Tag: reviews

The Monkees “Made for TV” CD/Blu-Ray/Vinyl Set Pushes All the Right Buttons

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In celebration of the 60th (yes, you heard right, 60th!) anniversary of The Monkees TV show hitting the airwaves a brand new CD/Blu-Ray/Vinyl set called “The Monkees – Made for TV: Favorite Episodes and Biggest Hits From Season 1” has just recently been released by Rhino Records.

I know a lot of fans have mixed feelings about buying this set because A) they feel it has nothing really new to offer and B) the price is a bit steep for music and video they mostly already own and truthfully I can see their point.

While yes, most of the mono TV mixes included in this new set have been made available previously through Rhino Records Deluxe CD issues of The Monkees catalog albums and while the TV episodes in this set have been previously available as part of The Monkees Complete TV show box set there is one thing that this set has going for it in spades and that’s the sound quality – it’s superb!

You see, after listening to the vinyl and 2 CDs in this set I’m happy to report that the mastering of the music here is some of the best mastering of Monkees music I’ve ever heard and well worth the price of tracking this set down if you’re a big fan of the group.

I myself had mixed feelings when this set was first announced but I thought I’d take a chance and see if there perhaps might be a new mastering of the music. I also really liked the concept of releasing only the songs that were part of the TV series first season and not the albums so that sold it for me though I did think about it for a few days before I ordered it.

Thank goodness I did as it’s a great set!

When I first played the vinyl album in the set I was struck immediately by how damn good these mono TV mixes sound. This set was mastered by the renowned Bernie Grundman and he did a wonderful job of making these mixes sound full and clear as well as warm and punchy.

I believe Andrew Sandoval, who was responsible for getting these mixes transferred from the original mag tracks of the TV show episodes, made sure to get the best transfers he could sound wise of these mixes as they only exist on the original episodes and not on mono studio tape masters.

Honestly the set is worth it alone for the vinyl album as it’s a great selection of songs and really pops out of the speakers but thankfully the sound of the 2 CDs in the set is just as superb as the vinyl.

I was particularly impressed by the sound of the songs that were a part of the Missing Links series (“You Just May Be the One”, “I’ll Be Back Upon My Feet”, “I Wanna Be Free (fast version)”, “All the Kings Horses”).

“You Just May Be the One” in particular stood out as having a much better lower end and now sounds as full as the later “Headquarters” re-recording. I always thought the TV version sounded a bit flat in comparison buy it now sounds just as full and lively as the later take and is a real joy to listen to and stands up well to the remake.

Also “I’ll Be Back Upon My Feet” is presented here in a new stereo mix exclusive to this set which sounds terrific. It was created by using extraction technology to isolate various instruments to create a stereo mix from mono.

All of the songs on the 2 CD set, though being the regular studio stereo versions and not the TV mixes, sound just as good as the Missing Links songs and will be played quite often by me as I think they sound better than any previous versions of this material released before on CD.

As for the TV episodes they look just as fantastic as the Complete Monkees series set released through Rhino’s Monkees.com but if you have that set then there really is no difference as they are the same HD transfers.

The set also comes in lovely hardback book style cover with a four-page insert with great new liner notes provided by Andrew Sandoval.

Well there you go. As usual you can see photos above and below of this set and while it has only received a lukewarm reception from fans I myself think it’s a great celebration of the shows 60th anniversary!

If you don’t own the Complete Monkees Series box then it’s a must have as the ten TV episodes in this set look astonishing and it’s the only way to get them in HD in physical form now as the TV box is out of print.

Until next time be healthy and safe and see you next time!

The Partridge Family in the 1980s: Two Different Arista Releases of “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” LP

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Today’s post dovetails nicely with my last post about different versions/different pressings of the same album.

Just over a year ago I posted a piece about some Partridge Family records I had recently purchased which included a version of their 1972 album “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” that I had never seen.

Let me backtrack a little.

The Partridge Family was a TV show in the 1970s starring Shirley Jones and featuring her then stepson David Cassidy. Not only was The Partridge Family a high-rated TV show but there were also several singles and albums released under The Partridge Family name that were enormous sellers resulting in seven Top Forty US hits (three of them Top Ten hits including the No. 1 smash “I Think I Love You”) plus six gold-selling albums.

