Replacing the Listen To The Band compilation, Music Box not only includes their songs from the 60’s but also from The Monkees’ reunions of 1986 and 1996, along with a couple previously unreleased versions to spice things up. Though the central question is why this outing exists at all, since Rhino has yet to release a definitive reissue of the band’s studio albums, along with cutting room floor outtakes and revisions.With the first four Monkee albums all peaking at number one on the charts, and recorded in something like thirteen months between 1966 and 1967, it’s strange to consider that so much material was released in such a short time, followed by the soundtrack and movie Head. With that being said, many find it easy to dismiss The Monkees with the wave of their hand, yet if you spend any amount of time with this catalog, you’re going to come up with some sincerely unexpected gems that will give you pause, and have you searching their material for more of the same. While much of their music was safe AM radio fluff, and sanitized even more for television, there are some deeply psychedelic tracks such as “Daily Nightly,” “Oh My My,” “Can You Dig It,” “Porpoise Song,” “Goin’ Down, “ “Words,” and “Auntie’s Municipal Court” that sound as fresh today as they did when we were all too cool to give the Monkees the time of day, yet alone to investigate this material back in the heady days and nights of the mid 60’s, where songs that if released today by other neo-psych bands would stop you in your tracks for an instant download. It’s also enchanting to hear how quickly they managed to gain control of their instruments and create this material laced with layered musical and vocal harmonies. I realize that that last statement alone would give people pause, but hey, there were many bands such as Spacemen 3, The Cure, Talking Heads and House Of Love, to mention a few, who went through an awful lot of on the job training, all bands who are today highly revered today.As of now, this set is probably the singular high point for immersing yourself in the career of The Monkees. Even John Lennon to Mike Nesmith said that he and Yoko never missed one of their shows. While The Monkees certainly did not come together as a band, they certainly left as one, a band who pioneered recording artists rights, freedoms of expression, and control over their own material. Laced within this set are some alternative versions, mono vs. stereo versions, some live material, and some infectious grooves that will hang on forever. Now … there’s no way I’m ever gonna try and convince you that all of the material found here is first rate, or that even half of it is worth keeping. What I am saying is that out of all of these tracks I settled on thirty that were just too fine to pass up, and from those I created my own compilation, one that rides comfortably in my back pocket.Review by Jenell Kesler