The Monkees: Selections From The Headquarters Sessions (Rhino/2012)

Aside from being known for their classic hit singles “I'm A Believer”, “Last Train To Clarksville” and “Daydream Believer”, the Monkees also had some notoriety for not being the actual musicians who played on the records. The Monkees was conceived by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schnieder as an American television show equivalent of The Beatles. Half of the Monkees were actors and the other half were musicians. As a need to promote The Monkees name, the band needed to tour - which necessitated the need for all four Monkees to learn their respective instruments. So for the Summer of 1967 the band toured the U.S.. For the first two Monkees albums studio musicians were used on all recordings except vocally.

However for the third album, Headquarters, the band played nearly all the instruments themselves. In 2000 Rhino released The Headquarters Sessions, an 84-track 3-CD set on their boutique Rhino Handmade label. Selections From The Headquarters Sessions is a vinyl-only condensation of that and is an eight-song mini album consisting of highlights from the recording sessions. “All Of Your Toys” which the band had earmarked as their third single was marred by problems involving the publishing and their producer Don Kirschner. The song is presented here in it's original mono version. Also appearing in its' mono version is the original version of Mike Nesmith's “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”. An alternate version (with an unused tag) of the single “Randy Scouse Git” is another highlight. Rounding things out are a few acoustic demos from Mike Nesmith the backing track for “No Time” and a solo Peter Tork banjo performance of the traditional “Cripple Creek”.

This release is limited pressing of 2,000 on red vinyl that was issued for Record Store Day 2012 on Rhino Records. It is basically for Monkees fans who can't get enough Monkees vinyl and as such a nice collection for them. 

Here's The Video Review:

The Cure: Entreat Plus (Rhino/Elektra/2012).

 Entreat is a live album that was recorded at London's Wembley Arena in July of 1989 in support of the bands' monumental and very successful Disintegration album. In fact Entreat is essentially the Disintegration album, in sequence, live.

Songs on Entreat Plus had previously had been released in dribs and drabs, namely on the Lullaby and Pictures Of You singles. And then in 1990 eight songs had been culled and released in the UK-only as mini-album Entreat. However all 12 songs from Disintegration had been performed at these Wembley shows and were amongst the most in-demand to be released from the band, for some time.

In 2009 the tracks were finally mixed by Robert Smith for the triple-CD reissue of Disintegration and for a subsequent vinyl-only release. After a few delays, it was finally released as a very-nice 180-Gram double-vinyl set on Elektra/Rhino for Record Store Day 2012.

If you are a fan of The Cure, this release is highly recommended. It's a beautifully-recorded
set, tastefully-performed and somehow manages to retain the integrity of the studio recordings - which is no easy feat. "Fascination Street", "Love Song", "Lullaby" and "Pictures Of You" are all given fine readings here.
Even Robert Smith's vocals - which can sometimes be stubbornly and willfully erratic (like a child
manipulating a temper-tantrum) are right on the mark. Alcohol was a main-factor in his live vocal performances in the mid 1980's. Here he sounds sober enough to execute everything perfectly. As are the members of The Cure, who were now without one-time-drummer-turned-keyboard-player Laurence Tolhurst.

This was basically The Cure at their peak, creatively. And they were seemingly at the peak of their powers live and Robert Smith as a songwriter seemed to be able to do no wrong.

Highly Recommended for the Cure fan.

Here's The Video Review:

Special Thanks to: Denver Gillette and Zorro Zero.

Jerry Cole And His Spacemen: Hot Rod Dance Party (Capitol 1964 & Sundazed Music 2010)

Jerry Cole was an in-demand session musician from the 1960's Los Angeles, California scene. He was a member of what was subsequently dubbed The Wrecking Crew, who played on Phil Spector's hit records and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and SMiLE albums. He was the band-leader on the 60's variety shows Shindig! & Hullabaloo. He's been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame & the Capitol Records Legendary Performer Hall Of Fame. He also worked with Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Frank Sinatra to name just a few. He also had a band of his own: The Spacemen, who performed regularly on the Sunset Strip and released a trio of albums on Capitol Records in 1963 & 1964.

The final release of these albums, Hot Rod Dance Party is produced by Jim Economides (Dick Dale & His Del-Tones) and was originally released in 1964 by Capitol Records. At the time, Capitol was producing surf-rock albums by the dozens, either by actual surf-rock bands, or studio-created "bands" such as The Super Stocks, The Kickstands & The Ghouls.

"MUSIC WITH A DRIVIN' BEAT THAT PUT ANY PARTY ON WHEELS"

Hot Rod Dance Party is a horn-driven, classic reverb-drenched guitar instrumental album and is very danceable (in an swinging, twisting, old-school, guitar-based way). It's Hot-Rod Music/Surf-Pop (although "Hot Rod Music" is really just surf rock with lyrics about cars and racing as opposed to waves and surfing). There aren't any particular standout tracks, truth-be-told. The material is sometimes bachelor-pad infused with hints of tiki exotica and lounge with great guitar lines courtesy Mr. Cole. At times the material falls into a sort of generic surf-pop realm, that really isn't made anymore. This being said, the recording itself is very nice (and so unmistakably Americana of the mid 60's as well). And if you're a fan of surf rock guitar playing, you'll probably love this record. One can only imagine how the surf pop vocals of The Beach Boys or Jan & Dean on top of these instrumental tracks would have potentially elevated it commercially, but I digress.

It was reissued In a limited pressing of only 1,000 copies in 2010 by the fantastic reissue label Sundazed Music based out of the Catskills in New York. Sundazed has long-since taken the mantle from Rhino Records as being the greatest vinyl reissue/authentically vintage label currently in existence. The vinyl is beautiful clear-black-marble and is a nice piece for anyone who is a fan of this sort of thing (i.e. instrumental surf pop on vinyl, auxiliary Beach Boys session musicians, etc).

Here's the video review:

Special thanks: Sundazed Music.