The songs from The Partridge Family featured David Cassidy on lead vocals plus Shirley Jones as part of the background vocal blend that became a signature of the sound of the records that came out under The Partridge Family name.

(Note: None of the other cast members of The Partridge Family TV show were a part of the recordings)

While the show lasted from 1970-1974, the recordings that were released as The Partridge Family had a much longer shelf life as their 1972 gold-selling album “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” managed to outlive the TV show being reissued in the 1980s by Arista Records with not one but two different covers and catalog numbers.

(Note 2: All of the original issues of The Partridge Family records were released by Bell Records which was owned by Columbia Pictures who made The Partridge Family TV show. Bell Records became Arista Records in 1974 thus any Partridge Family recording issued after 1974 was on Arista Records)

Now I was a fan of the show during its first run in the 1970s and owned all The Partridge Family recordings on Bell Records. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I discovered that a lone 1980s vinyl reissue of “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” existed and was released by Arista Records sometime in the early 1980s.

As The Partridge Family recordings have some sort of stigma as a relic of the 1970s bubblegum/teen idol era you don’t see much about their records online so there isn’t too much information about this particular reissue of the album. (And yes I think these recordings are pop/rock gems and feature exquisite pop tunes song superbly by David Cassidy who is a much underrated singer.)

It wasn’t until last year in fact that I even came across a copy which I featured in this very blog.

Well much to my surprise I was on ebay a couple of weeks ago and discovered another Arista pressing of this album! This pressing is obviously from the early 1980s as well (see photos of other Arista albums on the inner sleeve) and while it features the same basic cover as the other Arista reissue the back cover on this version has removed all the photos and fan club info that was on the original back cover from 1972 and this one features a different catalog number as well (see photos above and below).

I’m guessing by the second Arista reissue of this album since the other Partridge Family albums were out of print they decided to delete those album photos from the back cover as well as the now mute fan club information. Why they didn’t do that for the first Arista reissue I don’t know. Maybe that first reissue came out a couple of years earlier then the second Arista issue and they were just reusing original Bell album covers and slapping new catalog stickers on them, who knows?

The photos above feature the new version I just found of the album with the changes to the back cover while the photos below feature the first Arista pressing I found which mirrors the original album cover from 1972 but just changes the catalog number from the Bell issue.

Are you following me lol?

I know, I know practically no one besides me cares about this sort of thing but for the four or five people out there who do here’s your chance to see both Arista reissues. As I said in my previous blog post, I love these little vinyl variation discoveries and since there are other nutjobs like me out there feast your eyes!

Just a fun vinyl tidbit for fellow 70s pop music collectors and Partridge fans out there. And for those who are interested, both of these Arista issues sound great and both the copies I have are near mint and play super quiet and are very dynamic sounding records.

The original Bell Records issues were made of cheaper vinyl than these and tended to sound like Rice Krispies at times from the pop and static. If you want some Partridge hits in decent sound, try and hunt one of these down, you won’t be disappointed.

Well, that’s all again.

Be safe and well and see you soon!

Treasure Hunt: Monkee Records Hit the High Seas – “The Monkees” and “Headquarters” from El Salvador, India and Venezuela

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I’ve come to believe that looking for older, obscure records especially from other countries is more like the thrill of a treasure hunt than anything else.

That feeling of hunting down a really rare or just plain weird looking pressing from some small country that may or may not sound as good as a more common pressing from say the USA is something that can get under your skin and before you know it take hold of your psyche in a very non rational way.

I mean really, what on earth is it about records from other countries that gets under a collectors skin? Is it the unique cover art? The sometimes alternate track listing or alternate mix? The sound of vinyl from other countries? The groovy different record labels?

Well, it’s all of the above my friend, at least it is for me.

Take for instance todays blog post. If you’ve read any of the previous posts than you know I’m a sucker for all things Monkees or Beatles; especially vinyl. The more obscure or rare the better. A slightly different alternate mix or record cover and I’m all over it like a fly on … well, you get the picture.

