Monkees Music Box

"The Monkees Music Box" is an unadulterated bargain. The four discs are packed with all the significant songs from the group and a lot of obscurities that are otherwise only available in very difficult to locate places. The alternate mix of "Of You" is worth the price of the set alone, and the up-tempo version of "I Wanna Be Free" is by far my preferred version of this track; alternate versions of "Look Out" and "She Hangs Out" are also excellent. I am pleased that the set didn't gloss over later stuff, and you will find every era and iteration of the band is well represented here. The set also includes a very nice paperbound set of liner notes that was above and beyond for a set at this price and should please both old fans and those new to The Monkees. While there are other songs and various versions of other tracks available elsewhere (and I highly recommend seeking them out) this is a great one stop cure for those in need of a Monkees fix. I highly recommend this set.

I am old enough to have watched The Monkees' TV show in the 60s, but young enough to not realize they actually made albums (and grew up in a pop culture black hole, apparently). I ordered "Music Box" after catching a couple of episodes of the show on IFC a few weeks ago, thinking this would be a good overview of their music. IS IT EVER! There are the great songs that I didn't remember from the TV show, and, what's better - so many more great songs that I'd never heard before! I've discovered so many new favorites and can't pick just one, though Peter Tork's "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again", "Can You Dig It", and yes, "Auntie Grizelda" are on every playlist I've made. And I'm surprised to find I like their biggest hits less than their other work ("Pleasant Valley Sunday" being the exception). I've since bought 2 more re-issued deluxe albums of theirs music, one from the 60s ("Headquarters") and one from the 90s ("Justus"). Plus thanks to Amazon Prime I can play the other deluxe versions of their early albums on my Fire until they become available for purchase on CD again, and am playing them all constantly.

I was looking for a Monkees compilation that contained all of their hits, popular songs, and the better of their non-45 released album tracks -- and I didn't want a compilation that was filled with so-so "filler" songs or live versions (because live versions tend to be much faster and generally omit the little nuances) -- and this compilation was just what I was looking for. Not only does it contain all of their hits and popular songs, but it also has a number of their 45s better-type "B-side" songs and the best of their non-45 released album tracks. And though it does contain a limited number of "fillers", even those are catchy likable tunes. I would definitely recommend The Monkees "Music Box" to anyone who is a Monkees music fan looking for all their hits and favorites in one collection.

First of all, yes I do recommend buying this if you want either a very comprehensive hits collection, or if you want the cream of the rarities but don't already own all the Rhino reissues with bonus tracks. I do question why the mono mixes were used for some of the tracks from Headquarters, with no explanation, but that's a minor quibble, I suppose. My slightly less minor complaint is with the liner notes. The rather thick booklet is packed with pictures and a long, quite well-done narrative of the band's history. But the songs are just listed with no information about year of release, which album (when appropriate) they were on, or who played on or produced any of the sessions. The producers of the individual LP's is listed separately in the discography (though, in the case of Mike Nesmith's sessions, this would be incomplete or inaccurate anyway), but there's no way to match up the individual tracks to the albums. I guess Rhino ran out of space listing out each of their re-issues (and its release date) for each album. Again, this is a minor complaint. I've already compiled my own set of liner notes from Wikipedia. I just wish they had made this otherwise definitive collection as good as it could have been. Edit: Note that, even though some of the earlier reviews mention that the set comes in a book, this is no longer true. It's now in a 4-disc jewel case, with a regular sized booklet in the case.

What a wonderful collection! The price is terrific! I mainly bought it for Disc 4, I wanted the best of the last few albums The Monkees put out before finally throwing in the towel. This Monkees collection gives you a lot of BANG! for the buck. Over 100 songs,a lavish book, and compact storage of the 4 discs inside of the book/case.Although, I have to admit I put my 4 discs in plastic jewel cases for protection.I think this would make an excellect collection for someone just discovering The Monkees' music, or for someone who wants the last few albums-but not the expense of purchasing them. ;) Amy Quist-Lake

It was great to finally listen to all the other songs and not just the hits. On the radio all they play is the hits. If you purchase a, best of, again the hits is mostly what you get. When I found this Music Box collection with practically all their songs I was estatic. I am a huge Monkees fan and I craved to listen to songs such as, I'll be Back Upon My Feet, Tear Drop City, A Man Without A Dream, P.O. Box 9847, just to name a few. I also loved the way it was packaged, each disc representing the year the song was released, and the booklet with so much information and great pictures. I LOVE this music box and so happy that I finally own it!!!

