Here's a special something that you just won't find anywhere else. I'll let it's creator, Burt Kocain, tell you how it came to be:
Before I started on this, I wondered why it hadn't been done before. All the elements are out there ... dozens of songs, thousands of FX ... how hard can it be to assemble a truly alternative Head soundtrack and not just a bolted-together playlist? Something that will blow the top right off your head rather than just sound vaguely familiar? Now I know. I know why all the alternative versions are just playlists of alternative tracks. Because that takes an hour or so, and this is hard work that stretches into days. I have so much more respect for the work and creative talent that went into the original soundtrack album. No computers, just tape. How the hell did they do it? It drove me nuts, doing it in Audacity. The finished version you have here eventually filled a single, continuous ten-track (stereo tracks) thirty-five minute "song", everything blended together. Finding my way through that to make granular adjustments (often to just a single word or note) and edits was the hardest work I've done since I had a job. Only a lot more fun.
Some parameters: I didn't include anything like all the material recorded during this prolific period. I didn't use alternate versions just because they were alternate. Often they're alternate for a reason - they weren't as good as the issued take. I limited it to to the length of the original album, just about. The "new" songs are there because (to me) they sound like they should always have been there (listen to the lyric of Hollywood and see how it fits). The one song cut (take a wild guess) I cut because it's an annoying piece of drivel, no matter who sings it. So - where's Davy? - the question is asked on the soundtrack, and left unanswered. So here's why; his material, his style, even the tone of his vocals, works against this project. Tork, Dolenz, and Nesmith carry it better without him. The song he wrote especially for the movie - Changes - misses everything that makes Head great by a mile. For all his qualities and talents, Davy Jones was never a head. Never wanted to be - good for him.
No matter how familiar you are with the movie and the soundtrack, I guarantee surprises - nothing here is quite what you know. I recommend HEADphones, and if you have any mood-altering substances, you may wish to partake. The closer you get, the bigger it gets.
As a long time appreciator of The Monkees' Head, I can say that Burt's work here is worthy of hearing & of praise, but it should not have the eliminated Jonesy. I am curious as to the dates of the individual recordings. Are they ALL from the soundtrack of the film?
"Should not?" We're all free to make our own Davy-centric soundtrack, or listen to the original, which featured one entire song sung by him. This has more Tork, a good thing in a car and a Monkees album, The material used here was all recorded during the period when they were making the movie, more or less (there were no "Head sessions" as such) and is taken mostly from Rhino special editions, with extras floated in - win bonus points for spotting the Firesign Theatre.
Here's a special something that you just won't find anywhere else. I'll let it's creator, Burt Kocain, tell you how it came to be:
ReplyDeleteBefore I started on this, I wondered why it hadn't been done before. All the elements are out there ... dozens of songs, thousands of FX ... how hard can it be to assemble a truly alternative Head soundtrack and not just a bolted-together playlist? Something that will blow the top right off your head rather than just sound vaguely familiar? Now I know. I know why all the alternative versions are just playlists of alternative tracks. Because that takes an hour or so, and this is hard work that stretches into days. I have so much more respect for the work and creative talent that went into the original soundtrack album. No computers, just tape. How the hell did they do it? It drove me nuts, doing it in Audacity. The finished version you have here eventually filled a single, continuous ten-track (stereo tracks) thirty-five minute "song", everything blended together. Finding my way through that to make granular adjustments (often to just a single word or note) and edits was the hardest work I've done since I had a job. Only a lot more fun.
Some parameters: I didn't include anything like all the material recorded during this prolific period. I didn't use alternate versions just because they were alternate. Often they're alternate for a reason - they weren't as good as the issued take. I limited it to to the length of the original album, just about. The "new" songs are there because (to me) they sound like they should always have been there (listen to the lyric of Hollywood and see how it fits). The one song cut (take a wild guess) I cut because it's an annoying piece of drivel, no matter who sings it. So - where's Davy? - the question is asked on the soundtrack, and left unanswered. So here's why; his material, his style, even the tone of his vocals, works against this project. Tork, Dolenz, and Nesmith carry it better without him. The song he wrote especially for the movie - Changes - misses everything that makes Head great by a mile. For all his qualities and talents, Davy Jones was never a head. Never wanted to be - good for him.
No matter how familiar you are with the movie and the soundtrack, I guarantee surprises - nothing here is quite what you know. I recommend HEADphones, and if you have any mood-altering substances, you may wish to partake. The closer you get, the bigger it gets.
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https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v1jcI8cK2X1JnDPphUtmSAya-t-AxR0q
Don't forget the new cover, please!
ReplyDeleteAs a long time appreciator of The Monkees' Head, I can say that Burt's work here is worthy of hearing & of praise, but it should not have the eliminated Jonesy. I am curious as to the dates of the individual recordings. Are they ALL from the soundtrack of the film?
ReplyDelete"Should not?" We're all free to make our own Davy-centric soundtrack, or listen to the original, which featured one entire song sung by him. This has more Tork, a good thing in a car and a Monkees album, The material used here was all recorded during the period when they were making the movie, more or less (there were no "Head sessions" as such) and is taken mostly from Rhino special editions, with extras floated in - win bonus points for spotting the Firesign Theatre.
ReplyDeleteFarquhar Throckmorton III, for BurtKo©™ Industries