Their fifth hit single of 1967, Pleasant Valley Sunday was a departure; eschewing the Monkees' familiar jangle pop for something more timeless. Written by Goffin and King, Pleasant Valley Sunday's depiction of suburban America made a poignant counterpoint to the breathlessness of Daydream Believer( B-side Words is even more heartending). With a vocal tour-de-force by Mickey Dolenz, this is evocative, baroque pop, with a chorus in which you can almost smell that, "charcoal burning everywhere"
Availability:Definitive Monkees WEA CD
91. IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS: Reasons To Be Cheerful(Part 3)/ Common As Muck(1979)
Allegedly written for pop artist Peter Blake during a period of despondency, this Number 3 hit is a pearl in Dury's mighty repertoire. As a rock solid funk backing gives way to gleeful riddling--shouts out to Buddy Holly, nanny goats, yellow socks and trombonist Rico Rodriguez-- The Blockheads' ace trick of cerebral simplicity is manifest. It muscled in on the still-breathing disco boom, and became popular with early B-Boys in New York, suggesting that Dury deserves a nod as one of the prime movers of rap.
Availability: Reasons To Be Cheerful EMI CATALOGUE CD
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