The Monkees - Head
by Bob Rafelson
from Rhino Theatrical
The Monkees - Our Favorite Episodes
by Micky Dolenz
from Rhino Theatrical
Whether you're indulging nostalgia or experiencing the Monkees for the first time, Our Favorite Episodes--chosen by Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith--is a curious time capsule. Even for veteran Monkeephiles, it's obvious that the TV series, totaling 58 episodes from 1966 to 1968, hasn't aged very gracefully. It's fun as a pop-cultural artifact, and original fans will fondly recall the eagerness with which each week's episode was anticipated. Looking back, however, the shows are marginally amusing, and their improvisational, low-budget strategy tends to limit their lasting appeal. For die-hard fans it won't matter a bit; any chance to own and archive the Monkee phenomenon (with brief latter-day interviews included) is going to be welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed.
Because Jones's favorite episode was actually the Emmy-winning "Royal Flush," the inclusion of "Hitting the High Seas" is a conspicuous blunder, but it's compensated by Peter's "Monkee vs. Machine." Directed by series producer (and then-budding filmmaker) Bob Rafelson, and featuring comedian Stan Freberg as a stodgy toy-company executive, this early episode was a first-season highlight. Mickey selected (and directed) the series finale, "Mijacogeo (The Frodis Caper)," which is noteworthy for a filmed performance of Tim Buckley singing a rare acoustic version of "Siren Song" (further proof that the Monkees were hipper than their TV personas). Mike's favorite "Fairy Tale" is a wild romp indeed, with Nesmith in drag (as a fairy princess), sounding shockingly like Cher from her later TV variety show. They're semi-inspired at best, but these vintage episodes still capture the lunacy that accompanied the meteoric success of the "Pre-Fab Four." --Jeff Shannon
Treasure Island
by Norm Prescott
from Warner Home Video
Young Jim Hawkins comes to possess a map that he believes will lead him to gold. Jim doesn't suspect that his shipmate on the journey, Long John Silver, is a pirate intent on grabbing the treasure.
The Monkees (Volumes 1 & 2)
by Micky Dolenz
from Rhino / Wea
When viewed through the rose-colored glasses of happy nostalgia, these four well-chosen episodes of The Monkees TV series (1966-68) provide 100 minutes of shameless anarchy, courtesy of Mike, Davey, Mickey, and Peter. The show--and the Monkees themselves--were conspicuous attempts to capitalize on the Beatles (by copping their Help! and A Hard Day's Night formula of pop music and comedy), but these episodes demonstrate the show's emerging identity, from its original pilot (filmed a full year before its November 1966 broadcast) to the casual lunacy of two above-average episodes ("The Picture Frame" and "Hillbilly Honeymoon") from the series' second season.
The pilot (which features cowriter and series developer Paul Mazursky as a TV reporter) shows the Monkees in embryonic form; their hair's much shorter, and you can even spot a Beatles poster in their Monkee-pad. But it wasn't long before the group's distinct personalities emerged (Davey was always molded as the heartthrob), and by the time "The Picture Frame" aired on September 18, 1966, the show's combination of silly slapstick, groan-worthy punch lines, and catchy pop tunes had become a ratings smash. (Indeed, that episode's featured song, "Pleasant Valley Sunday," had recently topped the Billboard pop chart.) And while "Alias Mickey Dolenz" is clearly a Mickey showcase (in which he aids police by doubling as a wanted killer), it also features two songs ("Mary, Mary" and "The Kind of Girl I Could Love") that established Mike Nesmith as a talented songwriter. All in all, these four episodes neatly summarize what the Monkees were--a marketing ploy that took flight as a legitimate pop-cultural phenomenon. --Jeff Shannon
Join Micky, Davy, Mike, and Peter for three madcap adventures in this landmark '60s sitcom. Each of these episodes is complete and uncut--lovingly restored from original film elements. Episodes: Here Come the Monkees, Picture Frame, Alias Micky Dolenz, Hillbilly Honeymoon. Songs: I Wanna Be Free, Let's Dance On, Pleasant Valley Sunday, Randy Scouse Git, Mary Mary, The Kind of Girl I Could Love, Papa Gene's Blues.
Hey Hey We're the Monkees
by Alan Boyd (II)
from Immortal
Oliver Twist (1974)
by Hal Sutherland
from Warner Home Video
Children's animated re-telling of the Oliver Twist tale.
Karaoke: Library, Vol. 18
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Songs made popular by your favorite artists such as: Another Sad Love Song by Toni Braxton, The Freshman by The Verve Pipe, Girl by The Beatles, Ladies Night by Kool & The Gang, Breathe Again by Toni Braxton, Bittersweet Me by R.E.M., Betcha By Golly Wow by Stylistics, Never Keeping Secrets by Babyface, Let Me Entertain You by "Gypsy" (Broadway Musical), Funky Broadway by Wilson Pickett, I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingoes, What Child Is This by Harry Simeone Chorale, Here, There, and Everywhere by The Beatles, The Lady Is A Tramp by Frank Sinatra, Tell It To My Heart by Taylor Dayne, Walkin' My Baby Back Home by Johnnie Ray, It's Raining, It's Pouring (Children's Standard), The More I See You by Chris Montez, Alouette (L'Alouette) (Children's Standard), The First Noel (Holiday Standard), Hold On, I'm Coming by Sam & Dave, Old MacDonald Had A Farm (Children's Standard), Soul Man by Sam & Dave, I'll Be There For You (Theme from "Friends") by The Rembrandts, and Without You by Motley Crue.
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