Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Here they come.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 12, 2016

Musicologists and cultural historians have denuded countless forests and exhausted considerable bandwidth in discussing the impact of The Beatles’ music in innumerable articles books and analyses which have been published in either book or magazine form, or online. What’s often missing from these investigations is the fact that The Beatles’ first two films, A Hard Day's Night and Help!, were just as revolutionary in their own ways in a visual medium, helping to usher in a new, freer approach toward so-called “narrative” elements while also pointing the way to what would ultimately become known as the music video. The fact that The Beatles’ music was so epochal may ironically have partially cloaked the forcefulness of the innovations exploited in the first two Beatles’ cinematic outings, but there’s little doubt that their influence was felt almost immediately, and there’s probably no greater example of that influence than The Monkees. What’s kind of ironic about this situation is that The Monkees are often cited as a “manufactured band” assembled to cash in on the notoriety of groups like The Beatles, whereas simply listening to The Monkees’ ebullient music (written by a cavalcade of mid-sixties’ titans like Boyce and Hart and/or Carole King) is that their tunes were manifestly different from the Lennon and McCartney oeuvre, and in fact often tended toward a more jangly, almost quasi-country feeling than the more sophisticated, urban sound of The Beatles. That said, the actual visual and storytelling ambiences of The Monkees (i.e., the actual television series) is deeply in the debt of Richard Lester’s work with The Beatles on A Hard Day’s Night and Help!. Rather remarkably, The Monkees was helmed by a first time director named James Frawley (who is on hand with good anecdotal reminiscences via commentary tracks), a guy who despite his relative inexperience was able to create an environment that fostered an improvisational tone while also playing to the strengths of the individual actors hired to portray The Monkees. Frawley also helped to establish the series’ anarchic structural proclivities, ones where traditional storytelling methods were often shunted off to the sidelines in favor of non sequiturs, outrageous sight gags, and (of course) the proto-music videos that the show described as musical “romps”.

The casting net was spread pretty far and wide for The Monkees, with a number of iconic musicians like Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson reportedly among the auditioners. There’s an urban myth that one Charles Manson was among the hopefuls, but that’s evidently unsupported by any actual evidence (not that that ever stopped people from speculating). What’s a little remarkable about The Monkees, then, is the obvious chemistry between the quartet which is palpable virtually from the get go. Davy Jones, who had already had success as The Artful Dodger in the London and Broadway versions of Oliver! (trivia fans will know he was on the same Ed Sullivan Show in that role where The Beatles made their legendary United States debut), was more or less pre-cast due to an existing deal he had with Screen Gems. Micky Dolenz was a former child star who had a brief fling with stardom (under the name Mickey Braddock) in the late fifties series Circus Boy. The other two Monkees, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, had less of an on screen history, but each had achieved at least some success with music.

For all of its free-wheeling ebullience, The Monkees still developed something of a rut in some ways from the get go, positing Davy as a lothario who was irresistible to women. Peter was the goofball klutz, Michael the understated wisenheimer and Micky the over the top “showbiz” type, frolicking through a series of adventures that quite frequently had Davy and some girl at their core. The show simply cutaway at any given moment to indulge in musical sequences, and in that way was notably different from the “next” manufactured television band, The Partridge Family, where the musical segues were at least arguably a bit more organically woven into the story. The result was a series that struggled to establish some kind of link to what was then the mainstream (hence the familiar laugh track in the early episodes) while also obviously being targeted clearly to the “young generation” referenced in the series’ iconic theme song.

As Michael Nesmith mentions in one of his typically self-effacing commentary tracks, the network and (ironically, considering what ultimately went down) Don Kirshner basically created four monsters (Nesmith refers to them as “preening monsters”). Luckily most of that monstrous behavior was relegated to backstage shenanigans, and through the brief, whirlwind run of the series the four stars remained charmingly free spirited and seemingly unaffected by their sudden fame. But The Monkees remain as a potent symbol for any number of trends in American culture: manufactured “fame”, struggles for artistic control, out of control egos, and, ultimately, the ignominious fate of having to do Kool Aid commercials (this last element obviously offered in jest). What’s so remarkable about both The Monkees and The Monkees is how quickly they swept to the top of the pop culture mountaintop and then saw it all disappear virtually just as quickly.

