Who’d have thought we’d get a new Monkees album in 2016, 20 years since 1996’s Justus. A full reunion of the four original members on record or stage, aside from a couple one-offs in the 1980s, never materialized — and with Davy Jones’ passing in 2012, that idea is no longer on the table. However, on Good Times!, the group’s upbeat 12th studio album produced by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, you get exactly what you’d expect from Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork.
The album is a mix of old and new songs. Tunes written and/or recorded back in the 1960s have been restored and sweetened up to modern standards. For example, the Harry Nilsson-penned title track comes from a demo recorded in the late 60s with Dolenz’s vocals added. Veteran Monkees tunesmiths Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce have one on here with the retro sounding “Whatever’s Right.” The new Dolenz vocal is strong, while Tork’s keyboard work on what sounds like an old Farfisa organ seals the deal. Davy Jones is featured on Neil Diamond’s “Love To Love,” originally recorded in 1967 for the Headquarters record. It is included here with new backing vocals from Dolenz and Tork.
More recent offerings appropriately fill in the gaps. Weezer’s River Cuomo was clearly inspired enough by the Monkees to give them the snappy “She Makes Me Laugh.” It’s a treat to hear Nesmith and Dolenz duet on Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard’s “Me & Magdalena,” a mellow, brush-snared gem. Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller’s “Birth Of An Accidental Hipster” is perfectly placed, featuring the vocals of Nesmith and Dolenz with Fountains of Wayne as the backing band. It is wild, loud and psychedelic — perhaps the best and most adventurous tune on the record.
The surviving Monkees also contributed to the songwriting. Tork’s “Little Girl” is a song he wrote years ago for Jones to sing. On Good Times!, Tork delivers a serviceable vocal with some tasty electric riffing. Nesmith’s “I Know What I Know” is a piano-based ballad with some atmospheric sweetening from Schlesinger. There’s also the wry, Lennonesque stomper “I Was There (And I’m Told I Had A Good Time)” written by Dolenz and Schlesinger.
The 13 tracks (15 if you pick up the expanded version) that make up Good Times! provide a complete picture of what everyone has loved about the Monkees over the course of 50 years (yeah, it’s been 50 years). Music fans can continue to debate as to whether the so-called “pre-Fab Four” were a valid musical entity. But anyone with an ear for good, catchy songs performed by capable singers and instrumentalists should be able to look beyond the perceptions and see that the album stands well on its own.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
