Monkee Business (album)
Encyclopedia
Monkee Business was a 1982 singles
and rarities compilation album
of songs by the Monkees, issued by Rhino Records. It was a picture disc
reissue of an earlier limited-issue collection, and Monkee Business was available in both LP
and cassette
formats. Several of the tracks were taken from Monkeemania!, an Australia
n compilation that featured previously-unreleased recordings.
The album is notable for being the first American Monkees rarities collection, and also as an early effort from Rhino Records. It was also the LP debut of several tracks which had only been released as singles, including "Goin' Down," "D.W. Washburn," "It's Nice to Be With You," and "Someday Man." While the track selection and notation were first-rate, the album suffered some technical faults; as a picture disc, the playback quality of the record was inferior to what was available in the early 1980s. There also appeared to be little or no remastering
done to the tracks, with equalization
and other factors varying widely from song to song. This resulted in the album sounding more like a bootleg recording
or home tape, than a professionally produced LP.
The album went out of print as Rhino shifted from vinyl releases to compact disc
s. Each of the tracks have since been reissued (carefully digitally remastered) on CD, as part of the Missing Links set of collections, or as bonus track
s on concurrent Monkees albums, though not all in the same versions (notably "Tema Dei Monkees", an Italian language
version of their television show's theme).
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and rarities compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of songs by the Monkees, issued by Rhino Records. It was a picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
reissue of an earlier limited-issue collection, and Monkee Business was available in both LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
formats. Several of the tracks were taken from Monkeemania!, an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n compilation that featured previously-unreleased recordings.
The album is notable for being the first American Monkees rarities collection, and also as an early effort from Rhino Records. It was also the LP debut of several tracks which had only been released as singles, including "Goin' Down," "D.W. Washburn," "It's Nice to Be With You," and "Someday Man." While the track selection and notation were first-rate, the album suffered some technical faults; as a picture disc, the playback quality of the record was inferior to what was available in the early 1980s. There also appeared to be little or no remastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
done to the tracks, with equalization
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
and other factors varying widely from song to song. This resulted in the album sounding more like a bootleg recording
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
or home tape, than a professionally produced LP.
The album went out of print as Rhino shifted from vinyl releases to compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s. Each of the tracks have since been reissued (carefully digitally remastered) on CD, as part of the Missing Links set of collections, or as bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s on concurrent Monkees albums, though not all in the same versions (notably "Tema Dei Monkees", an Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
version of their television show's theme).
Side 1
- "Porpoise Song" (single version) (KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
& GoffinGerry GoffinGerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
) - "Star CollectorStar Collector"Star Collector" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, recorded by The Monkees and included on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. It was also featured in five second-season episodes of their television series: "The Wild Monkees", "Hitting the High Seas", "Monkees...
" (alternate version) (King & Goffin) - "It's Nice to Be With You" (GoldsteinJerry Goldstein (record producer, musician)Jerry Goldstein is an American producer, singer songwriter and musician. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" , the producer and dubiously credited songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone...
) - "D.W. Washburn" (Leiber & Stoller)
- "Steam Engine" (alternate version) (DouglasChip DouglasDouglas Farthing Walter Hatlelid, better known as Chip Douglas, is a songwriter, musician , and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s...
) - "Tema Dei Monkees(Theme from) The Monkees" The Monkees" is a 1966 popular song, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as the theme song for the TV series The Monkees. It later appeared on their album The Monkees. Originally intended as an album track, it was later released as a single in Australia, where it became a hit. It is still...
" (Boyce & Hart)
Side 2
- "Pleasant Valley SundayPleasant Valley Sunday"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, most famous for the version recorded by The Monkees in 1967. Goffin's and King's inspiration for the name was a street named , in West Orange, New Jersey where they were living at the time. The road follows a valley through several...
" (single mix) (King & Goffin) - "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round" (Murphey)
- "She Hangs Out" (original single version) (BarryJeff BarryJeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
) - "Love to Love" (DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
) - "Someday Man" (NicholsRoger Nichols (songwriter)Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...
& WilliamsPaul Williams (songwriter)Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
) - "Goin' Down" (Hildebrand, TorkPeter TorkPeter Tork is an American musician and actor, best known as a member of The Monkees.-Early life:Tork was born Peter Halsten Thorkelson in Washington, D.C.. Although he was born in 1942, many news articles report him as born in 1944 in New York City as this was the date and place given on early...
, NesmithMichael NesmithRobert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
, Dolenz, & JonesDavy Jones (actor)David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
)