“Headquarters” proves that there was something magical about the ‘Summer of Love’. Against all odds, with the whole world watching and pre-judging them as talentless hacks, the Monkees set out to prove that they could do things for themselves.

After two albums that could have been subtitled “Don Kirshner’s Greatest Hits”, they took matters into their own hands. They wrote their own songs and played virtually all the instruments. They also took on an aura of experimentation, which could have caused the entire project to become a disaster. This could have been one of the most embarrassing records ever made, but instead it’s one of the most charming.

They reign themselves in and focus on the music, while allowing their sense of play and curiosity stand at the forefront of the project. Artistically, it was a resounding success, and it reached #1 on the charts, although it didn’t linger nearly as long as their previous commercial releases. Sadly, the public remained convinced that the songs were a product of studio players and producers, which would have made all their efforts moot, except that we still have this wonderful, playful album to enjoy.

Featured tracks include:

Mr. Webster

Band 6

Randy Scouse Git

You Told Me

Zilch

I’ll Spend My Life with You

Forget That Girl

Jericho

If I Learned to Play the Violin

Peter Vunn’s Gun

You Just May Be the One

Shades of Gray

I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind

No Time

Early Morning Blues and Greens

For Pete’s Sake