Headquarters

Bítl.

Listened Before? N Well, it's the Monkees... they're kinda silly but the music is okay. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: You Just May Be The One

Un poco moñas para mi gusto la verdad. Me van a salir caries Espero que la productora se haga cargo de la factura del dentista. Fuera de bromas, no está mal el album

A ‘60’s boy band

60’s pop rock vibe

Ok, but not for me

Surprisingly not terrible.

This is an interesting choice for the list because it's not an all-time great album, but it is an interesting point in the Monkee's history. They'd gone from being a fake boy band in a TV series to a real group who could write their own songs. The songs, though, are off mixed quality. The best ones (imho) are Randy Scouse Git and the delightfully weird Zilch - which sounds a live performance of a sample-based track from 20 years in the future. But some of the other tracks just sound like cheap copies of the Beatles - but then, that's kind of what the Monkees TV series was trying to be

This is a nice enough listen but it's not a memorable album. 3* Would I listen again? No. Would I buy this album? No Side One 1. "You Told Me" 2:25 - Love the studio chatter. 3* 2. "I'll Spend My Life with You" 2:26 - Mickey Dolenz has a lovely voice. 3* 3. "Forget That Girl" - 2:25 Davey Jones has a lovely voice. 3* 4. "Band 6" 0:41 - 2* 5. "You Just May Be the One" 2:03 - Mike Nesmith has a good voice. 3* 6. "Shades of Gray" 3:22 - Nice harmonies. 3* 7. "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" 2:27 - Quirky piano and melody. This is the best song so far, a very good pop song. 4* 21/35 Side two 1. "For Pete's Sake" 2:11 - A pleasant listen. 3* 2. "Mr. Webster" 2:05 - A pleasant listen. 3* 3. "Sunny Girlfriend" 2:33 - A pleasing listen. 3* 4. "Zilch" 1:06 - Oh this was sampled. "Mister Dobalena, Mister Bob Dobalena". 2* 5. "No Time" 2:08 - Old fashioned Rock n Roll. 3* 6. "Early Morning Blues and Greens" 2:35 - An agreeable listen. 3* 7. "Randy Scouse Git" 2:40 - The only song I had previously heard from this album, not including the sample from Zilch! The best song on the album. 4* 21/35 42/70

The Monkees, dollar store Beatles, lol 🤣 but this was a pretty good album, I never have really listened to them before but they weren't terrible, just following the formula of the Beatles!

Classic but repetitive. I think most of the songs would be great in a Playlist individually, but it was a bit too much of the same thing on this LONG album.

Good!

Mason kid 60s pop 2.5/5 for me

Surprised at how good this was

Det är väldigt lättlyssnat, trallvänligt liksom. Det är ändå rätt skönt sound rakt av. Men tycker nog det saknas några hitlåtar. Kul att höra Mr Dobalena. Hade ingen aning om att det var en monkeeslåt.

Trallvänlig och trevlig lyssning men lyfter inte till några astronomiska höjder direkt.

Some decent tunes

A group best remembered by the dying breed of the demographic that grew up with the TV show, I was a bit too young for the first run, but through the magic of reruns I experienced the Monkees, which was entertaining enough for what it was. Not Partridge Family good, but at least the music was pleasant to listen to and the fact they released some legit albums made it at least seem like they were a "real" band. Aside from the fluff, the obvious Beatles ripoff and session musicians performing most of the music, the songs were enjoyable on a simple, non sophisticated level and really isn't that all that matters? If you want deeper meanings and actual musical artistry, look elsewhere, but for trip to nostalgia land, in a goofier, slap-stickier time, Headquarters is actually quite good. I enjoyed most of it with the instrumentation basic and easy to listen to. Is this essential and will I listen to the whole record again soon, probably not, but overall you can do a whole lot worse with the genre.

Top Three Songs: 1) Shades of Gray 2) Zilch 3) For Pete’s Sake Bottom Three Songs: 1) Band 6 2) No Time 3) Sunny Girlfriend

mfw the Shrek-Beatles band does not play the Shrek song: ⢀⡴⠑⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠸⡇⠀⠿⡀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡴⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠑⢄⣠⠾⠁⣀⣄⡈⠙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠁⠀⠀⠈⠙⠛⠂⠈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⡿⢿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢀⡾⣁⣀⠀⠴⠂⠙⣗⡀⠀⢻⣿⣿⠭⢤⣴⣦⣤⣹⠀⠀⠀⢀⢴⣶⣆ ⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣮⣽⣾⣿⣥⣴⣿⣿⡿⢂⠔⢚⡿⢿⣿⣦⣴⣾⠁⠸⣼⡿ ⠀⢀⡞⠁⠙⠻⠿⠟⠉⠀⠛⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣌⢤⣼⣿⣾⣿⡟⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣾⣷⣶⠇⠀⠀⣤⣄⣀⡀⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠉⠈⠉⠀⠀⢦⡈⢻⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣶⣶⣤⣽⡹⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠲⣽⡻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣜⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣶⣮⣭⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⣈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠻⠿⠿⠿⠿⠛⠉

B-Sides by the The Beatles.

It’s nice

Ah The Monkees. An American product. Overrated cousins of a b(r)and to the Beatles. Kudos to them for trying to make the most of the band thing and doing it as on their own as they could this time. But it was fine. Didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would. Very middle of the road.

Feels a bit like a mixture of Beach Boys and The Beatles. 'You Just May Be The One' was a good song, but the rest kind of flew over my head a bit. They got that old sound, but it's not really my type of jam honestly. Decent, but nothing that stands out today for me.

The Monkees are more culturally important than musically important. There is nothing special about this album. It's just mid sixties detritus that the boomers who put this list together have nostalgia for.

I fucked up and listened to all 36 "tracks" that spotify has on this album. It made this listening experience drag on forevvvveeeerrrrr. I was excited to get the Monkees, but it didn't really live up to my hype. Definitely not bad, but I think you can get better versions in many other areas (Beatles).

Created as an act for a kids tv show. Aside from their handful of hits their stuff is meh. Why listen to them when you can have the real Beatles?

This one is very much a product of its time. The Monkees were clearly inspired by the Beatles, but they lack their innovation and genius, so it ends up just a pale imitation. Still not bad though, but the album cover is terrible. I also liked the random 50s style rock song that showed up out of nowhere towards the end. Favorites: No Time, Randy Scouse Git

Good 60s pop album

I was into three first few songs... Like the Beatles with banjo or slide guitar. A simple tweak and I liked it! Nothing really imaginative or innovative beyond that though. I'm not a big enough fan of the Beatles to like the More Beatles. Maybe there's enough country-inflected songs on their first few albums to make a decent playlist???

Upbeat 60s pop rock and fun to listen to

People who dislike the Monkees for reasons other than “it just isn’t for me” are so fucking lame. Waaah it’s too poppy or any variation of DID YOU KNOW THEY’RE NOT THE BEATLES?????? Have you ever experienced joy? Do you know what love is? On a summer Thursday do you stop and listen to birds sing, and realize you’ve never learned their names, simply because you were too busy with life to stop and realize all around you, the world moves on, and doesn’t care about you. Or your fucking tired shitty Monkees ta mi e, the Monkees rule. Fuck you.