Today I’m taking a look at three fairly obscure foreign pressing of Monkees records:

“The Monkees” – a mono pressing from Venezuela

“Headquarters” – a mono copy from El Salvador

“Headquarters” – s stereo copy from India

I’ve acquired all three of these pressings in the last few months with the “Headquarters” from El Salvador landing at my doorstep just this past week.

First off, I have to say that while all three of these pressings are fairly obscure here in America they aren’t full of alternate mixes or truly different covers (the copy of “The Monkees” from Venezuela does have a different rear cover though). They do however have great labels featuring the black RCA label common to foreign pressings which does check off a couple of marks on my want list.

I also have to add that while they aren’t all in mint condition all three sound really good! I’m guessing they all come from plates made in the States and even “The Monkees” from Venezuela has the same matrix from mono US copies – TZRM-4687 and TZRM-4688.

The only one of the three that has a bit of surface noise is the Venezuelan pressing and even that has nice strong bass and clarity and sounds just the same as a mono US copy.

I guess the thing that really drives my near obsession with Monkees vinyl is the fact that during the 1970s and early ’80s there was precious few new Monkees vinyl on the market and finding used copies of the original Colgems US albums was hard at least for me. Seeing as how I couldn’t drive in the ’70s, by the time I could drive used copies around my area were scarce.

Fast forward to the current Internet age and the availability of used Monkees albums is a common thing. I am just fascinated by looking up Monkees albums on ebay and when I come across an interesting foreign copy for a decent price I love to add it to my collection.

Of the three albums above I really love the Indian “Headquarters” as it has the beards cover on the back and the fact that I’ve never seen any other India pressings, it’s a real fun one to own. The El Salvador pressing is also amazing to me as I never even knew that Monkees records were pressed in El Salvador so having two unique pressings of “Headquarters”, one in stereo and one in mono, is really great.

An earlier post of mine that highlighted the mono copy of “The Bird, The Bees & The Monkees” also from Venezuela that features the ultra rare US mono mix so I’m hoping to find some more unique foreign pressings with mix differences. If I find any, I’ll be sure to post them here.

As you can see from the photos above and below, these foreign pressings are fun to look at and hopefully I’ll be featuring more on the near future.

That’s all of now.

Until next time, be healthy and well and see you soon!

The Monkees Celebrate Ten Years of “Good Times” with Two Excellent Reissues – A Deluxe 2 CD Set and A 180-Gram Vinyl Lp

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Anniversaries are a funny thing, at least music-related anniversaries.

Practically every day of the week the anniversary of some album or another comes up but sometimes it’s well worth taking the time in looking back on a particular album or event.

On May 29th, one such anniversary came about and to me it’s well worth celebrating; the 10th anniversary of The Monkees 50th anniversary release “Good Times!” (wrap your head around that). The album is being celebrated with a new 2 CD deluxe edition with bonus tracks plus a Rhino Reserve 180-gram single vinyl version available online at https://monkeesstore.warnermusic.com/ or at indie record stores.

The 2 CD Deluxe edition features the original “Good Times!” album on CD 1 and CD 2 contains four bonus tracks issued at the time on various specialty releases (“Terrifying”, “Me & Magdalena (Version 2)”, “A Better World” and “Love’s What I Want”) but collected here on CD for the first time plus the whole “Good Times!” album in instrumental form newly remixed in 2026.

The Rhino Reserve 180-gram single vinyl contains a wonderfully newly remastered version of the “Good Times!” album sans any bonus tracks or instrumentals.

It took me a bit to get both of these items as they were ordered from Warner Brothers online Monkees store and boy they sure take their time to ship but it was worth the wait.

Here are my thoughts on both:

2 CD Set:

I love the new 2 CD version of this album. I’d say the mastering is a bit hot but overall very enjoyable. I especially love the bonus tracks being made available on CD as they are probably four of my favorite songs on the entire record. I think this mastering is a bit more detailed than the original but also a tad louder.

My two nitpicks that I do have are one, where is the Spanish version of “Me & Magdalena” that Mike Nesmith himself mentioned recording and two, I would have loved the bonus tracks on Disc 1 and just the instrumentals on Disc 2 but those are small things as overall I love having this new 2 CD version.

