Changes (The Monkees album)

Changes is the ninth studio album by the Monkees. The album was issued after Michael Nesmith's exit from the band, leaving only Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to fulfill the recording contract they had signed in the mid-1960s. Changes was their last new album for Colgems Records and the group's last album of all new material until 1987's Pool It.

Changes
Studio album by
the Monkees
ReleasedJune 1970
RecordedOctober 28, 1966, January 21–24, February 4–6, 1967,
July 16-September 12, 1969 and February 5–April 2, 1970, New York City, and RCA Victor Studios, and The Sound Factory, Hollywood
GenrePop rock,[1] bubblegum pop[2]
Length32:05
LabelColgems (original U.S. release)
RCA (Japan)
Rhino (1986 LP reissue + 1994 CD reissue)
ProducerMicky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Bill Chadwick, Jeff Barry
The Monkees chronology
The Monkees Present
(1969)		 Changes
(1970)		 Barrel Full of Monkees
(1971)
Singles from Changes
  1. "Oh My My" / "I Love You Better"
    Released: April 1970
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

History

The album's title had originally been considered for the Monkees' movie (released in 1968), and a song with that title (cowritten by Jones with Steve Pitts) had been recorded. The movie was retitled Head, however, and the song was subsequently shelved, remaining unreleased until 1990, when it appeared on the archival compilation album Missing Links Volume Two.

Changes reunited Jones and Dolenz with producer Jeff Barry, who now had his own successful record label, Steed Records. As with the earliest Monkees recordings, Jones and Dolenz provided only their vocals, despite the album cover featuring them playing percussion, while the backing tracks were provided by session musicians. Several of the songs selected for the album were outtakes from previous album sessions: Barry resurrected his own produced outtake of his composition "99 Pounds" from the final Don Kirshner-supervised Monkees sessions in January 1967 that also yielded the hit single "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"; Micky's "Midnight Train" was recorded during sessions for The Monkees Present and had been featured in CBS-TV reruns of The Monkees television show (most notably in "The Chaperone"); "I Never Thought It Peculiar," with vocals by Davy, was written by frequent Monkees collaborators Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and was recorded during the sessions for More of the Monkees.

Jones later stated that Changes was his least favorite Monkees effort, going so far as to comment in the CD version's liner notes that the album "was Jeff Barry and Andy Kim doing an Andy Kim album," adding that he had terrible memories of the recording sessions. Dolenz, while not lavishing praise on Changes, said that he was pleased to be invited to record new material. "I was quite happy to do it as long as somebody wanted to record me. It was simple as that." Dolenz added, "by that time, it was pretty obvious that the Monkees were over. Davy and I were still getting along, but we were mainly fulfilling a contractual obligation to a record company — that's what Changes is all about".[3]

Release

"Oh My My" became the first single from the album and made the Top 100 in the Billboard charts. Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, it is unrelated to the later 1973 Ringo Starr single of the same name. In addition to being the album's opening track and lead-off single, "Oh My My" was also accompanied by a rare promo film directed by Micky Dolenz, showing Micky and Davy Jones riding their motorcycles and horses. "Acapulco Sun" was released as a single in Mexico, becoming a minor hit there.

Changes appeared in June 1970 and initially failed to make the charts. Consequently, its initial pressing (COS-119) was limited and has become one of the more valuable Monkees albums. Jones announced shortly after its release that he was resuming his solo career, but he and Dolenz would release one more single together before reuniting in 1976 with Monkees songwriters and producers Boyce and Hart. In the wake of the success of the Monkees' television show being rebroadcast on Saturday mornings by CBS (in which all but two tracks from Changes were featured in the reruns), the duo recorded "Do It in the Name of Love" and "Lady Jane" in September 1970. Instead of appearing under the "Monkees" name on Colgems Records, however, the single was released on Bell Records, the successor label to Colgems, and was credited to "Mickey Dolenz [sic] and Davy Jones". This was due to the prohibitive costs of licensing the Monkees name in the US; however, in Japan, the record was issued under the name "the Monkees."

Like all of the original Monkees albums from 1966 to 1970, Changes was reissued in September of 1986 by Rhino Records (RNLP-70148) and made a belated entry into the Billboard album charts, reaching No. 152. The Rhino vinyl reissue was transferred from a vinyl copy of the album, the master tape having been lost over the years. For the 1994 CD reissue on Rhino, a first-generation master tape was used, which had been found at the Screen Gems publishing division.

