After the surprise release of More of the Monkees, the group had had enough - members Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork pushed harder than ever to record their own music. Soon after, agreements were made, and Monkees sessions where they played their own instruments soon followed, with their self-played music to be the B-Side of the next single. Tensions came to a head, though, when the third single released with Kirshner-supervised songs on both the A and B-Side. This was the final straw; Kirshner was let go from The Monkees project, and the group was given full creative control for their next album. Headquarters is finally where The Monkees have cut their own strings, letting their creativity flow - it certainly shows. While they aren't the most musically skilled folks on the block, The Monkees chemistry very much shows on this tight, garage-rock tinged pop album. From pounding psyche rockers to beautiful ballads to blues to tinges of country and folk, Headquarters showcases every individual talent and desire of every Monkees member, and that's part of what makes it a cut above their previous endeavors.
Now, The Monkees members aren't the absolute best players - in fact, you could call some of their playing, particularly Micky Dolenz's drumming, rather simple. Nevertheless, the sum is greater than the parts here, and when you put every element together you get a tight-sounding group that can rock on demand - look at the thumping garage number "Sunny Girlfriend" as prime example. They're also an incredibly versatile group on this album, and they can do far more than rip out the same rock song. "Early Morning Blues and Greens" is a psychedelia-tinged pop number that probably serves as the group's most impressive instrumental on this album - Peter Tork's organ solo speaks for itself. Other, folkier moments define the album, like the largely acoustic "I'll Spend My Life With You." Because of the various backgrounds of each member ("from Manchester to Texas, from the East coast to the West" as the back cover puts it), we also get flavors of individual ambition - the baroque-leaning Davy Jones gets his own moment on "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind," which was initially recorded all the way back during their first debut before being redone here - thank God they redid it. The omnipresent country influence on Michael Nesmith gets stretching room with the powerful opener "You Told Me," as well as slight shimmers on album highlight "You Just May Be the One." Micky is the pop one, albeit with an undeniable psychedelic tinge, seen on tracks like the mysterious "Mr. Webster" or the crashing album closer "Randy Scouse Git."
For as scattered as some ideas are on this album, it's all remarkably cohesive - the band truly is a unit here, making every idea come together. A song like "For Pete's Sake" is the ethos of the album, and maybe of The Monkees themselves - "love is understanding," in many ways, is a phrase that permeates the group's own creations. Did I mention that this is Peter's own song? Finally he gets to shine - and it's one of the best on the album, no less! "Shades of Grey" is a baroque pop wonder, complete with horns and strings throughout its building, uncertain chorus. "No Time" shows that the group can punch out a hell of a blues song, and it's one of the boldest, meanest rockers the group has done yet, only outclassed by "Randy Scouse Git" on this same album. THAT song is Micky Dolenz's artistic ascension; a stream of consciousness gentle pop number recollecting a party with The Beatles that builds and bubbles into a crashing, angry chorus. Understandably a hit in the UK, albeit with a censored name. "Forget That Girl" is conceivably the best pure pop song that the group's done up to this point, with a driving organ riff and great harmonies throughout - for my money, it's better than "Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer." Even goofy nothing moments like "Band 6" or "Zilch" carry an undeniable wit and zany nature to them that's most certainly on-brand with The Monkees.
A super deluxe edition of Headquarters released incredibly recently as of the time of writing, and it contains a new mix of the album - in case you're wondering, the mix is fucking amazing. With Headquarters suddenly plunging itself out of the recesses of my mind, I ended up diving back into The Monkees' catalog (well, clearly), and I'm still always a little taken aback by the abrupt, sudden jump in quality between their first two albums and this. The Monkees on this album are full of passion, life, and ideas, so much so that you'd almost think they were a different band - technically, that may very well be the case. Headquarters began a golden age for the group in terms of their artistic expression, and gives us a glimpse of various ideas and genres that every member will explore to the fullest in the future. A massive stepping stone for the group in every way - I can love what I'm just hearing here.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Headquarters.
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