The Monkees - Unreleased original "Greatest hits nº.2" (1971)

 

Colgems Records was a record label that existed between 1966 and 1971, after the dissolution of Colpix Records. Belonging to Columbia Pictures and RCA Victor, he was in charge of promoting and selling the phenomenon The Monkees and other contemporary minority artists without much success; besides to reedit soundtracks like the one of Lawrence of Arabia, Casino Royal and Oliver among others. 

Shortly before the Californian group: The Monkees was created from a casting where there were 500 candidates, including Stephen Stills, to fight and take advantage of the Beatle phenomenon in the United States, two of its future components had already been selected. by the record label: David Jones and Michael Nesmith, who used the "alias" of Michael Blessing. With "The Monkees", Colgem reached record goals, but after the fiasco of the movie Head and his consequent 1968 album, he began to have problems, so he tried to counteract them, with the album: "The Monkees Greatest Hits", in June 1969, while one of the group members, Peter Tork left; quickly new recording sessions were commissioned for the rest, while reviewing old material with the completion and release to the market of a new studio album for October and thus quell the rumors of separation; that's how "The Monkees Present" came, followed by a tour, the last one, after which another of its members: Michael Nesmith, who perhaps had the most musical talent .

The story was repeated and without much time and good material came "Changes", edited in June 1970, with only David Jones and Michael Dolenz; it was a real failure and took Colgem to a critical point that I try to save once again by recuencing a record of great hits: "The Monkees: Greatest Hits Nº.2"; of which a list of songs was made, 14 in total, seven per side, but unfortunately, it was unpublished when it could not overcome the record label, so much reverse, putting an end to its existence during this year 1971.

This new recording that I bring to the blog,is reconstructed as a result of the original acetate of the disc made by Colgem Bit.ly/TM71GH2 and that unfortunately never saw the light, because it did not even give time to catalog it. This is original line up:

Side A:(19:53)

1.(Theme From) The Monkees.(2:19).

2.Porpoise Song (Theme from Head).(4:10)

3.Someday Man.(2:40).

4.Good Clean Fun.(2:18).

5.Oh My My.(3:02)

6.What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?.(2:32).

7.D.W. Washburn.(2:49).

Side B: (21:53)

1.For Pete's Sake.(2:11).

2.Listen To The Band.(2:29)

3.It's Nice to Be with You.(2:52)

4.The Girl I Knew Somewhere.(2:39).

5.Tear Drop City.( 2:01).

6.Do I Have to Do This All Over Again.(2:38).

7.Goin' down .(4:23)

In addition and as usual, the cover is included and so you have the full CD, always with the highest resolution and quality possible.

The Who - "Lifehouse" - (The Final Cut - June 1971).

 

What can be said about "Lifehouse"?.Little that we don´t know today, because there´re very accurate reconstructions to what would have been the final double album and almost all of you know its history, as experts or understoods in the matter.

So let me do a little introduction: “Lifehouse” project, the missing link between "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia", was the great lost album of The Who, as: "Smile" for the Beach Boys, both with something in common, ended up breaking the psychology and the nerves of their creators, considered “damned works” for many years. Brian Wilson was able to conclude "Smile" over the years, but Pete Townshend has not yet, because there is no definitive version recorded entirely by The Who.

Along the times, there were different attempts to get something out of this schizophrenic project, but no luck. This new reconstruction that I bring you, apart from being the prologue to the promised album: "Rock is dead, Long live Rock!", available within a few days; shows you the last attempt to save "Lifehouse",  during this first stage.

After the unsuccessfully New York´s sessions at Record Plant studios during the month of March, The Who returned to England to Olympic studios; “Lifehouse” every day it became more complicated and this made Pete felt inside a mental loop with no exit. Although the project is officially abandoned after this american sessions, had become an personal obsession and Pete made more compilations, work, day and night in parallel; one of last, reducing the double acetate it to a single Lp.

This last cut from early June 1971.had practically the same order of songs, although many of them in extended version, and some absence. Next I put the order of this acetate of two discs, in case you want to reconstruct it and have the two final versions. The double...

