More of the Monkees [Deluxe Edition] [Digipak] [Remaster]

Performer: Monkees
Artist: Neil Sedaka; James Burton; Glen Campbell; Hal Blaine
Engineer: Dave Hassinger; Ernie Oelrich; Hank Cicalo; Henry Lewy; Ray Hall; Richard Polodor; Richie Schmitt
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Monkees: Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith (vocals, guitar); Davy Jones (vocals); Mickey Dolenz (drums). Additional personnel: James Burton, Glen Campbell, Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee, Louie Shelton, Al Gafa, Al Casey, Michael Deasy, Don Peake (guitar); Jimmie Seals (saxophone); Neil Sedaka, Michael Cohen (piano); Bobby Hart (organ); Don Randi, Michael Rubini (harpsichord, organ); Larry Taylor, Russell Savakus, Larry Knechtel, Bob West, Carol Kaye, Ray Pohlman (bass); Hal Blaine, Billy Lewis, Herbert Lovell, Jim Gordon (drums); Norm Jeffries, Henry Lewy, Frank Capp, Julius Wechter, Gene Estes, David Walters (percussion); Tommy Boyce (background vocals). Producers include: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Michael Nesmith, Jeff Barry, Jack Keller. Reissue producers: Andrew Sandoval, Bill Inglot. Recorded in Hollywood, California and New York, New York in 1966. Originally released on Colgems (102). Includes liner notes by Andrew Sandoval. Monkees: Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork. Personnel: Peter Tork (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Michael Nesmith (vocals, steel guitar, background vocals); Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz (vocals, background vocals); Wayne Erwin (guitar, background vocals); Glenn Ross Campbell , Willard Suyker, Gerry McGee, Mike Deasy Sr. , James Burton, Don Thomas, Al Gafa, Louie Shelton (guitar); Tommy Boyce (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Neil Diamond (acoustic guitar); Louis Stone, Louis Haber, Irving Spice (violin); David Sackson, Murray Sandry (viola); Seymour Barab (cello); Ethmer Roten (flute); Norman Benno (oboe); Jim Seals (saxophone); Steve Huffsteter (trumpet); Dick Hyde, Gilbert Falco (trombone); Bob Jung, Don McGinnis (horns); Bobby Hart (piano, organ, background vocals); Michel Rubini (harpsichord, keyboards); Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Michael Cohen, Neil Sedaka (keyboards); Buddy Salzman, Hal Blaine, Herb Lovelle (drums); Norm Jeffries (tambourine, percussion); Alan Estes (timpani); Frank Capp, Gene Estes, Julius Wechter, Gary Coleman, Emil Richards (percussion); Ron Hicklin (background vocals). Additional personnel: Jim Gordon (percussion); Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Andrew Sandoval; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Authors: Don Kirshner; Andrew Sandoval. Recording information: American Recording Co., Studio City, CA (06/25/1966-11/23/1966); RC Victor Studio B, Hollywood, CA (06/25/1966-11/23/1966); RCA Victor Studio A, Hollywood, CA (06/25/1966-11/23/1966); Western Recorders Studio 2, Hollywood, CA (06/25/1966-11/23/1966). Photographer: Bernard Yeszin. Clearly they were not America's answer to the Beatles, even though at the time moptop fans seethed and decided to boycott them. They were the best manufactured pop group ever, and in Michael Nesmith had a musical semi-genius. Their second album, apart from the wretched "Your Auntie Grizelda," carries on from their debut. It contains the mantric "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," Neil Diamond's chunka-chunka-chunk "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," the funky "Mary Mary" and the paragon, "I'm A Believer," also written by Neil Diamond. Euphoric and nostalgic and completely marijuana-free. The Monkees second album More of the Monkees lived up to its title. It was more successful commercially, spending an amazing 70 weeks on the Billboard charts and ultimately becoming the 12th biggest selling album of all time. It had more producers and writers involved since big-shots like Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Jeff Barry and Neil Sedaka, as well as up-and-comers like Neil Diamond all grabbed for a piece of the pie after Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the men who made the debut album such a smash, were elbowed out by music supervisor Don Kirshner. The album also has more fantastic songs than the debut. Tracks like "I'm a Believer," "She," "Mary, Mary," " (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," "Your Auntie Grizelda," and "Sometime in the Morning" are on just about every Monkees hits collection and, apart from the novelty "Grizelda," they are among the best pop/rock heard in the '60s or any decade since. The band themselves still had relatively little involvement in the recording process, apart from providing the vocals along with Mike Nesmith's writing and producing of two tracks (the hair-raising rocker "Mary, Mary" and the folk-rock gem "The Kind of Girl I Could Love"). In fact, they were on tour when the album was released and had to go to the record shop and buy copies for themselves. As with the first album though, it really doesn't matter who was involved when the finished product is this great. Listen to Micky Dolenz and the studio musicians rip through "Stepping Stone" or smolder through "She," listen to the powerful grooves of "Mary, Mary" or the heartfelt playing and singing on "Sometime in the Morning" and dare to say the Monkees weren't a real band. They were! The tracks on More of the Monkees (with the exception of the aforementioned "Your Auntie Grizelda " and the sickly sweet "The Day We Fell in Love," which regrettably introduces the smarmy side of Davy Jones) stand up to the work of any other pop band operating in 1967. Real or fabricated, the Monkees rate with any pop band of their era and More of the Monkees solidifies that position. [In 1994 Rhino reissued More of the Monkees with detailed notes from Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval and five bonus tracks, including an early take on "I'm a Believer." It was a fine package and seemingly closed the books on the album. In 2006, Rhino, clearly caught up in the industry mania for releasing Deluxe Editions of albums, again reissued the record as a double-disc set with new notes from Sandoval, mono and stereo versions of the album, the bonus tracks from the original reissue, an armload of rare tracks drawn from the three volumes of Missing Links set and even two previously unreleased recordings. The set looks enticing but to consumers weary of buying the same old rope repackaged as gold, you have to ask: is it worth it? The simple answer is if you are even considering buying the set, you should. The mono version of the record is excellent, the songs burst out of your speakers and sound almost raw in comparison to the softer stereo mixes. The booklet is crammed with amazing photos of the band and the notes from Sandoval cover quite fascinating new ground with quotes from Jeff Barry, Micky Dolenz, and Mike Nesmith, among others. It's nice to have the rare tracks collected by recording date instead of randomly as they were on Missing Links. The rare tracks are all worth hearing too, especially the brassy "Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears" and early versions of "Words" and "Valleri" (both tracks that would appear on later albums). The set skimps on unreleased tracks offering only a mono mix of "Ladies Aid Society" and an alternate mix of "Tear Drop City," both of which were lackluster Boyce and Hart penned and produced tunes that show a possible reason why Kirshner basically kicked them off the project. Again, if this set even lightly tickles your interest you should get it because you won't be disappointed.] ~ Tim Sendra

One of the most memorable '60s US pop groups, the Monkees were put together by US television producers to play members of a pop band based on the Beatles. They were critcized as a pre-fabricated outfit, but the passage of time has left behind much of the critical drubbing, leaving in its place some great, catchy pop music. By the late '60s HEADQUARTERS, BEES & THE MONKEES, and their musical/cinematic classic HEAD, showed a proper band writing, recording, and producing their own records while garnering commercial and critical success. Michael Nesmith went on to pioneering work in country-rock and music video, while the rest of the band reunited periodically over the years to the delight of an unflagging fanbase.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25