Music review of Monkees Present written by Woolie
(Woolhat67@aol.com).
Monkees Present
Monkees Present is known to many Monkees fans as The White Ablum.
This ablum
marks the last ablum Mike Nesmith worked on before Justus. It was also
the
band's second ablum without Peter Tork. It was released in late 1969.
This
ablum features a wide variety of music, from Nesmith's Electro-country
to
Dolenz's soulful sound, and to Jones's bubble gum rock.
Tracks (1-12)
The first track on the ablum is a song written by Micky Dolenz
entitled
"Little Girl". The song show's Dolenz's strenght as a songwriter. It is
a
great choice to start this fanatic ablum. The second track is Nez's own
"Good
Clean Fun". It gives us all a taste of the true sound of Mike Nesmith.
Why the
title? Well Nesmith chose the title because of his battle with a record
executive. The executive told him that all songs he wrote should be good
clean
fun. Following that song is a love ballad sung by Davy Jones. "If I
Knew"
provides the ablum with its only love song. Track 4 is yet another song
by
Dolenz called "Bye-bye Baby Bye-bye". The song is broken down into a
more
acoustic sound. It has a country feel to it but definitely a great song.
Track
5 is Nesmith's second contribution to the album. "Never Tell A Woman
Yes" is a
funny country tune. The song is more country then his other songs on the
ablum. "Looking For The Good Times" Jones's second addition is a pop
song with
a funky beat. It's a good song to dance to. (My opinion its Davy's best
song
on the ablum.) The next song is a song by the dynamic duo. No, not
Batman and
Robin but Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. They contribute the comical
"Ladies Aid
Society". Listen for Micky singing backup. It is quite funny. The eighth
track
is the famous "Listen To The Band". This song is Nesmith's best. It is
one of
the powerful songs on the album. This song has been dubbed the Monkees
anthem.
This song could possible be Nesmith's best with The Monkees. Following
LTB is
"French Song". This song has a European movie feel to it. The next
track, is
undoubtedly Micky Dolenz's best song on the ablum. The highly
controversial
even to this day "Mommy and Daddy" is a powerful protest song. Next to
"Listen
To The Band" it is the best song on the ablum. Following that powerful
piece
is Papa Nez's "Oklahoma Backroom Dancer". If you want to get a feel for
Nez's
power at country rock, this song would be the best choice. "Pillow Time"
which
can be heard as its pre-issue version on Headquaters, is back. But this
time
Micky adds a blues band. It has a real blues feel to it. It's a good way
to
end the album.
Bonus Selections (13-17):
Monkees Present offers the best bonus selections next to
Headquaters. The
first of the bonus tracks is Calico Girlfriend Samba. This song can be
heard
on Nez's first ablum with First National Band. Nez breaks out with the
Latin
rhythms. Thus breaking away from the commercial pop-rock songs. It's a
great
song to samba to<>. The next track is a spoken word poem by Davy
called "The Good Earth". It is a fantastic poem. Davy's soft-spoken
British
accent adds just the right touch. Track 15 is an un-released issue of
"Listen
To The Band". The song is striped of the horn section and is just an all
out
jam. Next is un-released version of Mommy and Daddy. This version is far
more
controversial then the version that made it onto the ablum. This version
in my
opinion is better then the album cut. The last track on the ablum is the
radio
promo. It's a very interesting selection. It is a rare insight to what
the
radio commercials back in the 60's were like.
In my opinion, Monkees Present is well worth it. All the tracks (1-17)
are
great.
On a scale on 1 to 5 *<[]'s, I give it *<[] *<[] *<[] *<[]. It is
clearly the
best ablum next to Headquaters.
~ Woolie