Side A: (17:10)

1. The Note.(5:21)
(A.k.a: "Pure & Easy")
2. Behind Blue Eyes.(3:29)
3. Love Ain´t For Keeping.(4:03)
4. Mary (Rmk-2).(4:17)

Side B: (18:36)

1. I´m In Tune.(7:04)
(A.k.a: "Getting In Tune")
2. Going Mobile.(3:42)
3. Too Much.(4:21)
(A.k.a: "Too Much Of Anything")
4. Time Is Passing.(3:29)

Side C: (17:33)

1. Baby, don´t you do it.(8:37)
2. Won´t Get Fooled Again.(8:56)

Side d: (19:37)

1. Song Is Over.(6:14)
(A.k.a: "The Song Is Over")
2. Baba O´Riley.(13:23)

Outtakes from "Lifehouse":
Olympic Studios, London, England. April to June 1971.

"Time Waits For No Man. "A.k.a: "When I Was a Boy".
"Bargain"."My Wife" & "Let´s See Action".

After doing this new cut of the disk, seeing that Pete continued to dislike it, the sound engineer and producer Glyn Jones advised to him to leave it definitely, due to its enormous complexity in constructing a coherent and understandable plot for the mentality of then, the better solution: to make made a powerful rock album, not t necessarily with a specific storyline, only good music: "Who's Next" was born.

Side A: (22:05) 

 
1.The Note.(5:20)
2.Behind Blue Eyes.(3:40)
3.Love Ain´t For Keeping.(2:10)
4.Mary (Rmk-2).(2:20)
5.I´m In Tune.(4:50)
6.Going Mobile.(3:42)

Side B: (21:53) 

1.Too Much Of Anything.(3:04)
2.Time Is Passing.(3:29)
3.Won´t Get Fooled Again.(5:52)
4.The Song Is Over.(6:14)
5.Baba O´Riley.(3:12).

I want to explain some changes of this new work that I bring you, but begining by the end: 

The instrumental version of: "Baba O'Riley", edited to 3:12 minutes, because the full length version of 13:23 is a succession, rather monotonous, chaining the three main fragments of its structure, again and again at different scales, for which its synthesis is appreciated, because it can get boring a bit. 

"Won't get fooled again", intended to be, as happened after, a single, and the needed to make space on the B side, was edited from 8:33 to 5:52, but how “Lifehouse” was unpublished, This edit was ruled out and Glyn Jones make a new for the single being reduced even more to 3:40, Leaving the original in "Who's next" Lp.  

"Too much of anything", went from 4:24 to 3: 04, but It happened the same as with "Won't get fooled again", how "Lifehouse" was not published, This version was left out. The rest of the songs are basically the same mixes as in "Who's next"; some of them with the original titles. 

So, this version, it was closest to see the light in the summer of 1971 as "Lifehouse". It was a project that was never left, it was always there, with new ideas. Day to day...  

On booklet, you find the “labels” of the acetate´s copy that I have. I reproduced not only the order of the songs, the versions too, as it´s appear on this acetate, because the quality isn´t entirely good for me.

Except “Mary”, song that I re-worked, over the best version that I found of this Pete´s demo, so that it sounds more integrated in the final result of this reconstruction Bit.ly/71WlH and don´t look like what it really is, a demo or an unfinished song. 

... the single version:

Side A:  (22:05)
 
1.The Note.(5:20)
   (A.k.A: "Pure & Easy")
2.Behind Blue Eyes.(3:40)
3.Love Ain´t For Keeping.(2:10)
   (acustic version)
4.Mary (Rmk-2).(2:20)
  (Unreleased)
5.I´m In Tune.(4:50)
  (A.k.a: "Getting In Tune")
6.Going Mobile.(3:42)

Side B: (21:53)

1.Too Much Of Anything.(3:04)
    (Unreleased version)
2.Time Is Passing.(3:29)
3.Won´t Get Fooled Again.(5:52)
   (Unreleased single version)
4.The Song Is Over.(6:14)
5.Baba O´Riley.(3:12)
   (Unreleased Instrumental edit version).

The artwork, images taken in Manchester 1971, some selected as one more option  to be part of the album, as cover photo. 
Ok! That´s all.., and what´s next?
"Rock is dead, Long Live Rock!"..  The Who version,in a few weeks, before the end of June. 
Meanwhile, enjoy it.