Headquarters
The Monkees
1967
Album Summary
Headquarters is the third album issued by the Monkees and the first with substantial songwriting and instrumental performances by members of the group itself, rather than by session musicians and professional songwriters. After a struggle for creative autonomy with their record label, the group had been allowed, to a degree, to record by themselves. Headquarters reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified double platinum in the United States with sales of more than two million copies within the first two months of release. It peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts. It is included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
WikipediaI 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.
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)
If someone made a Spinal Tap/Mighty Wind 60s band album this is exactly what it would sound like.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
"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.
“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
Knew of The Monkees but very few of their songs. Blown away by this album. Great late '60s pop.
Five stars just for "If I Learned To Play The Violin". Funniest song I've ever heard.
I grew up in the 80s, but fell in love with the Monkees watching reruns of the television show. I bought copies of all their albums and knew all their songs. This album happens to be my favorite of theirs. A little something for everyone.
Despite fillers, Band 6 and Zilch, it is a solid album from the band. They were finally able to play their own instruments and they were able to be a real band.
Rock sesentero. Venga, vinilo, aunque alguna canción no me ha entusiasmado.
Needed this one today, great fun bit of silly 60s pop that's better than it pretends to be. Sure the beatles thing is writ large, but there is something special here.
I personally give this 5 stars and note that there is some bias in play. This was the first album they played their own instruments on, which was a big deal for them. It's an even bigger deal that when it came out, it topped both The Beatles and Beach Boys. Probably a largely underappreciated album, but one of my favorites for sure.
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.
I used to watch the Monkees as a kid (kid of the 80's/90's, but obsessed with 60's tv). this album was a nice surprise. I wish they were taken more seriously as musicians in their prime, this album is fun and experimental pop.
Apart from one or two cringey-lyric songs, overall a great jam. Pretty creative and well-produced.
before listening, I predicted how they would sound. I was right haha. The more folky songs are so good. Forget that Girl is so nice!
Basically a good album. I noticed the influence of the 60's on many songs, like Chuck Berry or Little Richard. (7/10) Favourite songs: Randy Scouse Git, Zilch, Shades of Gray
Good album! The deluxe edition comes up on Spotify, so these may be added but there are Def some fluffier songs of the guys goofing around in the recording studio that I wasn't a huge fan of But overall, really creative songwriting and I enjoyed the album
Been giving a lot of albums a 4 lately, so why not. A pretty enjoyable album, had heard some songs by The Monkees but none from this album. I’m a sucker for more simple uppity songs, and though the Monkees may have never reached the artistic level of the Beatles or the Beach Boys, a solid album. Favorite songs: Forget That Girl, I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind, Randy Scouse Git, Zilch
I thoroughly enjoy The Monkees and don't hold their origins as a manufactured group against them. I think it's rather remarkable that they were able to gain creative control in the process of making this record. And on top of that, the fact that they were talented enough to make that transition sound fairly seamless to their previous output is kind of amazing really. I appreciate their sense of humor and playful nature. It's not complete fluff as some would have you believe. Their music easily stacks up to other psychedelic pop albums on this list (Electric Prunes come to mind for example) and they're often much more enjoyable because they don't take themselves too seriously. Yeah, they are indebted to The Beatles, but who wasn't? They're not simply Beatles clones by any means.
I'm tempted to give this five stars. It's not the Monkees I expected. There is some really creative amazing music on this album. But there is also some pretty elementary stuff. Overall, loved it and listened to several of the songs multiple times. Would def listen again.
Tenía este prejuicio en conta de The Monkees, quizá un poco por Los Simpson o porque eran en su origen un producto para la TV basado en tomar todo lo que estaba funcionando en la época y empaquetarlo. Sin embargo este disco me gustó. Tiene rolas agradables, pedacitos chistosos y muy buena instrumentación. Ahora me da curiosidad checar su trabajo previo (que según lo que leí es mucho más controlado por la televisora) y comparar.
Rock sesentero variadito y bien hecho. For Peter's Sake y Randy Scouse Git mis favoritas.
Of all the Beatles clones - the Monkees on this album capture Help! Era feel and fun. And it’s a good record overall - helps that it is short and keeps you wanting more.