Fun, pleasant, not a classic but better than expected

Made the mistake of starting to listen to Headquarters sessions. Interesting but I don't need to hear individual tracking, or what goes on in the studio. Now the album Headquarters (deluxe edition) was much more of a pleasant experience. Those guys had such a weird history, it's amazing they became such good musicians. Long album (36 songs) but a good way to start the day!

In Ordnung. Sehr wie die frühen Beatles.

3/5

Prefer the early stuff

Wow, right off the bat you can see them trying to match early Beatles, and not even the good Paul/John stuff. While most of it felt like a shittier version of Hard Days Night (especially for 1967!), had some good moments. 3* Higlights: zilch

i am a monkees lover until the day i die. this album isn’t their best effort but according to wikipedia this was more creatively theirs than the first two albums and it shows. their albums after Headquarters are definitely better but we likely couldn’t have gotten there without this and the silly songs like Zilch

A few songs were really good, but some were creepy. 3.

Beatles lite? At least the members contributed to this album. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5

It always surprises and disappoints me when people write off the Monkees as just some manufactured boyband. For a start, they got together before the TV show. They're far more musical than most similar bands could hope to be. This has a fine selection of tunes - not a fan of putting together mono and stereo versions to pad out the track listing though, plus the odd demo lobbed in as well.

Sounds like an okay Beatles album.

Better than expected probably 3.7

A bit of fun - derivative of other 60s bands - The Kinks, Beatles, Mamas & Papas Randy Scouse Git is fun - proto-punk chorus

God, how would it feel to release your album a week before The Beatles dropped Sgt. Pepper? It exists as time capsule both of the pre-Pepper era, and the late 60s pop sound. Overall decent listen, but nothing jaw-dropping.

Pretty good pop

it was alright jus not up to my speed

Ok album. Nothing on it really stood out, so I don't know that it's one I'll play again often. 2.75/5

And that's how I learned Del the Funky Homosapien listened to The Monkees. This is fine. There's a few songs I genuinely liked, but most are just okay. I've always felt like The Monkees were a discount version of The Beatles, though they had their share of decent songs. This album reinforces that feeling. Even if I find it very average, it's at least better than some other albums that made the list.

Can't we get the original albums on here not the 20 hr extended playlist

Fun forgettable mid 60s music

A bit old-timey but charming nonetheless!

Some moments, jumps around the genres a bit as you would expect from several different songwriters and singers. Sits as an important cultural artifact without being one that stands up to much repeat attention. A good album and an interesting album. The story of the Monkees is worth anyone's time if you are interested in music and popular culture of the 60s.

3/5

The story behind this album is pretty cool—being the first time The Monkees played their own instruments and wrote most of the material in response to the “manufactured band” criticism. That definitely makes the album more respectable. As for the music itself, it’s solid 60s pop rock, but it doesn’t really stand out from the rest of what was going on during that era. It’s decent, just nothing too remarkable.

Tönt mega wie t Beatles. Die meischte Songs rächt guet aber nüd speziells

Yeah I mean it's fine but how many songs do we need of "gee what a gal I'm so in love I can't believe she's mine"? The Deluxe Edition is way too long at an hour and a half. Wild album cover. 5/10 (2.5/5)

quite nice album but nothing amazing to me. “you told me” reminds me so much of “if i needed someone” by the beatles. “shades of gray” also reminds me of another song i haven’t figured out yet. those two are my fave songs from this. honourable mention to “yilch” because hilarious song 😆

Dollar store Beatles

Hey, hey, you’re The Monkees! I’ve never understood this band - a fake wannabe TV band. It’s not that I don’t like their sound. They seem manufactured and there lacks a genuine quality missing from their music.

I was about to give this 2 stars considering that The Monkees have some hits and none of them are on this record. After discovering that this is their own attempt without session musicians, and learning about the Mr Bob Dobalina sample I’ll give it a bonus star.

Eh

The first of the manufactured boy-bands, and there was definitely something of interest in the concept back then. The tv series was fun, the movie was barking mad and the songwriters were genuinely well-crafted by some of the best. But this album is basically just meh!

Can only take them in small doses apparently.

The fact that this was #2 in the charts behind Sgt Pepper blows my mind. A passable pop album, but might not have repeated listens value. Zilch and Band 6 are skits before the term was invented Good album, but not something I'll go back to 6/10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUIn9NwIEMM

Headquarters is an album that’s as much a product of its manufactured origins as it is a collection of catchy tunes. The Monkees were originally formed to be America’s answer to The Beatles, and while that ambition brought a lot of attention, it also meant that the band was always a bit more about marketability than pure musical authenticity. Even though this record was supposed to be a step toward creative independence, it still heavily relies on studio musicians, and that factor leaves a noticeable mark on the overall vibe. There are definitely moments on Headquarters that catch you off guard in a good way. Some of the tracks feature infectious melodies and upbeat rhythms that manage to get stuck in your head, and you can’t help but appreciate the craftsmanship behind those polished pop hooks. The production is slick and, in many ways, a testament to the pop sensibilities of the era. The album has a neat, tidy sound with plenty of radio-friendly appeal, which is probably why it resonated with such a broad audience at the time. There are flashes of creativity in the arrangements that hint at what The Monkees could achieve when they were allowed a bit more freedom. That said, for me, the album never quite holds together as a fully satisfying musical statement. The whole project is marred by the fact that The Monkees were, and in many ways still are, a band engineered for commercial success. Their reliance on session musicians despite their claims to creative input makes the record feel overly polished and, frankly, a bit soulless. There’s an undercurrent of ‘manufactured’ throughout, and that becomes especially apparent when you compare it to more authentic, raw works of the era. Furthermore, while there are some truly catchy moments, the overall album lacks the depth and cohesion that you’d expect from a band with real artistic identity. It feels like a patchwork of well-crafted pop songs that, despite their individual appeal, never really mesh into a unified whole. The glossy production occasionally overshadows any genuine musical innovation, and you’re left feeling that, despite the effort, it just doesn’t offer much beyond surface-level enjoyment. In my perspective, Headquarters is a decent listen if you’re in the mood for some nostalgic, catchy pop. However, knowing its origins as a band created to rival The Beatles, the album’s manufactured feel and heavy reliance on studio musicians make it hard for me to fully get behind. It’s an album that clearly had its moment in the spotlight, yet it remains a reminder of a time when commercial ambitions sometimes trumped raw musical expression. For me, that results in a solid 2.9/5 stars. a record that might work for some but ultimately leaves me wanting a bit more authenticity and cohesion.

perhaps a Better Man than I would enjoy it more.

6/10 Pretty obviously a Beatles knock off, reading up on the band it’s really clear how much of an “industry plant” The Monkees were meant to be, from being a fake band on TV to being forced to learn other instruments that they didn’t know for the sake of image, yet they manage to make it sound good overall in the end. It’s not much of a surprise considering the level of industry backing and pressure to succeed, they could’ve taken the paycheck with the TV show and gone home but they put in the effort to write some pretty interesting stuff on here, even if most of it is based off Beatles formulas. I hope they play Clint Eastwood next

A manufactured pop band that had enough of being controlled and made pop that sounds like everyone else at the time, Zappa loved these guys because pop music is almost always terrible, and The Monkees proved it for their time. It's quite hilarious, but the album is meh. Sure, it's an important album, but it's not something I return to very often.

