Monkees, The - Headquarters [LP] (Translucent Red Vinyl, 55th Anniversary Mono Edition)

In 1967, after two number one albums, a plethora of hit singles and a smash television show, The Monkees were on top and knew they each had true musical talents not championed by their label executives. Michael Nesmith spearheaded a change in direction before sessions began on their legendary Headquarters album. This action resulted in the break-up with music mogul Don Kirshner, and Nesmith then recruited Chip Douglas (The Turtles) to work with the band.

In rapid succession, things began to fall into place in February 1967. With initial tracks like country rocker "Sunny Girlfriend," the band set the stage for what would become one of their most loved works and one of the finest rock albums of a generation. The flawless album opener "You Told Me" begins Headquarters. The track features Nesmith's brilliant 12-string guitar, as Tork's incredible banjo fills the track alongside Dolenz's driving drum work. With Jones' percussion, it became the very first song that many of us remember as we opened up our new copies back in the summer of '67.

Not straying too far from previous success, the band scored a few more of Boyce and Hart compositions like Micky Dolenz's folk rock ballad "I'll Spend My Life with You." The solid steel guitar work of Mike Nesmith became somewhat of a precursor to his groundbreaking Nashville sessions in the late sixties. Davy Jones has several watershed moments here with both "Forget That Girl" and "Early Morning Blues and Greens." "Forget That Girl" employs a unique English northern soul vibe, while the latter shares a wonderful rhythm presentation making it one of the more psychedelic-infused and standout tracks on the LP.

Michael Nesmith's handiwork is radiant on the entire album. "You May Just Be the One" rocks the album into full gear and makes it one of the band's definitive landmark tracks. Headquarters also brought rightful acclaim to Peter Tork, as his first recorded Monkees song "For Pete's Sake" soon became a prolific standard. The song transcended time and became one of the quartet's more famous tunes. It also replaced the familiar "Monkees Theme" at the end of season two, giving the song more TV exposure over the years.

And as always, you can count on Micky Dolenz to deliver - whether it's his hard-rock driving drum work on rockers like "Randy Scouse Git" & "No Time," or his prog-rock feel on "Mr. Webster," the album was definitely a great showcase for the artist.

Headquarters was one of four Monkees albums that topped the charts in 1967. This fact alone is enough to warrant the importance of this album in musical history. But there are other amazing feats that Headquarters managed to accomplish. The album hit the stores before Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Friendly rivals as they were, Headquarters rose to number one and also opened the door to The Summer of Love. It remained in the upper rung of the retail charts until their fourth platter, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., became a number one album to close out the year. Wow! Most notably, Headquarters showed the real world the transition of four talented guys on a hit TV show evolving into a self-produced, self-reliant band, and one of the most beloved in musical history. And yes, they could actually play their instruments...and they did it well!

1967...The Summer of Love...A very hip time in American culture you can now relive with these recordings from the much-loved band that broke a lot of ground in a very short time...and made the world a much better place for it...The Monkees...Headquarters...Only from your friends at Friday Music!