- Davy Jones (RIP 2012) -- vocals

- Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart

- The Monkess

Genre: pop

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Davy Jones

Company: Colpix

Catalog: SCP-493

Year: 1965

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: --

Available: SOLD

Catalog ID: SOLD

Price: SOLD

Cost: $66.00

Genre: pop

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Davy Jones

Company: Pye

Catalog: NPL 18178

Year: 1965

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: UK pressing;mono pressing

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 829

Price: $20.00

If you're a Monkees fan, you probably already know Davy Jones' biography. In a nutshell, he was born into a working class English family. Losing his mother to emphysema in 1960, Jones dropped out of school to become a jockey. Jones' boss Basil Foster encouraged the jockey to pursue acting, which eventually led to a string of television parts (including the English soap opera Coronation Street, June Evening, etc.), and a role in the London musical Oliver! His success in the Oliver! led to a role in the Broadway version of the play and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. That appearance brought Colpix Records knocking at his door.

Recorded a year before he was selected for The Monkees, 1965's "Davy Jones" was clearly intended as an effort to capitalize on Jones' pretty boy looks and modest acting career. Presented with a throwaway set of pop covers, Jones certainly deserved credit for giving it his best shot (his voice proved surprisingly appealing). Unfortunately, the majority of the album sounded like it was design to mimic a 1950s teen idol release (check out the already-dated photo of Jones on the album cover). Among the few exceptions was a weird lounge lizard cover of Dylan's 'It Ain't Me Babe'.  All told the results were dull and forgettable. Somehow the LP managed to hit # 185 on the charts.

"Davy Jones" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) What Are We Going to Do? (Levine - MacLeod - Roberds) - 2:23 
2.) Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner (Gregg) - 2:04 
3.) Put Me Amongst the Girls (traditional arranged by Levine) - 3:27 
4.) Any Old Iron (Sheppard - Terry) - 2:00 
5.) Theme for a New Love (Abrams - Levine) - 2:19 

(side 2)

1.) It Ain't Me Babe (Bob Dylan) - 2:34 
2.) Face up to It (Atkins - Robinson) - 2:23 
3.) Dream Girl (McCoy) - 2:17 
4.) Baby It's Me (Anthony) - 2:00 
5.) My Dad (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) - 2:35 
6.) This Bouquet (Levine - MacLeod - Roberds) - 2:10 

Genre: pop

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Davy Jones

Company: Bell

Catalog: 6067

Year: 1970

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: white label DJ copy; DJ sticker on back cover

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 4266

Price: $10.00

Cost: $66.00

By the early-'70s The Monkees had effectively ceased to be a band, let along much of a musical draw. That didn't stop Bell Records from trying to cash in on what was left of Jones' rapidly diminishing fan base. Produced by Jackie Mills, the cleverly-titled "Davy Jones" (not to be confused with the 1965 release) seemed to serve as an effort to package Jones as a younger Tom Jones. Surrounded and frequently all but overwhelmed by big band arrangements and backing choruses, material such as 'Singing To the Music', 'Look At Me' and 'Say It Again' suffered from a cloying MOR feel - this stuff was perfect for television variety shows. Among the few modestly interesting tracks was the ballad 'Take My Love' and, perhaps due to the fact it was originally written for The Monkees (but never recorded) 'Rainy Jane'. Released as a single 'Rainy Jane' b/w 'Welcome To My Love' (Bell catalog number 45,111), actually provided Jones with a minor chart hit. A second single 'I Really Love You' b/w 'Sitting In the Apple Tree' (Bell catalog number 45,136 ) just missed the top-100, hitting # 107. Elsewhere, judging by his struggling performance on tracks such as 'How About Me', Jones didn't sound all that into the material either. Commercially the set proved stillborn, peaking at # 205.

"Davy Jones" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Road To Love (Carol Carmichael) - 2:29
2.) How About Me (John Carrington) - 2:44
3.) Singing To the Music (Danny Janssen) - 2:23
4.) Rainy Jane (Howard Greenland - Neil Sedaka) - 2:42
5.) Look At Me (David Gates) - 2:26
6.) Say It Again (Ed Welch - Carl Simmons) - 2:38

(side 2)

1.) I Really Love You (Bob Gundry) - 2:54
2.) Love Me for a Day (Tony Rossine) - 3:00
3.) Sitting In the Apple Tree (Douglas Trevor) - 2:24
4.) Take My Love (Gordon Marron - Reid Retlich - Loren Newkirk) - 3:46
5.) Pretty Little Girl (Gloria Skierov - Harry Lloyd) - 2:43
6.) Welcome To My Love (Steve Goldman) - 2:20