Bands in the 60s were really competing in who can make the most mid pop rock album, huh? I mean, you can listen to this if you want to, but why would you choose this over something that actually tries to be good? It's not like it's bad or boring or anything, and it's pretty short. But it's not designed to stand out—just not to alienate anyone. This is not going to be anyone's favorite album unless you have some sort of nostalgia to it because there's just nothing impressive here. It's understimulating, unsatisfying, and aggressively fine.

typical 60th record, mediocre

1. you told me: simple catchy pop rock song 2. ill spend my life with you: nice vocals, flangy guitar, xylophone solo?, relaxing 3. forget that girl: whispering vocals, good message 4. band 6: thrash metal? 5. you just may be the one: nice chorus 6. shades of gray: piano intro, nice ballad, best one yet 7. i cant get her off my mind: simple catchy pop 8. for petes sake: another catchy pop song 9. mr webster: nice background guitar, etheral vocals, nice piano, second best 10: sunny girlfriend: ehh whatever 11: zilch: rap? 12: no time: old timey sounding, louder vocals 13: early morning blues and greens: nice bass intro, nice keyboard 14: randy house git: nice percussion, good loud chorus, nice scatting section, fun overall thoughts: simple and catchy but forgettable, mid drums and vocals, nice guitar but not present enough final rating: 7/10

[3]

Well it's an interesting album. Its ok but I don't think it's representative of the time. It's a pleasant sound and I feel that they really are on a hiding to nothing with all the comparisons to The Beatles. I appreciate that may have been the idea when they were created but it seems unfair to try to compare them I think they are talented musicians and songwriters but to me it is a lightweight and somewhat forgettable album.

They sound like a cover band in almost all songs. Sometimes a Beatles cover, other times a Beach Boys cover, and even Rolling Stones sometimes. Given that, they are good at covering their more famous band cousins.

Probably a bit more relevant at the time of release than in retrospect, this first emancipatory effort by pop's first "casting band" was a hit in the original summer of love that somehow lacks the signature tunes that are associated with 1967 nowadays. Certainly a good album but maybe just not a really great one. As in, one could peacefully die without having heard this album.

Way too long. 1st half was much better than the 2nd.

mid to be honest

Two stars are for Zilch on its own.

2.5

Could only find the 36 song collection. Deluxe version? Checked Spotify, Amazon music and Pandora. So I listened to all 36 songs. A lot of good songs and I feel The Monkees were better than most people thought they were.

forgettable collection of 60’s pop. They have better songs but not on here.

6.5/10 I had the perception of them as a manufactured Beatles knockoff. Whilst that might be a bit true, this album was a lot more. Rock pop with country and psychedelic influence, maybe even more of the Beach Boys than Beatles. Lots of nice little songs. All a little shallow but well put together. So not earth moving but nice. Best: I’ll Spend My Life With You

I like 60s music and surprisingly havent given the Monkees an honest shot. This was a shock to come across for how much hate they normally get Broadly, it wasnt bad. Most songs give the air that they are Beatles, Beach Boys or Paul Revere rip offs. You Told Me is basically a cut straight off of Revolver - it sounds like exactly like Doctor Robert lol. I did enjoy You Just Might Be The One and For Petes Sake. Those songs are good. Ill be another defender of the Monkees being a slightly successful rip off band 2.5 stars and rounding up

Not a bad album. A mix of psychadelicy-lite/60's pop. I did recognize For Pete's Sake as the closing music for the TV show. No Time and Randy Scouse Git are also not bad. It's worth a listen.

I do like the Monkeys and always remember their TV shows as a kid. There are some really great songs on here (it's their only album on the list too). Some fillers too but a good 'feelgood' album

Wholesome likeable skiffle, like they're the Backstreet Beatles. These lads got all the slagging for being contrived, inoffensive, comically cute, and produced. Sometimes some relief from The Stones overstimulation is alright.

Not too shabby for a bunch of Beatles soundalikes.

Like the Beatles

A nice collection of cute tunes — not necessarily a completely good thing, but I don't dislike it.

This doesn't have my lone favorite Monkees song (Daydream Believer) and I don't recognize other songs, so I'm interested to see what this sounds like. Got through a full listen and it felt like a lot of generic 60s pop rock. Not bad and probably sounded better during that time period, but there's a clear talent difference between them and other bands of that era (i.e. Beatles, Beach Boys, etc.). Or at least on this particular album. Shades of Grey was probably my favorite song. Zilch was a standout in that it was super weird yet fun (did not know Mista Dobalina was a sample from this song!). I wish more of the songs had the sound like Early Morning Blues And Greens, which gave more psychedelic vibes. I'd give this a High 3. If there is another Monkees album in here I hope it is better than this one. I think they sound pretty good, but this album definitely lacked a standout single like Daydream Believer.

the music industry was certainly aware of the beatles popularity when this album came out. some decent tracks but not a lot worth revisiting

This really is not terrible music, but there’s no way to truly enjoy this and treated objectively. It’s not as good as the Beatles.

Like many things on this book I expect 0 but the kinda genres I know these bands play and the little I know about The Monkees is just that they were a band made for a tv show playing the kinda pop rock from the 60s that any Beatles or Beach Boys fan would like, which like yeah its true in the first side of this... until it just isn't? The 2nd side of this album just shift into more distinct instrumentals, from soft ballads that sound really nice to genuine rock songs that go really hard, something like For Pete's Sake or Randy Scouse Git (secret proto punk song) or the weird little spoken interludes like Zilch which has rapping kinda?? Things like this make me wonder about what else they did and that maybe The Monkees are better than I initially expected them to be, although I don't think I will comeback to this album in full anytime soon

Very long album, I do like the monkees though

Too long

I am not excited for this one. …Yeah, pretty much what I expected. I do give it credit for not taking itself too seriously; it’s a “dumb fun” kind of album. Once was enough, though. 2-3

M,eh, not bad but a bit boring

I thought it was mighty average.

⭐⭐⭐ 6/10 The music is okay, feels like I'm listening to an album for kids. But maybe that's because of the time it was released in.

Not a bad album but as someone pointed out to me you’d be as well placed to get a best of album by them

I’ve always been a fan of the Monkees. They had a rough road and weren’t ever taken seriously because of the way they were created - but their success was earned and warranted. This isn’t one of their best albums, those were probably The Wrecking Crew, but it’s still a decent record.

I understand this is the first album the band members wrote and played on. I like the playing and the record sounds really good but unremarkable Beatles wannabe. The songwriting is not great, especially the predictable lyrics.

Given some of the other questionable bands in this collection, I'm actually happy to see The Monkees make an appearance (and makes me wish the collection also featured Spinal Tap). I haven't watched a lot of their shows, and never had the chance to see them perform live, but it always felt like they were a good group of people with more talent and presence than they ever got credit for. This album seems like a good sampling of what they had to offer, and while it's not really to my taste it seems well-produced and honestly more interesting than most of the Beach Boys albums we've had in this collection. I also like it that this was the first of their albums to feature their own songwriting and playing (and a shame to read how controversial and challenging this was to accomplish). I'm also impressed that this album stayed nearly neck and neck with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" in the charts for the 1967 summer of love (in the US at least). The standouts for me are "You may just be the one" and the amusing-Kinks-Beatles-mashup "Randy Scouse Git".

This has gotta be as middle of the road as it gets. It’s music that can be on and you don’t even realize there’s music playing.