I actually enjoyed listening to the instrumentals a lot which is something I wasn’t expecting. I think the new remix of these instrumentals is a bit more dynamic than the regular album and a fun listen. I will definitely give it a spin again in the near future that’s for sure.

I’ve read online that come fans are just meh about this new CD set but having the bonus tracks on CD in one place is enough for me to make purchasing this new set a must.

The Rhino Reserve 180-gram Vinyl Reissue:

Now this one surprised me. I think that the mastering on this new vinyl version of the album is superb; very dynamic, great sound on the vocals and listening to it through the first time was almost like hearing the album for the first time it was that good.

It’s much more dynamic sounding and less loud than the CD version and my pressing was dead quiet and sounded as good as I’ve heard any recent vinyl reissue sound. If you were only going to buy one of these two new incarnations of “Good Times!” and you aren’t interested in the CD bonus tracks this is the best I’ve ever heard this album sound.

All I can say is that this new mastering sounds very analog; very warm and detailed and makes it sound more like a record of the 1960s than it even sounded before – which a good thing in my book.

Even if you own the previous vinyl versions of this album it’s well worth tracking this one down as to me it’s the clear winner sound wise. I also love the care in which this new vinyl version is packaged especially the nice inner and outer sleeves – a nice touch.

Well that’s all for now. Just a quick look at these new 10th Anniversary version of The Monkees “Good Times!” and as usual you can check out photos of both above and below.

Until next time be well and Happy Monkeeing around if you so chose to do so!

Dungeon Station: A Look Inside a Few Physical Format Variants of Paul McCartney’s “The Boys of Dungeon Lane”

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Seeing as how this blog is a celebration of physical media, today I thought I’d share with you some of the physical formats I bought for the new Paul McCartney album “The Boys of Dungeon Lane”.

Having just been released last Friday you’d think I’d have all the variations I was going to get but most of the variations available come form different stores and Websites so it took a bit of time to locate and receive the variants I bought.

Now there are a plethora of variants out there – enough to make you go bankrupt, trust me – but I chose to buy just, just mind you, two CD versions and two vinyl versions (see photos above and below). It’s kind of mind blowing to see just how many variations there are for sale but lucky I stopped at just these four. Really, that’s good for me. I know, I know but I am getting better.

(Note: Just so you can peruse the various versions available, there’s a handy chart that details all of the variants for “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” courtesy of Beatlesblogger.com: https://beatlesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dungeon-lane-variations-215.jpeg)

The ones I bought are (drum roll please):

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” – regular issue CD

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” – Target exclusive CD with lyric card (smaller, different photo collage than the vinyl)

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” – Gatefold cover, black vinyl issue, paulmccartney.com Exclusive

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” – Target exclusive red vinyl issue with lyric card (larger, different photo collage than the CD)

I didn’t receive the vinyl copies until yesterday so I based my last blog review of the album on the CD version I got last Friday. Now that I own the vinyl I must say the vinyl issue may be the way to go as it’s a better listen. It sounds more open and dynamic and my pressings sound very quiet and quite good.

Now that I own the red vinyl, I’m glad that I got at least one of the colored vinyl issues. I certainly don’t need all of the various colors but the red vinyl matches the sleeve well and looks and sounds great. I also like that the gatefold and the red vinyl covers are different.

The gatefold sleeve has a pure white with embossed writing (ala the “White Album”) and I love that inside the gatefold the photo collage is spread out and easy to see. By the way the inner sleeve of the red vinyl version has the same photo collages but they are on the inner sleeve, one on each side. It’s much easier to see the collage all as one spread on the gatefold so it’s nice having both.

Truth be told I was very tempted to order the green vinyl exclusive from paulmccartney.com but with the shipping added it was too cost prohibitive – at least for now lol.

Well, that’s all I have today. I just wanted to share some groovy photos of the variants that I own (currently) and share the link above for the list of the complete variants from Beatlesblogger.com – a truly great Website for Beatles info.

And who knows if I decide on another variant I’ll be sure to post it here as well.

Until next time be well and see you soon!

