Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings (Live)

I love this kind of stuff. To hear how this group (actor/musicians) have progressed over the years. You would only appreciate this if you are a fan, I have to admit to skipping over a track every now and then just because that's how "weird" the mix sounds (technically and musically). What really makes this great is the improvising inbetween songs. I really wish someone would release tapes like this of the 20th anniversary. That was the best decade for the group. 1986 started it for me, like 1966 started it for my mom and dad.

At the height of their popularity, "The Monkees" embarked on a summer tour that played for two months with great success. After the Beatles retired from touring, "The Monkees" filled the need for the teeny bopper audiences that screamed for the past three years. RCA/Colgems, their record label, had the good idea to capture "The Monkees" live for a possible record release. Unfortunately technical problems along with the fact that most of the songs played were already recently released on "Headquarters" nixed this idea. Twenty years later, Rhino Records, who currently owns "The Monkees" catalogue released this record with mixed success. "The Monkees Live 1967" was remixed and songs from 3 concerts were pulled to make a complete one. A few years ago, Rhino Handmade released the entire concerts along with a test concert in a limited edition CD to Monkees fans delight. What makes this version so much better than "The Monkees Live 1967" is the fact that I'm hearing four entirely different performances, not just the best recorded. Today's live concerts sound too much like an album and not a performance. Who cares if there are some gliches? This always happens at concerts. In 1989 I saw "The Monkees" perform live when a mishap happened. Peter Tork's mike for his banjo went out and Micky Dolenz joked about it. Things like this make live albums so special. Unfortunately Record Companies and Artists today don't understand the appeal of these goofs.

i was so happy when they released this cd......Buy this only if you are a monkees fan, because otherwise you probably will not get much joy out of hearing Micky talking about how the drum is not mounted to the ground and what not. I could just imagine how tough it was for Micky, Mike, Peter and Davy to go out there and perform with the kind of equipment they were giving. And alot of the songs sound great. Especially the songs that get played from the Headquarters album. Because basically it is just the 4 guys on that album and in concert it sounds exactly the same. Not much more to say than just really loved hearing all the problems the guys were facing while putting on a really entertaining show.