The Monkees (Self Title)- Reviews

The Monkees (Self Title)

        Original Tracks
                (Theme From) The Monkees (Boyce & Hart)
                Saturday's Child (Gates)
                I Wanna Be Free (Boyce & Hart)
                Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (Boyce & Venet)
                Papa Gene's Blues (Nesmith)
                Take a Giant Step (King & Goffin)
                Last Train to Clarksville (Boyce & Hart)
                This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day (Boyce & Hart)
                Let's Dance On (Boyce & Hart)
                I'll Be True to You (Goffin & Titleman)
                Sweet Young Thing (Nesmith, King & Goffin)
                Gonna Buy Me a Dog (Boyce & Hart)
        Bonus Selections
                I Can't Get Her Off My Mind (Boyce & Hart)
                I Don't Think You Know Me (Goffin & King)
                (Theme From) The Monkees (Boyce & Hart)

The Monkees debut album serves almost as a soundtrack to the television
show.  It's hard to listen to "I Wanna Be Free" without thinking of Davy
walking along the beach's shore, or "Papa Gene's Blues" without picturing
the band romping around on a farm in order to save a boy's horse.  Mike
Nesmith said, "'I maintained from the beginning that the driver of the
whole Monkees phenomenon was the television show, pure and simple.  The
Monkees music on its own really had very little power... But you combine
that music with a visual image of some inspiration and they become
supercharged.'"  As this album remains the group's best-selling of all
time, it becomes clear that Papa Nez was correct... as usual.

The album carries a happy-go-lucky feel that no one can deny, but behind
the fun also lay the roots of some great future songwriting.  With "Papa
Gene's Blues" and "Sweet Young Thing" standing out the most, it remains
amazing, and unfortunate, that the television show producers never released
a Nesmith tune.

The bonus selections, while good, are lackluster compared to the other
albums.  Containing early versions of the show's theme and the Boyce and
Hart produced "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind," it becomes clear that Sandoval
and Inglot (producer of the reissues) did not have much material to choose
from.  Also included is one of the now many alternate takes of "I Don't
Think You Know Me," this one sung by Micky.

Questions, comments, arguments, compliments, or general Monkee Talk
welcome at landsberg@alltel.net
                                                        - Mike Landsberg

Bibliography:
        Lefcowitz, Eric.  The Monkees Tale.  San Francisco:  Last Gasp, 1989.