Rating: 
Summary: How not to make a DVD box set
Review: I picked up this set with great anticipation. I loved these shows as a kid, stayed up for the marathon in the 80's to video tape them off MTV, and eventually got both seasons from Columbia House Home Video.With all the recent technical advances these should have blown me away, like the Beatles Anthology set did. However, it appears Rhino didn't do any restoration at all to these shows, and used the exact tapes they did with the Columbia House videos. While DVD technology does make the pictures clearer, they still have many spots and flaws throughout like copies of films shown on old movie projectors. Even the ending credits on the first episode skip several seconds, like a bad 45. Couldn't they find better copies out there somewhere? Yes, the special features are interesting. But why is the 16mm pilot black and purple? Same thing can be said about the commercials. I've seen better copies of these at the Monkees conventions BEFORE DVD's even existed. Restoration can be done - check out "Strawberry Fields" (or any other video clip) from the Beatles Anthology. That stuff is as old, or older than these shows. Hardly any flaws are on the Beatles Anthology. The sound doesn't blow me away either, especially how the volume fluctuates in "Last Train to Clarksville" in "The Monkees at the Movies". The soundtrack still sounds better to me on the Columbia House videos. They did put the set in an interesting box - probably spent their budget on it, rather than improving the video quality. While visually cute, it's a bad design. It doesn't fit in the shelf with all the rest of your DVD' collection, and, even though the box is large, there's no protection for the DVD's. They slide out and stay in the cardboard holder when you pull out the 'record' cover, or you end up putting fingerprints on them trying to get them out if they do stay inside. The box itself will self-destruct if you aren't careful because the upper lid is larger than the lower. You can't open and close it very often before a corner will split (mine actually came damaged from delivery in the mail). To say I'm very disappointed is an understatement. I hope they get their act together for Season Two (and re-do this one, too). I'm giving it 4 stars since I really do love the shows. If I graded it on quality, it would get 2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: packaging
Review: here's an idea to solve the packaging problems -- buy six dvd cases and put the 6 dvds in them. and keep the original packaging, just don't put the dvds in it. otherwise, rhino did a 5-star job .... bring on season 2 soon.
Rating:
Summary: DAVY'S COMMENTARY
Review: On subsequent viewings of this DVD set, I finally got around to paying more attention to the commentaries by Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith, and have to say that of the three, only the good natured Jones really enhanced my viewing pleasure or lent any insight into what it was like to be a Monkee. Jones clearly still loves the show and still thinks the plots and gags are a hoot, and quite candidly has a blast watching himself and his buddies go through the motions. At the end of one of the episodes, he is most convincing when he signs off saying "We had SO MUCH FUN doing those shows, I really wish you all could have been there!" You get the feeling he really loves the show and feels warmly towards his mates. Nesmith and Tork, on the other hand, (as well as James Frawley who directed some of the episodes) deliver a dryly clinical account of their experiences that is limited mostly to describing what they see on the screen as opposed to what they were feeling at the time or what they may feel now watching it all again. In Nesmith's commentary, he struggles unsucessfully to get past describing his sense of fear and of being "lost" at the outset of the Monkees' TV career, but he never gets around to telling us how he felt/feels about Davy, Peter and Micky.The most interesting observation he comes up with is that the early episodes had "a naivite that was charming. As we went on, they seemed to get worse. The more sophistocated and self conscious we became, the stranger it got." The other high point of the Nesmith commentary is when he expresses a love of Dolenz's voice that is nice to hear, and concedes that Dolenz was "really the voice of the Monkees". Tork limits his commentary mostly to trying to remember the names of periphreal characters that mean little to most of us. While it's still nice to hear them, nobody but Jones really delivers the goods as we want them to. It will be interesting to hear what Dolenz has to say on Season Two, but for now, Davy just became my favorite Monkee!
Rating:
Summary: THANK GOD FOR RHINO!
Review: Thank God for Rhino Records! Without them, who knows how long we might have waited for a DVD compilation of the entire first season of "The Monkees", if ever. It is hard to imagine another company taking the time and meticulous effort that Rhino did spiffing up these old shows until they sparkled like new, giving them to us in the same chronology as they were aired (as opposed to mixing up the first and second season as was the case on the Columbia house 2 and 3-fers in the '90's! Shame on them!) The original pilot with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's voices on the theme song and "I Wanna Be Free" as well as a number of original Monkees "Kellogs" spots make fantastic extras, as do the great commentaries. I agree with other reviewers that no expense should be spared in securing Dolenz and Jones for the Season 2 package. And while the cover is clumsy (a facsimile of the Monkees lunchbox might have made a better case for the set than a cardboard record player) but why knitpick when the important part--the content--is everything you could ask, and then some! Oh, and that's Julie Newmar, by the way, as April the laundromat lady in "Monkees Get Out More Dirt". She's groovy, baby! Why bother with Austin Powers when the real thing is right here? A more perfect mid-sixties time capsule would be hard to find. We bow to thee, Rhino!
