The Monkees - Headquarters (Deluxe Edition, 2 CD)

In an effort to restore and remaster the music of The Monkees, Headquarters is back in a new and improved way! Featuring "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "You Just May Be The One," and "Randy Scouse Git," this album is a great addition to any Monkees fan's collection. Album Description

The Garage sound!

The sound of the discs are perfect! Just as it was! Most re-issues are remastered in a way that it doesn't sound as you remember the album sounding. But here in stereo, mono, and even the outtakes sound a little clearer, but just as you remember it sounding!
The best "garage band" sounding album ever made! And that could be why there were no singles or hits from the album. Probably because the powers that be didn't think they sounded as slick as the other singles from the first two albums, but that doesn't matter one bit! Die hard of the music and the TV show always think of this album as their best! May 3, 2008

Wither the master tapes?

While the bonus tracks on this CD sound good, I have to agree with other reviewers that the regular Headquarters tracks sound horrible. A large question looms over this release: What happened to the Headquarters master tapes?

In 1986, Arista released the first mastering of Headquarters to CD. The sound quality was excellent, as the source (according to Monkees book author Andrew Sandoval) was the original multi-track remixed to stereo. Purists may have decried this action, but there's no arguing with the excellent audio quality on the Arista release.

One has to wonder if the reason for the 1986 remix was because the original stereo master tapes are either missing or damaged. The quality on this new release sounds as though it is coming from a second generation master, with the production team being heavy-handed with the treble as they desperately try to get some high-end on the CD. The results are an audio nightmare, with tinny, shrill sound.

I do give kudos for the remixes of "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "A Little Bit Me", and other bonus tracks, which have the best sonics I've heard for some of these songs. If you're a hard core fan, it's worth buying for the extras. Otherwise, I'd pass on this release. March 22, 2008

Great Album & Package, Terrible Sound

"Headquarters" is one of the Monkees' best albums and this re-issue comes with a very nice booklet. I always appreciate a re-issue of a 60s - 70s album that includes both the mono and stereo mixes. However, the sound on both versions on this re-issue sounds like it was taken from a bootleg cassette. It's thin, shrill and grating. Rhino should be ashamed to put this out with such poor quality sound. You can't attribute the bad sound to the album being recorded in the 60's. There are hundreds of re-issue CDs with music from the 60's that sound 100% better than this version of "Headquarters".
I would suggest only listening to this on small computer speakers or a MP3 player. February 17, 2008

That was a little too long.

Headquarters is considered by many to be one of the Monkees' best albums. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd is probably slightly better, but Headquarters is a fan favorite because the Monkees played the majority of the instruments on it. It really is a terrific album, with many great songs and no real stinkers. This two disc edition features both the mono and stereo versions of the album. The two versions of the album feature different bonus tracks. Other songs from the Headquarters recording sessions are naturally included. But other songs from about the same time period are also featured. Six songs that Davy Jones sang with no participation from the other Monkees in February, 1967 are featured (including the hit "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"). And, believe it or not, disc 1 concludes with the Italian version of the Monkees theme song. Like I said, great album, but whether you need both the mono and stereo versions of the album is up to you. January 27, 2008

Here They Come...Better Then EVER!!

I barely remembered their TV show when it first came in 1966, I was only four at the time, then I've became a HUGE fan of The Monkees since 1975 (after I started watching there shows on syndicated channels). None of there LP's existed at the time. Then Arista (bless them) released their Greatest Hits collection in 1976. A few years later, imported LP's from Japan started to come thru my local record shop. I bought their Debut thru Birds, Bees & Monkees. The sound was good, but their was not enough base sound to it. Then...1994, Rhino gave The Monkees the respect they deserve, releasing ALL their albums on CD, each in a nice special casing, liner notes AND unissued bonus tracks. Too Bad The Beatles didn't get this treatment( way over due ). In 2006 and 2007, Rhino did it again EVEN BETTER!! I have the first (and best) four of their Deluxe Editions-more bonus tracks, a lot more liner notes, PLUS the Sound Quality of both Mono & Stereo are superior to anything released before. I only hope the will do the same with the five original remaining CD's "The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees" thru "Changes". We Can Only Hope... November 30, 2007

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