I began listening to the Monkees in January 2023. I decided to stop the band once Peter Tork left the group.
The Monkees (1966): C+
More of the Monkees (1967): C+
Headquarters (1967): B
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967): B
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees (1968): B-
Head (1968): B-
The Monkees (1966):
For all the polish the studio musicians give this album, it is pretty obvious from the weird genre excursions that this album was assembled by label executives who haven't a clue what make the Beatles tick. Luckily, when the album stays focused on early 60s songs (like the covers of Goffin-King), this band sounds mighty fine and every bit as competent as, say, the Turtles. Nevertheless, it’s hard to be sold on the idea that this band will get much better once they lead a successful coup. Micky Dolenz is a strong lead vocalist but Michael Nesmith's two numbers are completely out of step with the band's sound and I'm already about to give up on Davy Jones. I presume the Monkee's fate lies in the hands of the band's wild card, guitarist Peter Tork (regulated mostly to backing vocals here). C+
More of the Monkees (1967):
Better highlights, worse trenches. For every good song ("When Love Comes Knocking (At Your Door)," (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "I'm a Believer"), there's one equally bad. Fortunately, besides the pitiful "The Day We Fall in Love," Jones is making progress. Because the track-list was assembled with no input from the band, it's difficult to quantify their progress or lack thereof. C+
Headquarters (1967):
The Monkees are a bit behind the curve--this music would fit right at home in 1964--but because More of the Monkees was the first rock album to be the Billboard number one record of the year, it's safe to say so is the American public. The lineup is solidifying nicely. Tortz is a tasteful lead guitarist, Jones's voice has mostly lost its shaky preteen, Nesmith's background in folk and country is coming in handy, and Dolenz's tracks no longer stand out as any better than the others'. B
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967):
Though they only come with three originals, this is about equal to Headquarters, maybe better. There's a few weird parts on side two that hold it down but some great covers on side one and an early country rock endeavor make this more than a decent album. B
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees (1968):
Sometimes I don't know if Davy has really become any better. Though he does contribute the excellent "Valleri," songs like "We Were Made for Each Other" and "The Poster" are so slushy that they are hard to force down and a fan of "Daydream Believer" I am not. Dolenz's songs are good to decent as usual but Tork is entirely out of the picture and Nesmith only contributes one good song, the old-timey "Magnolia Simms." B-
Head (1968):
I don't need an experimental album cut throughout with random dialogue from a band I don't think much of. Nevertheless, this is not bad, especially for a soundtrack. The actual songs between the snippets including "Circle Sky," "Can You Dig It?," and "As We Go Along" are among the best songs this band has recorded. B-