It sounds like The Monkees! Big props for battling to play on their records and write the tunes. In places it seems like though that they were given the keys to the studio *big fanfare* and then thought 'shit boys now we need songs'. Solid album but not standout

59/100. Short, sweet and decent at best.

Sounds like the beatles, which means it's pretty good atleast. I did like hearing mr Dobalina Will I listen to again.

Good pop music but they’re not The Beatles.

Super naive but still nice.

The Mistadobalina sample coming from this… that threw me. Excited for Oz Perkins’ new movie about the guy from this band. Hopefully it does him a little more justice than the Gore Verbinski one……

saw these guys on TV ... 3 stars

Hey hey!

A different Monkees. Enjoyable.

I love the song A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You. One of my favorite Monkees songs.

Better than anticipated. Not as much of a novelty pastiche act as expected.

This whole endeavor I’ve been going through for the last 490 days has definitely been a commitment. And it’s a commitment that I guess I’ve never really questioned until now. I had a moment while listening to this where I said to myself, “What the hell am I doing?” And I guess I have The Monkees to thank for that. Is this really needed? These guys started out as TV stars at the beginning of their careers, so music was never really the focus. The only experience I’ve ever had with them is through the Smash Mouth cover of I’m a Believer, which I wholeheartedly believe is better than the original. And also that one time Davy Jones was on SpongeBob, which went over 99% of kids heads, including mine. Most adults probably didn’t even get that joke. They were basically a Beatles parody band to start. The best comment I saw regarding this was “Released 1 week before Sgt. Pepper's - it sounds decades behind.” Which is genuinely hilarious. I think they came out too late in the 60s to really make an impact on anything. And they managed to sound dated in a sound that hasn’t even really gone out of style yet. I’m not sure how that’s possible. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this album. Like, it’s not bad. But it’s also not good. There is absolutely no reason for me, or anybody below the age of 65, to be listening to this. Rating: 5/10

The start of this album is so-so, but the last few songs are very good. I'm only giving it three stars, but it's a very strong three.

The year my parents married. Songs were short and sweet and you could understand the lyrics.

I didn't think there was anything special about it.

Getting this the day after Napalm Death got me to wondering if those two chaps and the old guy were just imagining things after all?

Oh wow, Zilch was a big surprise. Did not expect to find the original source material from Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's Mista Dobalina here, and yet... Song was trippy. Wow this album really heated up on me. Initially I was feeling like this was any other british invasion of the time, but the back half is quality. All of Your Toys which is off the original tracklist is really great. Gotta say I don't think I'll likely be back, but this is in high 3, verging 4 territory for me. Like a 7.7

Gee Willikers! These Monkees and their Rock n Roll is really something! I can't wait to share a malt with my sweetie while listening to an 8-track of these Monkees!

Not the most exciting album but it is cool to hear music from the 60s and how much rock has evolved since then. Zilch almost exploded my brain

This is a mixture of the worse Beatles/Who a few songs in. Not bad but definitely not what it could be. Zilch was weird af I enjoyed that. Got more into this as it went on. Liked the quirkiness of it but still was missing something. Solid 3.

A bit disorganized. Some interesting ideas, and I’m sympathetic to their story, but I don’t really think this holds up.

More musically interesting than i anticipated.

2.7 - Unsure, just very meh honestly and wasn't impressed or unimpressed.

good

Well it didn't save my original notes from when I saw this album pop up for the first time. It wasn't positive. This is a strange album in that it's not awful. It just sounds like so many things. Like somehow a more British version of Rubber Soul and Revolver. Which wild since those albums were written and played by an all British band while the Monkees are 3/4 American. Then you have the songs that sound like the ones they used for the chase scenes in Scooby-Doo Where are you. It's not awful but it's hard to take serious.

Man it’s crazy what a blatant ripoff of The Beatles they were. I loved The Monkees when I was in high school but only ever owned a greatest hits CD. I still do like their hits but listening to this album just made me feel like I was in high school again, and not in a good way.

They were so behind the beatles. This one just wasnt very inetersting to me. Fiine, but a little boring

I was surprised that I liked this more than I thought I would. My preconceived notions and limited listening prior to this had me assuming they were a ridiculous "poppy" band but in reality they have a wider depth

Spotify has this album with about 36 songs - I looked it up and only listened to what was on the original release. I was not familiar with any of these songs but it was pretty good actually. Much deeper band than what I had thought given the whole Davey Jones thing and tv show and all. I’m pretty sure I read these guys had Jimi Hendrix open for them before he hit it big. What a terrible album cover.

At first I was like "hey, they sound like The Beatles". Then I realized they are a band from the 60's. And then I realized they are not The Beatles. And they kind of mid.

Kind of like a poor mans Beattles...except with weirdly more pedo vibes.

Some songs were just basic 60 pop rock songs, some actually really kicked ass. Probably won’t listen to it again though

A 3 feels almost generous. It's a nice collections of studio recordings, but lacks any direction as an album.

Some may say this is too much Monkees, and to that, I agree. Initially I really wasn't into it, then I hit a sweet spot where I was enjoying it, then I left the spot and was really wanting it to be over. Some great songs on this album, it definitely has some hidden gems, but it also has a lot of very generic twee songs that aren't for me.

Poppy goodness with a bit of cheese at times. Highlights: "You Told Me" (jangling guitars and harmonies), "You Just May Be the One", "For Pete's Sake" (catchy riff), "No Time" (rave up)

se disfruta, pero nada del otro mundo. Cuando lo hicieron en el 1966 los Beatles ya lo habian hecho 4 veces

Pretty non descript

Listened to this while playing Isofarian Guard. Meh. I thought I might be in for something kind of exciting with the opening instrumentation...but the rest was kind of generic. Not bad...not great.

Solid Beatles copy

No one does this kind of pop as well as The Turtles.

нормуль древний артефакт

It’s alright and props to them for taking this album into their own hands rather than cash in on the people writing for them. However the obvious contemporary was already on to Sgt. Peppers. It’s not fair to be compared to the Beatles as such but I can’t imagine that this act wasn’t already played out at this point (2.5/5)

Out of context, 4 stars, but knowing they were copying exactly what the beatles were doing a few years earlier I can't give more than 3. Good listen though

I don't love it, but it IS the Monkees.

Pleasant, twee, certainly redolent of a time and place. Some of the material wears thin, the rest charms. When my version of the album slipped into the bonus tracks, I thought the quality improved! So that's where 'Mista Dobalina' comes from?!

It’s just diet Beatles. Fine for others. Nor for me.

it feels like i’m ignorant of some of the sins this record commits because i’m not well-versed in the beatles. it’s a decent pop record with a few catchy standouts.

I was really excited to hear this for some unknown reason. Was pretty indifferent until Zilch that and the next two upped my interest.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but it's not something I'm going to return to.

Not as annoying as I thought this would be. Nice and short, inoffensive, definition of a three.

Quite nice album, but it has one big flaw; Daydream Believer is not on this album. Neither is Lookout, Here Comes Tomorrow, which means the best songs, like the opener ,You May Just be the One and No Time, are only "4 star-songs" or "Beatles-fillers", which only makes the average a solid 3 stars.

Hey hey it's The Monkees, people say they should've written a better album.

the discount beatles. I mean it's fine and listenable and they were literally created in a lab but I don't think looking back 60 years on this album is more of a curiosity of how corporate America tried to compete with the Beatles.

