The Monkees is an American rock and pop band originally active between 1966 and 1971, with reunion and tour albums in subsequent decades. They were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees which aired from 1966 to 1968. The musical acting quartet consisted of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork ; and British actor and singer Davy Jones. The band's music is supervised by producer Don Kirshner, who is supported by duo songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.
The revival of interest in television shows came in 1986, which led to a series of reunion tours and new records. The group has reunited and toured several times since then with various line-ups and varying degrees of success.
Davy Jones died suddenly on February 29, 2012, but the surviving members reunited for the tour in November-December 2012 and again in 2013 for a 24-day tour. The Monkees went on a tour through the 50th Anniverary in 2016, with Dolenz and Tork forming the core of the band and Nesmith continued to join them occasionally.
Dolenz describes Monkees as originally a "TV show about an imaginary band... who wants to be The Beatles who never succeed". Ironically, the musicians became one of the most successful bands of the 1960s. The Monkees has sold over 75 million records worldwide making them one of the greatest selling groups of all time with international hits including "The Last Train to Clarksville", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Daydream Believer", and "I'm a Believe ". Newspapers and magazines reported that Monkees defeated the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in 1967, but Nesmith claimed in his autobiography Infinite Tuesday that it was a lie he told Australian reporters.
Video The Monkees
Conception
Prospective filmmaker Bob Rafelson developed the initial idea for The Monkeys in 1962, but was unsuccessful in selling the series. He has tried to sell it to Revue, the Universal Pictures television division. In May 1964, while working at Screen Gems, Rafelson teamed up with Bert Schneider, whose father, Abraham Schneider, led Colpix Records and Screen Gems Television unit at Columbia Pictures. Rafelson and Schneider eventually formed Raybert Productions.
The Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night inspired Rafelson and Schneider to revive Rafelson's idea for The Monkeys . As "The Raybert Producers", they sold the show to Screen Gems Television on April 16, 1965. The original idea of ​​Rafelson and Schneider was to transmit an existing New York folk rock festival, Lovin 'Spoonful, which was not widely known at the time.. However, John Sebastian has already signed the band for a recording contract, which will refuse Screen Gems the right to market the music from the show.
On July 14, 1965, The Hollywood Reporter stated that future band members Davy Jones were expected to return to the United States in September 1965 after a trip to England "to prepare [a] TV pilots for Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson ". Jones previously starred as Artful Dodger at Broadway theater show Oliver! , which debuted on December 17, 1962, and his performance was later seen on The Ed Sullivan Show the same night as The Beatles' first appearance on the show, February 9, 1964. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in Musical in 1963. In September 1964 he signed a long-term contract to appear on TV programs for Screen Gems, making a movie for Columbia Pictures and recording music for the Colpix label. Rafelson and Schneider have thought about it for their project after their plans for Lovin 'Spoonful failed; when they chose him, he was basically a proto star looking for his luck.
On September 8-10, 1965, the Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an advertisement to cast other band/cast members for a TV show:
Madness !! Auditions. Folk & amp; Scroll Musician-Singer for an acting role in a new TV series. Running Part for 4 crazy boys, ages 17-21. Want a Ben Frank-type soul. Have the courage to work. Must go down for an interview.
Of 437 applicants, the other three chosen for the TV show players were Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz. Nesmith has worked as a musician since the beginning of 1963 and has recorded and released music with various names, including Michael Blessing and "Mike & John & Bill" and has studied drama in college. Of the last four, Nesmith was the only one who actually saw the ads on Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter . Tork, the last one selected, has worked in the Greenwich Village scene as a musician, and has shared the stage with Pete Seeger; he learned about The Monkees from Stephen Stills, which Rafelson and Schneider rejected as songwriters. Dolenz is an actor (his father is veteran character actor George Dolenz) who starred in the TV series Circus Boy as a child, using the stage name of Mickey Braddock, and he also plays guitar and sings in a band called Missing Links before Monkees, who had recorded and released a very small single, "Do not Do It". At that time he used his real name; he knows about The Monkeys through his agent.
Maps The Monkees
Develop music for their debut album
During the casting process, Don Kirshner, head of the Screen Gems music, was contacted to secure the music for the pilot who will become The Monkeys . Not getting much interest from a stable writer Brill Building, Kirshner commissioned Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for the project. The duo contributed four demo tapes for the pilot. One of these recordings is "(The Theme Of) The Monkees" which helps get the green light series.
