REVIEW: DAVY JONES 1971 BELL ALBUM 7A RECORDS REMASTER

7a Records continues to honor the memory and legacy of Davy Jones with the vinyl and cd reissue of his 1971 self-titled album, his first post Monkees LP and solo record since the 1965 ‘David Jones’ release. Remastered from the original Japanese Bell Records master tapes supplied by Sony, the album has an early 70’s Pop sheen courtesy of producer Jackie Mills who was also producing Bobby Sherman and the Brady Kids at the time. Davy worked with Mills on the record which included a minor hit with ‘Rainy Jane’ written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield that reached number 32 on the Cashbox charts.

While Jones had hoped to move on from his “teen idol” image, recording some more mature demos (a collection found on the self released ‘Just For The Record” box set and 7a Records ‘Manchester Boy – Personal File’ 2022 release), Davy was guided by Mills and Bell Records for the 1971 sessions. While the album has some good tunes tailored towards Jones Pop and Broadway background, the album was a commercial disappointment which Davy later disowned.

The extensive liner notes found on the 7a Records cd release, written by Monkees expert the Rev. Mark Kleiner, goes into the low status of Davy Jones post Monkees career leading up to the Bell sessions. It’s a fascinating read of where Davy was at as an artist during this down period and how, despite his later dissatisfaction, approached the project with professionalism which shows on how he tackled some of the songs with a theatrical flair. Songs that really benefit include ‘Rainy Jane’, David Gates ‘Look At Me’, the album’s second single ‘I Really Love You’, ‘Road To Love’, ‘Welcome To My Love’, ‘Pretty Little Girl’ and ‘Take My Love’. The Jackie Mills production is fine, though Kleiner does note that Mills himself was not very happy to find himself producing recordings for teen idols like Davy Jones and Bobby Sherman.

Six Mono bonus tracks have been included on the cd and vinyl editions of this 7a Records release. (Note: the 2012 Friday Music cd, released after Davy’s passing, includes the same bonus tracks). They include the original single mix for ‘Girl’ from the movie ‘Star Spangled Girl’ and later featured prominently in the famous Brady Bunch episode ‘Getting Davy Jones’. While it flopped commercially at the time, ‘Girl’ is today considered Jones’ most popular solo song after The Monkees. The non-LP single ‘I’ll Believe In You’ is a beautiful song that should have gotten a big push from Bell Records. The remaining bonus tracks are Mono mixes of the album cuts ‘Take My Love’, ‘Road To Love’, ‘How About Me’ and ‘I Really Love You’.

Besides Mark Kleiner’s incredibly informative and detailed liner notes, the 36-page cd booklet is packed with rare 70’s era photos of Davy Jones, singles picture sleeves, a promotional ad for ‘Rainy Jane’, Davy in clown makeup from the 1972 ‘Pop!’ special and a beautiful centerfold of Davy that should make stars shine in the eyes of many fans! The LP edition come in a gatefold sleeve and is pressed on 180g transparent green vinyl.

While not a commercial success at the time, this remastered reissue of the 1971 ‘Davy Jones’ album is deserving of a reassessment of a nice slice of 70’s Pop that Davy was so good at. 7a Records has done an excellent job in the production and presentation of these recordings. Even if you have an original copy of the 1971 album and singles or the 2012 Friday Music cd, Monkees and especially Davy fans should have the 7a Records edition of the ‘Davy Jones’ album in their collection, the historic liner notes alone are worth it. To paraphrase the ad for the 1972 ‘Pop!’ special, rediscover ‘Davy Jones’, you may end up falling in love with him again!

Track listing:

1. Road To Love
2. How About Me
3. Singin’ To The Music
4. Rainy Jane
5. Look At Me
6. Say It Again
7. I Really Love You
8. Love Me For A Day
9. Sitting In The Apple Tree
10. Take My Love
11. Pretty Little Girl
12. Welcome To My Love

Bonus Tracks:

13. Girl (Mono)
14. I’ll Believe In You (Mono)
15. Take My Love (Mono)
16. Road To Love (Mono)
17. How About Me (Mono)
18. I Really Love You (Mono)

• Remastered With 6 Bonus Tracks
• Rare & Previously Unseen Photos
• Big 36 Page CD Colour Booklet
• Extensive Liner Notes

7a Records Link: https://www.7arecords.com/?s=Davy+jones&post_type=product&type_aws=true&aws_id=1&aws_filter=1

Fred Velez, 2024.

Fred Velez is the author of the books ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’ and ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives’.

Freddy Pop Shop Book Link: https://freddypop.wordpress.com/freddy-pop-shop/