You Bring the Summer: The Monkees’ ‘Good Times!’ Revisited for 10th Anniversary
Back in 2016, The Monkees celebrated their 50th anniversary with their first album of new material since 1996’s Justus. The appropriately-titled Good Times!, produced by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, was a true return to form. As TSD noted in its original review, “The Monkees have just released their first new album in twenty years, and all is right with the world…Good Times makes no concession to the sound of modern pop. Rather, it’s most often the classic Monkees style refracted through a muscular, power-pop prism…Don’t hesitate. Listen to the band!” The acclaimed album reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group’s highest-charting release in 48 years.
Now, on May 29, Rhino is revisiting Good Times! in a 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition which celebrates not only the album, but the 60th anniversary of The Monkees and the memory of Schlesinger, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork (all of whom died following its release) and Davy Jones (who had passed away in 2012 but was nonetheless featured on Good Times! via archival material). The 2CD set rounds up four non-LP sides originally presented as bonus tracks on various exclusive editions (and later pressed on vinyl as the Good Times Plus! EP) as well as an instrumental presentation of all thirteen songs. And what songs they are! Good Times! features compositions written specifically for the group by the likes of Schlesinger (“Our Own World”), Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo (“She Makes Me Laugh”), Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard (“Me and Magdalena”), XTC’s Andy Partridge (“You Bring the Summer”), Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and The Jam’s Paul Weller (“Birth of an Accidental Hipster”). In addition to vintage tunes by Harry Nilsson (the title track), Neil Diamond (“Love to Love”), Jeff Barry and Joey Levine (“Gotta Give It Time”), Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart (“Whatever’s Right”), and Carole King and Gerry Goffin (“Wasn’t Born to Follow”), Nesmith and Tork also wrote songs for the new album: “I Know What I Know” and “A Better World,” respectively, while Dolenz collaborated with Schlesinger on the closing cut “I Was There (And I’m Told I Had a Good Time).”
On the same date as the 2CD Deluxe Edition, Rhino will release an audiophile vinyl edition of the original album as part of the Rhino Reserve series. The 180-gram pressing was cut from the original analog master tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, California. The LP will be available exclusively through independent retailers in the U.S. and via Rhino.com.
Between now and November, Micky Dolenz is also hitting the road in celebration of 60 years of The Monkees. Visit here for Micky’s tour schedule, and look for Good Times! from Rhino in both 2CD and Rhino Reserve LP formats on May 29. You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below.
Good Times! (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Rhino, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: Original album (released as Rhino R2 553592, 2016)
- Good Times
- You Bring the Summer
- She Makes Me Laugh
- Our Own World
- Gotta Give It Time
- Me & Magdalena
- Whatever’s Right
- Love to Love
- Little Girl
- Birth of An Accidental Hipster
- Wasn’t Born to Follow
- I Know What I Know
- I Was There (And I’m Told I Had a Good Time)
CD 2: Bonus material (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Terrifying (digital bonus track)
- Me & Magdalena (Version 2) (digital bonus track)
- A Better World (F.Y.E. bonus track – Rhino R2 555731, 2016)
- Love’s What I Want (Japanese bonus track – Rhino WPCR-17267, 2016)
- Good Times (Instrumental)
- You Bring the Summer (Instrumental)
- She Makes Me Laugh (Instrumental)
- Our Own World (Instrumental)
- Gotta Give It Time (Instrumental)
- Me & Magdalena (Instrumental)
- Whatever’s Right (Instrumental)
- Love to Love (Instrumental)
- Little Girl (Instrumental)
- Birth of An Accidental Hipster (Instrumental)
- Wasn’t Born to Follow (Instrumental)
- I Know What I Know (Instrumental)
- I Was There (and I’m Told I Had a Good Time) (Instrumental)
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4 thoughts on “You Bring the Summer: The Monkees’ ‘Good Times!’ Revisited for 10th Anniversary”
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Man, that turned out to be a great record. Whoda thought?
I prefer the alternate “Me and Magdalena” – and used it as the soundtrack to driving home from Monterey after catching all three of the Pre-Fab Four at the show there. It was Mickey and Peter until the encore, and then Mike came out and they launched into “Circle Sky.” Wow.
Most of disc 2 (instrumental mixes) has nothing to do with the Monkees. Should have been a single disc with four extra tunes. We already paid for most of this one or two times. Gouge.
I’d have to look at the credits again to see which tracks, but Peter and Mike played on the album. I think Micky Ma have even drummed on the final track. To say the instrumental mixes have “nothing to do with the Monkees” isn’t true.
Regardless, the instrumental mixes are pointless. Why would I want a disc of mostly that? The full songs, with the guys singing, is what I want to hear.
What happened to the Spanish version of “Magdelena” Mike claimed they recorded? Any interesting outtakes we could’ve been given instead? Crazy to have to buy this again for the four bonus songs. And yet I likely will.
Such a great album. Who expected that? Every Monkees fan should have it, and fans of great power pop should do themselves a favor and buy it too. I still listen to it often.
I have the four bonus songs through various means, but I will likely buy it AGAIN to have them on CD. Damn you, Rhino. But what a waste, filling the rest of the disc with instrumental mixes. Who the hell cares about that? Not I.
Actual outtakes, etc., would’ve been welcome. Or the bonus tracks could’ve simply gone on the same disc as the original album.