Paul McCartney’s Latest Solo Album “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” Proves McCartney is Still at the Top of His Game

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Last Friday, Paul McCartney released his much anticipated new solo album called "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". 

To say I was excited to hear it is an understatement. After reading a lot of pre-release buzz and glowing reviews I was practically giddy when I finally had a CD copy in my hands by noon on Friday.

And that's when something strange happened. I popped the CD in my player and gave it a spin. I enjoyed the first listen but was left with a feeling of being underwhelmed - initially.

A couple of the tracks - "As You Lie There" and "Mountain Top" - grabbed me on the first go but others left me feeling that yeah, it's a good but not great album. As is the case with many a McCartney album sometimes my first impressions change. And with "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" they certainly did - A LOT.

Since so many people had so many good things to say about the this album I decided to give it a few more spins over the weekend and see where I landed on the album by Monday.

Like many of McCartney's solo albums the songs on "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" snuck up on me gradually. By the fourth time through the little nuances in arrangement like the mellotron popping up every so often or the orchestration or the vocal effects began to make even the simplest song seem dreamlike and interesting. 

For example, the song "Ripples in the Pond" seemed just okay the first time through but the subtle instrument choices and languid feel to the song won me over and by the fourth time through it just really gelled with me.

I was really surprised by how much the album blossomed for me with each new listen. By the second time through many songs jumped out to me when they had seemed so low key the first time through. I've definitely felt this way about some of McCartneys other solo albums and honestly those albums that this has happened with have ended up being some of my favorite McCartney albums in his canon.

I have a sneaky suspicion that this will be one of those McCartney albums for me that will stand the test of time.

I also feel that McCartney is at his best when writing about the common man in simple ways and making them sound extraordinary through the music and arrangement of the song. He has a way with making a simple song shine by how he arranges and performs the song. I'm glad producer Andrew Watt has managed to make McCartney sound like McCartney yet gives the songs a sonic edge that sounds vintage and modern at the same time.

Also, McCartney's vocals on this record are much stronger than on his last two solo albums. Older sounding for sure but that suits the songs and is not distracting in the least. Very well done and well performed songs on this set!

There are a lot of Beatles influences as well as Wings to give these songs not only a lyrically reflective tone but a musically reflective tone as well. A really nice combo that makes this album shine.

My thoughts on each track of the album:

As You Lie There  - what a great opening track! On the first listen I thought it was good. On the second listen I thought it was very good and by the third and fourth listen I thought it was superb. A lot of twists and turns in this track but McCartney's vocal is wonderful which really made me excited to hear the rest of the album. Love all the textures in the music. This first track alone is one of the best tracks he's done since the "Flaming Pie" album.

Lost Horizon - this is a solid track which I really enjoy. Not my favorite on the album but a good track with nice vocals

Days We Left Behind - I'd have to say this is one of my all-time favorite McCartney songs of recent years. Poignant, well executed and his older voice suits it to a T. Great song.

Ripples in a Pond - this is another one of the highlights of the album for me. This song to me is "Chaos" meets "New" as far as McCartney albums go. Bouncy with a Wings feel this track would make a great single if radio would play it. The production and arrangement choices really enhance the song

Mountain Top - another highlight of the album for me. This song about a girl from Glastonbury who was tripping on mushrooms really evokes The Beatles, Wings and McCartney's most recent work; a terrific blend of all his work to date and is a superb track. This one is a wild ride and one of the more interesting tracks he's made since going solo.

Down South - a fun track, this is a very simple song which I enjoy, not my favorite on the album but very solid.

We Two - Another solid track, very reminiscent of McCartneys "New" era, a very low-key love song. Lovely pop song which McCartney excels at.

Come Inside - I absolutely love this song another highlight of the album for me. This is very reminiscent of a Wings song mixed with his early 2000s work; fast-paced, rocky with  great vocals. Terrific. Love, love the vocals on this one. McCartney is really pulling off the rock vocals on this album more so than his last two albums for sure.

Never Know - love this track. It features a slight psychedelic edge with the instrumentation. Low-key love song that really evokes the "Magical Mystery Tour" era. Lovely song with great backing vocals. Love the flutes near the end.

