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Headquarters Sessions

[ review of: Headquarters Sessions by The Monkees (CD Album) ]

Although The Monkees Headquarters may not be the 'best' album by the group (Picies, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. usually gets the nod for that) it's easily the group's most important long player. For those of you who aren't completely familiar with this Monkees tale, I'll give you the background in short form.

After the initial Don Kirshner-directed run of hits in 1966 ("Last Train To Clarksville", I'm A Believer", etc.), The Monkees (especially the group's real musicians, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork) virtually declared mutiny on the Kirshner stranglehold of 'manufactured' records. After demanding (and winning) the opportunity to actually perform on their own records, they entered the studio with Chip Douglas (of the Modern Folk Quartet) in the producer's chair. The resulting Headquarters album, despite not containing a top-ten single, briefly went to #1 on the album charts (it was released the same month as Sergeant Pepper, which took over the top spot, natch). Nevertheless, Headquarters is a fine example of what the band were capable of doing on their own. The overall sound of the record is that of a folk/rock-ish garage band at their formation, with the distinct advantage of having a nearly unlimited studio budget.

Some of the highlights on the original release are Michael Nesmith's twangy combinations of folk/rock and Tex-Mex, such as "You Told Me" and "You Just May Be The One", the later being a staple on the band's television show. Peter Tork weighed in with the fabulous pop/rock psychedelic gem, "For Pete's Sake", which was also used as the music for the television shows' closing credits during the second series. Other standouts were "Shades Of Grey", a Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil anti-war ballad that stands up favorably with some of Paul Simon's work of this period, and "Randy Scouse Git", Mickey Dolenz' skewed narration of the bands' U.K. promotional tour of early 1967.

And now, Rhino/Handmade has compiled an exhaustive, limited edition (4500 copies) three-disc set of all the sessions. On first listen, it's a bit daunting, and you may find yourself skipping tracks here and there ' I certainly did, at least. But if you're a fan of Headquarters and manage to pick this set up, do yourself a favor and make sure that you eventually listen to all of the cuts, because there is a plethora of lost gems. Peter Tork in particularly has some staggeringly beautiful previously unreleased moments, such as "Seeger's Theme", "Cripple Creek" and an early acoustic instrumental version of "Can You Dig It", which surfaced two years later on the Head soundtrack. When listening to Headquarters Sessions, you'll also realize that there is no doubt that Tork was the finest pure musician in the band, and maybe, just maybe one of the more underrated musicians of his era. His performances on keyboards, guitar and banjo are uniformly inventive, soulful and precise.

Michael Nesmith shines with a working version of "Nine Times Blue", a gorgeous country/pop ballad that surfaced in the early 70's when Nez formed The First National Band. Buffy Saint Marie's "Until It's Time For You To Go" (previously recorded by Nesmith under his pre-Monkees adopted moniker, Michael Blessing) is easily one of the finest lost Monkees-era artifacts. There is also a fabulous working instrumental version of a Nesmith original titled "Where Has It All Gone". The coltish, folk/rock gallop has 'hit record' written all over it. Too bad that a vocal was never recorded.

For a musician with little instrumental experience, Mickey Dolenz handles the drum chores with a subtle and enthusiastic force throughout the record, and some of the in-the-studio jams such as "Peter Gunn's Theme" and "Memphis Tennessee" show him holding his own throughout the proceedings. There are two absolutely charming acoustic duets by Mickey with his sister, Coco: "Midnight Train" (which later surfaced on the disposable Changes album) and the Everly Brothers-inspired "She'll Be There". Along with the previously mentioned Tork and Nesmith tracks, these two tracks are alone worth the price of admission. Headquarters Sessions is a little light on Davy Jones material, but overall, he certainly isn't MIA, contributing fine vocals and more than adequate tambourine.

