For most intents and purposes,
the Monkees had broken up before the recording of
Changes, their final record.
Peter Tork and
Michael Nesmith had left the band, leaving only
Micky Dolenz and
Davy Jones. Although
Dolenz was a relatively accomplished songwriter, he only contributed one song to
Changes, which meant both he and
Jones were vehicles for a variety of professional songwriters, particularly
Jeff Barry, who also produced the majority of the album. Most of the material was bland pop featuring a couple of R&B and soul inflections to liven up the sound. Neither
Dolenz or
Jones sounds inspired by the material, which isn't surprising -- out of the 12 songs, only Boyce & Hart's "I Never Though It Peculiar" makes any sort of impression. The lack of worthwhile material and the slick, passionless production easily make
Changes the weakest record
the Monkees released. Until they reunited for
Pool It!, that is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine