Monkees, The

Initially written off as the "Prefab Four" due to their made-for-TV origins, the Monkees quickly proved themselves to be deft executors of first-class pop gems, many of which–"(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," "Valleri," "Last Train to Clarksville," "Porpoise Song"–are on a par with the best of their hardest and most ambitious psychedelic and garage contemporaries. Full of catchy cuts and freaky fun, each of the Monkees early LPs belongs in the collection of anyone who digs fine '60s pop and rock.