Micky Dolenz - Remember (2012)

Remember features 12 songs that mark milestones in the life of Mickey Dolenz. A few of the tracks in this audio scrapbook are surprising, yet structured in this context actually make sense. A few of these titles Dolenz either passed on when they were first being shopped around, or didn't respond to quickly enough, before being grabbed by other performers. The former category includes "Diary" by David Gates and the latter "Just an Old Fashioned Love Song," by Paul Williams. Dolenz's decision to cover "Sugar, Sugar" has a strange musical history attached to it. In 1967, Monkees musical director Don Kirshner told the band the song was to be their next single. The Monkees felt differently, leading Mike Nesmith, followed by the other three members, to demand creative control over the music from that point forward. "Sugar, Sugar" went to the Archies instead and became a number one single. Here Dolenz approaches the track with a cool jazz arrangement and sly scat vocals. The songs associated with the Monkees have new arrangements, such as "Sometime in the Morning," which is slowed down and features classical guitar, while "I'm a Believer" and "Quiet Desperation" have been given country-rock arrangements that are similar to what Nesmith was doing in the Monkees' years. A very different take on the track from Headquarters, "Randy Scouse Git," has been slowed down considerably. This version fluctuates between hazy and dreamlike to erupting power chords during the chorus. An obscure track from the Monkees days, "Do Not Ask for Love," strips the tune of any instruments and is done a cappella. The most curious song on this set is the Nilsson penned "Remember." Harry Nilsson had undoubtedly one of the most beautiful voices in recent pop history, making this song almost impossible to re-create. It's a gutsy cover by Dolenz; his vocals aren't the focus of the track, but depends on dynamics as a whole while the eight-minute song builds throughout. Dolenz doesn't try to re-create the original, he adds his own spin to it, which is what makes this entire disc so enjoyable.