The Monkees (Headquarters) – Review

The Monkees (Headquarters)

        Original Tracks
                You Told Me (Nesmith)
                I'll Spend My Life With You (Boyce & Hart)
                Forget That Girl (Hatlelid)
                Band 6 (Jones, Nesmith, Tork, & Dolenz)
                You Just May Be The One (Nesmith)
                Shades of Gray (Mann & Weil)
                I Can't Get Her Off My Mind (Boyce & Hart)
                For Pete's Sake (Tork & Richards)
                Mr. Webster (Boyce & Hart)
                Sunny Girlfriend (Nesmith)
                Zilch (Jones, Nesmith, Tork, & Dolenz)
                No Time (Cicalo)
                Early Morning Blues and Greens (Hilderbrand & Keller)
                Randy Scouse Git (Dolenz)
        Bonus Selections
                All of Your Toys (Martin)
                The Girl I Knew Somewhere (Nesmith)
                Peter Gunn's Gun (Mancini)
                Jericho (Traditional)
                Nine Times Blue (Nesmith)
                Pillow Time (Scott & Willis)

Headquarters remains the group's favorite album to this day as it was the
only album in which they were a true band in every sense of the word.
Their collaboration as a unit is epitomized by their choice to include
tracks like "Band 6" and "Zilch."  Micky had his first, and best, writing
efforts with "Randy Scouse Git"  and Tork also got into the action with
"For Pete's Sake," though Micky sings lead vocal.

This album represents the embodiment of Monkees music-- and the
contradictory evidence against anyone who declares the Monkees to be
nothing but an invention of "multi-media."  It's unfortunate that none of
the album's songs were ever released in The United States.  Else, their
future albums may have turned out more like this one.  "Randy Scouse Git"
went to number two in the United Kingdom, and it is often wondered what
would have happened if a song like "Shades of Gray" had been released in
The United States.  Unfortunately, we'll never know.

The bonus tracks on the album are exquisite.  From the studio jamming and
joking of "Peter Gunn's Gun" and "Jericho" to the demo versions of "Nine
Times Blue" and "Pillow Time," this album offers it all (as if the original
tracks weren't enough).  Also noteworthy is an alternate take of "The Girl
I Knew Somewhere" as sung by its writer, Mike Nesmith.

Questions, comments, arguments, compliments, or general Monkee Talk
welcome at landsberg@alltel.net
                                                        - Mike Landsberg