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Monkees - 'Head' - Original Movie Soundtrack (Rhino) + bonus

Mike Reed | USA | 06/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hadn't seen this 1968 Monkees film in awhile now. Have always loved the movie soundtrack - about as much as I would any of their albums. Most memorable tunes here are the spine-tingling movie theme "Porpoise Song", "Circle Sky", the psych-like "Can You Dig It", "As We Go Along", the oh-so innocent "Daddy's Song", the toe-tapping rocker "Swami" and the radio spot. Rhino has apparently tagged on six bonus tracks. Very nice."

Tossing the Bubblegum into a Trash Can

Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 11/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"By the time that the movie and soundtrack was released, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were attempting to distance themselves from the bubblegum of the industry-created group known as The Monkees and forge a new artistic direction based on the foursome known as The Monkees.



Working within the conceptual framework of Frank Zappa came Head, which remains a vastly underrated project from 1968. There are six tracks - Porpoise Song, Circle Sky, As We Go Along, Can You Dig It?, Daddy's Song, Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again? - with incidental music, sound effects and dialogue from the film. The soundtrack follows the flow of the movie.



A number of artists appear on the album, including Ry Cooder, Neil Young, Carole King and Danny Kortchmar. The bonus tracks include alternate vocal tracks and a pair of radio promotional spots.



The group members had gotten a hard dose of reality from the entertainment industry and fired back with a salvo of wit, with a coolness that certainly baffled both the pop fans and those whose idea of bubblegum was a pack bought at the local drugstore.



"

"I'd Like A Glass Of Cold Gravy With A Hair In It, Please."

Robert I. Hedges | 04/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Head" was the Monkees sole movie, and for those who have seen the show but not the movie, it is definitely not what you're expecting, although the final episode of the show, "The Frodis Caper" starring Rip Taylor and directed by Micky Dolenz, hints at the surreal and psychedelic direction the band was moving in. "Head" takes the strange new direction of the band way further, and while a commercial flop largely because it was too mature for the Monkees' younger fans and it had an ineffectual yet avant-garde ad campaign, it is now rightly considered a cult classic.



Freed from the somewhat restrictive shackles of the series, the band came up with a wholly fitting soundtrack album that mixes a variety of interesting songs and spoken dialogue cleverly into a strange but compelling audio experience. The most commercial song on the album was the "Porpoise Song," but songs like "Can You Dig It" are more representative of the film as a whole. Without question, the best song on the album, and one of the Monkees' greatest songs ever, is "Circle Sky," a wonderful Nesmith rocker (the most disturbing footage of the film also takes place during the course it.) On this release the excellent live version is included as an bonus track. Comparing the studio and live versions is interesting (there is also an alternate studio take available that is excellent, though it is not on this CD.) Truly this is one of the greatest unknown songs of the sixties, and makes the album worth buying by itself.



I recommend the album and the film. Any soundtrack with track listings with titles like "Dandruff?," Frank Zappa and his talking cow, Jack Nicholson, Annette Funicello, and Sonny Liston has to be interesting, and is. It's a weird combination of pop culture and social commentary ("Are you telling me that you don't see the connection between government and laughing at people?") that never fails to entertain. I recommend the CD and the film strongly."