When The Monkees is taken as a series, the musical side development of the project is accelerated. Columbia-Screen Gems and RCA Victor entered into a joint venture called Colgems Records primarily to distribute Monkees records. Raybert prepared an exercise room and rented instruments for the group to practice playing in April 1966, but it quickly became clear that they would not be in the form of time for the series debut. The producers asked Kirshner to recruit the producers for the Monkees session.
Kirshner called Snuff Garrett, a composer some hit by Gary Lewis & Playboys, to produce early music pieces for the show. Garrett, after meeting four Monkees in June 1966, decided that Jones would sing the main song, an unpopular option for the group. This cold reception made Kirshner drop Garrett and buy his contract. Kirshner further allows Nesmith to produce sessions, provided he does not play on the tracks he produces. Nesmith did, however, start using other Monkees in his sessions, especially Tork as a guitarist. Kirshner returns to the enthusiastic Boyce and Hart to become a regular producer, but he brings one of East Coast's partners, Jack Keller, to lend his production experience to sessions. Boyce and Hart watched quickly that when they were taken to the studio together, the four actors joked and tried to break each other. Therefore, they often bring in each singer.
According to Nesmith, it was Dolenz's voice that made Monkee's sound distinctive, and even during a time full of tension Nesmith and Tork sometimes handed lead vocal duties to Dolenz on their own compositions, such as Tork's "For Pete's Sake", which became the theme's covering title for the second season of the television show.
Monkees' debut and second album are meant to be the soundtrack for the first season of TV shows, to monetize the audience. In the 2006 edition of Rhino Deluxe The reissue of their second studio album, Mike Nesmith states, "The first album appeared and I saw it with horror because it made [us] appear as if we were a band rock 'n' roll.No credit to other musicians.I'm really ballistic, and I say, 'What do you guys think?' [The power that says], 'Well, you know, it's a fantasy.' I say, 'This is not a fantasy You've crossed the line here! You are now deceiving the public They know when they see the television series that we are not rock' n 'roll band, this is a rock band's < 'n' roll.... no one believes that we are a rock 'n' roll band that gets their own television show... you put records like this just out of bounds. "Within a few months of their debut album, Supervisor Don Kirshner's music will be fired by force and Monkees will take control as a real band.
Monkees' first single, "Last Train to Clarksville" b/w "Take a Giant Step", was released in August 1966, just weeks before the debut of the TV broadcast. In conjunction with the first broadcast of the television show on September 12, 1966, on the NBC television network, NBC and Columbia had a major blow in their hands. The first long-playing album, The Monkees , released a month later, spent 13 weeks at # 1 and stayed on the Billboard charts for 78 weeks. Twenty years later, during their reunion, it will spend another 24 weeks on the Billboard charts. The first album is also famous, in addition to containing their debut single, as it contains the band's first Nesmith members plunge into country-rock, "Papa Gene's Blues", which is mixed with mixed country, rock and Latin flavors.
From the television to the concert stage
In setting the instrument for the purpose of a television show, a dilemma arises for which of the four will become the drummer. Both Nesmith (guitarist and skilled bassist) and Tork (who can play some string and keyboard instruments) are generally familiar with the instrument but both refuse to try the drum set. Jones knew how to play the drums and was good enough to test the instrument at first, but the producer felt that, behind the drum kit, the camera would exaggerate the short stature and make it almost hidden from view. Thus, Dolenz (who only knows how to play the guitar) is assigned to be a drummer. Tork taught Dolenz some of his first taps on the drums, enough for him to fake his way through the making of a pilot movie, but he was soon taught how to play properly. Thus, the lineup for TV shows most often featured Nesmith on guitar, Tork on bass, Dolenz on drums and Jones as vocalist, singer and percussionist. This, however, is at odds with the lineup that will make the most sense based on the strength of the music members. For example, Tork is actually a more experienced guitar player than Nesmith, while Nesmith has specifically coached bass. While Jones certainly has a strong lead voice and sings the lead on some Monkees recording, Dolenz's voice is considered, especially by Nesmith, as one of the most distinctive in the history of popular music and the hallmark of Monkees voices. This theoretical lineup is really described once, in the music video for the band's song "Words", which shows Jones on drums, Tork playing guitar, Nesmith on bass and Dolenz who lead the group. In concert performances Tork also takes on many guitar tasks, even in appearance with Nesmith, and Dolenz often plays rhythm guitar on stage.
