Long Title: Looking for the Good Times; Examining the Monkees' Songs, One by One by Michael A. Ventrella

Long Title: Looking for the Good Times; Examining the Monkees' Songs, One by One Reviews

• 
  Steve Bal4

  Long Title: Looking For The Good Times: Examining The Monkees Songs, One by One is ultimately an opinion piece, and as such, it succeeds and fails based on that -- because as fans, we all hold personal opinions of songs by The Monkees.
  
  When I first discovered this book existed I was extremely happy and intrigued as I've read and loved this sort of "song-by-song" history in relation to other artists and bands, and I was quite amazed one had been done for this group at all: I just can't see this appealing to a much larger audience than actual Monkees fans, and maybe die-hard music historians.
  
  I loved that the entire Monkees catalogue was presented in chronological order by/with recording dates (very interesting to see the songs recorded and used in often much different order than released), and which of The Monkees were involved with each song, the songwriters, and chart positions as singles & albums, but I was disappointed that all personnel responsible for a given recording were not listed (with more history regarding The Wrecking Crew or Candy Store Prophets contributions to the songs/recordings).
  
  I also liked the interweaving of history surrounding the TV show, musical contemporaries of the same era, and mention of notable cover versions by other artists -- both prior and in the decades that followed -- and that EVERY song is listed with EVERY version released on EVERY particular album; this a feat in itself (especially considering the incredibly complicated history of The Monkees as recording artists). The research and documentation is fairly detailed. (The book also contains lists of charting numbers per single/album, every concert date & television appearance.)
  
  But the bulk of the book consists of the dual authors,
  Michael A. Ventrella &
  Mark Arnold's opinions about certain Monkees songs. Ventrella notes that he has some experience with music, having been in bands in his youth, and as such will occasionally speak to instrumentation and timing per a given song, but ultimately, the co-authors tend to just give their personal likes or dislikes about any given song.
  
  Sometimes I agreed, and sometimes not. And beyond the depth of historical research provided, my (and your) opinion is just as valid. Although I appreciated that the authors set out not to write a "puff piece", I was actually pretty surprised how disparaging they were throughout, considering they are obviously fans:
  
  Davy Jones is slagged heavily throughout and
  Michael Nesmith's contributions are often called out for not suiting the Monkees "sound" (though they do acknowledge that they are good songs, for the most part). Most incredulous are suggestions to skip listening to tunes from certain albums because the author's don't like them! I'll be the first to admit not every song or album in The Monkees catalogue is pure gold -- and I enjoy Davy's songs the least, as well -- but I never skip tracks on a given album: that lessens the experience of hearing the diverse mosaic that was The Monkees, in my opinion.
  Ultimately, I found that by about the midpoint of the book I began to rush through it because, as both a fan and a reader, the put-downs became tiresome.
  
  I did learn things I'd never known about The Monkees; their lives, their careers, their music, and enjoyed listening to old songs anew, or discovering tracks I'd never heard, but at the end of the day, there was nothing provided that made me change my opinion of any piece as I've heard or enjoyed it over the last 35 years.
  
  ⭐⭐1/2
  
  (P.S. The wrap-around cover artwork by Scott Shaw is fantastic!)
• 
  Wesley Britton

  
  
  
  
  Some rock ‘n roll histories are designed to tell the stories of significant performers, genres, composers, producers, or record companies that shed light on the backgrounds, influences on, and legacies of their respective subjects. Some rely on considerable research, interviews, or their own experiences to go behind the scenes to show how popular music was made. Some of these histories go beyond the music and reveal much about the culture of the times and and are more than an exploration of a particular band or performer.
  
  Other books have a more specific focus with a much more targeted audience. Such titles are often written by devoted fans and are usually meant to interest fellow aficionados of a particular group or personality. Such is the case for Looking for the Good Times—it’s obviously meant for Monkees fans who don’t mind reads based on personal opinions and not so much critical analysis.
  
  Following a concise history of the group, The book looks at the complete Monkees song canon arranged in chronological order based on recording dates. The authors believe this order also helps show the evolution, or devolution depending on your point of view, of the band as it changed more than some listeners might think. The authors include pretty much every song issued during the 1960s run, many tunes issued on various compilations in the subsequent decades, some tracks the authors never heard but apparently found listed somewhere, alternate takes, rehearsal jams, and some rehearsal bits released on one post-break-up collection or another. A sample “analysis” should illustrate what the book is all about:
  
  VALLERI (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
  Monkee involvement: Vocals by Davy Jones
  Recording dates: August 6,1966; August 27,1966; December 26,1967; December 28,1967
  Highest chart position: #3 single
  Original release date: March 2,1968 from 7" single and THE BIRDS, THE BEES
  AND THE MONKEES
  
  Mark: I love, love, love this song and its brass. I also love the flamenco guitar even if Nesmith really isn't playing it. The version I love best is the fade-out version from this album rather than the abrupt cold ending.
  A first recorded version appears on the 2006 MORE OF THE MONKEES DELUXE EDITION CD. This is one is basically the version heard on the TV show, which originally appeared on MISSING LINKS, VOLUME 2 (1990). It's a little more lax than the punched-up single version.
  
  Michael: I don't share in the love for this simple little song. In fact, Michael Nesmith is reported to have said that this was the worst song ever. I don't think I'd go that far. The performance is pretty good, and the horns improve the song tremendously from the earlier version done for the TV show, but the words are simple and the tune basically consists of the hook and then two lines, repeated in various ways.
  This song fits much better in 1966 when it was first recorded, before the show even debuted. They redid it here and added horns, and it is a better version but it still sounds dated, since music had changed so much in that short period of time.
  This was their last hit single, released at the tail end of the TV show before the summer repeats kicked in.
  
  While promo for the book touts interviews with folks like Gene Cornish (The Rascals), Ron Dante (The Archies), Tommy James (The Shondells), Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), and actor Butch Patrick, these aren’t interviews but are instead short anecdotes and remembrances by fellow travelers of ‘60s popular culture. Not essential reading, but little bits of fun. Just like the introduction written by Howard Kaylan of The Turtles.
  
  Clearly, interest in the music of The Monkees will be what draws readers to this volume, or not. Unless you’ve devoted the same amount of time to listening to all those hours of Monkees records, out-takes, deep cuts, and alternate versions, readers will likely learn all sorts of trivia they didn’t know before. Me, I decided there’s a large body of Monkee music, especially the Missing Links collections, that I have missed and should try out. Others might like to compare their own knowledge with the authors. For example, the writers don’t seem to know Buffy Ford Stewart, the widow of ex-Kinston Trio member John Stewart, inspired "Daydream Believer," and recorded her own version of the song with Davy Jones in what many believe was his last recording session. Oh, and she really was a homecoming queen.
  
  I don’t think I’ll ever understand the title to this book—“Long Title?” Well, a not-so-important observation. If you’re a Monkees diehard, here’s a little nugget for you.
  
  
  This review, in a slightly different form, first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Nov. 29, 2017:
  
  https://is.gd/Hhu4zX
  
  
  
  
• 
  C.J.

  As a factual account, this was a useful read/reference. It would have been better if the writers had kept their opinions about the band’s individual songs completely out of it instead of acting as self-appointed judge and jury of every Monkees song, and being more open about the band’s POOL IT! and JUSTUS albums than just dismissing them out of hand as the band trying to blend in with current trends. Ignore their opinions and you’ll be fine.
• 
  Lori Schiele

  This book was very much like "The Monkees: A Many Fractured Image"by Scot P. Livingston in that it went song by song, who wrote it, sang it, when it was recorded, what Monkee performed the instruments in such-n-such song (or didn't play at all), and any other tidbits and stories. It also came out in reprint in 2018 with a dedication to the memory of Davy who died in 2012 (prior to Peter's passing in 2019) and, coming out in 2015, listed the additional albums. Both books have their merits, but the "Fractured Image" book I struggled to get many stars.
  
  This book, however, atho not an utter gem , is nearly twice the length, and much better formatted, written by two different authors with two very different writing styles and more information. You have to be patient with their lists as everything written was placed in the date/order they were recorded (even ones that were never aired). It also had the new albums and tours as Monkeemania grew larger and larger.
  The book is easier to read as well because the print is large and there are photos on nearly every page, giving it an "open" feel. When I say they included songs that the Monkees had done, it didn't mean "recorded". Some were never recorded or released, or some had lyrics but no tune or vice versa. Some had names like "Take 4", but they somehow managed to get them all.
  
  The main reasons that I did not give this book a 5 star rating was because, although there was some silly dialogue, both of the authors seemed to have a deep-seated hate-on for Davy Jones. They each seemed to take every possible pot-shot at him that they could--and he had died 6 years previous!! (I do find it interesting that the author in 'A Many Fractured Image' also constantly put down Davy. I have a few theories, but I guess you'd have to ask them.)
  
  The two authors of the book are Mark Arnold--a comic book and animation historian--whose childhood fantasy was to learn how to play "like the Monkees" (little did he know in the beginning...) and Michael A. Ventralla--an eclectic author/editor (part-time lawyer)--who became fascinated by the Monkees, more for the music than for the TV show. Mark was in several bands, but Michael admittedly couldn't read a single musical note. How did they found each other--one living in Oregon and the other in New Jersey? Well, I guess that is the question, isn't it.
  
  As I mentioned before, they both grew up watching the Monkees during the first '60s run, and seemed to dislike Davy the most (altho they did give him some kudos on a few songs), while Mark was enamored with Mike Nesmith, and the two both agreed that Micky had a "golden voice" (which I also agree upon. (Their opinions came later on, not when they were 5-6 yrs old) Unfortunately, Peter wasn't given many opportunities to sing--and was forced to "play the dummy"on the TV show (SO FAR from the actual truth!) although he was able to perform one of the many (13) instruments that he can play, and sometimes sing backup and even once in a great while (4-5 songs if you count the original 4 albums and Head), he was able to sing, or at least share, lead vocals.
  
  So this book goes through song by song from earliest to latest--some in order, others not--the writer of the song, the recording dates and the original release date, highest chart position for a single, and other versions recorded by them, or by other bands. It also lists any Monkee involvement when they were permitted to play their own instruments, or when they sang solo with a "stand-in band". After that, both Mark and Michael give usually a page or so (depending on the song) about how they felt about the song, the good points, the bad points, any trivial points...)
  And with Michael being able to read music, he speaks a lot about timing example from "As We Go Along": "The beautiful song gave Micky trouble because of the timing of it. Most of the song is in 5/4 which is not that easy to sing along to, but Mike has had 5/4 timing for the start of "You Just May Be the One" and Micky did it with the fade-out for Shorty Blackwell.... Try counting along. You have to count to 5 for a few bars at the start and then you have to go to 3/4 for the most of it and revert back to 5/4 when the verse comes back in..." You may have a clue what he is talking about. I just sing, and love, the song and don't bother counting anything.
  
  Despite their continual bad comments about Davy, all in all, I think it is a book worth getting in order to fill out anyone's Monkees' collection. It definitely belongs there.
• 
  Eric Parsons

  First of all...much, much better than Hickee's Monkee Music. The authors are not musicians--one appears to be a writer and the other an attorney--but have working knowledge of music. After a brief review of the cattle call, they review pretty much all of the music that the Monkees have their names on (apart from the solo projects) in the chronological order it was recorded, then with an overall review of each album. While we do not agree on everything--for one, I really liked the Circle Sky remake and Micky's Never Enough on the Justus album--I do think these guys are pretty much spot on...Instant Replay was bad, Pool It! was terrible, and Good Times! was exactly what many fans wanted to hear after 50 years. I will also point out that I cannot understand why people point out the "brilliance" of Writing Wrongs...sorry, the song is sonic rubbish.
  
  Still, it was nice to see a couple of comments in particular: first, the musical talents of Peter Tork were second to very, very few...dude could play! Second, Mike Nesmith was a BRILLIANT songwriter; the metaphorical approach to lyrics is fantastic and the music was always quite good, even on the "bad" songs (apart from Writing Wrongs, which I still think was garbage).
  
  A good read for any fan of the pre-fab four's music. Very well written, easy to read, and worth the price. Only marked down a star because the constant SJW approach to 50 year old phrases is tiresome.
• 
  Kifflie

  This took me a while to get through, since I did exactly what the authors suggested -- play each song in turn as I read the reviews. I enjoyed seeing the varying takes that each of the authors had on the songs, and I liked that they also reviewed the albums and how those were constructed.
  
  Bonus: I learned some of the lingo about how a pop song is put together.
• 
  Corey

  If you're a Monkees fan like I am this is indispensable.
• 
  Tim Vasil

  For real Monkees fans, not for casual music fans. Written by two fans and very opinionated. A lot of opinion and I wish they would have some more facts on the studio musicians on the tracks.
• 
  Neil Sarver

  I have to say that if this had been a blog, it would have been one I checked regularly to see what new entry was there and compare the thoughts provided with my own. In that spirit this book is like eating bowl of pretzels in that I kept reading through
  
  On the other hand, as a book, it becomes a bit redundant. Despite the authors' differences of opinions on occasional, although only rarely very significant, the general opinions are reasonably uniform. I suspect this similarity is what made it easy for them to bond on the subject of Monkees songs, but for a reader it leads to a book that eventually feels kind of flat and predictable. Again, like chomping on a big bowl of pretzels and wishing there was just something more to it, and where if it were in a format that didn't expect me to binge all the pretzels in a sitting or two, as I said at the beginning, this almost certainly held up better for me.
  
  And, not to be fussy, is anyone still this excited about the lesser songs on Good Times! anymore? It feels like that might pretty specifically date this book.
  
  None of this is to say that I'm not fairly similar in my taste to the authors, except for the fact that my excitement over Good Times! has indeed dissipated over the ensuing years. Perhaps if I found their thoughts more challenging or disagreeable, I might actually have rated it higher.
• 
  Jami

  "All this is nitpicking", one of the (unlikely?) co-authors writes near the end of the book, which sums up a great deal of it. They discuss every Monkees song & give their personal opinions; if they'd been objective, it might've made a good reference book. As is, they take potshots at various group members for various reasons & you really wonder if they're fans at all? And when the reader starts disagreeing with them, the rest loses a lot of credibility. They also exhaustively include every later LP (compilation, greatest hits, best of, etc) that a song appears on; it would've been clearer if they'd simply made a list, rather than additional paragraphs. My 3 stars is for their thoroughness; otherwise, I'd give it 2.