Head (The Monkees album)


Head is the soundtrack to the film Head, the only theatrical release by the Monkees. Released in 1968 through Colgems, it was the band's sixth album. Head was the last Monkees album to feature Peter Tork until Pool It! in 1987 and the last to feature all four Monkees until 1996's Justus.
The soundtrack album intersperses the six full-length songs with bits of Ken Thorne's incidental music, dialogue fragments, and sound effects culled from the film. The selection of music and dialogue approximates the flow of the movie itself, and was compiled by actor Jack Nicholson, who co-wrote the film's shooting script.
In 2013, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 25 in their list of "The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time".

History

The music of The Monkees often featured rather dark subject matter beneath a superficially bright, uplifting sound. The music of the film takes the darkness and occasional satirical elements of the Monkees' earlier tunes and makes it far more overt, as in "Ditty Diego/War Chant", or "Daddy's Song", which has Jones singing an upbeat, Broadway-style number about a boy abandoned by his father. In his 2012 essay on the soundtrack album, academic Peter Mills observed that "on this album the songs are only part of the story, as they were with The Monkees project as a whole: signals, sounds, and ideas interfere with each other throughout."

Artwork

The original issue of the record featured a front cover with a surface of aluminized PET film, meant to reflect the listener's "head" back at them. With the movie having only a limited release, the point was largely lost, and while the cover was innovative for its time, manufacturing was problematic. A March 1985 LP reissue from Rhino Records was less problematic by using foil paper instead, the result being less reflective than the original. The Rhino CD reissue from 1994 has a grey cover that is not reflective at all.

Track listing

Original 1968 Colgems vinyl issue

;Side 1
;Side 2
;Notes
Tracks 1-14: Original album

2010 Rhino Handmade deluxe CD reissue

On October 26, 2010, Rhino Records released a three-disc deluxe box set through its Rhino Handmade division. Along with the three discs, the set contained a 27-page booklet and a bonus 7-inch record that includes unreleased instrumental versions of "Porpoise Song" and "As We Go Along".
;Disc 1
Tracks 1-14: Original album in stereo
  2. "Porpoise Song " - 4:12
  3. "Ditty Diego — War Chant" - 0:52
  4. "Circle Sky" - 2:34
  5. "Can You Dig It?" - 3:31
  6. "As We Go Along" - 4:10
  7. "Daddy's Song" - 4:33
  8. "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" - 2:35
  9. "Swami - Plus Strings, Etc." - 3:58
  10. "Happy Birthday to You" - 1:06
  11. "Ditty Diego — War Chant" 22:55
;Disc 2
  1. Head Promo: "Coming Soon" - 1:02
  2. "Porpoise Song" - 4:03
  3. "Ditty Diego — War Chant" - 1:06
  4. "Circle Sky" - 2:33
  5. "Can You Dig It?" - 3:25
  6. "As We Go Along" - 3:56
  7. "Daddy's Song" - 2:17
  8. "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" - 2:36
  9. "Porpoise Song " - 4:16
  10. "Ditty Diego" - 0:53
  11. "Circle Sky" - 2:32
  12. "Can You Dig It?" - 3:27
  13. "Daddy's Song" - 2:08
  14. "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" - 3:45
  15. "Can You Dig It?" - 3:08
  16. "Daddy's Song" - 3:10
  17. Head Promo: "It's This and That" /Head Promo: "Now Playing" - 0:55
  18. Introduction to Live Show - 8:21
  19. "You Just May Be the One" - 3:39
  20. "Sunny Girlfriend" - 3:32
  21. "You Told Me" - 3:20
  22. "Circle Sky" - 2:34
  23. "California, Here It Comes" - 1:04
;Disc 3
  1. "Circle Sky" - 1:38
  2. Davy Jones Interview, Pt. 1 - 2:39
  3. "Can You Dig It?" - 2:17
  4. Davy Jones Interview, Pt. 2 - 8:32
  5. "Daddy's Song" - 2:43
  6. Davy Jones Interview, Pt. 3 - 5:30
  7. "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" - 2:47
  8. Davy Jones Interview, Pt. 4 - 3:20
  9. "Porpoise Song " - 2:47
  10. Davy Jones Interview, Pt. 5 - 0:06
  11. "Can You Dig It?" - 1:59
;7" 45 RPM record
  1. "Porpoise Song" - 4:18
  2. "As We Go Along" - 4:20

Personnel

;The Monkees
;with
All songs produced by The Monkees unless otherwise specified
Opening Ceremony
Porpoise Song
Ditty Diego — War Chant
Circle Sky
Supplicio
Can You Dig It?
Gravy
Superstitious
As We Go Along
Dandruff?
Daddy's Song
Poll
Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?
Swami - Plus Strings, Etc.
Ditty Diego — War Chant
Circle Sky
Happy Birthday to You
Can You Dig It?
Daddy's Song
Head Radio Spot

Album

Single