This compilation of Monkees recordings was released in Britain for the price as a single CD so most people who bought this did so just for the main CD, which contains all the hits and the best album tracks and B-sides. Among the classics to be found here are Monkees theme, Last train to Clarksville, I'm a believer (written by Neil Diamond, and a bigger hit than any of his own singles), I'm not your stepping stone, A little bit me a little bit you (another Neil Diamond song), Randy Scouse git, Pleasant valley Sunday, Daydream believer, Valleri and Listen to the band. The CD, presented in chronological order, concludes with two tracks from their eighties comeback - That was then this is now and Heart and soul. The other tracks on this CD are of a high quality though lacking the instant appeal of the hits - but if you play them often enough, they will grow on you. As a hits collection, this (on its own) is as good as I've seen by the Monkees.

The bonus CD is culled from three compilations of rarities previously released in America as Missing links volumes 1 2 and 3. These tracks have never been made available previously in Britain, though I suspect that diehard Monkees fans in Britain will prefer to import the other compilations anyway. Actually, more than half those Missing links tracks have been included here and that will be enough for most people. The standard is surprisingly high.

The packaging is lavish, with a booklet printed on high quality paper and including extensive liner notes that tell the truth about the band (not as jolly as their image suggests) and pictures of all their original LP covers. The main CD is in a standard single CD jewel case, with the bonus CD comes in a separate cardboard case and the whole is housed in a cardboard slipcase.

What this collection shows is that there was a lot more to the Monkees than most of us think. Perhaps that is why their records still sell well all these years later. If you just want a Monkees greatest hits package, the main CD is as good as you are likely to find on a single CD, especially given the quality of the booklet. If you can buy it at its British price, regard the bonus CD as just that and if you end up liking it, great, but if not, you've got your money worth anyway.

At the import price, you have to think carefully about whether you want this. At that price, you must want both CD's. That will still be cheaper than buying all the Missing links CD's, so it will depend whether you want all the rarities (buy those instead) or just the best ones (buy this).

This fine MONKEES compilation has few flaws.

Disc One is a solid set of the MONKEES best tracks. Almost all the singles are here, with the exception of "D.W. Washburn" and "Tapioca Tundra." "Washburn" generally fares better on retrospectives than "Tundra" however, perhaps due to it's higher peak chart position (#19). As for the Mike Nesmith single, it's puzzling how BEST OF, GREATEST HITS and even "DEFINITIVE" collections sleight it consistently, despite the record having reached #34 on BILLBOARD, in 1968.

Disc Two draws from the three MISSING LINKS albums, and uses some of those CDs' best songs. Overall these two discs present a fine (if not "definitive") set of MONKEES music.

This nicely designed German-produced compilation has 2 discs. The first disc is compromised of the major songs, it is very similar to the Arista Greatest Hits from 1986. Also, with this set is a nice 20 page booklet with a few rare color photos and interesting text.

The first disc is compromised of the major songs, it is very similar to the out-of-print Arista's Greatest Hits from 1986, however there are few different selections of songs here and there.

The magnificient "Porpoise Song" version on this compilation includes the musical ending after the last lyric "goodbye, goodbye." One seldom finds this longer version of the Porpoise Song on various Monkees compilations, instead this part is often sadly truncated, even on the Rhino Head (1994) rerelease contains the shorter version without this nice long ending. To my ears, this particular version of Porpoise Song seems to have the bells playing very clearly at the end of the song as it is fading. The bells sound louder here more so than the long cut found on Arista's compiliation.

This compiliation was released for the UK, however, I noticed that they used the American title: "Randy Scouse Git" rather than the British title: "Alternative Title." The title, Randy Scouse Git, was considered offensive to the British, but that may have been limited to the 60s era.

The Bonus CD mostly has various songs plucked from the 3 Missing Links volumes as mentioned in the other reviews. If you do not have any of the missing links volumes, this collection will suffice. The Bonus CD selection seems to be heavy on Nesmith and Jones sung/written material. The sound quality of the recordings is superb.

I wanted to make some comments about the booklet. I really enjoyed most of the commentary by the author, Peter Doggett.

The only complaint I have is how he has the wrong birth years for Tork (1944) and Jones (1946). It is well known that Tork's birthday was incorrectly stated many times in the early days. Other than that error, and a few small typos, the commentary goes into particular detail about the quick sudden unexpectant rise to big fame of the Monkees.

I recommend this issue mostly for completists or for someone who does not have any of the missing links volumes.

I really like this cd. In my opinion, its one of their better cds! I love the monkees! Lol! They are my most fav group!

Hard-core Monkee fans will love the sound quality and the packaging. The overall sonics of the songs have never sounded better as far as I know. (I'm a hard-core fan who has heard all their c.d.'s except "Music Box") The linear notes are informative and do include updated musician lists. (Although, some of it may still be incorrect, i.e. I do think Peter played the bass on "Goin' Down" not guitar as listed).

Also, for hard-core Monkee fans the Bonus disc of the "Missing Links" material will clearly state the case about The Monkees song-writing and general musical talent. Play the disc for non- "Believers" and hear them say "I can't believe that's The Monkees" I did not give this 5 stars because of the song selection. However, that's just my personal taste because I don't really like some of the Davy Jones stuff.