Search - Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Tommy Boyce :: Dolenz Jones Boyce & Hart

Lost classic.....

thehammer | MO USA | 04/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the "Monkees" lost albums. Reissue efforts by Arista and Rhino have ignored this recording, probably because of the fact it was not billed officially as a Monkees work, and because Capitol records apparently still owns it, which would mean paying licensing fees which they may have perceived demand for the record did not warrant. Most unfortunate, as most fans seem to have a special place in their hearts for this record. It is obvious that this DJBH was aimed at the same audience, and would almost certainly have been called a "Monkees" release had the rights to the name been available. Almost everyone involved had been a part of the original Monkees sessions in the past. On the Monkees first five albums, their most commercially successful ones, Dolenz and Jones were usually featured, and spent as much time being backed by Boyce and Hart and some of their studio cohorts as they did being supported by Nesmith and Tork. The substance of Nesmith and Tork's contributions is sometimes missed here, but the album has an upbeat spirit and appeal that recalls their glory days, and is absent from almost every post '60's Monkees album (including 1987's POOL IT!, where the "energy" of the record comes across as stiff and unconvincingly as a forced smile). DJBH is light, and fluffy in places, but never-the-less is often times more sophisticated than some of the group's previous efforts, and manages to sound in ways sonically more mature. The influence of the Bee Gees, by then the "topper-most-of-the-popper most" is often amusing. Dolenz and Jones sound as though they can't sing one or two of the songs with a straight face.

There are numerous highlights here, already well covered by others, that will make your toes tap and bring a smile to your face as well as any of the 1960's Monkees cannon. The only real clunker being Boyce and Hart's "Sweet Heart Attack". A bad pun comparing love to a heart attack? Who thinks coronaries are funny?

As to the sound, this CD release sounds much better than most bootlegs I have heard. There are a few tics here and there that the filters couldn't mute, and a few places where some surface noise peaks through, but overall, it is crisp, reasonably clear, without much distortion. Hearing what a train wreck some reissues can be even with the original master tapes (Rhino has never put out a CD of the Monkees Pisces that sounds as good as the original LP), the fact that this is a "dub" of the original vinyl is not all bad. By the time DJBH was recorded, studio tech had advanced since the '60's, so this was better recorded than the Monkees older 60's analog records. The Capitol records pressing of this record is very good (I know, I have it), on par with some of RCA's "Dynagroove" releases and many of the "audiophile" Vinyl releases of today. A dub of a good condition copy of this record into digital with pro equipment and pro editing means you get a CD that sounds like a mint copy of the original LP that you can play over and over without fear, and without the sloppy formatting on most amateur CD-R's. I've never heard a CD-R bootleg that did not have sound and/or editing issues that are absent on this English reissue CD.

Bottom line, if you like the Monkees, you'll probably love this. One strange note: the original back cover art is included in the booklet, along with credits, some rare B&W photos and decent liner notes. But the external art features the head shots from the original LP jacket spliced into a weird bi-plane art creation. ????? No explanation for this seems reasonable. Oh well, many releases of the Monkees LP's outside the U.S. had different jackets, so it could be viewed as making the CD just another collectible curiosity.

Don't miss this one, who knows if and when they will ever release this "cult classic" again legitimately.

"

Dolenz Takes The Helm

Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 11/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After The Monkees faded from the music scene upon Michael Nesmith's departure in 1969, Mickey Dolenz made a number of attempts to pick up the pieces and get the group back together.



Before the band found a second career on the "oldies/nostalgia" circuit, Dolenz enlisted Davy Jones and key songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for this solid comeback album that was released in 1976. Keeping the focus on well-crafted pop, this is clearly the venue for Dolenz, who demonstrates solid leadership throughout the project. The top tracks are Right Now, You and I, Savin' My Love for You and I Remember the Feeling, with the only clunker being Along Came Jones.



A failed U.S. tour - though a live album was released from the Japanese concert dates - and poor record sales doomed the band, but they left behind some neat pop rock...minus the sugary bubblegum."