Headquarters

The Beatle (singular)

I really liked this. Like a dumb amount. For what is functionally a Beatles parody group at its inception, this was really jammin', and I get why they became popular in their own right. Fucking Zilch.

"Headquarters" is a mismatched mishmash of mediocrity that is merely a meagre mimicry (one might even say maliciously so) of "modern" music. It leaves the listener feeling mocked, miserable, and more than a mite mad with the meretricious marketing machine that is the Monkees.

If someone made a Spinal Tap/Mighty Wind 60s band album this is exactly what it would sound like.

“Headquarters” by The Monkees (1967) Formulaic pop which is not representative of the ‘Summer of Love’ in the American cultural scene. We regarded this music as immature even then. We can now add to our disdain the recognition that it was, from the beginning, a corporate project. I feel sorry for the artists, but the music is too formulaic to be called art. Still, it’s pleasing enough to listen to. Once. For old time’s sake. On the way out the door. Lyrically sappy, G-rated pulp. Musically, it would be fun to play a party game with 70-year-olds identifying which Beatles songs the Monkees are ripping off in each track. Mickey Dolenz’ drumming is poor (that’s why it’s wisely subdued in the mix) and bass is played by B-grade session musicians, demonstrating that the producers didn’t take the rhythm section seriously—a fatal flaw for rock music. Guitar arrangements performance are amateurish. All vocals are weak. Mr. Jones, please put down the tambourine. Okay, now that that unpleasant task is done, we can, at a minimum, celebrate the fact these guys were at least pretending to have fun. But they were being paid to. 2/5

"But it's true. They didn't write their own songs or play their own instruments." “The Monkees weren't about music, Marge. They were about rebellion, about political and social upheaval!” The reality was that they were neither a novelty band made up of actors, or the voice of a generation. What the Monkees were was a group of 3 talented songwriters and musicians who were able to act, and the Brit teen-idol they were built around with incredibly restrictive contracts. This album ended up being a one-and-done display of their talents as a four piece, with them reverting to session musicians for the following records. When they had to churn out 7 albums in 3 years, can you blame them? Oh, and it was Michael Nesmith's real hat.

Released 1 week before Sgt. Pepper's - it sounds decades behind. Mid 60's pop. It's not bad; it's just not good either. Best tracks: You Told Me, You Just May Be The One, For Pete's Sake (Closing Theme)

It's okay, but really just sounds like a group trying (and struggling) to impersonate the more poppy elements of the Beatles, which I suppose is essentially what they were doing. It's well recorded and produced, but the songs just fall a little flat for me. There were a few interesting asides though - I now know where Del the Funky Homosapien got the main sample for Mistadobalina! Probably wouldn't listen to again, but it wouldn't annoy me if someone else wanted to put it on. (2.6)

I grew up in the nineties when Nick @ Nite aired old reruns of the Monkees show. My mom adored them growing up, and Headquarters was in fact her favorite Monkees' album. I've never stopped loving the Monkees. Some bias may show here, but I'll show good reason for it! Headquarters is different from the Monkees' previous albums. Not only are Peter and Michael's vocals featured more, but the overall quality is better and feels more authentically Monkees. This album isn't as breezy and light as their first two albums but instead contains more substance. The Monkees were given more creative control for this album, which is unmistakable when comparing their albums. More than half of the album is written by at least one Monkee, along with the usual Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart additions. I will plug the delightful opening lyrics from "My Sunny Girlfriend" written by Nesmith: "She owns and operates/her own sunshine factory". Not to mention, for a band that was created simply for a TV show and not because they could play instruments, the four of them creating the "Band 6" instrumental is monumental as an inclusion. As mentioned before, Headquarters has more depth. There are some sweet, slow songs ("Shades of Gray", "Early Morning Blues and Greens"), but you have the typical Monkees humor ("Zilch", "Randy Scouse Git" - and I swear you can hear Micky's laughter in the back of "No Time") and your love songs for Davy and his girlfriend of the week ("I Can't Get Her Off My Mind"). Sure, it's a similar formula, but more meaning is contained within than before. Headquarters is the first Monkees' album to balance all members without relying only on Micky and Davy's vocals. If anyone is slighted, it is Peter; later albums show how soft and beautiful his voice on songs could be. There's a reason why "Shades of Gray" stands out on this album. But for Mike to have three (!) songs he wrote and sang included, that shows the Monkees' personal influence. Don't get me wrong: Headquarters is brilliant and enjoyable, but I love all Monkees' music. Regardless of the album or the song, a smile always finds its way to my face when listening to them. One of the easiest 5s I've ever given.

