MONKEES "INSTANT REPLAY"

Artist: The Monkees
Album: Instant Replay
Company: COLGEMS
Catalog: COS-113
Year: 1968
Genre: pop
Grade: *** (43 stars)
Condition: VG+ cover / VG+ LP
Comments: --
Quantity available: 1
Price: $30,00

Down to a trio following Peter Tork's departure, "Instant Replay" was clearly recorded under trying circumstances.  Mickey Dolenz, David Jones, and Michael Nesmith reportedly went into the studio without any material and basically took it from there.  Exemplified by some of the group photos on the back cover, the results made it clear the surviving Monkees weren't particularly happy to be with one another and were rapidly running out of creativity, let alone much enthusiasm for continuing The Monkees nameplate.  The collection featured a hodgepodge mixture of older, previously unreleased material with 'Tear Drop City' dating back to 1966, while ' I Won't Be the Same without Her' was recorded in 1967.  In contrast ewer efforts like Nesmith's ' Don't Wait for Me' sounded suspiciously like solo efforts (a la Beatles White Album).  As to be expected, Nesmith-penned country-rock efforts such as 'Don't Wait for Me' and the pretty 'While I Cry' provided most of the highlights. On the downside, Jones' MOR-moves like 'Don't Listen To Linda' and 'Me without You' were increasingly irritating, though his hysterical stab at hard rock 'You and I' was worth hearing.  Usually good for an enjoyable  track or two, this time around Dolenz's all-around weird 'Shorty Blackwell' took up way too much track time.  

 

I'd love to be more positive, but probably only of interest to hardcore fans ...

"Instant Replay" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Through the Looking Glass   (Tommy Boyce - Bobby Hart - Baldwin) - 2:41

I'm certainly not alone in thinking 'Through the Looking Glass' sounded a bit like a dosed remake of 'Cuddly Toy'.   The strange barrelhouse piano, acid-tinged orchestration, coupled with Dolenz's barely in-tune vocals made it a weird opener.   rating: *** stars
2.) Don't Listen To Linda   (Tommy Boyce - Bobby Hart) - 2:45

This was actually a decent enough ballad, but Jones' gasping delivery was so lame and vapid that he managed to reduce it to nothing more than MOR sludge.   Simply horrible.  rating: * star
3.) I Won't Be the Same without Her   (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) - 2:28

A rare vocal appearance by Nesmith who sounded a bit gruff, supposedly due to the fact he'd recently had his tonsels removed.  As I recall, the song was actually recorded during the sessions for their debut album but subsequently shelved.   It certainly had a pleasant Buffalo Springfield-styled folk-rock sound and left you wondering why Don Kirshner and company didn't want to hear Nemsith's voice on any Monkess tracks.    rating: **** stars
4.) Just a Game   (Mickey Dolenz) - 1:46

To my ears 'Just a Game ' sounded like a song fragment waiting to be fit into a true composition.  rating: ** stars
5.) Me without You   (Tommy Boyce - Bobby Hart) - 2:08

'Me without You' was a good example of the group being too cutesy for their own good.  The fact they seemingly ripped off a bit of 'Your Mother Should Know' helped a bit, as did a rather ragged guitar solo.  rating: *** stars 
6.) Don't Wait for Me   (Michael Nesmith) - 

The country-tinged 'Don't Wait for me' was a wonderful example of the direction Nez would go as a solo act    rating: **** stars

(side 2)

1.) You and I   (Davy Jones - Bill Chadwick) - 2:10

Hearing Jones try to power his way through a hard rock tune (well hard rock for The Monkees), was actually kind of interesting.  It certainly wasn't nearly as bad as you might have expected and certainly benefited from the brittle lead guitar provided by Neil Young ...  seriously !!!   (Jones and Mickey Dolenz collaborated on a song with the same title for the 1996 Monkees comeback album "Justus".)   rating: **** stars
2.) While I Cry   (Michael Nesmith) - 2:57

I'll keep my comments brief - simply one of the prettiest, most affecting tunes Nesmith ever wrote and the backing vocals were almost angelic.   rating: **** stars
3.) Tear Drop City   (Tommy Boyce - Bobby Hart) - 2:01

With Dolenz handling lead vocals, 'Tear Drop City' was another previously recorded castoff - this one dating back to 1966.  To my ears it sounded quite a bit like some of their earlier singles including more than a touch of 'Last Train To Clarksville'.   Certainly  not the album's most creative outing, though it was commercial in a retro fashion which probably explains why it was tapped as a single:

- 1968's 'Tear Drop City' b/w 'A Man Without a Dream' (COLGEMS catalog number 65- 5000) # 56 pop

YouTube has a clip of the trio lip-synching the tune for a 1969 appearance on the Johnny Cash television program.  Worth checking out for the velvet suits and watching Jones go spastic on the bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFyp_Xc6J9o   rating: **** stars
4.) The Girl I Left Behind   (Carole Bayer - Neil Sedaka) - 2:40

Seriously, what could you have possible have expected from the combination of a tune written by Carole Bayer and Neil Sedaka with Jones handling lead vocals.  Sappy schmaltz.   Yech.   rating; ** stars
5.) A Man without a Dream   (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) - 2:58

Another sappy ballad, but credit Goffin and King for at least crafting a memorable melody ...  always liked the punchy horn charts on this one.  rating: **** stars
6.) Shorty Blackwell   (Mickey Dolenz) - 5:42

Sounding like an odd mash-up of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and a sound collage, Dolenz's 'Shorty Blackwell' was weird enough to have fitted on "Head".  It certainly wasn't very enjoyable, though I would love to know what it was actually about.  The female singer was Dolenz's sister Coco.  rating; ** stars