This one is most notable for the great “Valleri” and the ubiquitous “Daydream Believer,” but the rest of the album really suffers from each member pretty much going it alone – proof that, using studio musicians or not, the band was greater than the sum of its parts, and when they were coming apart as a band, it showed.
This was released in April 1968, but was recorded over what should have been a leisurely six-month period. The B material is not as interesting or as fun as on previous albums, and to be honest, though I’ve had it since probably 1980, my copy hasn’t gotten a lot of plays. “Valleri” made some of my favorite old compilation tapes, but that’s it. When I want to hear some Monkees, I want the album that’s coming next: “Head.”