The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Monkees: The Complete Series is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Rhino with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1 (for the series, the focus of this review). Things look fantastic about 90% of the time throughout the two seasons of the series, with the show's bright, primary based palette really popping gorgeously a lot of the time, and detail levels remaining consistently high and nicely defined, with a natural looking grain field. That said, there are occasional anomalies that I have no real logical explanation for, where suddenly even brief shots within an overall sharp looking sequence will suddenly appear softer and fuzzier looking, as if perhaps sourced from secondary elements. Perhaps more understandably, some of the stock footage (typically used in the "musical romps" or in brief establishing shots) are pretty ragged looking, and some of the location work (again, much of it used in the musical sequences) can look at least incrementally softer and less detailed than the bulk of the presentation. (See screenshots 9, 13 and 15 for examples of some of these issues.) Aside from "built in" damage like scratches and dirt on stock footage, this is a remarkably clean looking set of transfers and my hunch is most Monkees fans will be very well pleased with the overall results. My score is 4.25.

The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Monkees: The Complete Series features nice sounding LPCM 2.0 mono mixes on all episodes, and the "first run" versions typically sound great, with a nice full spectrum of frequencies resonating very well despite the narrow soundstage. The music breathes remarkably well considering the age of the series and (again) the narrow soundstage, and the series' use of goofy sound effects also is rendered brightly and crisply. Dialogue is presented cleanly and with excellent prioritization. Occasional slight distortion creeps into some of the "rerun" versions, for reasons I can't adequately explain. In any case, the audio on this set should delight fans of the series, at least with regard to the main set of episodes.

The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Season 1 Disc 1

• 01. Royal Flush Commentary by James Frawley


• 01. Royal Flush Commentary by Davy Jones


• 02. Monkee See, Monkee Die Commentary by Glenn Strobl


• 03. Monkee vs. Machine Commentary by Bob Rafelson


• 03. Monkee vs. Machine Commentary by Peter Tork


• Episode 1 "Royal Flush" 1967 Soundtrack (1080p; 25:21)


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 1 Disc 2

• 10. Here Come the Monkees Commentary by Michael Nesmith


• 10. Here Come the Monkees Commentary by Peter Tork


• 12. I've Got a Little Song Here Commentary by Michael Nesmith


• 14. Dance, Monkee, Dance Commentary by James Frawley


• 15. Too Many Girls Commentary by Davy Jones


• Episode #15 "Too Many Girls" Censored Sequence (1080p; 3:31)


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 1 Disc 3

• 21. The Prince and the Pauper Commentary by Rodney Bingenheimer


• 24. Monkees a la Mode Commentary by Valerie Kairys Venet


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 1 Disc 4

• 32. The Monkees on Tour Commentary by Bobby Hart


• 32. The Monkees on Tour Commentary by Peter Tork


• 32. The Monkees on Tour Commentary by Michael Nesmith


• Episode #32 "The Monkees on Tour" 1969 Soundtrack (1080p; 25:36)


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 2 Disc 1

• 35. Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik Commentary by Donna Loren


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 2 Disc 2

• 44. Hitting the High Seas Commentary by Davy Jones


• 47. Christmas Show Commentary by Gary Strobl


• 48. Fairy Tale Commentary by Michael Nesmith


• 48. Fairy Tale Commentary by Peter Tork


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Season 2 Disc 3

• 52. The Devil and Peter Tork Commentary by Peter Tork


• 54. Monkees in Paris Commentary by Bob Rafelson


• 55. Monkees Mind Their Manor Commentary by Peter Tork


• 56. Some Like it Lukewarm Commentary by Valerie Kairys Venet


• 57. Monkees Blow Their Minds Commentary by Michael Nesmith


• 58. Mijacogeo Commentary by Micky Dolenz


• Song Index allows going straight to any given song.

Head Disc 8

• Head (1080p; 1:25:46) features either a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 mono track.


• Head Commentary features The Monkees in what sounds like separately recorded tracks (at least in part) which have been edited together very well.


• Trailers (1080i and 1080p; 5:13, 1:24 and 4:24) features an assortment of trailers and TV spots.

33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee Disc 9

• 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee (480i; 52:25) features either English or Spanish audio, both in LPCM 2.0 mono.