https://www.toppermost.co.uk/monkees/ The monkeys were an incredible band. This is an incredible album. Zilch! Tape looping in 1967. Randy scouse git. This is an all time great example of sixties pop. Possibly only surpassed by the astounding Pisces … Think of this. Imagine BTS doing something like Zilch. Not to knock BTS - they do what they do and it appeals to millions. But to bring in cutting edge musical compositional ideas. (To be fair their albums are generally very philosophical even if the music is predictable). More of my feelings on this incredible band - the band that shouldn’t be - can be found in the link above. 16 stars.

believer

I underestimated the Monkees

No "Daydream Believer"? No "I'm a Believer"? No "Opening Theme"? Oh, hey, at least they made this album by themselves...! Two participation trophies out of five 🏆🏆

The Monkees finally were finally allowed to write and perform on their own records. And it is not a disaster. Pleasant folk/country inspired pop rock, with some hints of psychedelia. But I can't really remember a single song on it, except Zilch (an experimental thing that I quite like)

I loved this album as well as the story of how it came to be. TV executives create a fake band who actually wanted to be a real band, and this is what they got to do when allowed. It is so fun and so good and so very very representative of its time.

Favorite monkee's album

A really good album, I love the style of music. My favourites were The Girl I Knew Somewhere, No Time, Forget That Girl and Randy Scouse Git.

This absolutely ruled. I knew The Monkees were underrated, but this still took me by surprise. I loved every second of this album, even the sillier moments.

Fantastic pop album no complaints

❤️

Always loved The Monkees. they're a band with no pretence or delusions of grandeur, just a bunch of musicians thrown together by a record label....that worked.

Knew of The Monkees but very few of their songs. Blown away by this album. Great late '60s pop.

