The Monkees Greatest Hits (1976)

Lemme see if I got this straight: this 1990 CD release was originally a 1976 Arista release that has the same track list and sequence as the 1972 Bell Records release titled Re-Focus because the Bell label had since been reorganized into Arista Records in 1974. Brilliantly marketed just as the original TV series went into syndication.

Billboard, July 10, 1976, p.64

CashBox, July 10, 1976, p. 18

Groovy sixties vibes throughout and I'm immediately sent on a flashback trip. What a fantastic time capsule.

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #58
• Cash Box album chart: #72

Tracks:

Song	Year	Hot 100
Introduction	1967	-
Last Train To Clarksville	1966	1
She	1966	-
Daydream Believer	1967	1
Listen To The Band	1969	63
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You	1967	2
I'm A Believer	1966	1
I Wanna Be Free	1967	-
Pleasant Valley Sunday	1967	3
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone	1966	20
Shades Of Gray	1967	-

Top 40 hits not included: The Girl I Knew Somewhere (#39, 1967), Words (#11, 1967), Valleri (#3, 1968), Tapioca Tundra (#34, 1968), D.W. Washburn (#19, 1968).

They're all enjoyable, particularly the top ten hits, and at a running time of 31 minutes, there's no reason not to listen to the whole disc.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: As a toddler, one of my earliest memories of intentionally bothering my family is running around the house singing the TV themes to both The Monkees as well as The Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)). I'm sure my parents were ready to throw out TV our in the street.