Monkees Pool It! CD

The Monkees: Peter Tork (vocals, guitar); Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz (vocals).
Additional personnel: Dan Sawyer (acoustic guitar); Mark Christian, Lou Natkin (guitar); Jim Thompson (saxophone); Andy Cahan (piano); Mike Egizi (keyboards, programming); George Hawkins, Davey Faragher, Dave Sutton (bass); Curly Smith (drums); Craig Ostbo, Roger Bechirian (percussion).
Originally released on Rhino (70706). Includes liner notes by Harold Bronson.
Given the context of the MTV revivalism of their show, a reunion performance on the MTV music awards, a stellar best-of compilation, a top video on Dial MTV with "That Was Then...This is Now," and a new series based on the original (the New Monkees? Anyone?), one would think that 1986 was the year that the Monkees could do no wrong. For the most part, this was true; but then they dropped Pool It! and it was a bit like watching a prized race horse's legs give midway through a race. Unquestionably their worst output of all time, Pool It! was an obvious attempt to cash in on the revitalized success of the group, which falls flat within 30 seconds of the album's solitary notable song "Heart and Soul." This is normally the part of a review where the reviewer would advise this release for die-hard fans only, but I can't even suggest that, as no one should be subjected to such poor quality unless they're a collector or completist -- and even then it's best to keep Pool It! in its original packing, if anything to increase the resale value. ~ Rob Theakston
Failed '80s reunion album is more "fake" sounding than anything from their prime. Stick to the originals. ~ Jeff Tamarkin
In 1986, The Monkees' TV show was resurrected on MTV, and the band went from being a rock-hipster joke to a well-respected example of classic '60s pop. A greatest hits collection, featuring three new tracks by Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, and a full slate of reissues of the band's original albums all sold well, and a concert tour was a big success. And so three of the Monkees--Michael Nesmith declined to participate--went into the studio to record a full reunion album.
The results were, surprisingly, not dire in the least. Choosing postpunk veteran Roger Bechirian (Elvis Costello, The Undertones) to produce helped keep the '80s-style slickness at manageable levels, and also improved the choice of covers--a version of Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World" is particularly inspired. Apart from a few missteps (though no more than on most of the group's '60s albums), not bad at all.