Assembled via casting call as American television's answer to the Beatles, the Monkees incurred the wrath of "serious" critics from L.A. to London. But as initially manufactured pop commodities, the band distinguished itself from latter-day pretenders to the throne like The Backstreet Boys with a willful--and sometimes perverse--drive to wrest control of their own musical destiny from the all-star stable of songwriters and producers (including Boyce and Hart, King and Goffin, Mann and Weil, Neil Diamond and Chip Douglas) who made them pop stars. But then, maybe the notoriously frenzied 1960s had something to with it: their artistic legacy in that decade bridged both Don Kirshner and Jack Nicholson; it was Jimi Hendrix who opened for them. Even more unlikely, that legacy had a three-decade-plus staying power well beyond its obvious nostalgic charms. While Rhino has previously reissued and anthologised the Monkees' catalogue to seemingly exhaustive extremes, this four-disc, 99-track compendium (each individually annotated by band members and songwriters in the set's colourful booklet) is the only one that spans their full recorded output. Structured around the A- and B-sides of the band's singles, strong album cuts and outtakes (including three previously unreleased) it's a journey that's both comfortably familiar and occasionally surprising. The band's individual parts are showcased well: Mike Nesmith's tuneful, pioneering country-rock; Davy Jones' Broadway-honed panache; Peter Tork's spirituality and innate musical chemistry; Micky Dolenz' loopiness and occasionally avant-garde instincts. But by the sometimes spotty fourth disc (largely spanning the mid-70s to mid-90s), the band's output was hampered by partial line-ups, part-time commitments and, perhaps ironically, the lack of the very pop song-crafter thoroughbreds who helped establish their legend in the first place. --Jerry McCulley
£22.99
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Ian Brown's third solo album confirms that the former Stone Roses singer has now settled into what may euphemistically be termed his trademark sound. Music of the Spheres, like its predecessors Unfinished Monkey Business and Golden Greats, coalesces around a shuffling, semi-funky rhythm section, spasmodic guitar sparks, and Ian's comfy, flat vocal intoning a mixed bag of cosmic insights. The conservatism is no drawback: Brown has found a winning formula and is not minded to change it. So, in addition to the musical familiarity, King Monkey revisits previous lyrical concerns: both "Gravy Train" and "Whispers" condemn Met Bar-frequenting, cocaine-abusing media types, and "Hear No Speak No" is merely glancing mystic guff. Brown can do much better and, thankfully, he does. On the layered, symphonic "F.E.A.R." he recites a string of acronyms (For Everyman a Religion, Final Execution and Resurrection, etc) over a luscious stoned beat, and "Stardust" is a lurching, baggy groove-heavy monster from the halcyon days of Madchester, as is the trippy, knowing "Bubbles". True, Ian Brown is still no Sinatra, but to the credit of this maverick icon, Music of the Spheres is a clever, insidious album from a man who knows exactly what he's doing. --Ian Gittins
£3.99
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This collection of tribal, ambient, and folk music by Australia's aboriginal artists and tribes is an interesting snapshot of the various indigenous faces of Australia. Listeners will find much of the famed didgeridoo, sometimes as the cornerstone for tribal dreamtime rituals, sometimes leading the melodies in modern electronic pop music, sometimes setting the dark, ominous tone for ambient music. Highlights include Archie Roach's melodic folk tune "Native Born", a sweet lament about the loss of aboriginal land and culture; Gapu's "Celebration" with Rachel Nehanda Woods's lovely chant; and Ruby Hunter's "Kurongk Boy, Kurongk Girl". But make no mistake, the Rough Guide folks include enough traditional tribal chant to please those looking for authentic Australian aboriginal music. An excellent, comprehensive introduction. --Karen Karleski
£6.93
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