THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 23, 1995 TAG: 9501210019
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON VIDEO
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
WHEN IT COMES to Monkees, Andrew Sandoval is the Jane Goodall of pop.
He is co-producing Rhino Records' reissue series of the band's nine albums, a project that wraps up Tuesday with ``Headquarters,'' ``Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD.'' and ``Instant Replay.'' He also wrote the liner notes. In March, the label's video wing brings out all 58 episodes of ``The Monkees,'' the mid-'60s TV series. That will be followed by ``33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee,'' a special that hasn't been seen in 28 years.
But ask Sandoval to explain ``Head,'' the 1968 feature film being re-released on video Wednesday.
``What is `Head' about?'' Sandoval asked from his Los Angeles office. ``I think at the time they said (it) was the movie of the future. It's about nothing, yet it's about everything.''
Contradictory for sure, but accurate.
Sandoval calls the video, which has been out of print about two years, ``an interesting bunch of non-sequiturs.'' Scenes shift from a World War II foxhole, where Peter Tork has to get past Green Bay Packer great Ray Nitschke, to the boxing ring and a match between Davy Jones and ex-heavyweight champ Sonny Liston. At one point, the boys are flecks of dandruff in the hair of screen god Victor Mature.
And ``Head'' is about everything. Produced by series creators Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson (who also directs), and written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson - that Jack Nicholson - it pokes at the Monkees' celebrity:
``Hey, hey we are the Monkees, you know we love to please. A manufactured image, with no philosophies.
``You say we're manufactured, to that we all agree. So make your choice and we'll rejoice in never being free.''
Rafelson, Nicholson and Schneider, though, were mindful of the line they were walking, Sandoval said.
``They wanted to make something formless; at the same time, they realized they could destroy the Monkees in the process of making a movie and just, you know, have this be the end of their career.
``They could just do something that was so uncommercial, off the wall and offputting,'' Sandoval said, ``that they could be done with this fabricated thing they had come up with to make their money and go on to a whole series of films like `Five Easy Pieces' and `Easy Rider' and `The Postman Always Rings Twice' - all these other more arty, more respected films than `Head' would ever be.''
Still, ``Head'' is undeniably entertaining. In 1968, the Monkees were two-year TV veterans; their comedic skills are sharp. The movie includes cameos by Teri Garr, Annette Funicello and Frank Zappa, and the music is among the band's best - on some tracks a swirl of psychedelia, on others jangly pop.
``It has some of their best songs on it and, as you know, the movie's musical performances are some of the most cohesive moments in the film,'' Sandoval said. ``It's a standout in the entire catalog because it is unique. Its excellence makes it meld very well with the rest of the records.''
The soundtrack also includes snippets of dialogue ``in which you get the whole kitchen sink, patchwork collage of the movie in an audio disc. Jack Nicholson actually oversaw the entire assembly of the album, so it's interesting from that standpoint.''
This Monkee business doesn't end with ``Head'' or the video release of the TV series, which has been remastered from the original 35mm prints. The group marks its 30th anniversary in 1996, and there's talk of a documentary and another feature film. Sandoval is working on a second greatest hits disc and a set of unreleased material called ``Missing Links.''
All four Monkees reunited earlier this month at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles to accept awards certifying platinum sales of five LPs.
And Michael Nesmith was quoted recently as saying that there's been a misconception about his feelings regarding his simian past. He wouldn't be opposed to touring. Nothing's been set, Sandoval said, but talks are ``lively.''
``It seems to have an enduring quality to it because it's sort of timeless,'' he said. ``They're captured forever in this one series of years, from 1966 to 1968. The chemistry between the four individuals is unique. The music they created is unique. The phenomena is unique. It's a magical quality that's not quite describable.
``How did they become a group from just four guys they picked up off the street? I mean, there's nothing contrived about it. That's the one story that's not a lie. They were just four guys who were cast as this group, and they really worked well together. It's like an amazing ensemble cast that you'd never expect.'' ILLUSTRATION: The Monkees' film "Head" is being re-released on video.
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