The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (Deluxe Edition)

One of their absolute best albums, one which I've always had the original vinyl for and had to wait forever for it to come back into print again. While it remains a genuinely stunning and enjoyable recording, easily on a par with any of their peers during that sane time period, there is one flaw - and it doesn't have anything to do with the music. Rather, it has to do with Rhino, who rereleased it. When the wait was over for this to finally be released on CD in the '90s, they completely screwed up the "old mono" presentation of "Magnolia Simms". On the original vinyl, it was recorded as pure mono forced out through BOTH speakers, having a careful balance when it was slightly less on the right and slightly more on the left, with extra hiss and surface noise added on the right for a perfectly aged "mono" effect. But the moment the CD was released, Rhino either got really lazy or took the "mono" idea the wrong way - they simply force EVERYTHING through the left speaker! It ruins the carefully constructed "old time mono" effect that Mike Nesmith had so carefully constructed and leaves out not only most of the added detail, but also makes for extremely uncomfortable listening on headphones. This is all the MORE baffling when you consider that Rhino's vinyl rerelease of the same album, released long before the CD, is IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL VINYL RELEASE! >:-( Whoever was the numbskull who decided to pull this stunt completely ruined Nesmith's classic track. I was hoping that Rhino would have realized this by now, but no - the ruined version is still present here. This is the one thing that keeps me from purchasing the album on iTunes. Why, Rhino, why, when your own vinyl rerelease was so perfect?

ESSENTIAL: Daydream Believer (Stewart) / Valleri (Boyce-Hart) / Tapioca Tundra (Nesmith) / P.O. Box 9847 (Boyce-Hart) / Zor & Zam (Chadwick-Chadwick) / Auntie's Municipal Court (Nesmith-Allison) OTHERS: I'll Be Back Up On My Feet (Linzer-Randell) / Dream World (Jones-Pitts)

the Monkees were only on a couple years . . . . . . Rest In Peace, Davy . . . . .

This album tends to sound like a continuation of PAC&J Ltd. In fact, they could have been a double album. There are several strong tracks and some interesting psychedelic forays, but nothing very different from what proceed it. Daydream Believer and Valeri are the highlights. But, Tapioca Tundra, P.O. Box 9847 and Auntie's Municipal Court are also good, if dated, examples of what the Monkees could do.

Daydream believer is one of the worst moldy oldies out there

The monkees are the bomb and the album is overpriced because they are so awesome and popular!!!!!!! XD

why is this thing $12. Seems a bit overpriced for an old album from the 60s.

You NEED to get this album it is the BEST! GET THIS ALBUM! it is the best! One of my favorites is Daydream Believer! It rocks) Get this album that's all I can say!! THE MONKEES ROCK I SAY ROCK!!

***Zor and Zam*** Highly overlooked gem. I remember listening to this album when my sister bought it years ago. I thought this song was so good and was a great statement about war.

(Note: I'm reviewing the original album, tracks 1-14, not tracks 15-17.) After The Monkees's Emmy-winning TV series was cancelled and their new movie Head proved to be a flop, the band decided to keep going. They were out to prove that they hadn't been washed up just yet. And the public saw this after the release of their fifth album, The Birds, the Bees, & the Monkees. But, despite the fact that it was very popular with the public, it was the first Monkees album not to reach #1 in the charts. The Monkees may very well have been starting to deteriorate by this time. Though the album contains their last #1 single, "Daydream Believer" (An all-time favorite of mine) and the undiscovered gems that are "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet" and "Tapioca Tundra", as well as the overrated "Valleri", it is mainly comprised of strange, less Monkees-ish music. One example is "Alvin" ("...I miss him..."), a 27-second story about an fictional alligator. There's also the other weird ones like "Zor and Zam", an anti-war song that's a little obnoxious. The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees could very well be one of the least enjoyable Monkees albums that was ever put out in public. For cultists or completists only. Recommended Tracks: "Auntie's Municipal Court" "Tapioca Tundra" "Daydream Believer"