loved every song

It's interesting to me how much of The Monkees and their legacy is based around the fact that they were created as a prefabricated band for a sitcom. Like, before this album, they basically had no control over their own direction. The songs were all written by pros, they were all played by session musicians, their producer had complete control over track listings... And, heck, if one of them hadn't put their first clean through a wall, they well could've been the ones to have recorded "Sugar, Sugar". The four of them were trapped in a black box, with nothing to do but smoke in-between flopping around on camera. I can only imagine how crazy that would drive someone. Like, sure, if this were the 1950's and they were Elvis, singing other people's songs wouldn't really be such a bad lot. But unfortunately, this was the late-60's — where, funny enough, Elvis found himself in the same spot as The Monkees. I mean, The Beatles were the entire reason The Monkees were created in the first place, and they set the standard for bands writing their own songs. The Rolling Stones had moved to penning their own material, Brian Wilson was crafting masterworks, Bob Dylan... And yet, here these guys were, faking songs for a teen-age audience that didn't care about the artifice. They had hits upon hits — but what does it matter if none of them were theirs? That's where HEADQUARTERS comes in. See, their next single was supposed to feature a compromise: the A-side would have the group singing on one of their producer Don Krisher's tracks, and the B-side would feature something the boys had written and performed themselves. Krisher had seemingly agreed to this — until the next single came out and it featured two Krisher tracks. It caught everyone off-guard: not just The Monkees, but also the show producers and the **label executives**. Needless to say, the move wasn't exactly worth it. Krishner was out, and finally, **finally**, The Monkees were able to record an album under their own direction. So, after all of that preamble — how does the album itself actually play out? See, I don't wanna front and say that the surrounding context isn't a big reason why I'm as much a fan of the album as I am. It's a great story of fighting for freedom and achieving it. Honestly, there's some part of me that tends more towards the prefab artifice of their previous two albums. I mean, come on, **the hits**: their TV theme song, "Last Train To Clarksville", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "I'm A Believer"... It's all bubblegum, factory-made and everything, but if it ain't fun to chew, y'know?, they can be so **garage**, I love it. I'm not sure if there's a song here that really matches up to any of those — or even their later hits, like "Daydream Believer". But that's speaking on a song-by-song basis. As an **album**, absolutely, this is the band's greatest achievement. 'Coz, look, as much as their debut and MORE OF THE MONKEES had great singles, and some amazing garage-type rock, as a complete experience... Well, there were some notable low points, to be sure. There's some part of me that gets a kick out of shit like "I Wanna Be Free" and "The Day We Fall In Love" in spite of themselves, but I can't act like they're not... Y'know, **good**. That's not even to mention the stuff that just feels tossed off, like, "Eh, this episode needs another song, sure." HEADQUARTERS is a more consistent experience. The highs might be lower, but the lows are higher, and it all balances out pretty nicely. It's just... A really good listen, y'know? Which I feel is all it needed to be, to prove they could make it on their own. At the very least, I've put this on more than I have the previous two, and not out of any sort of "this is the one where they gained autonomy" obligation. Goodness, there was one night this year or last last where, for some reason, I listened to the first side of this record, like, three times in a row. If that doesn't tell you how I feel about this album, I don't know what else will. Oh, and if I can quickly name the best song on this album before I move on: "Randy Scouse Git". Just, 100%, it's "Randy Scouse Git". It even went all the way to no.2 as a single in the UK — with the alternate title, uhm, "Alternate Title",'coz... Well, you look at what it's more commonly known as. Following this album, The Monkees would meditate once more on being a prefabricated band, with the movie/freak-out trip HEAD. That movie's a whole extended essay unto itself, so I'll refrain from going on about it. Just to say that, hey, The Monkees wouldn't have been able to try and kill off The Monkees if this album and its success allowed them the freedom to do that. For that alone, it's their most important, and thank goodness it had the tunes to back that up. I mean, if this had turned out to be the 60's NICK OF TIME... I mean, goodness, I don't even know. For me, this album's a solid 4. Honestly, I'm not sure if The Monkees were ever capable of making a straight 5/5 album, but as the best they've ever done by themselves... It coulda been worse, y'know? Plus, hey, they had Frank Zappa's approval, and in my eyes that counts for a lot.

*monkey noises*

Imagine releasing something that sounds almost a decade too late in 1967; the year that the musical revolution in all its diversification truly began. I'd never release anything ever again if that was me.

1967 was one of the most successful years in terms of creativity and artists surpassing themselves, but despite everything, we found ourselves listening a damn generic Monkees.

The Monkees have some truly great songs, sadly none of them are to be found on this album. At times they're really channeling their inner 'Beatles', but without any of the charm or musicality.

Dollar store Beatles music. Ugh.

cmonnnn. so fuckin awesome. lemon twigs literally wish.

Most underrated artist of all time? not sure about that, but i know this album is fantastic.

The Monkees were always more than a manufactured band of pretty boys and this album proved it; all the self-penned songs stand up against those written for them or recorded as covers (well, maybe excepting "Band 6" and "Zilch", but even they have their merits) and in some cases are the best songs on the album.

Oh yay!!

Reminds me of early Beatles, but less over played.

