The Monkees – Good Times!

There are precious few bands from the music British Invasion of the Sixties still in operation today. The Monkees are such a band. Before this album they had not put out any music for twenty years. Now the three remaining members, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith, have teamed up with some very talented fans like Noel Gallagher, Peter Weller and Rivers Cuomo to record Good Times! The music found here is some of their best work. The tracks feature covers of songs by the likes of Neil Diamond and Harry Nilsson and a couple of originals. The excellent version of Diamond’s “Love to Love” actually features vocals by the departed Davy Jones and is a beautiful way to remember the man. Younger bands should take note of how this veteran band goes about their business. They haven’t tried to update their sound. Rather they stay true to who they are and the sound they built a career upon. The songs are all bright and fun. Music here is akin to time travelling back five decades and show when music is good it stands the test of time. It still works. Their voices all still mesh well together as they have aged well. Catchy songs coupled with strong contributions from all.