Rating:
Summary: Really special
Review: Finally the Monkees first season is on DVD and I'm thrilled. I didn't see the show until they were reruns in the early 70's but absolutely fell in love with the show. The Monkees and Batman were my favorite 60's TV shows. Everything is awesome about the set but I agree with other reviewers that the 5.1 sound isn't that great. I still use it because it seems more complete to me but you can be the judge. Definitely don't let that deter you from buying this. I also wish that there would be a Play All feature but oh well. And each time you choose an episode, you have to decide in 2.0 or 5.1. Just little nick picks if you're wanting to watch many. This is well worth it and the convenient small box should be the wave of the future for box sets.
Rating:
Summary: My new review... Great BUT...
Review: Micky and even David did not take part on any commentary. The episodes were in the best shape that I have ever seen them... I liked the MONKEES GET OUT MORE DIRT episode.. Seeing those 4 guys go after April was a riot! The picture was crystal clear! You can really see the wires that they had Micky hooked up to! Seeing the pilot in the MM format gave me a bit of a headache! I am glad that the pilot had the Monkees doing the songs in the finished product... The Monkees in Concert was amazing to see and watching this makes me think about my concert experiences with the Monkees.. I cried when Micky did his James Brown bit and at the end when the show was over... Looking back on that last one, they STILL kept that same magic right through the final tour in 2001.. I agree about the little disc covers for the set... Take special care when taking out the discs... All in all, I am glad to have this set... Columbia House lost out on this gem... The old Record player box was rather nice... I hope that the specials, music videos from the 80s, and Heart & Soul Videography go for the DVD treatment next...OH... Be sure to enclude the Christmas video from MTV too... It had all the Monkees in that one.. It was good to see the interviews on how the Monkees happened, and I really look forward to Season 2.. I hope that Micky and Davy will do some commentary on that disc... Till Season 2 comes out... I will be really enjoying this firat set...
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD box set that won't fit on your shelf
Review: I give Rhino credit, they did an outstanding job on this set. The episodes look great and the commentaries were excellent. I was very pleased to see Nez comment on a couple of episodes since he is so often absent from modern Monkee projects. Both Nez and Peter give some nice insight to the Monkees on Tour episode. It would have been great to hear all four comment on the craziness of touring, but that is a minor gripe. Listening to Peter's commentary my wife noted that "Peter doesn't really like Mike does he?". Like his commentary from Daydream Believers, Peter is often out front with his assessment of Nez. David also has some nice commentary and he seems to really enjoy watching and remembering the show. Actually they all seem to enjoy it and you can feel the pride in the work they did. Sadly Dolenz isn't involved in any commentary. Apparently he was unavailable which is too bad because his commentary on the VH1 Daydream Believers was a riot. He really needs to comment on Frodis in season two, even if Rhino has to hold the set up to get him. The photo gallery, which I expect many will skip over contains some very cool scans, including "grading" sheets of many that tried out for the show. Some interesting tidbits come out of this including the fact that not only did a number of females try out, but at least one was seriously considered and apparently turned it down because she didn't want to commit to a series. As for season two, like many I hope Rhino includes 33 1/3 in addition to the 80's and 90's music videos. I guess while we are dreaming, one of the concerts (Billboard Live) with all four guys would be perfect. Then there is the ABC reunion special. Yeah, I know I can only dream. I imagine if we don't get these items tagged onto the season two box we never will. Now is a good time to write Rhino and ask (or beg). As for the actual packaging. As many have mentioned it is modeled after a 1960's phonograph and looks very cool. The problem is it won't match any other boxed DVD set you have, nor will it fit well on your DVD shelf. "No big deal" I say, let's just stick it with The Monkees CD's. Not so fast, it's too big for that shelf. So I give Rhino 5 stars for creativity and take back half a star for the impractical nature of the box. I imagine the stores that sell these things will find the odd size annoying also.
Rating: 
Summary: Why You Won't Get a New Unaired Pilot in this Set
Review: Monkees fans should know that Rhino had an opportunity to use an improved 16mm print of the unaired pilot to the show featuring the vocals of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for this boxed set. Unfortunately due to their reluctance in communication they missed their opportunity to provide fans with a second, better quality, and slightly different version of the pilot on this DVD set. Now all fans will get for their money is the same version of the unaired pilot already issued years ago on the video box set and this new historic film print will remain unreleased.
Rating:
Summary: MUST HAVE!
Review: If you are a fan of this TV show, you will love this collection! The one and only complaint is the 5.1 audio. The show sounds much better in Mono. The 5.1 audio is tinny and hollow. The extras are cool and I would be interested to know why Micky didn't participate in any of the commentary. It would have been cool if all 4 (or three at least) could have done commentary together but maybe its a contract thing. Even Mike has appeared to put his past in perspective now and doesn't seem as bitter in discussing the show as we've been lead to believe in recent years. You get the Kelloggs commercials (fans of the bootleg market will notice that this gathers up to my knowledge all of the TV spots for Kelloggs. Two Kelloggs ads from season two are featured in this collection and haven't been available in their entirety anywhere before I believe) You also get their ad for Yardley Black Label cologne and a brief ABC promo spot for season one. I'm looking forward to season two and its nice to see these episodes gathered together in broadcast order.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Rock n' Roll Group
Review: I recently received this DVD in the mail. I haven't had the chance to watch every episode yet, but I am glad to say that a few have Monkeemen. I love this set of DVDs. I must have spent two hours watching them the other day, they are that great. Can't wait until Season Two comes out!!!
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