An incredible deal. I missed out on the original issue, but at the current price, I have no remorse. Now in a typical multi-disc jewel box, the music (which is what matters) is the same. A great mix of official and alternate versions of the best of the world's most underrated band. You still get a rather generous booklet as well. A great place to start for anyone looking to start a Monkees collection.

An incredible deal of 4 discs' with greatest hits, alternative track and tracks not used on their original Colgems albums. Not sure why the songs All The King's Horses, All of Your Toys, If I Ever Get to Saginaw, as well as Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears(not on these discs) were never released in the Sixties.

I bought this when it first came out way back in 2001 simply because it had unissued (at the time) mixes of three songs and a much longer take of another (not that I knew that before I bought it). I've played it quite a lot since then because it's a damn fine collection. Unfortunately, the very informative 98 page booklet became unglued fairly easily. It was time to get a new copy. However, whereas that first release appeared in a slightly bigger than A5 hardback format, this one comes in a double jewel case with accompanying booklet. (Actually, this release is a reissue of a reissue from 2007.) That isn't a problem, as many prefer the jewel case. No, what the question is, is why the booklet has been reduced by 30 pages? Those buying this for the first time won't realise that of course but they are missing out on some interesting individual narrative on each of the 99 tracks. There are also some differences in the photos. Notwithstanding any of that, this is a first rate 'hits and much more' collection, with all 13 UK singles included (both sides). The rest is made up of LP tracks and alternate takes and mixes. For the die hard collector, although you'll probably have most, if not all, of what's here, you'll need to get this because of one track; it's the most complete version of 'Carlisle Wheeling' yet released. The song selection is top notch. The first three discs all concentrate on a particular year, 1966, 1967 and 1968, whilst the fourth disc is a bit of a mixed bag, as it includes some tracks that could be looked at as virtual solo outings, but they all went out under The Monkees name, which is why they're here. This is a similar collection to the LP size 'Listen to the Band' four CD box but comes at a much cheaper price, and it does contain that 'must have' mix of 'Carlisle Wheeling'. Though there is a wealth of great songs on the original nine albums, there's also some inferior stuff so, as an introduction for new fans, this is a worthwhile set and, in my eyes, a better buy than getting those original albums.

曲の目新しさよりも、中の解説（モンキーズ物語の真実/曲にまつわるエピソード）は面白かったです。 ただ曲の演奏データはBOXのListen to the Bandの方が詳しくクレジットされてます。 追記/「ショーティブラックウェル」をレコード以来、３０年ぶりに聴いて、アレンジの良さを再確認。好みです、、、。

This is great, never knew the monkees had so many songs. They are great I highly recommend this to any fan of this group.

Love this compilation of the Monkees music from 1966 to 1996. I only wish "Early Morning Blues and Greens" from HQ and "Regional Girl" from Justus were included. But really those are the only two I feel should've been included. Otherwise this is pretty complete!

Auf vier CDs ist die Erfolgskarriere der Monkees zusammengefaßt. Eine sehr gute Box, auf der das Wichtigste drauf ist. Erkennbar ist, daß die Monkees besser wurden, je unabhängiger sie wurden. Leider wurde ihnen die musikalische Weiterentwicklung und die Selbständigkeit nicht abgenommen, ebensoweinig wie anderen Bands, die mal als Teenielieblinge begannen (siehe The Sweet). Das Booklet ist sehr informativ und erzählt die Geschichte der Band anschaulich. Also: ein sehr gutes Gesamtpaket.