In September of 1965, an ad was placed in The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety looking for four young men to star in a television show about a fictitious rock group - by November, The Monkees had there members in musical star Davy Jones (fresh off his role as The Artful Dodger in Oiliver!, no less), child actor and sometimes-rocker Micky Dolenz, Greenwich Village folkie Peter Tork, and Texan musician Michael Nesmith. As The Monkees TV show took off and debut single "Last Train to Clarksville" climbed the charts, this album followed. While the album is mostly a product of the factory-like churn of Boyce, Hart, and Don Kirshner, it's manufactured state doesn't necessarily make this a throwaway. While The Monkees would get their independence in time, their debut shows that they were still a pretty good pop group. They're all great singers, and the few pieces from inside the group on this album showcase a real potential that bubbles within.
Let's get the elephant out of the room - no, The Monkees did not play their own instruments. Roger McGuinn was also the only member of The Byrds that played on "Mr. Tambourine Man." Session musicians aren't a dirty thing, and frankly I don't entirely blame Kirshner for using them - at this point in the game, his job was to create hits, and you can't really deny the results here. Most of the album is filled with ear-worm potential. "Last Train to Clarksville" and its B-Side "Take a Giant Step" were ideal singles, not just because of their Beatlesque nature and charm, but because they're great numbers that could easily sell someone on this album. Of course, most of this album is either trying to sound like "Clarksville" or The Beatles, with some notable exception. "Saturday's Child" is a case of the former, and it's a solid driving rock song complete with a great guitar solo. For the latter, look no further than "Let's Dance On," which musically feels like it borrows a few ideas from The Fab Four's rendition of "Twist and Shout." None of this necessarily makes the album stale or bad, of course, but it's arguable as a bit kitsch.
This may all sound like I don't like the album, but that's far from the case. It's a very tightly played and structured pop album, and the fact that this LP hit the top of the charts shows its appeal. Worth mention is the Nesmith-penned songs "Papa Gene's Blues" and "Sweet Young Thing," both of which have an undeniable country tinge - Mike's country influences will further be explored later in the group's catalog, but for now these two and their driving rhythms are easily the best moments on the album. "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" is a solid Davy performance, and it's a structurally creative song - the musical bridge is great. "I Wanna Be Free" is a lovely slower number, even if I do prefer the faster version from the TV show. Still, most pop albums have their filler, and if "I'll Be True to You" isn't bad filler, than I don't know what is - a complete durge, and the absolute worst case of trying to chase Beatles greatness. Shit, Paul didn't write schlock this bad. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" is another Clarksville soundalike, but without any of the life of other tracks - wonder how long it took Boyce and Venet to make this little number. A: Clearly, not enough.
For an album that is essentially one big advertisement for a television show (Did I mention that the show's TV theme is the opening track?), The Monkees is a good debut album. While we don't get much in the way of individual exploration of the members ideas, what we do get is a handful of hits, some good album cuts, and the admittedly throwaway filler; completely standard pop album for the time. Still, the charm of the young men throughout is palpable, and they would go on to, ironically, become a real band. Of course, even with 55 years of hindsight, I think it's safe to say that The Monkees does exactly what it needs to, and it does it damn well.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to The Monkees.
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