This is very good album

Great

I've loved the The Monkees since I was a ten yr old kid. Thanks to my aunt & Nickelodeon, watching The Monkees TV show was part of my afternoon schedule. It was then when I developed one of my first crushes on Michael Nesmith. It was as an adult that I learned that he was from TX & spent quite a bit of time in my hometown. Childhood aside, this group is incredibly talented. My favorite songs are those led by Mike, but Mickey is also a fantastic lead vocalist. Also cool to note that at least one of these songs is written by Neil Diamond (he's a phenomenal song writer IMO) and that wins points too. I hope we see more from The Monkees. They're definitely a favorite.

Five stars just for "If I Learned To Play The Violin". Funniest song I've ever heard.

“The Monkees weren't about music, Marge. They were about rebellion, about political and social upheaval!”

I love the Monkees. They're fun, they don't take themselves too seriously, and their songs are catchy. Yeah, they were a "fake" band for a TV show and the whole schtick was being a blatant Beatles-esque ripoff so you can easily slap a derivative label on them. But they're obviously creative, talented guys who worked well together as a group and the fact that they fought for more creative control over the music and wanted to grow as artists in their own right speaks volumes about them. They may have started out conceptually as puppets for the network but they became so much more. The endurance of their songs well beyond the shelf life of the TV show proves that what they did resonated with a lot people in a truly impactful way. I dig everything they represent and I love their tunes. It's worth noting that I write this as a person born in the 80's who loved watching their show when I was a kid even though the episodes were already 25+ year old reruns.

Highlights: Randy Scouse Git, The Girl I Knew Somewhere, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You Having grown up with The Monkees on TV, this album contains quite a few rarer and deeper cuts than I'm used to. They really did gel as a band and by 1967, were producing much more polished music than their introductory efforts, for better or for worse. It's nice to see they didn't take themselves too seriously, even later in their heyday, where they continued to craft short and punchy tracks that never overstayed their welcome, but also were numerous. As such, I won't go over them all, but they're all pretty good.

This is a super fun album and it maintained a consistent good energy throughout. I wish some of the songs had been longer or more complex but I still enjoyed them. Some definite bops in there and all around a fun album.

Headquarters The context of this is perhaps more interesting than the actual album, even if the self penned tracks are generally among the strongest, and it does drag a little for an album that is only 30 minutes long. I do love the combination of their voices though, their harmonies and vocal sound are distinctly mid 60s in a very pleasing way. It starts off well with the excellent You Told Me, but the less said about Band 6 the better. You Just May Be the One is good, with a great bassline and tone. For Pete’s Sake is a nice Byrds/Buffalo Springfield country rock track, as is Sunny Girlfriend. I’ve never liked Randy Scouse Git. I’ll Spend My Life With You, Early Morning Blues and Greens and Shades of Grey are probably the best of the rest. The story of the Monkees and their desire for creative input into what was a quite insane output of content in their name is fascinating. As part of that story this is a nice historical curio, containing a handful of enjoyable mid 60s songs. But it’s also notable that this was released 4 days before Sgt Pepper, and in that light it feels like it already sounded anachronistic as soon as it came out. Still I did enjoy it, both musically and contextually, so I think it makes the 3s. 🙉🙉🙉 Playlist submission: You Told Me

C-side Beatles.

The execution, deliberate and subtly innovative, raises up a modest set. Tork’s banjo on the opener is a good example; not in your face, but slightly deranged.

Affable nonsense, vaguely folky, vaguely rocky, vaguely psychedelic; harpsichords and harmonies. Remind you of anyone? "Zilch" and the bizarre shout out to Alf Garnett alone place these funky simiiformes slightly above "Pet Sounds" in my estimation.

I had always thought that The Monkees were a fraud. That they didn’t actually play their music, and they were a “poverty Beatles”. And while that is partly true, as they didn’t play on their first few albums, this was the first one where they did. And it’s actually quite good. Who would have thought that if you give people creative control and losses the corporate noose, that they could actually come up with some really good songs? Novel idea… Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. I didn’t want to like it, but I did. You can’t deny good songwriting, and their previous fraudulent activities weren’t really any fault of their own. We’ll say they acted under duress.

