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Rating:  -
It is clear the five-star reviewers of this album have a huge agenda they're pushing. The truth is far down the scale to the left, I'm sorry to tell you.
Very little of this holds up today. In performance, the Monkees sound like an amateur teenage band here.
They played their own instruments but they certainly play poorly. The drums in particular are played with amateurish poor timing and bad arrangement choices.
The bass playing is at a beginner's level and the bass sound is awful.
The engineering and production are barely passable. The tambourine seems to be the one instrument they managed to record properly and it dominates many mixes. There is the familiar odd panning of the mid-sixties, but none of the tonal balance you find in recordings made in the same year at Abbey Road or by Tom Dowd in the East.
It is not until track 8 that you get a coherent recording married to some good song writing.
The vocals are distinctive, they are the band's best asset. Davey has the richest tone, Mike is soft, Micky wanders off mic at points, gives a real nice treatment to For Pete's Sake.
Many of the songs (Shades of Gray) are almost laughable compared to the songs they mimic (Yesterday).
Some of the songs would be right at home in a cancelled Broadway play that got bad reviews.
When someone tells you this is the Monkees' greatest thing, you know you're looking at a real fan.
Rating:  -
Well by this point The Monkees had a lot of fans buying their past two releases and being watched on Monday night at 7:30. Now it was time to prove themselves. They did it in style. The Monkees were picked on because they were so famous at the time. Other bands like The Byrds, The Beach Boys were also not playing their own music. A very common practice with bands in the 60s though not very known then. The Monkees take the golden spoon from the man with the golden ear and run. A great effort with not one bad song on this album. Any Nesmith tune I love, Peter shines with backing vocals on Words and sharing with Davy on Shades Of Gray Mickey has great word play regarding The Beatles on Randy Scouse Git (The Four Kings Of E.M.I.) and the songs just rocks. Great album from the now TRUE rock band. I like P,A,C & J LTD better but this was a great way for the boys to shine in their TRUE first effort. You will enjoy this in any form./No Neck
Rating: -
This the must have cd for not only Monkees' fan, but music lovers in general. This 2 disc set is full of chart toppers, and previously unreleased cuts. This cd comes with a booklet that gives you the step by step process behind the making of this album. I found it very informative and entertaining. I have been a lifelong fan of this band (and yes, they are a band) and I couldn't imagine a fan living without it. I love this album, and I'm sure you will too. If you bought it for track 24, "Jericho", it was money well spent.
Rating: -
I remembered the t.v. show from my childhood but I never even understood
that they were really a band. I bought this cd on impulse after having seen them on the David Letterman show during their "comeback". I bought Headquarters on impulse without knowing anything about it and I wasn't disappointed. These songs have the classic feel of many songs from the likes of Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles. There isn't a single song that I don't like here. They sound like they're having the time of their lives recording this and it rubs off. I truly treasure this cd.
Rating: -
If you are looking for the best Monkees album, in my opinion, this is definitely it. This is the first album after Don Kirshner was fired, which meant the Monkees were finally allowed to have more creative control and play their own instruments. Just from listening to this album, you could tell the amount of excitement and enjoyment that was put forth into making it. The sad thing is that Headquarters often gets overlooked because it hit number 1 for one week, then Sgt. Pepper's came out by the Beatles and immediately took over that position. Also, there were no singles released in the US off this album. However, every song is high quality, and I think the Monkees best work. Here is my review of the songs:
1. "You Told Me" - A Perfect way to start off the album. This is a classic Mike song that features some great banjo playing from Peter. One of my favorite Monkees songs. 10/10
2. "I'll Spend My Life With You" - This is a Boyce/Hart song that was originally recorded for an earlier Monkees album. It's a slow song that features some great vocals from Micky. In my opinion this song can be overlooked, because it's sandwiched between two amazing songs. 8/10
3. "Forget That Girl" - This song was written by Chip Douglas, and has some good vocals from Davy. Very catchy song. 9/10
4. "Band 6" - Not really a song, but just a short session of the Monkees practicing in the studio.
5. "You Just May Be The One" - Another excellent Mike song, which had been recorded earlier and featured in some Monkees episodes. This version, with them playing their instruments, is much better, and really has a classic Monkees sound. 10/10
6. "Shades Of Gray" - This is sort of a "grown up" song for the Monkees, with great lyrics that were much different from their bubblegum image. Also features a small amount of Peter vocals. 10/10
7. "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" - Probably my least favorite song on the album (not that it's bad, but there had to be one). I think it's a little more bubble gum sounding, and kind of takes away from the rest of the album. 7/10
8. "For Pete's Sake" - Classic Monkees song, written by Peter, and perhaps the most well known on the album. It was used for the end credits in season 2 of the TV show. 10/10
9. "Mr. Webster" - Not a bad song, but not one of the standouts on the album. It's a slow song that tells a story. It features a whole lot of tambourine from Davy. 7/10
10. "Sunny Girlfriend" - Mike really puts out some great songs on this album. This has his classic country rock sound. Great song. 9/10
11. "Zilch" - Not really a song, but just a bunch of spoken words by the Monkees. Kind of entertaining.
12. "No Time" - They pick it up with a very rockin' tune here. Perhaps one of the fastest and most catchy songs on the album. I've always enjoyed it. 10/10
13. "Early Morning Blues and Greenes" - A slow, kind of toasty, Davy song, which may be another one that gets overlooked, being sandwiched between two great songs. 8/10
14. "Randy Scouse Git" - This was released as a single, and became a hit in the UK under the name "Alternate Title". This was written by Micky at a party the Beatles threw for them, and may be one of the most cult Monkee favorites. They definitely show that they are trying to shed their bubble gum image with the lyrics in this song. 10/10
This cd also features some fairly solid bonus tracks. There is a version of Mike singing "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", and a different version of "Nine Times Blue". Also, the band playing the theme from "Peter Gunn's Gun", which sounds pretty good, and some studio hyjinks in the track "Jericho". The best bonus track is "All Of Your Toys", which was at one point going to be a single for them. It's a very good song.
Altogether, I think this is definitely the Monkees best album, and I'm sure most people will agree.
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