Although this set isn't as "important" as the Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions, it is nevertheless a unique glimpse at a young band enthusiastically diving headfirst into the studio process ' and having a friggin' blast at the same time. For these reasons alone, Headquarters Sessions succeeds admirably. Some excellent and detailed liner notes by Andrew Sandoval along with a shit load of previously unpublished photos from the sessions round out the excellent package. Undoubtedly, more classic albums will be explored in expanded, multiple-disc packages like this in the future, and Headquarters Sessions should be viewed as a good template.

Posted by Matt at 00:00, 13 Oct 2000

Greatest Hits Vol's 1 & 2

[ review of: Greatest Hits Vol's 1 & 2 by The Beach Boys (CD Album) ]

The first thing I thought when I looked at these collections was, "Why the hell are they re-packaging these things again?" Die-hard collectors will be put off to some extent, as they probably have this stuff in one form or another on other discs. However, if you're just looking for a simple collection of greatest hits, this will definitely do the job. Two CD's, twenty tracks each - packaged and priced separately - of Beach Boys hits. This has been done before, but trying to find some pluses is not impossible. The finest feature of these CD's is the superlative sound quality. From the earliest hits such as "Surfin' Safari" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" to mid period classics like "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It be Nice" and "Good Vibrations", almost everything here is presented in their original mono mixes. This is a wonderful feature to a very predictable collection. "In My Room", in particular, sounds positively heavenly in mono. Warm, in your face, and graceful as hell, this record is easily one of Brian's greatest early achievements. The difference between the two volumes lies in the fact that the first CD is almost all of the really huge hits ("Good Vibrations", "Surfin' U.S.A.", "California Girls", Help Me Rhonda", etc.), while the second set contains some slightly lesser-known hits such as "Darlin'", "Do It Again", "Caroline No", "Heroes And Villains" and several others. It actually makes sense from the consumer's point of view to be able to only have to pick up one of the discs if they just want the biggest hits. As a Beach Boys fanatic, Volume 2 is far more interesting as a set. For those not completely familiar with some of the more amazing transformations in the groups' career, there are quite a few here to discover. Probably the most satisfying is "The Little Girl I Once Knew". Recorded after "California Girls" and just before Brian immersed himself in Pet Sounds, this record, in its own quiet way, is one of the most important records Brian Wilson ever cut. Beginning with a gorgeous circular pattern of percussion, 12-string guitar and bass, the song drops into a fantastic shuffle groove with a bass line and sound that Wilson used a year later as the core for "Good Vibrations". Not to be missed, and a welcome addition. In the end, you don't have much else here that would interest a collector or completist, but you do have some of the finest records from the era, in the form that they were originally intended. If you're interested in exploring the Beach Boys and the genius of Brian Wilson, pick these up; but don't forget a copy of Pet Sounds as well. You'll be off to a fine start.

Posted by Matt at 00:00, 17 Oct 1999

Bad Love

[ review of: Bad Love by Randy Newman (CD Album) ]

As a solo album artist, Randy Newman isn't exactly what you'd call prolific. His output of only eleven albums (not counting soundtracks) in thirty years underlines this. When one does come out, however, it is always clear that they are made with a great deal of care and ambition. Bad Love, Newman's first for Dreamworks, is no exception; in fact it easily stands up as one of his greatest. Songs like the tender "I Miss You" and the hilarious "I'm Dead" and "Shame" - where Newman admits to his lover "God damn it you little bitch, I'd kill you if I didn't love you so much" - will all be recognized as fresh Newman classics. All of the things that make Randy appealing are evident on this record - the sarcasm, rapier wit, as well as his classic blues/pop sensibility will satisfy longtime fans. This record is different, however, in many ways. Some of the things that make it refreshing are the arrangements (Newman) and production (Mitchell Froom). There is more of a sense of intimacy in the arrangements, and it's primarily because there is a close ensemble 'trio' feel to all of the rhythm tracks. This creates an immediacy that sets Bad Love apart from his other work. Deadly fun, and absolutely necessary for anyone with even a passing interest in one of America's greatest songwriters.

Posted by Matt at 00:00, 11 May 1999