The Monkees Greatest Hits is 30 minutes and 51 seconds long. The CD came out in July of 1976 and reached #58 U.S. Billboard 200 Album charts. This would be the second of three compilation albums to hit the charts. The Monkees Greatest Hits mainly has the most played Monkees songs on it; with only two exceptions: Listen To The Band and Shades of Gray. Those two songs are hardly, if ever; played. Though I do admit Shades of Gray is one of my favorite Monkees songs. This is a great CD if you just want to hear their top ten songs. I give The Monkees Greatest Hits an AA++.

Monkee's Theme

Last Train to Clarksville

#1 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles

#1 Cashbox

She

Daydream Believer

#1 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles (4 seven weeks at #1)

#1 Cashbox

Listen to the Band

#63 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles

#57 Cashbox

A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You

#2 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles

#1 Cashbox

I'm A Believer

#1 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles (7 seven weeks at #1)

#1 Cashbox

I Wanna Be Free

Pleasant Valley Sunday

#3 U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles

#3 Cashbox

(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone

#20U.S. Billboard Hit 100 Singles

#25 Cashbox

Shades of Gray

This is a good CD, but it only has eleven songs. All of the songs are good ones, but about half of them ("Monkees Theme," "She," "Listen To The Band," "I Wanna Be Free," and "Shades Of Gray") were not actually "hits," and several of the group's songs that were hits ("The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Words," "Valleri," "Tapioca Tundra," "D.W. Washburn," and "That Was Then, This Is Now") are missing. Also, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and "Listen To The Band" are the album versions, not the single versions; this doesn't bother me, but some other fans may be put off by it. If you want a "comprehensive" collection, especially one that has all the hits (and maybe the last three abovementioned songs in their single versions), you should skip this CD; there are bigger and better compilations available.

This 1990 CD release of their 1976 vinyl album was gobbled up back when the new format was a novelty, but since then it has been surpassed by several great compilations from the likes of Rhino, etc., which not only provide upwards of 20 tracks (and more in some cases), but also some informative liner notes. This has nothing in that regard, nor a discography of the contents.

Even some of the contents belie the title "greatest hits" as none among She, I Wanna Be Free, and Shades Of Gray were ever hits for the group or even, for that matter, the B-sides of hits. And while track 1, The Monkees Theme, was certainly heard with each episode of their hit TV series, it too was never a hit (whether it's the same version that appeared as the flip of That Was Then, This Is Now, a # 20 Billboard Pop Hot 100 billed to Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork Of The Monkees in 1986 is not clear).

Still, that's four out of a flimsy 11 tracks that were not among their "greatest hits" by any stretch of the imagination. Had the original album and the subsequent CD release included The Girl I Knew Somewhere (# 39 as the flip of the # 2 A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You in spring 1967), Words (# 11 as the flip of the # 3 Pleasant Valley Sunday in later summer 1967), Valeri (# 3 in spring 1968) and its flip, Tapioca Tundra (# 34), it would have rated 4 stars without the liner notes. But of course, if my uncle had different equipment he'd be my aunt.

It just isn't a viable option anymore when, for a few dollars more, you can get more than double the contents and some fascination background details, along with a discography.