I think you're right about that. (I knew of the album when it came out but never heard it before--or the later Monkees albums either). The new material is decent pop, and the production's better than most. I think the nascent hard rock and metal may have made most groups from the 60's seem passé, but there was still a fair amount of new pop on the air.

Here's some pop / tv trivia for you: Boyce and Hart co-wrote the theme for the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" with Charles Albertine (the writer of "Bandstand Boogie," which became the theme song for American Bandstand--there's some question about how much Albertine contributed).

Many thanks for a most enjoyable intro to Dolenz, Jones, Boyce&Hart.