802. The Monkees (1966; #1) (3)

802. The Monkees (1966; #1) (3)

1. Theme From "The Monkees" (7+)
2. Saturday's Child (?) (3)
3. I Wanna Be Free (?) (2)
4. Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (?) (3)
5. Papa Gene's Blues (?) (2)
6. Take a Giant Step (?) (2)
7. Last Train to Clarksville (8)
8. Let's Dance On (?) (2)
9. I'll Be True to You (?) (1+)
10. Sweet Young Thing (?) (2+)
11. Gonna Buy Me a Dog (2)

REVIEW: The Monkees are a special case--not really a band in the traditional sense as they were formed artificially for the purpose of a TV show and they didn't play their own instruments. So there's that sense that they're not "really" a band as much as a creation--kinda the way I feel about today's American Idols. Nonetheless, I always enjoyed their music, and here on their debut album they had two standout tracks IMO--the theme from the show and Last Train to Clarksville (these were written by Boyce and Hart). I have this album somewhere in my collection, but not with me, but it was all available at YouTube. It gets a 3.

ED'S TAKE:

802. The Monkees (1966; #1)

1. Theme From "The Monkees" (7)
2. Saturday's Child (7)
3. I Wanna Be Free (4)
4. Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (8)
5. Papa Gene's Blues (6)
6. Take a Giant Step (7)
7. Last Train to Clarksville (8)
8. This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day (8)
9. Let's Dance On (8)
10. I'll Be True to You (6)
11. Sweet Young Thing (7)
12. Gonna Buy Me a Dog (6)

OVERALL ALBUM RATING: 7

DISCUSSION: This was a bit of a disappointment. It has to do with "staying power". I often talk about how much can change with my mood but it can also change, more permanently, with time. I've always been a big supporter of the Monkees....the "constructed Monkees", i.e., lets construct a rock group for TV purposes, make them a tad Beatlesque even if they can't truly play instruments and the later, more well rounded Monkees. But, in listening today, while they still often sound like an engaging pop band, they also sound too sweet, especially when Davey sings those rather simpy ballads. I can't remember THAT well, but I suspect that some of their other albums would work better for me today.
(I DO also have, besides Monkees albums, some of Nesmith's solo work)