ALBUM REVIEW: The Monkees - Changes

    Really, what did The Monkees have by 1970? Not only was Peter out, but an increasingly disgruntled Mike Nesmith had cut his contract with Screen Gems earlier that year, grabbing a record deal with RCA for his new First National Band - The group's debut, Magnetic South would release in July of that year. So The Monkees, now Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, were left head-strung about what to do with the future. The answer? Jeff Barry on the way! The producer of "I'm a Believer" and writer of "She Hangs Out" had a handful of songs that he felt were perfect for The Monkees to sing vocals over - it's all gone full circle. Changes is, predictably, similar in style to More of the Monkees, but without any of the care or... authenticity of that album - for all the accusations that I will fight against, this album is pure bubblegum. Is it bad? Not so much as it is boring, no, but it's probably the most soulless Monkees album up to this point - no wonder Davy hated this thing so much.

    Jeff Barry is no slouch when it comes to pop-writing, and he can certainly deliver some fine material. The soulful "Oh My My" that opens the album, aside from affirming the fact that what you're listening to is Changes, is a decent enough rocker that could've been a hit had people bought the record - the B-Side of that single, "I Love You Better," fails to impress, though. Barry can also lay claim to what is possibly the album's best song, "99 Pounds," a holdover from 1967 - it's a thundering rock number, complete with an excellent Davy Jones vocal performance. Remember when I said I wish Davy would rock out more? Let's just say I was a happy camper. Micky himself has a great tune in "Midnight Train," a leftover from Present that was initially demoed during Headquarters - the finished version here is a great little country number, which almost makes up for the fact that we don't have Mike here. Almost. "Acapulco Sun" is also a fun little track, and "I Never Thought It Peculiar" is a fun, if somewhat flat, way to end the record - one of the better leftovers from More of the Monkees.

    The rest of the album is in one ear and out the other with what can only be described as some of the flattest bubblegum I've heard - before you ask, it's still better than The Archies. "It's Got to Be Love" was patronizing when I first heard it almost a year ago, but now it's simply a nothing song - depending on your view, that may either be better or worse. "All Alone in the Dark" is almost as bad as the worst shit on Present, although it's not annoying enough to be on par with "Ladies Aid Society." It's getting there, though. The second half of the record is especially flat compared to the first half, and many of the songs end up bleeding together with one another, which is an issue that most other Monkees albums just do not have. If you put a gun to my head and asked me to hum the melody to "Tell Me Love," chances are I would hum the melody of "Do You Feel It Too?," and the only thing worse than death is "Do You Feel It Too?" being the last song I was singing prior to death.

    The Monkees unceremoniously split after this, and perhaps that's for the best. Changes is, at the very least, Changes. For as reviled as this album is in certain Monkees circles (and, to be fair, I don't think this criticism isn't without merit), I think I can safely say that this is not as bad as some people claim. Now, that aside, this is still the group's weakest Colgems album, and when you remove the good you're left with a flaccid pop record that just doesn't have the melodies or earnesty to sell itself the way that their previous work did. If you really want a dose of Monkees at the turn of the decade, here's your friendly reminder that Magnetic South came out in 1970, and Nevada Fighter the following year. The young generation has run out of things to say, at least for now it seems. 

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Changes.