It’s been 42 years since The Monkees made their full-length feature debut in 1968’s HEAD and released its cult classic soundtrack, and fans are still debating what it all means.
- 20 previously unreleased tracks, outtakes, rarities and live performances
- Features a rare live set from the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City
- Features a rare radio 1968 interview with Davy Jones
- Free bonus 7 of Porpoise Song/As We Go Along
- 58 tracks/3 CDs
- Released on 10/26/2010
Lose your HEAD over this superbly strange soundtrack. The three-disc boxed set that features 21 previously unreleased tracks, outtakes, rarities, and live performances, plus an entire disc containing a rare interview with Jones recorded in 1968 for radio broadcast. All those who pre-order, will receive a bonus 7″ that includes unreleased instrumental versions of “Porpoise Song” and ”As We Go Along.” The collection comes in a 7″ x 7″ deluxe box with a mirrored finish like the original vinyl release.
AHEAD of its time when it was released in 1968, HEAD has emerged over the years as a cult classic from the psychedelic era. Produced by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, the surreal odyssey stars The Monkees’s Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. While the film did not achieve commercial success, its soundtrack contains some of the quartet’s finest and most daring work.
HEAD (DELUXE EDITION) begins with the original soundtrack remastered, including “Porpoise Song” the film”s theme written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Nesmith’s rocker ”Circle Sky,” Tork’s ”Can You Dig It,” Jones singing Harry Nilsson’s “Daddy’s Song,” and Dolenz singing ”As We Go Along,” a track penned by Carole King and Toni Stern (who later composed the chart topper ”You”ve Got A Friend”). Also included from the original soundtrack are bits of dialogue from the film and incidental music conducted by Ken Thorne, who composed music for The Beatles’ film Help!
The first disc’s bonus tracks present alternate stereo mixes for nearly every song, except ”Can You Dig It” which is featured as a rough stereo mix with Tork singing instead of Dolenz, and ”Daddy’s Song” which is remixed with a section that was never originally used in the film or soundtrack album. The disc also features an unreleased stereo mix of the album’s closing audio collage: “Swami Plus Strings”.
Disc two is dedicated to outtakes and rarities, including mono mixes for every track along with unreleased mono movie mixes for “Can You Dig It” and “Daddy’s Song.” The unreleased gems include an alternate version of ”Ditty Diego”, “War Chant,” a satirical send-up of the theme to The Monkees television series written by Nicholson and Rafelson, plus ”California, Here It Comes,” a song heard briefly in 1969 playing over the credits of The Monkees” television special 33? Revolutions Per Monkee. The disc also includes a rare live set from the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City from the spring of 1968. The performances were recorded for the film, but ultimately only one track (“Circle Sky”) was used. The unreleased live tracks from this set include the Headquarters-era gems ”You Just May Be The One,” ”Sunny Girlfriend,” and ”You Told Me.”
The final disc contains a rare radio interview with Jones about the album that was issued in 1968 by Colgems as a promotional LP. This material was captured from the original vinyl and adds to the rarity of this collector’s item. The disc also includes full tracks and excerpts from the HEAD soundtrack that were interspersed throughout the interview. Deluxe booklet features new liner notes by Andrew Sandoval and Rachel Lichtman highlighted by brand-new interviews with Michael Nesmith and director Bob Rafelson about Head, in addition to dozens of unpublished color photos.