• Commentary by Micky Dolenz


• Commentary by Brian Auger


• 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee (Edited Version) (480i; 57:47)

Disc 10 (Bonus Disc)

• Monkees Screen Tests

  Peter Tork (1080p; 2:45)

  Micky Dolenz (1080p; 2:37)

  Dallas Williams (1080p; 3:13)

• Monkees Camera Tests: Scene One (1080p; 3:54)


• Monkees Camera Tests: Scene Two (1080p; 3:14)


• Monkees Profiles

  Davy (1080p; 00:34)

  Mike (1080p; 00:32)

• Here Come the Monkees (Unaired Pilot) (1080p; 24:51)


• Saturday's Child (Outtakes) (1080i; 2:43)


• Gonna Buy Me a Dog (Outtakes) (1080i; 2:33)


• I Can't Get Her Off My Mind (Outtakes) (1080i; 2:50)


• Let's Dance On (Outtakes) (Screen Gems "Block Party") (1080p; 2:30)


• Last Train to Clarksville (Outtakes) (1080i; 2:48)


• First Train to Clarksville (KHJ Monkee Trip) (1080i; 7:07)


• NBC Promos 1966 Promo 1 (1080i; 00:26)


• NBC Promos 1966 Promo 2 (1080i; 00:22)


• (Theme From) Los Monkees (Season One Credits) (1080p; 00:54)


• Kellogg's (Season One Promos): Rice Day (1080p; 00:48)


• Kellogg's (Season One Promos): Sack Day (1080p; 00:47)


• Kellogg's (Season One Promos): Under Arrest (1080i; 00:47)


• Kellogg's (Season One Promos): Brand X (1080i; 00:48)


• Kellogg's (Season One Promos): Lean and Hungry Look (1080i; 00:47)


• Yardley Promos & Bumpers: Commercial (1080p; 00:54)


• Yardley Promos & Bumpers: Oh De London (1080p; 00:13)


• Yardley Promos & Bumpers: Slicker (1080p; 00:13)


• Yardley Promos & Bumpers: B & W (1080p; 00:18)


• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You (Rerun Version) (1080p; 1:51)


• Kellogg's (Season Two Commercials) (1080i; 00:47 and 1080p; 1:02)


• The Door Into Summer (Backstage at the Emmys) (1080i; 1:00)


• Randy Scouse Git (1080i; 2:38)


• Head Promo (1080p; 00:21)


• Porpoise Song (Outtakes) (1080p; 4:20)


• Can You Dig It? (Outtakes) (1080p; 3:25)


• Daddy's Song (Outtakes: Black on White) (1080p; 2:53)


• Daddy's Song (Outtakes: White on Black) (1080p; 2:53)


• Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again (Outtakes) (1080p; 2:41)


• Head Outtakes (1080i; 13:00)


• Julie's Goodbye from 33 1/3 (Outtakes) (1080i; 1:24)


• Goldie Locks Summertime (Outtakes) (1080i; 3:30)


• I Go Ape (Outtakes) (1080i; 3:09)


• String for My Kite/Solfeggietto (Outtakes) (1080i; 3:31)


• Listen to the Band (Outtakes) (1080i; 14:14)


• Medley: Last Train to Clarksville, I'm a Believer, Salesman (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour) (1080i; 1:52)


• Tear Drop City (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour) (1080i; 2:13)


• Last Train to Clarksville/Nine Times Blue (The Johnny Cash Show) (1080i; 3:19)


• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (Excerpts) (1080i; 2:13)


• Someday Man (Music Bag) (1080i; 2:36)


• Kool Aid Promos: Promo 1 (1080p; 2:03)


• Kool Aid Promos: Promo 2 (1080p; 00:32)


• French Song (Rerun Version) (1080p; 2:05)


• I Never Thought It Peculiar (Rerun Version) (1080p; 2:10)


• Midnight Train (Rerun Version) (1080p; 2:14)


• Oh My My (Promo Film) (1080i; 3:10)


• Do You Feel It Too (Rerun Version) (1080p; 2:44)


• All Alone in the Dark (Rerun Version) (1080p; 4:50)

Additionally, this set comes housed in a deluxe box with a lenticular cover, a nice booklet with episode summaries and other information, and an honest to goodness 45 (kids, ask your parents or grandparents if you don't understand this now ancient terminology). Rhino has already instituted a replacement program for tears that have appeared on the inner cardboard holder of the ten Blu-ray discs. If you receive a damaged box, you can contact Rhino here.

The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was a little boy when The Monkees first aired, but I remember to this day setting Monday nights aside to watch the show, which was among the most unusual series of its time. Revisiting it now may show a few more of its "seams", but the show is so inventive and often so wackily humorous that it's easy to forgive its excesses. Rather incredibly, The Monkees' music (whether or not they were "completely" in charge of it) has weathered the vagaries of time and remains some of the catchiest pop of the late sixties. This new set from Rhino is a feast for Monkees' fans, with generally excellent technical merits and a bountiful supply of bonus material. Highly recommended.