So, look, I was born in 1981 and while most “experts” would classify me as a “millennial”, I disagree. Beyond the obvious question of “Why is it that I am considered a millennial, but my classmates who were born in 1980 are considered Gen X?”, there are other important questions that should be asked, like: How many Millennials remember the Challenger disaster or the fall of the Berlin Wall or Nirvana taking the world by storm? Or, how many millennials knew Adam West as Batman before they knew Michael Keaton’s Batman? How many know a Joker (Cesar Romero) who couldn’t be bothered to shave his damn mustache and instead had it covered up with white grease paint as if the whole fucking world wouldn’t notice his bristly mustache under that coat of paint? Like, if I have an in-depth understanding of a lot of 1960’s references and TV shows dating back to when I was growing up, am I really a millennial? I don’t think a lot of my millennial counterparts born in 1992 have the same understanding of 60’s culture that I do. I could be wrong, though. Point being, I know the Monkees from TV as a kid. It was one of those shows you’d see in the afternoon on the weekends on WPIX 11 in New York and you’d watch it because there wasn’t anything else on. It usually came on in the same afternoon block that had Flipper (the dolphin, not the punk band). It was a corny show, but kind of funny sometimes and it sort of did music videos before that was a thing, so it was kind of unique compared to other tv shows. So, call me a millennial if you must, but I’m more in tune with Gen X and I think if you watched the Monkees on TV as a kid, there’s probably a pretty good case to be made that you’re not a millennial, despite what the experts who create these arbitrary dates have to say. In closing, a fun fact about the Monkees: Stephen Stills auditioned for the Monkees, but was rejected because the producers thought his bad hair and crooked teeth didn’t jive with the Teen Idol image they were looking to portray on the show. He recommend that they hire his friend, Peter Tork, who got the role. (See? I told you I was going to fit in as many Stephen Stills references as possible before I finished this challenge.)

Stop recommending albums with 800 dumb studio tracks, it’s confusing. It was fine, I have no idea what the album actually was.

Ew, you like the Monkees.

Innocent music.

The Monkees occupy an odd place in my pop music lexicon. The active band era predated my existence by a few years, with the barest intersection (various reunions I didn't register at the time notwithstanding). I watched tons of them in reruns, though, and the obvious hits are cataloged in the depths of my semiconscious inner pop library. Since childhood, I thought of this band not at all though, except briefly when Jones and Tork died. Reading up on this album, I'm impressed by their dedication to being allowed to operate as an actual band. Still, it's hard not to make the obvious comparisons: the whole thing is heavily derivative of the Beatles, and not truly up to that standard. But I'm persuaded it earns its place in this list.

Pretty derivative, with the first half especially just being “I can’t believe it’s not Beatles!™”, but still very listenable, and the back half especially had som fun creative ideas.

I once bought a Monkees album off a TV ad and sent them a bunch of coins in an envelope. I think I was 9 or so. I got the album, still have it, and really like about 15% of it. But this album didn't represent that 15%. It reminded me of the TV show episodes where the Monkees tried to be quirky and instead seemed lame. This reminds me, is Zooey Deschanel's duo on this list?

Like, didn't the Kinks already have the pseudo-Beatles thing locked down? We needed a full on satirical version? No thanks

When the Beatles started going weird, someone at NBC television had the bright idea of creating a family friendly boy band from scratch for a tv show, and maybe put out some records as well. The Monkees were duly assembled and released two albums, before rising up and seizing the means of production to record their own songs. This album is mostly harmless, but not particularly memorable. Highlight is a snarky song about the Beatles called “Randy Scouse Git”.

Unremarkable 60s pop.

Feels like a watered down version of the Beatles, to be honest. Quality music, it's just didn't feel exciting at all to me.

Pretty ok. It sounds alot like if the beatles never moved on from 'Please please me'

This album is just unbelievably 60s, and not in a good way. I can't fault most of it, but it's all just so safe and really uninteresting. If this were an early 60s album I think it would be a lot more forgivable, but given that at this point in music history, The Beatles, The Stones, and Bob Dylan had already taken music far beyond what it ever was in the past, this album is very much behind its time.

