Headquarters [Digipak] [Remaster]

Performer: Monkees
Engineer: Richie Schmitt; Hank Cicalo; Ray Hall; Dick Bogert
Producer: Douglas Farthing Hatlelid; Jeff Barry; Andrew Sandoval (Reissue); Bill Inglot (Reissue)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Monkees: Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork. Monkees: Peter Tork (acoustic 12-string guitar); Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith (12-string guitar); Micky Dolenz (background vocals). Personnel: Michael Nesmith (pedal steel guitar). Additional personnel: Al Gorgoni, Don Thomas, Sal DiTroia, Gerry McGee, Hugh McCracken, Louie Shelton, Wayne Erwin (guitar); 'Unknown' (acoustic guitar); Frederick Seykora (cello); Vincent DeRosa (French horn); Stan Free (Clavinet); Artie Butler (organ); Jerry Yester, Larry Taylor , John London, Lou Mauro, James Tyrell (bass guitar); Billy Lewis, Herb Lovelle (drums); Tom Cerone, Gene Estes (tambourine); Chip Douglas, Neil Diamond (background vocals). Audio Remasterers: Andrew Sandoval; Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. One of the Monkees' two best albums, HEADQUARTERS is also the one '60s album on which the band played nearly all the instruments, save for a string section and occasional bass from producer Chip Douglas. Since Michael Nesmith had instigated the revolt that led to the band's musical independence, he's in the forefront here, and his songs are uniformly excellent. The banjo-driven "You Told Me" and "Sunny Girlfriend" are two of his best country-influenced tunes, and "You Just May Be the One" is magnificent REVOLVER-influenced psychedelic pop. Douglas' "Forget That Girl" features one of Micky Dolenz's best vocals, and Dolenz's own "Randy Scouse Git" is an impressionistic, trippy delight. Perhaps the album's best track is the Davy Jones lead "Early Morning Blues and Greens," a moody slice of atmospheric pop. Even oddities like "Band 6" and "Zilch" are interesting ephemera. This reissue features six interesting alternate takes and demos.

Rolling Stone (p.95) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]s a pop encounter with the hippie moment, it's hard to beat." Q (5/95, p.127) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...the only one which features Tork, Nesmith, Jones and Dolenz playing on every cut without heaps of session players. Even their songwriting stands up as classic country-esque 12-string folk-pop..." NME (Magazine) (2/18/95, p.51) - 7 - Very Good - "...Palpably fun and groovy, it is the sound of blind men suddenly marvelling at the gift of sight, with at least three self-composed gems: Nesmith's `You Just May Be The One,' Tork's `For Pete's Sake' and Dolenz's `Randy Scouse Git,' a wild portrait of London life at the height of Beatlemania..."

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