This is the definition of a mediocre album for me. A couple of songs were pretty pleasant, but I doubt I'll ever listen to them again. 3 stars

Better than the Beatles

I loved the monkees as a kid so this was weirdly nostalgic, it’s not great but it is fun

Nothing that I associate with the Monkees

It was cool when I was 12

-this is definitely better than I imagined it to be when I saw the cover somehow. Did kind of feel like Beatles Lite (to be fair quite a bit of 60s music does) but it had a few very enjoyable songs -Favorites are Forget That Girl, Mr. Webster, and Randy Scouse Git

This is a fun ‘60s album. It’s pretty forgettable in the long run, as many bands do the turn of the psychedelic era better, but it’s enjoyable as it is

The Monkees were certainly representative of a certain vision of the 1960s; a cleaner more wholesome version perhaps, but certainly still hopeful and progressive. Never treated as a real group because in the beginning they only barely were, they nonetheless have an enduring quality to them. That said, most of the tracks are subpar, but a few are very good. Pete’s Sake being my personal favorite.

3 Stars

Why have I been thinking that The Monkees were British this whole time? This album has a lot of interesting stuff going on in the background, with the Monkees getting creative control over their music for the first time. The result is much slower and folkier than I would have expected. It's fun overall, and the songs go by quickly. It doesn't have the Monkees hits that I would have expected, but it's interesting on its own right 3/5

Not bad. Kind of goofy. 3/5

Honestly, I didn't even know the Monkees were gonna be on this list.

Pretty solid 60 pop album.Really liked randy scours got,forget that girl

Interesting album, light folky psychedelic pop.

Der erste Rap der Geschichte mit dem Song "Zilch", finde ich.

Honestly, it was fun. It can in no way compete with Sgt Pepper (released the next year), but it doesn’t have to. They aren’t The Beatles, and that’s okay.

My initial thoughts are that it was certainly successful but probably not as significant as most of this list. The Beatles rose through their creative outbursts so quickly that there was obviously still a market for their earlier sound. The Monkees were clearly a record label creation with the teenage heartthrobs on the cover and unrelated writing and performing credits on the actual record. Here was their first attempt to prove themselves as actual musicians. The result is fine. I admire them for demanding creative freedom while risking a winning formula. It worked for them as the album sold well. But let's be honest, among the giants of the 60s (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Zombies), this album really doesn't hold up that well. Maybe if it had come out four years earlier, but the fact that it came out one week before 'Sgt Pepper' just makes it feel well behind the curve. Despite that, it's a decent album anyway and there's some experimentation that's especially evident on the b side.

Generally reminded me of the Beatles. “I’ll spend my life with you” and “early morning blues and greens” are closest to a standout of the album for me. The Album went by for me very quickly -nothing really caught my attention much but it was pleasant.

Nothing notable.

I love their hits - Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville, I'm a Believer - and I even used to watch the show on the oldies rerun channel sometimes. But listening to this album just makes me want to listen to the Beatles instead. The songs are well crafted and great at imitating the Beatles, as they intended. And I don't hate this, not at all. But after listening twice, I'm confident that's enough for me.

The monkeys get creative control. Which is good for them and it's a decent 60s pop album but it's no daydream believer. Sorry dudes.

I hate the early 60's British pop sound so some American guys mimicking it while generally not even writing the music was better than I expected.

I think that the problem for the Monkees here is that within the context of other music being released in 1967 this just isn't quite up there.

I like pisces, Aquarius, etc better but there are some good ones here.

The Monkees debuted on tv when I was 11 years old, and they were my jam. Several reviews applaud the Headquarters lp because the boys contributed more than vocals. But the first two albums were played by session hired guns and written by professionals. So they were my favorite. On their fourth they had the experience of writing and playing unlike Headquarters their rookie effort.

Some highs, some lows, but seems like such a Beatles clone with more shortcomings

Okay three mediocre 60s albums in a row is starting to make me think the end of this list isn’t randomized and is just loaded with all of the lamest, most forgettable albums. This one was definitely worse than the last two because it was stereotypical folk instead of stereotypical psych/rock.

Not really my cup of tea, but still a little bit deeper and more intricate than I was expecting.

Hey hey they're The Monkees! They like to MONKEEEEEE around!

Pop Rock from 67.

This was alright. It was decent enough, but not sure how this belongs on a list like this.

6 / 10 Una buena copia de unos primeros Beatles descafeinados.

Interesting. Almost every track was an obvious attempt to sound like someone else: the Beatles, CCR, the Yardbirds, the Moody Blues, etc. They're like soundalike tracks created to avoid copyright infringement. And yet somehow it holds together and works pretty well.

3.5 suprisingly good and found out zilch was sampled in another song. Still has that 60's sound that im not really a fan of.

Headquarters is the third album by The Monkees, originally released in 1967. Apparently this was the first album where the band members made substantial songwriting and instrumental contributions. Prior to this, it was mostly studio musicians playing the backing tracks on their records. This album was issued after the conclusion of the first season of the Monkees TV show, which was a huge hit. It was clear the band was trying to deviate from their past as a bubblegum pop band, given the whole psychedelic scene was popping off around this time, and that was what was cool. Unfortunately, their reputation preceeded them, and they had an audience to satisfy. This record is largely pop with a bit of a country and rock edge, not unlike what The Beatles were doing a few years prior. But that's the problem. The Beatles were doing this MULTIPLE years prior. Music was changing, and fast. Sgt. Pepper had already come out by this time. The Monkees were going to sell a bunch of records either way, but they were never going to shake that young audience from their following, especially since the show was now a huge hit as well. They were doomed to the 2 minute tack purgatory. I mean seriously, they rarely pass 2 minutes on these track lengths! Solid record with surprisingly good instrumentation. The country flare really surprised me. That being said, nothing revolutionary here. The lyrical subject matter revolves around love and girls and gets repetitive. That being said, if I was like an 11 or 12 year old in 1967 I'd probably want to be in a band like them. They were essentially made (in more ways than one, manufactured) for pop.

Not terrible, but just a pale imitation of Beatles work from a few years earlier

I have to imagine it’s hard to be taken seriously given their roots. This is solid work, but I want some more hits.

No idea why they chose this Monkees album, fine bubblegum pop.

Alright,

Þegar ég hugsa um The Monkees hugsa ég um nestisboxið hennar Marge Simpson. Ég man samt ekki hvað það var en það var eitthvað verið að setja út á þá sem lagahöfunda og flytjendur en svo áttu þeir bara að vera stemmingin. Ég finn alveg stemmninguna og það var gaman að hlusta á svona spjall og raul á þessari plötu sem var samt heldur löng og ég set hana örugglega ekki aftur þótt það sé ekkert að henni.

Sounds like a classic 60s album, but doesn't stand out between its yearmates Sgt. Peppers, Are You Experienced and the Doors. Nevertheless enjoyed some songs on this album, especially at the end: No Time, Sunny Girlfriend, Randy Scouse Git, Love to Love and 99 Pounds. 3.3*

I should hire people to write that review for me.

Did not have the songs I was hoping for. Fun but not a sing along.

Borderline 2 or 3. I like listening to it, but I'm not sure there are many super memorable songs. Just a lot of good ones.

