Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones (Rhino High Fidelity)＜限定盤＞

After wresting control of the Monkees from Don Kirschner and recording the very good Headquarters album as a mostly self-contained unit, the bandmembers returned to using studio musicians to augment their sound as well as looking outside the group for many of the songs on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. This decision to go with a nybrid approach worked like a charm and the resulting album is one of their best. Filled with hooky pop songs like "She Hangs Out" and the Harry Nilsson-penned "Cuddly Toy," psychedelic ravers "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector" (both of which feature the newly invented Moog synthesizer), Mike Nesmith-produced rockers ("Love Is Only Sleeping"), and ballads (the lovely "Dont Call on Me"), the album is filler-free and fun-filled. That it contains three of their finest songs ("Words," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and the song that helped invent, "What Am I Doing Hangin Round?") means that not only is it one of the Monkees best, it is one of 1967s best. It boggles the mind to think that both this album and Headquarters came out the same year when most bands would be lucky to have two albums this good come out their entire career. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. is yet more proof that the Monkees were indeed one of the best bands of the 60s. ~ Tim Sendra