Music review: The Monkees – 鈥楪ood Times!鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a good time coming on/I can feel it in my bones,鈥� sings Micky Dolenz on the opening track of the latest album by the Monkees. The iconic band from the 1960s returns to deliver a delightful set of lively and likable tracks in celebration of the group鈥檚 50th anniversary this year.
Hearing new music from the Monkees transports me back to when I was a child and discovered my older brother鈥檚 copy of the band鈥檚 debut release. In fact, I still own a vinyl copy of 1966鈥檚 鈥淭he Monkees鈥� with its infectious arrangements like the hit single 鈥淟ast Train to Clarksville,鈥� 鈥淪aturday鈥檚 Child,鈥� 鈥淚鈥檒l Be True to You鈥� and the playful 鈥�(Theme From) The Monkees鈥� with the boys announcing, 鈥淗ey, hey, we鈥檙e the Monkees!鈥� In addition to loving their music, I was also a huge fan of the group鈥檚 television series that aired every week on NBC and would highlight the playful shenanigans of the fictional band soon to turn legitimate music stars. Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork would quickly become the American version of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Produced by Fountains of Wayne鈥檚 Adam Schlesinger, the new album possesses a vibrant assortment of new tracks as well as a few numbers retrieved out of the band鈥檚 archives. To give the new songs a fresh perspective, a variety of artists such as Schlesinger, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, XTC鈥檚 Andy Partridge, Weezer鈥檚 Rivers Cuomo and Death Cab for Cutie鈥檚 Ben Gibbard contribute their diverse writing talents for the band to add a retro feel of summer, fun and innocence. Other tracks dusted off from the vault feature the title track penned by Harry Nilsson, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart鈥檚 鈥淲hatever鈥檚 Right,鈥� Gerry Goffin and Carole King鈥檚 鈥淲asn鈥檛 Born to Follow鈥� and Neil Diamond鈥檚 鈥淟ove to Love,鈥� featuring previously recorded vocals from the late Jones.
Nesmith and Tork also offer up their own tunes with 鈥淚 Know What I Know鈥� and 鈥淟ittle Girl鈥� respectively.
Highlights include the Cuomo-penned 鈥淪he Makes Me Laugh鈥� with its simplistic and charming message of love that would have easily been a perfect fit on Weezer鈥檚 latest album and Partridge鈥檚 鈥淵ou Bring the Summer鈥� with Dolenz committing to bring the chips, the dips and root beer to usher in the start of summer fun.
With Jones鈥� passing in 2012 and Nesmith in and out of the band over the years, it would seem as if the Monkees may have composed a final farewell after hitting the half-century mark together. If indeed this latest album serves as the group鈥檚 swan song, then it is a joyous finale and I would like to think that a real good time was had by all.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.