Cool

Cheesy pop nonsense, from a band whose best days were behind them

Much less painful than I was anticipating. Not using the Wreckin' Crew was a bold choice, and I expected some real garbage. Nothing stands out particularly, but it's competent musicianship. The vocals have always been good with the Monkees, and this is no exception. Should I be recognizing any singles off this one? I'm startled to realize how short all of these tracks are.

Fun, made for TV, pop album. Interesting to read that they got involved in the writing process, that’s cool

A real mixed bag, which probably comes from having so many writers. I adore the track "Randy Scouse Git", and "Zilch" is a fun skit. But every time they sing, "I'm going to be stealing, That little girl's heart today." I get a chalkboard shudder. It was a different time.

From reading Wikipedia, it's a noteworthy album as it's the one where The Monkees wanted to take on more songwriting/performance/recording responsibilities. It's a good fun 60s pop album, worth at least one listen.

A lot better than the last Monkees record on here. Sounds more credible and less glossy/pop. Still not my cuppa tea mind and likely wont bother returning, but it’s a canny (if long) listen. There’s a few bits that were genuinely good, and I only say that as someone who sees the Monkees as a novelty pop group. The little guitar and harmonies on All of Your Toys is great, and the quiet/loud format of Randy Scouse Git must be one of the earliest examples of that style of song (my mate swore blind Nirvana were the first to do that, and all these years later my mind still goes blank when trying to disprove him). Canny overal.

This was more serious than I expected, I thought Monkees were a bit of a light hearted family friendly band. Very reminiscent of the Beatles. A couple of songs stood out (shades of grey, randy Scouse got) but there was a general theme of chatting up girls, with some songs suggesting a troubling age range. A pleasant surprise given my expectations but can't say I'll be back.

Randy Scouse Git was the best, it's a bit of a tune actually. Punky. Quite varied overall. I only know their two songs about believing, so I was really pleasantly surprised. Not enough to come back though. Just changed my perception of the lads.

I remember liking their TV show when I was a kid. This album doesn't have many of the hits that I remember but it was okay. By the end of the album I definitely had enough because it gets a bit samey. Highlights: Randy Scouse Git No Time

Was fully expecting to hate this, but was better than expected in parts..... Still not blown away and I certainly don't need an hour and a half of it! A third of that would've done. Pretty sure my mum was a fan when she was a teenager, a feel like teenage girls were the target audience. Randy Scouse git is the best track imo 2.5 Too many songs about romancing young girls. But, it's got that beatlesesque thing going on and was more interesting than I expected. As far as 60s pop fluff goes, not bad, but not my thing

Not good, not bad.

It doesn't get much more lightweight bubblegum pop than this. It's OK, but I really don't think it should be on the list.

Music is okay, songs are same-y. This album came out in the same year as Sgt. Pepper, so it isn’t very experimental either.

Fairly mediocre 60s pop

Helt ok

3.25

01) You Told Me - 8,0 02) I'll Spend My Life with You - 7,5 03) Forget That Girl - 7,0 04) Band 6 - 3,0 05) You Just May Be the One - 8,0 06) Shades of Gray - 7,5 07) I Can't Get Her Off My Mind - 7,0 08) For Pete's Sake - 8,0 09) Mr. Webster - 7,5 10) Sunny Girlfriend - 7,5 11) Zilch - 4,0 12) No Time - 7,0 13) Early Morning Blues and Greens - 8,5 14) Randy Scouse Git - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,00 (70/100) It's a nice pop album from the Summer of Love era. To be honest, I don't know a single song on it. Oh, but I am familiar with Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina :-)

TOO LONG! I enjoy some of the songs but it's 90 minutes long and way too much of it is just them doing a Beatles/Elvis/country impression. Also why are there remixes before the final original song? Clear highlight: A Little Bit of me, a little bit of you. Just flashy and pop enough for me.

unpaso ó dos por detrás de los beatles. Falta alguna de sus mejores canciones; ahora resultam muy ingenuos.

That's just too many monkees on the deluxe edition. The story is interesting but the end result doesn't make a lot of sense to me, maybe you had to be there. Fave track: Rand Scouse Git

Bit of a weird list inclusion, this. Their story is pretty interesting, I guess - totally manufactured Beatles knock off morphs into self facilitating Beatles knock off - but is the end result something it's important to hear? No, not really. Fave tracks - well, "Zilch" made the strongest impression for weirdness, I guess! "Randy Scouse Git" was amusing too...

I've never been a huge fan, but this was pleasant to listen to. Except it kept going on and on and on. I mean, there's only so much of this stuff you can listen to at a stretch.

Listened to the original album (30 minutes) rather than the deluxe reissue 90 minute version on Spotify. Anyway, very enjoyable. Some filler, but a great Beatles or Byrds-y 60s pop sound when they hit it.

One time growing up in Roswell, I was watching an episode of the monkeys on TV in an empty house, and all the windows are open. They were playing some kind of musical number that involved a lot of electronic beeps at some point, I looked out the window and there were suddenly probably 50 little birds on the porch, all looking at me in the window. it was weird. my brain settled on the idea that the music of the Monkeys called them to me

Heard of this band, like the beetles, beetles are good, yum yum. 3.2

Such a better album than I would have thought! I had always heard The Monkees were the US Beatles, but never quite understood it with the songs I knew, and the TV show I grew up watching. Listen, it's no White Album, but definitely smoother and deeper than I would have given them credit for.

It's not like this was bad or anything. I'm not all that in to 60's music though...and that's basically all I've had to listen to for this list so far. Meh. 3/5

Good chill background music but wouldn’t seek out

Well I enjoyed it. I thought that it was nice music of the time

Long but pleasant? Probably need to listen to it again since I wasn’t paying that much attention

Good example of their original work.

Good ol' rock.

The problem with the monkees is that they just always sound too much like the monkees. Apart from this album where they don’t sound like the monkees. Which is also a problem. The deluxe edition of this album is a whopping 36 tracks long. Another problem. It’s so samey. But that’s because there are so many different versions of the same tracks. And when each track is less than 3 minutes on average it’s impossible to care about what you’re listening to. Nice to know there is a side of the monkees I didn’t know. Another side of the monkees I don’t want to listen to. 2.5

I like some of their other albums better.

Walmart early beatles

Watch the film Head (1968) it’s a trip

Listened 3/14/24. Never heard this one before. A real mixed bag of styles. A few memorable tracks.

Not bad

Definitely sounds like a band frying to imitate the Beatles. But they were successful in that. Good Brit rock vibes

A little Kinks, a whole lot of Beatles, this album is a nice document of what happens when a band fights for autonomy from their label. They began as a product, and took control of their creative path. What they did with it? It wasn't the most original thing ever, but blew a lot of expectations out of the water and has a lot of great moments. 3 stars for their irrepressible human spirits.

Certainly changed their style once they could recorded their own music. Doesnt seemed inspired but it is a departure from thenpop sound. I think it sold a lot based upon their popularity at the time, nit upon the merits of the music.

This album gave us the sample for Del tha Funky Homosapien’s Mistadobalina which is a huge contribution.

It's an upbeat and good album. The Monkees really defined the pop sound of the 60's with the Beatles. What separates the Monkees from the Beatles is the music doesn't really enthrall me. It's good, not great. 3/5.

Classic monkees sound

when you can't decide if you wanna listen to the beatles, the kinks or the byrds... you listen to the monkees.

