It’s easy to slag THE MONKEES off isn’t it? After all, they were the first ‘manufactured’ pop band; four guys from different backgrounds (including a Tippex heir in Mike Nesmith) thrown together for the purpose of the hit TV series and the spin-off recordings which – allegedly – they didn’t always play on. As for the songs themselves, well they were always written for them, weren’t they, so The Monkees must have been frauds, right? Milli Vanilli’s ancestors to a man, eh?
Well, you may of course continue to laugh, but personally I always had a soft spot for The Monkees, even when I used to watch the re-runs of the TV series as a pre-teen in the punk days of 1976/77. And come on, own up: how many of you out there over 30 really HAVEN’T jumped around to the likes of “I’m A Believer” at school discos up and down the land? Come on, it’s no good putting your hand up and keeping your fingers crossed behind your back. I know a liar when I hear one.
Besides, listening to Warner Music’s newly-(re)issued “Platinum Collection Volume 2” you begin to realise that there was actually a fair bit of previously unheralded excellence tucked away within the lesser-known folds of The Monkees’ tapestry, especially because many of the more familiar songs (“I’m A Believer”, “Daydream Believer”, “The Monkees Theme” etc) have already featured on “The Platinum Collection – Volume 1”.
Naturally, Warners weren’t so daft as not to hold a few of the hits in reserve, and “Volume 2” presents us with a couple of familiar, but still-brilliant jangle-fests such as “Last Train To Clarkesville” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, not to mention the convincingly muscular garage-rock sneer of “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”, which – lest we forget – a bunch of chancers called The Sex Pistols went on to cover ten years later.
The collection really intrigues, though, when it casts its’ net deeper into the archives and comes up with unlikely successes as diverse as “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round” ( a sublime country-rock canter that would have suited Gene Clark), the soft’n’swoony Davy Jones croon of “Forget That Girl” and a playful, but curiously effective take on Leiber & Stoller’s “DW Washburn” which inadvertently sets a precedent for all sorts of American quirkmeisters like They Might Be Giants and Jonathan Richman.
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And, of course, “Volume 2” again reminds us that – when they could get past the usual Boyce/Hart songwriting monopoly, The Monkees were actually quite accomplished songwriters in their own right. To this end, Mike Nesmith proves his worth with the punchy “Mary Mary” and the spacy, ‘Nuggets’-style summer of psych anthem that is “Daily Nightly”, while Mickey Dolenz’s “Randy Scouse Git” remains a truly bizarre hybrid of styles (ragtime ska, anyone?) which continues to surprise newcomers and even the much-maligned Peter Tork proves he’s not such a dork after all with the groovy, if somewhat formulaic “For Pete’s Sake.”
Inevitably, there’s some filler too, and I can’t say I’d be too bothered if I didn’t hear the likes of one-trick ponies like “Let’s Dance On”, the schmaltzy “Come On In” and the silly Italian version of “The Monkees Theme” (or “Tema Dei Monkees” as it is here) again in a hurry. However, “Volume 2” also sensibly finds room for the string-drenched, cod-baroque “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” which also reminds us that however much of a manufactured entity The Monkees may have been, they tried damned hard to be accepted on their own terms and made one of the strangest psychedelic movies ever made in “Head” as a parting two-fingers to the world. A gesture they finally achieved overdue recognition for the best part of 30 years later. Oh, and it’s true Charlie Manson got a part as an extra in it, too.
So while The Monkees will probably never be treated with the gravitas of the ‘60s biggest hitters or be granted 20-page ‘Mojo’ re-appraisals on a regular basis, they were actually a pretty talented bunch and even some of their lesser known moments stand up to scrutiny the best part of 40 years later. And I can’t imagine any of us giving valuable listening time to the likes of Bros and Five Star in 20 years time. Can you?
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