There was a time where songs were easier and had only one theme: girls. The lyrics on this album are really dull and absolutely forgettable (also, they were empty when we get to Randy Scouse Git). That being said, the music is decent 60's rock 'n' roll. This is my 20th album and I feel like this is again an album that is way more important for the American context than for the European.

I was rooting for these guys, trying to become a real band, but this album was not great. I think the track with the vocal warmups was honestly my favorite. Overall not sure why this needed to be on the list.

"The album was released on May 22, 1967, and charted at No. 1 in the U.S., only to be replaced the following week by the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; it then began a run of 11 consecutive weeks at the No. 2 position..." kinda says it all about these guys - the epitome of a second fiddle

It's better than their stuff for TV, but it's still wholly forgettable.

Why are the Monkees on this list at all? They were created in a lab, taught to play instruments (mostly poorly), and released to an army of teenage girls whose parents wouldn't let them list to Elvis or the Beatles. Don't get me wrong, there are 3-4 Monkees songs that I like - but not a single one of them was on this album. That leads me to believe that there will be more Monkees to come on this list. More Monkees? Nope.

Definitely Beatles-lite. I didn't recognize any of these songs by name so I thought perhaps I had heard one before without knowing it. I did not. It's The Monkees. It doesn't have Daydream Believer. It's watered down Beatles. It's certainly not God awful but it isn't memorable or essential in anyway unless you're really into this genre. I'll take the Fab 4 everytime.

Pretty bad. If this is the only Monkees album on this list then they messed up. Was cool to hear "Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina" on "Zilch" but that and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" were really the only highlights of this (long) album.

Ew you like The Monkees? You know they don’t write their own songs. They don’t play their own instruments. That’s not even Michael Nesmith’s real hat

Boring Beatles. The Monkees have better music than what was on this album.

Nobody needs 1.5 hours of the Monkees. I could only take about 30 minutes before I gave up.

I did not at all expect to dislike this album as much as I did. My experience with the Monkees, though limited, has been mostly positive, with the few tracks I remember off More of The Monkees and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. being quite fond in my memory. This album gave me the ick in a way I did not expect a psychedelic pop album could. Aside from For Pete's Sake and Randy Scouse Git, almost every track made me actively cringe while listening to it. I don't know exactly what it is, if it's their slightly off singing, the questionable lyrics, or the whimsical yet generic psychedelic pop behind them, I just could not get into this album for the life of me. It was rather disappointing, especially given this is the only Monkees album on the list, I expected at least something I could bear to stomach. sheesh...

i think 'Zilch' must qualify as some kind of crime against humanity

Very dated.

I don’t get it -this isn’t even one with any of their big hits on it. Are we going to get multiple Monkees albums? They were definitely better off with studio musicians other songwriters. Not a big fan of most of these 60’s rock albums but this was better than some of the other stuff. 1.5

Why not just listen to the real Beatles?

This is literally the album where the people who were too garbage at music to make songs managed to wrest control and make an album. It's bland soulless garbage and whoever says it was a must listen is beholden to nostalgia and definitely should not be reviewing music

Growing up with The Monkees absolutely changes the experience. The songs are tied to personalities, humor, and memories. It is pure fun and I think it was made with heart. I love every song.

be free my monkees

This album is perfect for discovering the band after hearing I'm A Believer for the first time.

beatles 2

I love the Monkees! I grew up on these songs. The music of the Wrecking Crew never fails to impress. I love Micky's voice the most, but the original "Girl That I Knew Somewhere" sung by Nesmith really hits. Did the album need ten other versions of the song? Eh. The album as a whole is so much fun. Quintessential 60's pop that utilizes modalities and instruments that are very indicative of the decade. It brings you to another time, yet still timeless. I have so many favorites from this album. A lot of them are life-long loves of mine. "For Pete's Sake," "Randy Scouse Git," and "All of Your Toys" are the top.