I guess I feel like a bit of a heathen because I much preferred their songs from the first two albums. And the ones used on the TV show. The monkees show used to be on early every Saturday morning when I was a kid and I was a huge fan. I know they are the prototype of a manufactured boy band, but I still love the music. This album is when they had more creative control, and I feel terrible for not loving it as much. I just don’t. It’s probably a 2.5 but I’m gonna round it up because they are such a fun bunch.

I guess I'll admit to being a little disappointed by this. I like the Monkees, their hits are great. This album proved that, yes, they were more than just four guys with charisma and charm, there was musical and vocal acuity at work. But it's also like the first form of AI. Like, someone listed a bunch of popular artists (the Beatles, for one), a bunch of signature production ideas from the '60s, and a limited number of song themes into a music generator and this was the result. It's a fun listen, but it's akin to eating a bag of Skittles. Little pops of sweetness that sorta taste like fruit — or a color, or something — but there's no nutritional value and your tongue turned green. That's my analogy and I'm sticking to it.

I have a soft spot for The Monkees, and I certainly enjoyed much of this album, but I'm not sure it belongs on the list. Yes, it's a big moment for them as they finally wrestled control of the band away from Don Kirshner, but also who cares? I'll stick with the various greatest hits collections, though it was nice to hear a few tunes I didn't already know. Also, though, kudos to Mike Nesmith as always.

I always thought this band got a bad rap. As a kid I was totally smitten with the TV show. Even now on this rainy day as I sit at my desk just thinking about getting home from school and settling into a Monkees episode provides a warm gemütlichkeit in my soul. That same feeling comes with songs like I'll Spend My Life With You--nostalgia, jingle jangle tambourine, and harmonies. Davey Jones has the sweetest voice and boy oh boy call me Marcia b/c I'm smitten when I hear him sing. For Pete's Sake - Dayum...take me back to these halcyon hippy days! I really had fun listening to this and sure nostalgia wants to push this to a 4 but my pragmatism will keep at 3(.5)

Not a bad album. Not a great album. I’m a little surprised this made the “1001 Albums…” list. They were better than they were given credit for, but certainly not the second coming of the Beatles.

Fun album

Album Nr. 44 Nicht schlecht. Aber eher durchschnittlich. Mehr Titel nach der Machart des Titels "No Time" hätten dem Album gut getan.

Fine Monkees’ album with no standouts.

Tja gewoon wel aardig maar ook niet echt noemenswaardig

as much of the music of this era, this sounds a whole lot like early era beatles. but don’t get me wrong, there are some good songs on here. highlights: “you told me”, “shades of gray”, “early morning blues and greens”

I thought the Monkeys were straight bubble gum pop. Colour me surprised.

Not the greatest album and definitely not one I have to listen to before I die like we are grasping at straws here but this was just okay. I like them and some songs went into the playlist but I will just listen to the beatles instead.

This album was actually kind of fun to listen to, as it brought back memories of watching their silly show when I was a kid. The members of the band certainly weren’t stellar musicians, but they weren’t bad either. Peter Tork was actually quite good on the bass. Many of the songs were pretty dorky, but album’s closer, “No Time,” was an enjoyable boogie-woogie romp. I could listen to this again, but it’s unlikely I would ever seek it out.

I would need to unlisten 70% of the music I know to properly appreciate this record. I’m sorry but I just cannot help but listen a low profile version of the Beatles.

The original “boy band”. Fun album. And it sounds like they had fun making it. Some of the songs are not quite up to par, but others are quite good; including “You Just May Be the One” by Nesmith, “For Pete’s Sake” by Tork, and “Randy Scouse Git” by Dolenz, all originals. Better production would have helped the overall sound, but still a good album of the times.

Absolutely average album. There's few exceptions, but overall all the records from 60s sound very similar to each other. Nothing interesting, zero songs worth mentioning, just another album on this list.

It just felt a bit boring for a pretty famous 60s band. Everything about it felt just plain basic, not extremely enjoyable with no stand out tracks. Most enjoyable bit was the section of track from Zilch which I have heard sampled elsewhere.

A lot of fun to listen to, but it still felt a little too derivative of the Beatles. Some interesting stuff in there, though.

It did not have any of the hits. It was short and alright. Even though they don't write their own songs, I will not hold that against them. I will generously round up.

Decent album for its time I imagine. Not what I’m trying to listen to these days though.

this album is quintessential 70s. It reminds me a lot of the beach boys but not as good. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. 3/5

You Told Me - 7/10 I’ll Spend My Life With You - 7/10 Forget That Girl - 8/10 Band 6 -7 /10 You Just May Be The One - 7.5/10 Shades of Gray - 6.5/10 I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind - 6.5/10 For Pete’s Sake - 7.5/10 Mr Webster - 8/10 Sunny Girlfriend - 8/10 Zilch - 6/10 No Time - 7/10 Early Morning Blues and Greens - 8/10 Randy Scouse Git - 8/10 TOTAL - 110/140

Surprised to find I liked this album a lot. Has a good groove and upbeat tone

Are people going to come to my house and beat me with hammers if I say this sounds exactly like the Beatles?

Alguna canción rara, alguna lenta pero el resto bien

I really like “Shades of Gray.” The other songs are okay. “Zilch” was interesting.

Very nostalgic some good tracks so I’m not so good tracks

I always feel guilty giving fewer than 4 stars an album that I enjoy and would add to my library. This is one of those times. I love this sound, the catchy Beatles-esque melodies, the clean cut, fun production. But it’s so sanitary, so safe, so… well, lame, really. The Monkees are complicated because in a way, they were the prototype for the ultra-commercialized corporate-type bands that would dominate the Billboard charts in years to come. Yet, they have a lot of nice songs. I think that’s the other thing though. Nice doesn’t mean great. In fact, a lot of the time, ugly is great. I think this album is good, but not amazing, and there was much more creatively notable music that sounds similar from this time—for one, “Begin” by The Millennium, which doesn’t appear on this list. And so, though I like this album, I can’t give it higher than a 3/5.

Surprised at how much they sounded like The Beatles.

It was good, it just struggles to compare to a lot of other albums that released in the same era by similar groups. The vocals can get a bit old but the instrumentals are charming.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Randy scouse git

Estilo sesentero. Sin muchos alardes. Canciones sencillas. Pop tranquilo de la época. Alguna canción más conocida.

Meh

Brought me back to 1987 for their comeback. Prefer them to stay there but liked Jericho which I had never heard. Don’t like their cheesy stuff.

Heard of the monkees, but not this album or any songs. Pop from 1967 (parents birth year). It’s alright so far. 3.

Enjoyable, some nice rhythm, but not quite my taste. I could listen for extended periods of time, though.

BL: aware of The Monkees but never really listened to them. AL: I liked this. the first half of the album was pretty standard jangly 60s mild psychedelic rock, however in the second half there seems to be a shift to more aberrant lyrical content, interesting and boundary breaking mixing choices ("Zilch"). With a screaming closer of a track, this was an amazing album to experience and I'm incredibly glad I got to. Not too long to overstay it's welcome, just short enough to leave me wanting more. FT: "Zilch", "Randy Scouse Git" 3/5

Not the right person to ask about this one. The monkees just don’t really do it for me. I get the idea and appreciate the effort but I just can’t vibe with the outcome.

