Rant #1,683: Sunday With a Cherry On Top

This is a rare, a very, very rare, Sunday post on the Ranting and Raving Blog, but I feel it is warranted.

"Monkees Week" ended on Friday, but honestly, it hasn't ended for me personally.

I am still on the Monkees, and won't get off of them here for at least this one, last Rant.

I finally received the physical album of "Good Times!" this weekend, and after hearing both the digital and physical collections, I feel that it is only right the I conclude "Monkees Week" today, by reviewing the album.

"Good Times!" is a paean to their first two LPs, the original Monkees LP and its followup, "More of the Monkees."

On those albums, before they took over control of their music, they used a variety of styles, a variety of songwriters, and a variety of musicians to make up these records--and by "they," I mean the powers that be at RCA, the parent company of Colgems, the Monkees' label.

And yes, it was Don Kirshner who put together these two records, and in a funny way, I think that the new album is vindication, 50 years later, that in spite of what happened, he did know what he was doing.

Yes, the Monkees put out some great records after the first two--"Headquarters" and "Head" are absolute masterpieces in the pop/rock/psychedelic genre--but "Good Times!" mirrors more their first two albums than any of their other LPs.

It is a conglomeration of a lot of pieces to make a unified sound, and that was the formula for making the first two originals, less much actual musical participation from Micky, Peter, Mike and Davy.

The new album has plenty of participation from the surviving Monkees, but producer Adam Schlesinger has used numerous other tools at his disposal--namely, some very talented younger generation songwriters--to craft what could already be called the surprise album of the year.

Let's go song by song, and see where we are headed:

"Good Times" is a collaboration of sorts between Micky Dolenz and the late Harry Nilsson, who demoed this 50 years ago. Through the magic of the studio, Micky has added his new vocals to the mix, so it sounds like Micky and Harry are dueting in 2016. The song is a fine opening number, sort of a meld of "See See Rider" and the Monkees' own "We'll Be Back" snippets that they used to remind younger viewers that a break for a commercial didn't mean that the show was ending. It opens the album up quite strongly.

"You Bring the Summer" sounds more like a Beach Boys' song than a Monkees song, and being that, it is incredible that Britisher Andy Partridge of XTC fame wrote this. If it wasn't for the final minute of so of the song, you would have thought he misplaced this song with the wrong band, but when it moves into Beatles territory, you know that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"She Makes Me Laugh" is by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, and it is the lead single of the collection. Think Squeeze's "Black Coffee in Bed," and you have its next of kin here. When I heard this song, I knew the Monkees' had at least one winner on this collection. Little did I know that so many would follow as the album's tracks started to come out. If this isn't the perfect summer song, what is?

"Our Own World" by producer Schlesinger sounds like it came right off one of the two albums I mentioned earlier. It could have fit right into the Monkees' coda at the time, and even though it is a relatively minor little ditty, Schlesinger got it right.

"Gotta Give It Time" ... ditto for this one, although there is a reason for this to sound like it was from that era--it was! It was a leftover from that time, written by Jeff Barry and Joey Levine of Buddah bubblegum renown.

"Me and Magdalena" was another early release of this album, and when I heard this song--by Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie fame, I knew that this album was not just going to be bathed in bubblegum. This is one of the most adult tunes the Monkees have every recorded, and is truly the one of a few tunes here that demand repeated listenings.

"Whatever's Right" is a leftover Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart song from way back when, and this entire album is so strong that this one might get lost, but it is a bubblegum gem that I kind of enjoyed.

"Love to Love" has been called an unearthed Neil Diamond gem, but it has been around in Monkees' circles for ever and ever. Davy Jones is on fine voice on this lesser "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" soundalike, and it was slightly updated to get Jones on this record. Being that even when I first heard it in the late 1970s, I thought that it should have been released when it was recorded remains my feelings on this tune, but its similarity to "A Little Bit Me" probably doomed it. I have always enjoyed this tune, and Davy is in fine voice here.

"Little Girl" has been called an "I Wanna Be Free" sequel by Peter Tork, and this is the one song that even many Monkees fans don't like on this album. Not me ... I love it. Tork wrote it with Davy Jones in mind, and when Tork sings it, you can almost hear the parts that are most Davy Jones-like. And yes, Peter is in fine form here, so what's not to like?

"Birth of An Accidental Hipster" has an odd name, but don't let this Noel Gallagher/ Paul Weller tune get lost by the title. I have yet to figure out exactly what this song is about, but along with "Me and Magdalena," this is a song that demands multiple listens. It is sort of a cross between the Monkees" "Magnolia Sims" and "Auntie's Municipal Court," and I loved it.

"Wasn't Born to Follow" is a Carole King/Gerry Goffin leftover, and it is another tune that might get lost on this very strong album. Peter Tork might be at his best here, and it kind of leans back to the strong folk influences he had and the band had.

"I Know What I Know" is an actually startling song. It is one of the best songs Mike Nesmith ever wrote for the Monkees, and its understated vocals and on the surface simple lyrics underly one of the more complex tunes Mike has every been involved with. I absolutely love this song, and even if you are not a Monkees fan, this is the song that will make you one. As a sleeper, it is probably the best overall song on the album.

"I Was There (And I'm Told I Had a Good Time) harkens back to Micky's standard response when asked about the 1960s. It is sort of a mix of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Micky's own Jesus rock sides that he cut in the early 1970s. It is a fitting close to the actual album ...

There are a few extra tracks that were left off the original album but included in various configurations of the album, including a different version of "Me and Magdalena" that is more orchestrated and will force you to decide which version you like best; "Terrifying," which might be looked as a throwaway but which I enjoyed; and "A Better World," which should have somehow found its way onto the original album, but didn't, sadly. Yet another track--"Love's What I Want"-- will eventually find its way out into the world, but that won't happen for several weeks.

All in all, this is an extremely strong album, in particular because it literally came somewhat out of nowhere to be one.

It is not as good as "Headquarters" or "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd." and "Head," and it is nearly as good as "The Monkees" and "More of the Monkees." It is light years better than "Pool It" and even the underrated "Justus," and it is in another stratosphere than "Changes." It is also better than "The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees," "Instant Replay," and "Present."

I give it a very, very strong B+.

And just for kicks, here is how I rate the other Monkees albums:

The Monkees: (A)
More of the Monkees (A-)
Headquarters (A+)
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd. (A)
The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees (B)
Head (A+)
Instant Replay (C)
Present (C+)
Changes (D)
Pool It!(C-)
Justus (B-)
Good Times! (B+)

And now, that is really it for "Monkees Week" ... or is it?

Hope you are having a great holiday weekend, and I will speak to you again on Tuesday.