Session outtakes

One track recorded during the studio sessions, "Time and Time Again", was dropped in favor of "I Never Thought It Peculiar." The track later surfaced on the Monkees rarities collection Missing Links and in remixed form as a bonus track on the 1994 CD release of Changes.

Another song, "Steam Engine," was recorded in 1969 for Changes and was written and produced by Chip Douglas, featuring Micky Dolenz on vocals. This song was not released at the time due to a disagreement between Screen Gems and Douglas over session costs and only saw the light of day via a Saturday morning rerun of the Monkees' TV series episode "Monkees on Tour." In 1979, it was finally issued on the semi-official Australian compilation album Monkeemania - 40 Timeless Hits, and in 1982 it was issued in the USA on the Rhino Records picture disc compilation Monkee Business.

As of 2020, two "lost" outtakes from the sessions, "Which Way (Do You Want It)" and "Ride Baby, Ride," have not been found in any archives, despite ongoing efforts to locate them.

Track listing

Original 1970 Colgems vinyl issue
Side 1
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Oh My My" (Jeff Barry / Andy Kim)Micky Dolenz3:02
2."Ticket on a Ferry Ride" (Barry / Bobby Bloom)Micky Dolenz3:30
3."You're So Good to Me" (Barry / Bloom)Davy Jones2:34
4."It's Got to Be Love" (Neil Brian Goldberg)Micky Dolenz2:25
5."Acapulco Sun" (Ned Albright / Steven Soles)Micky Dolenz2:54
6."99 Pounds" (Barry)Davy Jones2:29
Side 2
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Tell Me Love" (Barry)Micky Dolenz2:38
2."Do You Feel It Too?" (Barry / Kim)Davy Jones2:37
3."I Love You Better" (Barry / Kim)Micky Dolenz2:28
4."All Alone in the Dark" (Albright / Soles)Micky Dolenz2:52
5."Midnight Train" (Micky Dolenz)Micky Dolenz2:07
6."I Never Thought It Peculiar" (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart)Davy Jones2:29
Notes

All tracks except "You're So Good to Me" and "It's Got to Be Love" were dubbed into the CBS reruns of The Monkees from 1970–1972.

1994 Rhino CD reissue

Tracks 1-12: Original album

Bonus tracks
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
13."Time and Time Again" (Davy Jones / Bill Chadwick)Davy Jones2:40
14."Do It in the Name of Love" (Bloom / Goldberg)Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz2:08
15."Lady Jane" (Bloom / Goldberg)Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz2:45

Session information

"Oh My My"

  • Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, February 5, 1970
  • Issued as Colgems Records 45 RPM single 5011, April 1970 (No. 98)

"Ticket on a Ferry Ride"

  • Written by Jeff Barry and Bobby Bloom
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, March 25, 1970

"You're So Good to Me"

  • Written by Jeff Barry and Bobby Bloom
  • Lead vocal by Davy Jones
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, March 25, 1970
  • While Jeff Barry and Bobby Bloom are officially credited as the writers of the song, several sites and sources credit Robert Stone as co-writer.[4] These findings are incorrect, as the song "You're So Good" by Robert Stone which was recorded by the Monkees in 1969 is a completely different song from the one co-written by Barry and Bloom.

"It's Got to Be Love"

  • Written by Neil Brian Goldberg
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, April 2, 1970

"Acapulco Sun"

  • Written by Ned Albright and Steven Soles
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, April 2, 1970

"99 Pounds"

  • Written by Jeff Barry
  • Lead vocal by Davy Jones
  • Backing vocals: Unknown
  • Guitars: Al Gorgoni, Don Thomas and Hugh McCracken
  • Bass: Louis Mauro and James Tyrell
  • Drums: Herb Lovelle
  • Piano: Stan Free
  • Organ: Arthur Butler
  • Tambourine: Thomas Cerone
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Ray Hall
  • Recorded at RCA Studio B, New York City, January 21 (11:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.) and 24, and February 4, 5 and 6, 1967, during the final Don Kirshner-supervised Monkees sessions for what would become known as Headquarters (1967)

"Tell Me Love"

  • Written by Jeff Barry
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, February 5, 1970

"Do You Feel It Too?"

  • Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim
  • Lead vocal by Davy Jones
  • Other personnel unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, March 26, 1970

"I Love You Better"

  • Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Backing vocals: Davy Jones & unknown
  • Guitar: Hugh McCracken
  • Bass: Chuck Rainey
  • Drums: Gary Chester
  • Unknown: Ned Albright, Bobby Bloom, Andy Kim and Steven Soles
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, February 5, 1970
  • Issued as Colgems Records 45 RPM single 5011, April 1970 (No. 98)

"All Alone in the Dark"

  • Written by Ned Albright and Steven Soles
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Harmony vocal: Davy Jones
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Engineered by Mike Moran
  • Recorded in New York City, March 26, 1970

"Midnight Train"

  • Written by Micky Dolenz[5]
  • Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
  • Backing vocals: Micky Dolenz and Coco Dolenz
  • Electric Guitar: Louie Shelton
  • Bass: Joe Osborn
  • Banjo: James Burton
  • Drums: Hal Blaine
  • Harmonica: Tommy Morgan
  • Produced by Micky Dolenz
  • Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, CA, July 16, 1969, during the sessions for The Monkees Present (1969)
  • While Micky Dolenz is officially credited as the writer of the song, several sites and sources claim Chris McCarty, Kenny Lee Lewis and Steve Miller to have co-written the track.[6] These findings are incorrect, as the song co-written by McCarty, Lewis, and Miller is a completely different song from the one written by Dolenz.

"I Never Thought It Peculiar"

  • Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
  • Lead vocal by Davy Jones
  • Backing vocals: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart and Ron Hicklin
  • Guitars: Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee and Louie Shelton
  • Acoustic Guitar: Tommy Boyce
  • Bass: Larry Taylor
  • Drums: Billy Lewis
  • Organ: Bobby Hart
  • Violins: Harold Ayres, John DeVoogdt, James Getzoff, Joy Lulu and Norman Serkin
  • Violas: William Hymanson and Gareth Nuttycombe
  • Cello: Frederick Seykora
  • Saxophone: Jay Migliori
  • Trumpet: Chuck Findley
  • French Horn: Alan Robinson
  • Trombone: Dick Hyde
  • Bell: Gene Estes
  • Unknown: Michael Anthony
  • Produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
  • Arranged by Jimmie Haskell
  • Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966, during the sessions for More of the Monkees (1967), with further recording done at The Sound Factory, Hollywood, September 12, 1969

Bonus tracks session information

"Time and Time Again"

  • Written by Bill Chadwick and Davy Jones
  • Lead vocal by Davy Jones
  • Backing vocals: Davy Jones and Bill Chadwick
  • Electric Guitar: Louie Shelton and unknown
  • Bass: Joe Osborn
  • Drums: John Guerin
  • Moog Synthesizer: Paul Beaver
  • Calliope: Michel Rubini
  • Produced by Bill Chadwick and Davy Jones
  • Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, CA, August 14, and November 11, 1969, during the sessions for The Monkees Present
  • Originally considered for, but rejected from, Changes
  • First released on Missing Links in 1987. The mix presented here is slightly different than on Missing Links. The opening and ending dialogues are removed and the song fades out at the end, whereas the mix on Missing Links does not fade out. The Moog also doesn't appear in this mix until the instrumental bridge, whereas the Moog can be heard throughout the song in the mix on Missing Links. The Moog is also more restrained in this mix than on Missing Links.[7]

"Do It in the Name of Love"

  • Written by Bobby Bloom and Neil Brian Goldberg
  • Lead vocals by Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones
  • Backing vocals: Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and unknown
  • Guitar: Unknown
  • Drums: Unknown
  • Piano: Unknown
  • Keyboard: Unknown
  • Tambourine: Unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Recorded in New York City, September 22, 1970
  • Issued as Bell Records 45 RPM single 986, April 1971

"Lady Jane"

  • Written by Bobby Bloom and Neil Brian Goldberg
  • Lead vocals by Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz
  • Backing vocals: Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and unknown
  • Acoustic Guitar: Unknown
  • Drums: Unknown
  • Piano: Unknown
  • Keyboard: Unknown
  • Tambourine: Unknown
  • Produced and arranged by Jeff Barry
  • Recorded in New York City, September 22, 1970
  • Issued as Bell Records 45 RPM single 986, April 1971

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1986 reissue) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 152
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References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r13305
  3. Liner notes for 1995 Rhino CD release of Changes
  4. http://www.allmusic.com/song/youre-so-good-to-me-mt0007303143
  5. http://www.allmusic.com/song/midnight-train-mt0007398585
  6. http://www.allmusic.com/song/midnight-train-mt0007398585
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20150102122456/http://monkeesmixography.wikidot.com/1969-08-06-time-and-time-again
  8. "The Monkees US Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
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