Listen to the band!
The Monkees' eighth album, The Monkees Present, was a grab bag unlike any other previously produced by the group. By October 1969, The Monkees was off the air and remaining Monkees Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith were soldiering on for their second album without Peter Tork. February's Instant Replay, the first sans Tork, had managed a respectable showing at No. 32 on the pop chart, but in the post-Head days, hit singles were far from guaranteed for the group. Yet the somewhat fraught atmosphere led the band to pursue their most adventurously creative visions yet. Following deluxe box set editions of The Birds, The Bees and the Monkees, Head, and Instant Replay, Rhino Handmade has unveiled latest next box in its definitive Monkees series: a 3-CD celebration of The Monkees Present. This new box set, due in late July, coincides with the band's upcoming tour, the second in a row for Micky, Peter and Mike following a well-received 2012 jaunt.
As Rhino puts it in the press release, The Monkees Present "is one of the group's most varied, from the iconic single 'Listen To The Band,' to Micky's anti-war anthem 'Mommy And Daddy,' Davy's lush 'French Song,' and Michael's Nashville-tinged barn-burner, 'Good Clean Fun.'" Indeed, The Monkees Present found the three Monkees taking their music in various directions, but unlike the (delightful) hodgepodge of Instant Replay, The Monkees Present almost entirely consisted of new compositions. Dolenz and Nesmith were becoming more confident songwriters, with Nesmith offering the triumphant "Listen to the Band," which he would later re-record with his First National Band. Nesmith also wrote the countrified "Good Clean Fun" and the ballad "Never Tell a Woman Yes," and brought a song by Michael Martin Murphey to the table ("Oklahoma Backroom Dancer"). Dolenz contributed three songs, including a couple in a jazz bag, and Jones even co-wrote "If I Knew" with Bill Chadwick. Invoking simpler days for the band, two Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart "oldies" appeared with "Ladies Aid Society" and "Looking for the Good Times." Dolenz and Jones shared vocals on the latter.
After the jump: more details, including the full track listing and pre-order link!
1994's expanded single-disc reissue from Rhino introduced five bonus tracks, which were carried over for Friday Music's 2011 reissue. The new box set contains 85 (!) tracks, of which a staggering 60 are previously unreleased. Limited to 5,000 individually numbered units and produced by Monkee guru Andrew Sandoval, The Monkees Present includes previously unheard songs, alternates and backing tracks, all remastered from the original tapes. The Monkees Present also includes an exclusive bonus 7" vinyl single for "Good Clean Fun (Alternate Mix)" b/w "Mommy and Daddy (Mono Mix)" in a picture sleeve.
The new box set of The Monkees Present is scheduled to ship in late July, but is available now for pre-order exclusively at Monkees.com. As per the press release, the box will not be available "from any store or other online retailer." In addition, the release date of July 30, 2013 is "not yet finalized and subject to change." Those ordering "will be notified if there is a delay in the arrival date for [the] product. Cover art is not final and may change."
Do you want to take the plunge with Micky, Davy and Michael? Well, don't hesitate - click on the link below to order!
The Monkees, The Monkees Present: Deluxe Box Set (Colgems COS-117, 1969 - reissued Rhino Handmade, 2013)
CD 1: (Original Album - Tracks 1-12)
- Little Girl
- Good Clean Fun
- If I Knew
- Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye
- Never Tell A Woman Yes
- Looking For The Good Times
- Ladies Aid Society
- Listen To The Band (fake Stereo Mix)
- French Song
- Mommy And Daddy
- Oklahoma Backroom Dancer
- Pillow Time
- Time And Time Again (November 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- Down The Highway (November 1969 Stereo Mix)
- Steam Engine (November 1969 Stereo Mix)
- If You Have The Time (November 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- Angel Band (November 1969 Stereo Mix)
- Rose Marie (November 1969 Stereo Mix)
- I Never Thought It Peculiar (No strings & backing vocals - August 1969) (*)
- Of You (November 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- Kicking Stones (1969 mix)
- If I Knew (Bill & Davy's Stereo Mix) (*)
- The Crippled Lion (November 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- My Storybook Of You (Tommy & Bobby's Stereo Mix) (*)
- Carlisle Wheeling (November 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- French Song (LP master with Alternate ending - stereo) (*)
- Hollywood (stereo)
- My Storybook Of You ("New" 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- Circle Sky ("New" 1969 Stereo Mix)
- Kool Aid spot
CD 2:
- The Monkees Present radio spot
- If I Knew (TV Mix mono) (*)
- Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye (mono) (*)
- Looking For The Good Times (mono) (*)