Nice album, actually really enjoyed most of it. Clearly loads of Beatles influence but they definitely have their own sound in some of the songs. Forget That Girl, Shades of Gray, Randy Scouse Git, Love to Love, All of Your Toys
That first song sounds like it belongs on Ticket to Ride or Rubber Soul with a little Pinball Wizard lick thrown in at the beginning. Interesting album that would have been amazing if it hit two years earlier.
notes - 60s pop band the monkees’ third album - reminds me a lot of early beatles stuff and a bit of beach boys - first album where the members of the monkees got to have creative input in the music that they made - after kicking out their former music director/producer - some interesting experiments with tape effects, multitrack recording - you can tell they were having fun in the studio and just seeing what happened fav - forget that girl - i like the laid back vibe and falsetto vocals least fav - i cant get her off of my mind - goofy little tune but i wasnt a huge fan 4.5/5, fun listen and more enjoyable than i expected
Listened to a lot of music by The Monkees growing up. Still brings a smile to my face. This was a good album even though it had very few songs I knew.
A fun and quick little trip into the summer of love, no major bangers but its a fun time no doubt. Would listen to again. Favourite tracks - You just may be the one, Sunny Girlfriend, No Time.
Not a bad album at all, spans a couple of genres for me. No Time is the fave.
Poorly recorded but actually had some songs I enjoyed. A mono version would be better. The stereo was too far panned.
i thought this music sounded good with a beatles-esque, early rock sound. then i learned that the group was manufactured for a tv show. it lowered my interest in the group.
I've liked other Monkees songs but didn't love this album - some songs were cool, some were kinda boring. They just sounded like worse Beetles. 3 stars from me
Duidelijk jaren '60 muziek, Niet echt uitspringers op het album, maar het nummer 'Zilch' vond ik precies wel nog grappig
Saved Prior: None Saved Off Rip: You Just May Be The One, I Can't Get Her Off My Mind, Randy Scouse Git, All Of Your Toys*, The Girl I Knew Somewhere*, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You* (last three songs were added on for the deluxe rerelease) Cutting Edge: Shades of Gray Overall Notes: Another less-good version of the Beatles. Felt more by the numbers than the Byrds did, but it just goes to show the crazy influence those English guys had on popular music.
Pretty decent. Idk if I would listen to it often but the first couple of songs I really liked.
This is the Monkees at their most Beatle inspired. It's fine enough but nothing remarkable.
Strange skits in this one. Songs are good though and really good 60s throw back.
I don’t really like the Monkees, but it was fun to hear the del sample from Zilch
This was pretty good, not what I usually listen to but I enjoyed most of it.
Let's start here: None of the Monkees' songs you're familiar with are on this album. There's no Daydream Believer. No I'm A Believer. No Last Train To Clarksville. Not even the gloriously weird song that was used at the end of a late season episode of Mad Men (it's called "Porpoise Song" and it's on Head, an album a sort of wish was on this list. "Porpoise Song" is a 5). I'm glad to see The Monkees getting recognition on the list, although I wonder if this is the album that should represent them. It was released towards the end of their Imperial Phase. This is the album where the Monkees actually got to play their own instruments, as if to show the world they weren't just actors hired for a silly TV show. Has one absolute banger in "Randy Scouse Git", two if we're allowed to include "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", which is on the Spotify version I listened to. That one, like several Monkees songs, was written by a gentleman named Neil Diamond. Ol' Neil isn't anywhere on this list. Probably because Neil was more of a singles artist than anything else. Just like the Monkees.
Much better than anticipated! Fun 60s pop stuff you may hear in a diner. Also similar to early Beatles! Pleasant!
The big problem here is certainly not that anything is "too long". For the most part, these are fragments of songs (in some cases, pretty experimental ones). It smacked of inclusion-by-context, especially at the beginning, but covered enough ground that I understand some of the appeal.
Udmærket men megrt præget af den måde mn lavede musik på den gang. Korte Numre, meget diskant og korte indslag. 3,5
It's obvious how scripted and intentional this band is. I love the Monkees and enjoyed this listen to their early work.
Its pleasant, but if I wanted more of this sound and better I would listen to the Beatles