This is not going to make me a lot of friends. Especially since I know a lot of collectors (albeit older ones) who love the Monkees. But, the truth is, I only own one of their albums, and I only own it because I like one song. If you haven’t already guessed what it is, you don’t have to look far. I really like “Porpoise Song (Theme From “Head”)” which is…I think…the second song on the album Head (duh). The first song is only a minute long introduction. So basically I own a full length LP that I only enjoy the first five minutes of, and once I’ve made it that far I take it off and put on something else I like better. There’s really no purpose to my owning Head. It could be purged from the collection and I wouldn’t miss it, because I’m pretty sure I’ve got an MP3 of the one tune I like and that might be enough for me to never think twice about selling it or giving it away to someone who would better appreciate it. At least I didn’t spend much on the album, I found my 1985 Rhino Records reissue on April 17th, 2010 during a Record Store Day hunt at a local Los Angeles shop.
I mean… seriously. What did the Monkees ever really do? Why should I care about their oeuvre? I’m not saying that to be negative. I’m genuinely curious as to why a band that was kind of started just to play a band on TV, should be respected and paid attention to 50 years later. Were they simply a product of their era? Was the pop-culture crossover thing a notable achievement? Is there anything subversive or unique about their recorded output that I don’t know about that I could deem worthy of respect? I know there are some people (I’m thinking of one person in particular I know who works with the Monkees) I could out-and-out ask these questions to but I’d feel awkward doing so. Instead I’ll ask all of you. The Monkees. Are they more than just “Porpoise Song…” a really good song that just happens to be on an album that was manufactured to demolish their squeaky-clean TV pop band image? Let me know.
The Monkees. Head. Another superfluous addition to my record collection, retained only because I enjoy one song.
The Monkees
Head
(Colgems – COSO-5008, 1968)
A1. Opening Ceremony
A2. Porpoise Song (Theme From “Head”) [MP3]
A3. Ditty Diego – War Chant
A4. Circle Sky
A5. Supplico
A6. Can You Dig It
A7. Gravy
B1. Superstitious
B2. As We Go Along
B3. Dandruff?
B4. Daddy’s Song
B5. Poll
B6. Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again
B7. Swami – Plus Strings