Home to Us (with Ringo Starr) - I like the song a lot. It took a while to grow on me. The first couple listens I thought it was okay. But by the fourth listen it's really grown on me. Love the lyrics, very reflective in a fun way and Ringo's voice is terrific along with Paul's.

Life Can Be Hard - another absolute highlight of the album for me. To me it's very reminiscent of one of my favorite recent McCartney tracks "English Tea" but with a mix of Beach Boys backing vocals along with a slight psychedelic feel, terrific. Bouncy and positive with a great arrangement.

First Star of the Night - One of my favorite songs on the record. Features a great bass line and soothing lyrics with lovely backing vocals. A sweet and comforting song. Very languid and beautiful.

Salesman Saint - I absolutely adore this song. The salesman and saint in the lyrics are about his mom and dad. I absolutely love the '40s instrumental bursts near the end of this song. Such a great track. It took a couple of listens to really get this song into my veins but I really like it a lot now.

Momma Gets By - this song is the perfect ending to the album. To me it sounds like "My Valentine" from the "Kisses" album of recent years but with an absolutely wonderful arrangement of strings near the end of the song and wonderfully reflective lyrics. Superb.

Well there's my two cents on Paul McCartney's "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". It really is a wonderful record. Moving, reflective, rocking, languid and dreamlike are the words that sum this album up for me.

Now that I've gotten acquainted with these songs and they have made a home in my heart and brain I look forward to listening to it often. My criteria for a good album is one that I want to listen to again and again and this album fits that criteria in spades.

Until next time be well and see you soon!

The Monkees at 60 – “The A’s, The B’s & The Monkees” Set Celebrates The Monkees 60th with a Stellar Collection of All Their Singles from 1966-1970

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Happy New Year’s Eve!

This upcoming year of 2026 not only celebrates my own 60th birthday, two weeks from today in fact, but for Monkees fans it’s also the 60th anniversary of the “The Monkees” both as a TV show as well as a rock group.

Hard to believe, pardon the pun for those who know, that sixty years have passed since the wacky foursome of Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith first romped around television screens and blared through radios all over the world.

My own personal introduction to the group came first with the music as my older brother, nine years older than me, had purchased the first four Monkees albums which I proceeded to make into frisbees by playing them over and over as a toddler (see photo below of me in 1968 listening to “More of the Monkees” on a vintage Magnavox stereo my parents owned).

I’m sure I watched the TV show in it’s first run along with my brother but I don’t remember it as well as I remember vividly listening to the first three Monkees albums on the floor as a toddler dancing and singling along to an old portable record player.

I do remember the show more from the Saturday morning reruns as well as collecting Monkees records from the back of cereal boxes circa 1969/1970 or so but by this time I was truly a Monkees maniac and had all of their albums (there is old 8mm silent film of me at my forth birthday party in 1970 opening both “Instant Replay” and “The Monkees Greatest Hits” Colgems albums) if you can believe it.

Okay, that leads us to today.

I just received the 2 CD set called “The A’s, The B’s & The Monkees” (love the “Birds and Bees” reference) which I ordered from the Monkees.com Website. It wasn’t supposed to be out until the end of January so I was quite pleased to see it so early and since I am off today I sat down and gave both CDs a listen and took a look through the groovy booklet.

I was really curious to hear this set as it was advertised online as needle drops of all The Monkees 1966-1970 singles featuring the original 45 mono and stereo mixes of both the A and B sides (thus the title). Of course that seemed really odd yet intriguing to me. I’m all for an authentic sounding collection of their singles and though it may be redundant I think it’s a cool idea.

Well after listening to the set I’m pleasantly surprised. Both CDs do seem to contain all of the original mono and stereo 45 mixes (The “Tear Drop City” mix is the original stereo 45 version not the promo version) and to my surprise they sound excellent!

They also sound like there are from the original master tapes as they are wonderful sounding – rich, warm and not fatiguing to listen to at all.

If any of these mixes is a mono album mix and not the true mono 45 mix I didn’t notice on first listen. While that would be unfortunate I must say everything sounds so good I could live with it. The second disc is especially a good listen and fun to hear all the b-sides together; a very strong disc with some of The Monkees best songs.