While I respect that this is the first album that the band finally got their opportunity to have some creative freedom but I cannot say this was that special of an album. I definitely knew the Monkees and the discourse around them coming into this listen. I had heard of some of their songs and watched some reruns of their show with my dad as a kid but never listened to a full album. The only song on this album I had heard before was "For Pete's Sake" but only because it was the closing theme for the show and I only remembered a little bit of it from when I was a kid. This album started out pretty strong with "You Told Me" which is a pretty typical Monkees song except for the fact that it has some above average instrumentation with some fun banjo and tambourine. It also has a pretty catchy chorus and I would say it a pretty good start to the album. This is followed with "I'll Spend My Life With You" which is another good track. I think it has one of the most memorable choruses on the album with some really nice steel guitar backing it. It is also the first song that you can see that the band got to do some of their own experimentation on. It could just be me but it almost sounds like the band saw the massive psychedelic music wave happening around them and decided to just dip their toes in with this chorus. To me the sort of slowed down tempo along with just the vocals reminds me of the version of "Green Tambourine" that is performed at the end of Recess: School's Out except that the Monkees did not commit to hard to the sound but that is not too surprising as it would have been a massive jump. Either way it still is a really solid track. I know alot of people who have reviewed this like "Forget That Girl" but I just find it kind of annoying. I see what they were trying to do but I think Davy Jones just struggles to pull this song off vocally and to me it just sounds kind of whiny. I also think it sort of falls back in line with the more typical pop of the era. I guess it has somewhat interesting vocal arrangement but it is just not performed particularly well to me. "Band 6" is not really a song so I'm just gonna skip it. I can appreciate that it is part of the band finally being allowed some creative control but it just stops any momentum the album had and was not really interesting in any way. "You Just May Be The One" is another pretty typical 60's pop album. It is fine but in all honesty the vocals are kinda boring on this one. I probably would never come back to this one. Next is "Shades of Gray" which to me is a return to form. It is just a more strongly written and arranged track than the previous three. I think it had a stronger vocal performance as well. It is just a nice, sweet 60s pop song with some solid instrumentation especially the strings, piano and French horn. "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" is just painfully plain. It is like an unseasoned chicken breast. It has some solid writing that is nice and cute but the vocal performance as well as the instrumentation is so milquetoast that the song is near unlistenable to me. It is like it was sung half asleep. The first song on the B side of the record is "For Pete's Sake" which is the outro to their show and it is one of the best songs on the album. It is just a simple track but what puts it apart from other Monkees tracks (especially on this album) is how punchy the instrumentation is on the song. The drums, guitar and bass are all clearly better than they are on most of the other songs on the album. Next is "Mr. Webster" which is another solid track with some more interesting writing about a man who does exceptional work at a dead end job and never gets the appreciation he deserves (or raises he is promised). It is a welcome change of pace and it has a solid vocal performance but is just a little boring. "Sunny Girlfriend" is another one of the best tracks on the album. It has some real energy behind it which is sorely needed on this album. I think it has some solid songwriting and nice instrumentation. Also has probably a top 3 or 4 vocal performance on the album. Not a ton to say about it besides this cause it is still strictly in the realm of 60s pop rock but it is a really good example of the genre. Similar to "Band 6", "Zilch" is pretty much just here because the band finally got to do their own thing and they decided to just throw some weird shit on that album which I am not opposed to but only when it works out. Here it does not. "No Time" is a continuation of the energy on "Sunny Girlfriend". It is a little derivative of early Beatles stuff and other bands of the time but it still sounds really good and has a really fun vocal performance. Definitely a top 3-5 song on the album. "Early Morning Blues And Greens" is a fine track that sounds like a lot of what is already on the album. It is a better version of some of the worse songs on the album but it is not a particularly great song. I don't know, I'm just not a fan of this overly soft, washed-out sound that they seems so tied to on this album. "Randy Scouse Git" is a really great outro for the album. It is the most experimental track on the album with a scat breakdown, more heavier sounding instrumentation, better vocals, sound progression and development. It also has some of the more interesting writing on the album. It is what I would have hoped the album would be given the reputation that this album was them finally getting to spread their wings. Overall I think this was the best track on the album. In all honesty this just feels like a standard pop rock album of the late 60's. You could replace them with 5-10 bands that would make this album with better vocal performances, better instrumentation, better writing but most importantly more character. The Monkees sound exactly like what they look like, they have no edge to them at all which to me hinders them on this album. They just don't bring that much character to the songs in my opinion. I don't actually dislike the band all that much but I just don't see them as anything special and definitely not good enough to deserve the amount of popularity they did. I listened to this album cause it was suggested to me on generator for "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and while it is solid it stick out like a sore thumb when put up with some other albums on the list. The show is still fun though.

easy to listen to, lightweight, hard to particularly dislike. Zilch contains the sample from Mr Dobalina! :D No Time a standout track, Sunny Girlfriend also decent.

Always liked the Monkees from seeing the reruns on Saturday mornings as a kid. My friend is a huge fan of Nez (the heir to the Post-it empire - although not anymore I guess, RIP Nez) I'm glad they got to play their own instruments and be a proper band. Hard to shake the feeling during much of this album however that this is what the Beatles would sound like if they'd never moved on. Much of it is good not great. A Monkees album in which you've never heard any of the songs. That said, there are still some jewels here for sure. Randy Scouse Git is an absolute banger worthy of rivalling their big hits. Ah I forgot they had the weird thing in the 60s of sticking the singles out separately instead of on the record, so uta worth hanging around AFTER the album for A Little Bit Me and particularly Nez-s the Girl that I Knew Somewhere, pop perfection!

Wasn't feeling it at first, but really picks up on the B side. Good mix of standard 60s pop tunes, some more psychedelic pop tunes, and goofy stuff like Zilch. Sounds more like an early 60s album than a late 60s album though. Doesn't try to push the envelope at all, but doesn't really need to.

The monkees, I heard they were a huge influence on the Beatles. That’s pretty much what a lot of this album is. Music that could almost be the Beatles from the 60s except the Monkees lack the good deep songwriting style that Paul and John had. This album is good from a 60s pop perspective but it doesn’t hold as well as a Beatles or beach boys album. 6.5/10

Opening as Beatles parody perhaps, Headquarters meanders but then really comes into its own on side 2, the push/pull between the record company's control and the band's desire for more creative input males the album sound distinctive and off kilter. Once the band hit the genius Glitch we're in uncharted waters. Certainly not the fun loving band the TV show would have you believe.

Didn't have any monkees song that I knew on this album, however most of the tracks were ok. And could easily listen to them again in the background. But nothing special

Me caen bien The Monkees, y este disco no es excepción. Pop sesentero que entra muy fácil.

Meh

It's pleasant and fine. Shades of the Beatles, vocally. It's nice to read that this is the first album they had some creative input in. It's good noise when it's on, but leaves the mind shortly after. Favorite tracks: "For Pete's Sake", "Randy Scouse Git"

Giving this a fresh listen... Remove the context of a spoof of the Beatles meant for the American masses, the music favorably compares to the fab four from their early days. Was not bad as a Monday morning drive in....

This album didn't really do anything for me. It's very approachable, almost too much so.

Not bad. Probably overrated due to the Monkees' popularity, but a fun effort. A little light psychedelia here and there mixed with songs about holding hands and pretty girls. "Sunny Girlfriend" brings a little country to the party, and the first three songs could be on any alt-rock band's covers list. Not intense.