PORPOISE SONG Re-Mix! Audio AND Video!

This is a long one! I took various released versions of the song, some with the vocals pushed to the front, others with almost no vocals (sometimes layering the different vocal takes), and melded them with portions of other artist's versions of the song (such as those done by BongWater, The Church, and Trouble), and I even brought back the famed ending crescendo! I added continuous backward tracking of the song to the left channel, plus additional bass, cymbals, backing vocals, whale songs, and even a bunch of sound drops (many are Davy Jones-centric) from the 1968 Monkees movie the song is culled from, HEAD! I also added some woodblock effects, bouncing from right to left channel, to provide a constant "click-clack" sound, in order to replicate a ticking clock ("the clock in the sky is pounding away..."), etc...All in an attempt to make this already psychedelic song even more mind-blowing! Get those headphones out and enjoy!

BONUS! Look below for my custom-made accompanying video for the re-mix!

ZOR AND ZAM Re-Mix!

This came out much better than expected! I took a mono, vocal-less version from the BIRDS, THE BEES... LP, then did some layering and such. Next, I added looped drums and taps throughout, then layered in Micky’s vocals from the TV version. They fit perfectly (with a bit of fiddling)! Who knew? Great ethereal effect! Some vocals from the LP cut remain, and, with some additional effects, bass sweetening,  and lengthening, you have a fresh new take on this 1968 anti-war song!

TAPIOCA TUNDRA Re-Mix!

This re-mix used a rare take that had Michael’s vocals pushed to the right, and, with a little extra bass push, it was already a unique mix. I lengthened the intro, using a mono take (which returns in the middle), and the drum lead-in...Added some shaker, percussion, cymbals, overdubbing, and effects here and there, to make it come alive! Michael’s interview section during the roll-in is from the Monkees’ 1968 Australian press tour. 

UPDATE: I couldn’t resist. Thanks to the new Rhino BIRDS, BEES, AND MONKEES deluxe CD re-issue, I HAD to meld the newly released takes of TT onto my original re-mix, making it even weirder, longer, and better (but not bionic). Mike’s different vocals are added to the left channel, with a few more reverb effects here and there, and a surprise ending!

YOU TOLD ME-Live 1968 Re-Mix!

Here it is! Performed as part of a set that included CIRCLE SKY (recorded during this concert for the HEAD film), this is the tune the Monkees rarely performed live then, or in more current shows! Included on Rhino’s new HEAD deluxe CD set, I took the track, added extra bits before and after the song (from other live Monkees sets), and did a bit of stretching to the tune itself. I also had to restore Davy’s bass (listen at the beginning as Peter shows Davy the bass part before taking over on banjo)  throughout, as lots of drop-out occurred during the recording, (also replacing his bass in the middle with the actual LP track bassline) as it also did with Michael’s vocals toward the end (I “patched in” some of his later vocals there, from the LP cut of the song). Added cymbals, bass strengthening, compression (thanks to Dolan Bigley), drums, almost-buried background vocals, etc, and the tune is brushed off, brightened, and ready to go!

MAGNOLIA SIMMS Re-Mix!

Now that we finally have a full stereo version of this once lo-fi song (thanks to Rhino’s recent BIRDS, BEES, and MONKEES box set), what do I do? Send it back into lo-fi land. Sorta. I started with the stereo mix, isolated the horns in the right channel, ran that track thru some filters, added extra bass on that side, some echo effects during later portions of the song, etc... All in an effort to replicate 1920s music and radio listening. Some added instruments such as cymbals, drums, horns, bells, bass drum, slide whistles, and vibra-slap were added, in addition to the radio effects. Can you identify all the Monkees-related drops during the “radio tuning” segments?

VALLERI Re-Mix!

Here is a new (and extended) re-mix of the “TV version” of this great rocker. Starting with a real 60s DJ lead-in, the vocals were shifted to the right channel, with added bass, fuzz-tone electric guitar (added toHere is a new (and extended) re-mix of the “TV version” of this great rocker. Starting with a real 60s DJ lead-in, the vocals were shifted to the right channel, with added bass, fuzz-tone electric guitar (added to right channel), percussion (some from the LP version), backing vocals, and other effects! 

PO BOX 9847 Re-Mix!

Lots of fun! I took the instrumental track, added some reverb, eliminated the piano from the first sweeps thru the refrain (returns for the final), and upped the bass level in the right channel. Also continued and added the short, recurring string piece that pops up throughout the song. Some lengthening, layered-in ethereal vocals, and away we go! The song now has an even more psychedelic, off-kilter, disturbing feel...Is that good or bad?

Click below to hear the backing track for this re-mix!