The booklet says this set was mastered by Bernie Grundman with digital mastering by Dave Schultz with Bill Inglot and I must say it’s probably my favorite sounding hits collection of Monkees material in my collection – it’s that good.

(Note: a 2 Lp vinyl version of this set comes out in January and will be available to buy at independent record stores)

I know a lot of Monkees fans online are ho hum about this set as they have all the material already but if you want this stuff with the original 45 mixes sounding better than ever then you might want to give this set a listen.

Of course being a physical media guy I love a new physical Monkees release and I hope Rhino Records does some other interesting releases for the 60th anniversary throughout 2026 – we shall see.

Both CDs are mono from tracks 1-8 and then stereo for tracks 9-12 and I believe all the correct mono 45 versions – I could be wrong but I think they are all correct. And if some of these came from need drops I would truly be amazed as they sound so damn good.

Anyway, there you go. I have included photos of the 2 CD set above and below. 

I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Day tomorrow and truly wonderful 2026 as well.

See you soon here at this blog and hopefully they’ll be more Monkees releases to celebrate soon.

A Pile of Partridge 2025 – Come on, Get Happy!

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Well I’m back after a long absence of a couple months or so. Since it was winter and dreary I really wasn’t in the mood to do much so I took a bit of an extended break.

Luckily in the last three weeks or so I’ve had a chance to search antique and record stores far and wide and have found three particularly wonderful finds.

It just so happens that they all are fairly rare Partridge Family finds, two of which I never found in the wild, and all three in lovely minty condition!

Here’s what I found:

* “The World of The Partridge Family” – this is probably the rarest of The Partridge Family albums. It’s a two record set released in 1974 at the end of the television series. Not only did it look unplayed but was in the shrink wrap with a hype sticker!

* “The Partridge Family At Home with Their Greatest Hits” – this particular pressing I didn’t even know existed. I searched online after I found it and was surprised to learn that Arista records must have released this in the ’80s sometime. Another stone mint record that actually sounds better than the Bell Records pressing from 1972.

* “The Partridge Family Album” – this is a pressing of their first album from the UK. I have another copy of this UK pressing but it’s fairly beat up so I was glad to find that this one doesn’t look like it’s ever been played, truly near mint condition.

How do they sound you ask?

Well I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that all three of these albums sound superb. The biggest surprise of all of them was “The World of The Partridge Family” which is probably the best sounding Partridge Family vinyl I own.

Not only was the two-disc set mint but this pressing is truly wonderful with super quiet vinyl (a rarity for Bell Records from the 1970s I assure you) and very dynamic with a lot of bass and a clarity that isn’t present on most Partridge Family Bell Records pressings.

Original Partridge Family albums are notoriously hit or miss sound wise but this set just shines and may be my favorite sounding Partridge Family album – truly superb from start to finish and a nice song selection to boot.

The Arista pressing of “The Partridge Family At Home with Their Greatest Hits” was also surprising as it bests the original 1972 pressing though it’s not quite as dynamic sounding as “The World of The Partridge Family”. Lovely to have and another great listen. Odd to see the Arista label on a Partridge Family vinyl release but nice.

I guess the biggest surprise was how great the UK pressing of “The Partridge Family Album” sounds! UK pressings of Partridge Family albums were most likely made from a tape a generation away from the ones that made their first US pressings but this particular first UK pressing is dynamic sounding with a lot of nice bass and a truly wonderful quality pressing that was silent and very warm sounding. 

I have to say of all the pressings I own of this album this may be my favorite. I have other UK pressings of Partridge Family albums that don’t sound nearly this good.

The other wonderful thing about these albums is that all three of them were each under $5. Yes, you heard right, $15 for the three of them!!! I found them at an obscure antique mall that weirdly enough had a lot of foreign pressings and oddities.

I’m guessing that most people don’t think that Partridge Family albums have much value but “The World of The Partridge Family”  is especially tough to locate and on top of that near impossible to find still with the shrink wrap with a hype sticker and in near mint condition. This album didn’t particularly sell well at the time so they aren’t as plentiful as their regular albums which are fairly easy to locate.

