To some, parts of this album might sound hopelessly slight. Admittedly, there are aspects of “More of the Monkees” that are totally ridiculous, but I also believe that a good portion of this album is genuinely great.

I must, of course, admit that my opinions are undeniably the result of my age bracket. I was seven when this album was released, and it rocked my world, inspiring me to look deeper into pop culture while simultaneously making me a lifetime fan of the Monkees. The generation above mine spurned the band because it was generally known that they did not play their own instruments, which was a very selective observation, since the same could have been said about the Beach Boys, or even the Byrds on their first single. On the west coast of the United States, studio musicians were responsible for a huge percentage of the music that was released, with the Monkees being just another in a long production line of pop tunes. The band did not come into existence organically, as they were a fictional product created for a television series, but they eventually morphed into a genuine band, and they actually did play their own instruments, aided and abetted by producers and studio whiz kids, as well as some of the best songwriters of their generation.

“More of the Monkees” expanded on their debut with a better set of songs and it was a staple of pop culture in 1966. I probably played this album 10,000 times just for the pleasure of it, so all of those synapses and memories that are triggered whenever I hear it now cannot be erased. Without prejudice, subsequent generations may be able to take this album at face value and find some of the elements that have affected me so deeply all those years ago. I know my own children were deeply influenced by the Monkees and played their music continuously for years, and with a significantly high ratio of great songs, I still don’t see any good reason for that to change.

Featured tracks include;

1) She

2) When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door

3) Mary Mary

4) Hold On Girl

5) Your Auntie Grizelda

6) I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone

7) Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)

8) The Kind of Girl I Could Love

9) The Day We Fall in Love

10) Sometime in the Morning

11) Laugh

12) I’m a Believer

January 1967 - Billboard Charted #1