I got the sets today and it is much better packaging but unfortanely, one of the disc hubs broke and disc is loose and got scratches on it but Amazon is sending a replacement and will get it tomorrow and hopefully no broken hubs! What did you all think of the packaging? As much as I love the old clever packaging, the only thing I did not like is that the sleeves is cheaply made and the sleeves broke apart after taking the disc out many times

Here is a picture of the packaging if anybody is curious:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v409/DVDFreaker/001-29.jpg

I snapped these up when I saw them on sale at Zia Records (the new releases). :) I had the first set when Rhino put it out (the record player box set), but I missed out on season two. I'm glad I bought both seasons this time. Mickey, Peter, Mike and especially Davy Jones have been absent from my DVD library for too long. :(

Pre-ordered season two from Amazon when it was announced, with 2-day shipping, which, according to Amazon, it was SUPPOSED to arrive yesterday. Current tracking info says it is "Out for Delivery" today, a day later than release date. HOPEFULLY it'll get here today.

Still have the first season from Rhino in the "record player packaging". Because Rhino was a bit high priced, never got around to the second season at the time. Received an email from Amazon this morning with some good news about the set though...

"Greetings from Amazon.com.

You saved $19.00 with Amazon.com's Pre-order Price Guarantee!

The price of the item(s) decreased after you ordered them, and we gave you the lowest price.

The following title(s) decreased in price:

Monkees-Season 2
Price on order date: $48.99
Price charged at shipping: $35.99
Lowest price before release date: $29.99
Amount to be refunded: $6.00
Quantity: 1
Total Savings: $19.00

You will receive an additional e-mail when this refund is processed."

I just got the replacement and thankfully no broken hubs this time! :D

Pre-ordered season two from Amazon when it was announced, with 2-day shipping, which, according to Amazon, it was SUPPOSED to arrive yesterday. Current tracking info says it is "Out for Delivery" today, a day later than release date. HOPEFULLY it'll get here today.

Still have the first season from Rhino in the "record player packaging". Because Rhino was a bit high priced, never got around to the second season at the time. Received an email from Amazon this morning with some good news about the set though...

"Greetings from Amazon.com.

You saved $19.00 with Amazon.com's Pre-order Price Guarantee!

The price of the item(s) decreased after you ordered them, and we gave you the lowest price.

The following title(s) decreased in price:

Monkees-Season 2
Price on order date: $48.99
Price charged at shipping: $35.99
Lowest price before release date: $29.99
Amount to be refunded: $6.00
Quantity: 1
Total Savings: $19.00

You will receive an additional e-mail when this refund is processed."

I got the same e-mail, nice suprise!!!

I already have the Rhino releases so I see no need to rebuy. I got them cheap at Deep Discount and had a coupon as well so it ended up costing me something like $40 for the sets combined. I will say though that I think the record player design is cute but awkward and it breaks if used too often.

Are these sets different than the Rhino ones or exactly the same? I remember reading that there was talk they would clean up the color, along with adding music options on episodes where there were different songs played depending when it aired.

For those of you (us) who are actual fans of the series and have interest in the release, these are identical to the Rhino releases.

There was speculation prior to the release when these were first announced that they would be cleaned up and alternate music tracks would be added but that's all it was.

I already have the Rhino releases so I see no need to rebuy. I got them cheap at Deep Discount and had a coupon as well so it ended up costing me something like $40 for the sets combined. I will say though that I think the record player design is cute but awkward and it breaks if used too often.

Are these sets different than the Rhino ones or exactly the same? I remember reading that there was talk they would clean up the color, along with adding music options on episodes where there were different songs played depending when it aired.

The content of the discs are EXACTLY the same as the Rhino releases, except the "Eagle Media" logo is after the FBI Warning instead of the Rhino logo. Even the FBI Warning is the same, with the glasses being drawn over J. Edgar Hoover's face. Menus are the same also.

Already had season one from the first release, but never got around to buying season two until this release.

The packaging on the back says the episodes are licensed from Rhino, so I suspect Rhino still owns the actual rights. I remember in the late 80's/early 90's, that Rhino had purchased the rights to The Monkees TV series and all the sound recordings.

For those of you (us) who are actual fans of the series and have interest in the release, these are identical to the Rhino releases.

There was speculation prior to the release when these were first announced that they would be cleaned up and alternate music tracks would be added but that's all it was.

Thanks for the info. Those are the only reason I'd consider rebuying it. The color on some of the episodes is faded badly.

I wonder why Rhino didn't just re release the sets? That seems odd.

Not Yet!

I have the original Rhino sets so no sense to get these unless they are really affordable!

The content of the discs are EXACTLY the same as the Rhino releases, except the "Eagle Media" logo is after the FBI Warning instead of the Rhino logo. Even the FBI Warning is the same, with the glasses being drawn over J. Edgar Hoover's face. Menus are the same also.

Already had season one from the first release, but never got around to buying season two until this release.

The packaging on the back says the episodes are licensed from Rhino, so I suspect Rhino still owns the actual rights. I remember in the late 80's/early 90's, that Rhino had purchased the rights to The Monkees TV series and all the sound recordings.

Thanks for the info. I have to say though that I like those Hoover warnings, they amuse me.

There are some episodes that look great and some not so great (even when compared to the prints they used for the VHS releases back in the 90s). I'm just glad I have them in a compact format however like many others I don't see the need to upgrade the set unless a restoration was done.

For those who missed out the first time around, it's nice to have them back in production at a price that is more affordable than what the resellers were asking for - which I believe was over a hundred dollars for each set at some point - I could be wrong about that.

For some the sets are still too pricey so you can wait it out a bit and I'm sure the price will come down. With them now being back in production you can probably get them new/used or used for a pretty decent price.

There are some episodes that look great and some not so great.

By FAR the worst looking episode is "The Monkees in Paris" (Season 2). Course, I remember it looking completely washed out back when MTV aired it in the 80's also. Not sure if that's the best print available or what... but it looks TERRIBLE!

It is a 'little' cleaner than what was on MTV from what I recall and has the similar feel in texture as the Monkees On Tour episode. I wonder if those were shot in 16mm instead of 35mm and the wraparounds were done the same to match the footage?

In the set there are several episodes where the sound drops in and out (Everywhere a Shiek Shiek comes to mind) and where there is a lot of dust and scratches on the image (Fairy Tale).