- Ladies Aid Society (1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- Listen To The Band (single mix)
- French Song (TV mix mono) (*)
- Mommy & Daddy (1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- Circle Sky (1969 "New" Mono Mix) (*)
- Penny Music (TV mix mono) (*)
- Apples, Peaches, Bananas And Pears (1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- Of You (1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- I Never Thought It Peculiar (1969 Mono Mix without overdubs) (*)
- Kicking Stones (1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- Listen To The Band (LP Version - True Mono Mix)
- If You Have The Time (1969 Mono Mix without Moog) (*)
- Midnight Train (TV mix mono) (*)
- My Storybook Of You (mono) (*)
- Steam Engine (1969 rough Stereo Mix)
- Time And Time Again (November 1969 Mono Mix) (*)
- Mommy & Daddy (7/1/69) (Stereo Mix 3) (*)
- I Never Thought It Peculiar (September 1969 Mono Mix with overdubs) (*)
- Bye Bye Baby Bye (July 1969 Stereo Mix) (*)
- If You Have The Time (1969 Mono Mix with Moog) (*)
- Mommy & Daddy (7/2/69) (Stereo Mix) (*)
- Time And Time Again (November 1969 Alternate Mono Mix) (*)
- Monkees Greatest Hits radio spot (*)
CD 3:
- Little Girl (Take 7) (*)
- Calico Girlfriend (Alternate Mix) (*)
- If I Knew (Take 11) (*)
- You're So Good (Alternate Mix) (*)
- Little Red Rider (Alternate Mix) (*)
- If You Have The Time (Take 4) (*)
- Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (Take 12)
- Listen To The Band (Alternate Stereo Mix)
- French Song (Take 3) (*)
- Mommy And Daddy (May 13, 1969 Stereo Mix 9) (*)
- How Insensitive (*)
- Pillow Time (Takes 8 & 9) (*)
- How Can I Tell You (*)
- Thank You My Friend (Backing Track - Take 4) (*)
- Time And Time Again (Take 1) (*)
- Good Afternoon (Take 14) (*)
- Opening Night (*)
- Lynn Harper (Backing Track - Take 8) (*)
- Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (Take 18)
- The Good Earth (Alternate Take) (*)
- London Bridge (Backing Track - Take 4) (*)
- Music Bridge "We'll Be Back In A Minute" (Version Three) (*)
- A Bus That Never Comes (Backing Track - Take 9) (*)
- Omega (Backing Track - Take 8) (*)
- 13 Is Not Our Lucky Number (Backing Track) (*)
- Michigan Blackhawk (Backing Track - Take 4) (*)
- Little Tommy Blues (Backing Track - Take 5) (*)
- Till Then (Backing Track - Take 2) (*)
Vinyl 45:
- Good Clean Fun (Alternate Mix with extra percussion) (*)
- Mommy & Daddy (7/10/69) (Mono Mix) (*)
(*) denotes previously unreleased track
Listen to the Music: Rhino's Rocktober Slate Features Doobie Brothers, Yes, Fleetwood Mac, Monkees, More
RSD Round-Up: Spotlight on Omnivore, Iconoclassic, Friday Music, Dark Horse, Light in the Attic, and More
I'm a Believer: Micky Dolenz Opens Up His Archive for "I'm Told I Had a Good Time"
Review: The Monkees, "Headquarters: Super Deluxe Edition"
$60 is a bargain for these Monkees boxed sets!
$60 is a bargain for these Monkees boxed sets. I hope they go back and do the first four albums.
I'd like to know if the alternate "Mommy and Daddy," with the far more provocative lyrics is on the set AND if it's the version with the piano intro. It's my understanding that particular version has only ever appeared on the long out of print Anthology (a Rhino two-disc set, the one with the TV on the cover).
Isn't this version also on the Music Box set?
I don't know... Maybe it is? The version I'm thinking of has both the alternate, more biting lyrics and it has the piano intro. The version on an earlier Rhino reissue of Presents starts cold, without the piano intro. I've only ever heard the piano intro on the version originally released on Presents, with the tamer lyrics.
According to the amazingly detailed Monkees Mixography site, the version Shaun is talking about is only available on the Anthology release, as he said:
http://monkeesmixography.wikidot.com/1968-08-01-mommy-and-daddy
This site inspired me to buy pretty much every version of Monkees CD ever released, because almost all of them have something unique. It's a fun catalogue to collect. I am looking forward to getting this new box.
I'm a huge Monkees fan. I understand that many folks may be excited about this release, but Rhino would have to pay me $60 to sit through three discs of even more of what was already a barrel-scraper of an album. IMO, of course.
The album has its moments, but its weaknesses too. On the whole, I think it's better than Instant Replay though. It's not bad.
I'd love as much Nesmith (particularly his Nashville sessions) music as possible. I'd also like all of the 33 & 1/3 music (well, "Goldilocks Sometimes" should be burned and lost forever) released though I understand that most of that music is in poor tape quality and what was released with the Instant Replay box will probably be it.
Oh Birdycat, I think this is one of their finest albums!
I liked the middle ground that Rhino found for the first four albums when they released them as 2-disc sets. I wish they would continue those as the box sets are little too much money and honestly too much material for those of us who like the music but are not super-fanatics.