Previous reviewers have gone into great detail about the care and respect put into these first two deluxe reissues, but one thing I was very excited about on this particular release I haven't seen mentioned: The mono mix of this album contains the longer mix of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone".

I own a copy of the original vinyl mono release of this album, and have been hoping for years that Rhino would release this intriguing variation of "Stepping Stone". It's similar to the mono single mix ( previously released on the Rhino greatest hits CD ) with deleted background vocals, but the ending of the song is longer before the final fade-out. This version was heard twice on the television series (in the episodes "Monkees A La Carte", and "The Case Of The Missing Monkee") and only was released on the mono album. I'm thrilled to finally have it on CD!

Without Boyce and Hart, producers of the first album, overseeing this second Monkees album, the quality was erratic. Colgems, the Monkees' record label, took what seems like a random scoop of Monkees recordings made with different producers and different styles, and quickly stitched together this January 1967 release, giving the overall impression of a consumer product, rather than a well-thought-out album. As a result, alongside top notch tunes like the smash `I'm A Believer,' the proto-punk `I'm Not Your Stepping Stone' (which, in less than three minutes, earned the Monkees lifetime respect from garage rock groups) the hard-rocking `She,' the pleasantly subdued `Sometime In The Morning,' the goofy but endearing `Your Auntie Grizelda,' and Mike Nesmith's classic `Mary Mary,' were some half-decent picks like `Hold On Girl' and `Laugh' (which suffers from lame lyrics.) And Monkees fans generally agree that `The Day We Fall In Love,' a schmaltzy instrumental backing to Davy whispering sweet nothings in your ear, should never have happened.

The bonus tracks are quite interesting. `I Don't Think You Know Me' (a song they did not release in the sixties, but have seen FOUR versions of plucked from their archives since 1987) is solid bubblegum, but Peter Tork's shaky lead vocals, and the equally shaky backing vocals from his three mates, will make you smile and root for them. An alternate mix of `Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)' contains a thankfully rejected idea that will make you laugh (if only in a `What were they thinking?' style.) And it's neat to hear another pass at `I'm A Believer.'

So, in short, not quite as strong as their debut album, but well worth a listen.

More of the Monkees, the Monkees' all-time best selling album and the most contentious release for the band itself, is a definite purchase for a Monkees' fan. If you like this album and you do not have it, buy it again with all the mono release and outtakes! Rhino as usual sells wonderful compliations with extensive liner notes.

Andrew Sandoval and others at the Rhino staff have put a lot of work into these reissues. The last time the original 9 Monkees albums were remastered and released was in 1994 and 1995. This time around, Rhino will release the first 8 albums as more session tapes and information has been found in the past decade.

This set is definitely an upgrade: double disc set, better sound, better packaging, and more extensive liner notes.

The liner notes and package itself show lots of rare photographs; you can see some of the photos used for this release online at the newly launched Rhino Monkees' website: [...]

Musical highlights: I want to mention the songs which were brought out of the can and used for the later Monkees albums in 1969 as the group's popularity was waning. Most interesting is the release of "Teardrop City" at its original recorded speed. This track was sped up a bit (maybe 8%?) for its release in 1969. "Ladies Aid Society" - this original mono outtake is more fun than the original release in 1969. You hear more of Micky clowning around at the end, with a canned audience responding to him. It is simply delightful.

Micky's lead on (I Prithee) Do not Ask For love" is a wonderful track that Donnie Kirshner shamefully ignored. As we know, this song was unreleased for 2 decades until the Missing Links series was released by Rhino. Notably, on the Monkees Deluxe Set, we have a version of "Prithee" with Davy singing lead. Both versions are delightful to the audiophile's ear. Peter's lead effort on "I don't Think You Know Me" is worth a few listens as well.

I look forward to the other 6 double-disc releases coming in 2007. Thanks, Andrew and Rhino.

Sure, the boys we know as the Monkees had little to do with the production of this album; they didn't have much to do with their debut album either. After all, they were actor/singers, hired to play a band on a TV show. But thanks to this disc, the quiet rumblings of Michael Nesmith and (to a lesser degree) Peter Tork grew into some major noise about their lack of input. This disc would be the last with musical director Don Kirshner at the helm.

I don't think the band had a valid complaint with the music though. This album features some of the best early Monkee-era pop, most of which was (over)played on their weekly TV series, which helped to propel this disc to #1. Also, having hits like "I'm A Believer" and "Steppin' Stone" didn't hurt either.

Other notable tunes are "She", the Nesmith-penned (and Micky Dolenz sang) "Mary, Mary", "Look Out(here comes tomorrow)", and the other Nesmith track, "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love".

Having said that, Nez and Co. really hated "I'm A Believer", and didn't want it on the album. Good thing they hadn't gained control from Kirshner yet! For all it's bubblegum sweetness, it is a good solid pop tune, made more special by Dolenz's emotive delivery. That guy could make dirt sound good.

And then there are the ear sores, in the form of the goofy Tork sung "Your Auntie Grizelda", which is cute but is ultimately ruined by all the inane vocal gobbledygook in the middle of the track. And the spoken word Davy Jones ballad "The Day We Fall In Love" is about the worst thing ever put on disc. This track should have been burned, or atleast given to Pat Boone.

So the guys had some valid complaints, but on the whole, the disc is solid. The production is a bit more pop than their first disc, which featured a more rounded "rock" sound (thanks largely to the direction of composer/producers Boyce and Hart). And the album cover may have been totally hated by the Monkees for being a copy of Rubber Soul, and for being used outside of the JC Penney's ad that it was originally supposed to be used for, but it takes nothing away from the fun, catchy atmosphere of this album.

This deluxe edition is a first class reissue of the Monkees' second album. Everything from packaging and liner notes to track inclusion and sound quality is first rate, making this the definitive CD edition.

That having been said, I would recommend this more to a devoted Monkeemaniac. If you are a casual Monkees fan, seek out the previous single-disc remaster from Rhino. Both are good in terms of overall quality, but the deluxe edition is targeted at hardcore Monkee fans.