This..." is probably as good as he ever got - mind you his acoustic playing on "Bluebird" takes some beating

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:34 (nineteen years ago) link

yep no argument on that! as far as buffalo springfield goes i think of neil young as having the same flaws but somehow transcending them through his lack of polish, his ramshackle grace

speaking of which, i believe neil young plays (beautifully) on 'as we go along' from 'head'

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, sounds like him but, as I remember it, the CD credits about 6 guitarists on that track including, bizarrely enough, Carole King. He's supposed to be on "The Porpoise Song" too.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:39 (nineteen years ago) link

Geir I hope yr either joking VERY well, or convinced the other three Monkees were also trying to sound English

― Schwip Schwap (schwip schwap), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Mickey sounded like a fucking American country singer. The Monkees - like absolutely everybody else

I imagine Geir means Mike here. Does Geir usually swear? Is this in fact Geir at all?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:43 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, now i remember, haha ry cooder too! (xpost)

i still have this slight cognitive dissonance that the beatles are being characterised as having no r&b or country influences upthread. why i'm letting it worry me i don't know but it just takes sheer myopia and wishful thinking into the realms of performance art

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:46 (nineteen years ago) link

or trolling, of course. sigh, i took the bait cos i love the monkees so much

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:48 (nineteen years ago) link

The Beatles were surely far more R&B influenced that the Monkees ever were!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:48 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm not normally that attentive to production, but I do think the mix (is that the technical term?) is really good on monkees records, with the percussion effects well to the fore and with clear ringing guitars.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Apart from on the 2nd album which is well ropey

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 11:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Skipping 622 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I am having problems getting past George Michael Dolenz Jr

― castanuts (DJP), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:11 (one year ago) link

Somebody told me
The FBI wants
What the FBI needs

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:27 (one year ago) link

Trying and failing to stop imagining him singing “I Want Your Sex”

The giggles are incapacitating

― castanuts (DJP), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:29 (one year ago) link

And the wounded skies above
Say it's much, too much, too late
Well, maybe we should all be praying for FOIA

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:29 (one year ago) link

xpost Someone needs to see Head!

'Quiet, isn't it, George Michael Dolenz?'

Blew my mind the first time, for sure.

― Beautiful Bean Footage Fetishist (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link

I will file a FOIA lawsuit
Put your documents with mine
Add me to the docket, poppet
Pencil me in any time
I will file a FOIA lawsuit
I am guilty of no crime
I will be restoring my good name
‘Til the end of
Time

― castanuts (DJP), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 15:53 (one year ago) link

Daydream Subpoena

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 30 August 2022 17:24 (one year ago) link

I Wanna Be Free (From FBI Scrutiny)

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 18:59 (one year ago) link

What Are The FBI Doing Hangin' Round?

― Buckfast At Tiffany's (Tom D.), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 19:08 (one year ago) link

Listen to the Band (Using Covert Surveillance Devices)

― Buckfast At Tiffany's (Tom D.), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 19:10 (one year ago) link

Look Out (Here Comes COINTELPRO)

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 19:11 (one year ago) link

Habeas Corpus Song

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 30 August 2022 21:41 (one year ago) link

Gonna Bug Me a Dog

― Buckfast At Tiffany's (Tom D.), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 22:23 (one year ago) link

lol

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 30 August 2022 22:29 (one year ago) link

Ladies FBI Society

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 23:26 (one year ago) link

Last Train to Quantico

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Tuesday, 30 August 2022 23:33 (one year ago) link

"Mary, Mary (Why ya buggin?)"

― Hongro Hongro Hippies (Myonga Vön Bontee), Wednesday, 31 August 2022 00:52 (one year ago) link

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