good ol album classic loved it. You can really see the infleunce of the beatles in them like for some of the songs you couldn't tell if they were in fact the beatles or the monkees. Zilch was so cool and I also like how calm some of the songs were in comparison to the other songs you were more rock and roll influenced

Imagine having hit television AND music careers -- and yet always being a pop culture punchline for the silly excess of the mid 60s? Discovering this album was an unexpected win for me. I loved it. And I'm not afraid to admit that to others. I love the Monkees? I guess I love the Monkees. Gonna go lay down now and contemplate that one.

It’s such a great story that they learned to actually play the instruments, took over control for this album, and then made a series of classic songs. So cool

The first album The Monkees "really" played. I'm honestly impressed. Very catchy 60s pop tunes, but this album also has some wild moments and it makes the whole thing seem like just a bunch of guys having a grand ole time making music, and I love that. "Band 6" is really odd, some out of time off sync no chemistry blooper then playing a stock tv music lick. But even stranger, "Zilch" appears and totally blows my mind. That's something Zappa would put on his record (and did, on his debut no less), not something I'd expect one of the biggest pop bands in America to do. Almost all these songs are amazing in their own way, but "Randy Scouse Git" absolutely wipes the floor with them. One of my favorite songs

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Was ne megastarke Platte.

the third album by historically famous pop band, the monkees. this album is the first time where the men settled on having full control with their work, after some creative differences with their producer. compared to other bands of the era, mainly the beatles, i haven't heard a whole lot of the monkees i'll admit. happy to report that this album was worth my time. i have to wonder why the guy in charge didn't approve fully of what they wanted to do... this music is peppy and interesting; i felt like if i heard this on the radio it would make my day a little better. when you're used to the cliché and tiring 60s sunny pop music, this album is a strong palette cleanser for me. these guys had a lot of fun recording all this i bet.

I'm Biasesd , because the Monkees is one of my favorite bands

The first thing I noticed is that all the songs are under three minutes! They really used to be much shorter back in the day. It has such a peculiar 60s sound. They really got their mix right — a blend of rock, pop, and even a touch of country that vibes all around. The opening track, “You Told Me,” sounds a lot like The Beatles, with those banjo riffs and that bassline. Then we fly to Texas (or somewhere close!) with those warm harmonies on track two, “I’ll Spend My Life with You.” So good! From there, the album moves between more melancholic moments and upbeat tracks with narrative lyrics that make for a very pleasant listen. And that’s it — I’ll definitely be exploring more of their discography. For me, this is pure sixties!

the biggest creative control given thus far to the prefab four, to quietly miraculous results. the songs are adorable, humble, sometimes disarming, and so shockingly varied that it nearly manages a white album sprawl in 30 minutes without any overt genre pastiches. really, it hardly "breaks" the boundaries of this kind of 60s bubblegum at all, it just reveals so much unexplored space within those boundaries. as authentic music as a "fake" band ever mustered

SO good, good jams and one weird recording

What can I say, I love the Monkees

I fully get why they are constantly cited as like the Beatles 2. However, I really loved this album. There wasn’t a moment here where I was bored or wanted it to end. I didn’t delve too much into the lyrics but instrumentally this is incredibly tight. First album in a while that I haven’t known and then proceeded to listen to multiple times that day.

Fun group from the 60’s. Great sound, great music. Received the fame they deserved.

10/10 for a novelty band, they sure seem to have an endless amount of genuine talent I also adore their movie Head

Groovey!

Ugh so nostalgic. Also no notes. Michael nesmith most underrated songwriter ever

Loved this album, will include in future rotations!

I can't believe I've never heard of these guys this is an easy 5 lol. The voice and style reminds me of Bill Wurtz but not silly. Really enjoyed this album I hope the rest of their stuff is similar

Rock sesentero. Venga, vinilo, aunque alguna canción no me ha entusiasmado.