And again I never even knew the Arista pressing of “The Partridge Family At Home with Their Greatest Hits” even existed so I was ecstatic to find it. I’m guessing this was reissued sometime in the 1980s but I don’t know the exact date or how long it was available. I have never seen one before but online I do see that it is out there but I’m guessing it’s fairly rare.

I can honestly say that all three of these albums are probably my favorite Partridge Family find ever while antiquing. Cheap, rare and wonderful – which is the best way to find them.

A great way to start 2025, collecting wise at least.

Well that’s all for now. I have a few other finds I’m going to be posting shortly so I just wanted to add this to the list of truly wonderful record discoveries found in some out of the way and obscure places.

Until next time I hope everything is well in your world and hopefully we’ll all be able to survive 2025 intact LOL.

See you soon!

 

Sealed for Your Protection? – Beatles Cassettes Are New Again, Even in the 21st Century

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They say that everything old is new again and I guess in the current musical landscape that includes the evergreen format of the cassette tape.

You heard right, cassette tape.

Who would have thought that in the 2020’s they’d be a market for cassette tapes but apparently that’s the case. It seems that cassette tapes are a hit with a younger crowd and I do continue to see them in used record stores and antique malls more and more recently so someone must be buying them.

Interesting really.

And to top it off this new enthusiasm for cassettes includes Beatles and solo Beatles cassette tapes – now we’re talking my language.

As for me, back in the day in the 1980s, I LOVED the cassette format. I enjoyed making mix tapes as well as tapes of my rarer records that I didn’t want to play that much. I had a ton of Maxell quality blank cassettes that I filled with various vinyl as well as practically every episode of the radio show “The Lost Lennon Tapes” from the late 1980s/early nineties and to this day those cassettes still sound pretty good.

As for store bought cassette tapes those we more hit or miss for me. Some sounded good while others sounded muffled and lousy. I never really bought that many but I still managed to snag a few here and there.

On a decent cassette player these tapes could sound pretty good as long as you never over used the Dolby settings. I found a little hiss was preferable to the blanket sound of using the Dolby settings so I generally stayed away from it.

Now of course these days cassettes are just a curio for me. I still have quite a few sealed cassettes from the eighties and nineties, a relic of an older age, and that’s the way I left it – until recently.

A couple of years ago Paul McCartney started to produce limited cassette releases  of his recent material and of course the collector in me won out and I bought a couple. I still have a really nice high end cassette player from the late 1980s so in the back of my mind I thought why not give them a try and play them; of course low these several months later they sit unopened.

The most recent cassette to cross my path was last years release of The Beatles final single “Now and Then”.  Again it was more a collector fever that hit me than a true need for the format but there you go  another unopened cassette in my collection.

My favorite recent cassette, and the first new cassette I’d bought in a couple of decades, was the cool cassette for Record Store Day 2017 that Paul McCartney issued of three cassette demos he wrote and performed with Elvis Costello – “I Don’t Want to Confess”, “Shallow Grave” and “Mistress and Maid” – recorded in the “Flowers in the Dirt” era from the late 1980s.

I just love McCartney’s handwritten titles on the cover and the whole vibe of one of his cassette demos issued in the format it was recorded on. Someday I plan to actually play the darn thing but for now it will stay sealed in pristine condition until I get the time to really have a good listen.

Speaking of sealed cassettes, I have a small collection of sealed cassettes that for one reason or another I never opened to play. To tell you the truth I’m guessing I picked these up cheap as mementos of a bygone era as I have these on CD so I’m sure I never intended to listen to them, I honestly can’t remember.

Too much tape under the bridge.

I was actually surprised when I found them in a box and had a lot of fun looking at them as they were a surprise to me that I even owned them! It’s like looking at your own store and being surprised what was on the shelf.

Anyway since I found them I thought it would make a nice blog post for folks to take a gander at some of these groovy old (and new) Beatles/solo Beatles sealed cassettes (see photos above and below).

That’s all for now. More coming soon.

Until next time be healthy and well and I hope you’re making time to listen to an old cassette if you happen to have one. And if you do let me know how it sounds, I’d be curious to know.