Unlike most television shows at the time, The Monkees episode was written in many settings, requiring frequent breaks to prepare sets and cameras for short bursts of filmmaking. Some "bursts" are considered proto-music videos, as they are produced to sell recordings. The Monkees Tale author Eric Lefcowitz notes that Monkees - first and foremost - group of videos. The four actors will spend 12 hours a day on set, many of them waiting for the production crew to do their work. Realizing that their instruments were left out of control, the four decided to turn it on and start playing.
After working on the set all day, Monkees (usually Dolenz or Jones) will be summoned to the recording studio to cut out the vocal tracks. Because the band is important for this aspect of the recording process, there are some limitations on how long they can spend in the recording studio, and the result is an extensive catalog of unreleased recordings.
On tour
Pleased with their initial efforts, Columbia (over Kirshner's objection) plans to send Monkees out to play live concerts. The great success of the series - and the spin-off record - created intense pressure to mount a group tour version. Against the initial wishes of the producers, the band went out on the road and made their live debut appearance in December 1966 in Hawaii.
They do not have time to practice live performance except between taking sets. They work in the TV series all day, recorded in the studio at night and sleep very little. Weekends are usually filled with special appearances or filming of a special order. This show is sometimes used during the actual series. The episode "Too Many Girls (Fern and Davy)" opens with a live version "(I'm Not Your) Steppin 'Stone" made while the scene is taken. One episode was entirely filmed by showing live music. The last show of the inaugural season, "Monkees on Tour", was recorded in documentary style by recording a concert in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 21, 1967. Bob Rafelson wrote and directed the episode.
In the DVD commentary tracks included in the Season One release, Nesmith admits that Tork is better playing guitar than bass. In Tork's comments, he states that Jones is a good drummer, and has a lineup of live performances based solely on his playing abilities, it should be Tork on guitar, Nesmith on bass and Jones on drums, with Dolenz taking the role of fronting. The Four Monkees perform all instruments and vocals for most of the live sets. The most notable exceptions were during each solo member section where, during December 1966 - May 1967 tour, they were supported by the Prophet of the Candy Store. During the summer of 1967 on a United States and England tour (from which 1967 Live recordings were captured), they were supported by a band called Sundowners. The Monkees toured Australia and Japan in 1968. The results were much better than expected. Wherever they went, the group was greeted by scenes of fan praise reminiscent of Beatlemania. This gives the singers increased confidence in their struggle to control the chosen musical material for this series.
With Jones sticking mainly on vocals and tambourines (except when filling the drums when Dolenz went forward to sing the lead vocals), Monkees's direct action is a trio of classic electric guitar, electric bass and drums (except when Tork graduated bass parts for Jones or one of Sundowners to take banjo or electric keyboard).
Kirshner and More from Monkees
Andrew Sandoval noted in the reissue of the Rhino 2006 Premium Edition CD of More of the Monkees that album sales exceeded Nielsen's ratings, meaning that more people were buying music than watching television shows, which meant that the producers decided that more attention should be paid to music and more music needed to be produced for other albums. Sandoval also noted that their second album, More of the Monkeys, was boosted by their second single, "I'm a Believer" b/w "(I'm Not Your) Steppin 'Stone", being LP biggest sales in their career, spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts, fixed No. 1 for 18 weeks, became the third largest selling album of the 1960s and also returned to the charts in 1986 for 26 weeks.
At that time Boyce and Hart songwriters regarded Monkees as their project, with Tommy Boyce declaring in the Rhino 2006 birthday More of the Monkees that he considered Monkees to be actors on television shows, while Boyce and Hart were writers songs and producers that make recordings. They wanted Micky to sing faster songs and Davy sang ballads. He also stated in the liner notes that he feels that Michael's state inclinations do not match the image of Monkees, and although he thinks that Peter is a great musician, he has different thought processes about incorrect songs. to Monkees. Kirshner's Music Coordinator, despite realizing the importance of the music, wants to move the music in a more recent direction than Boyce and Hart to get the best recordings, and therefore he decides to move production to New York where the A list of writers/producers lives.
However, Monkees has complained that music publishing companies will not allow them to play their own instruments on their notes, or use more of their own material. This complaint increased when Kirshner moved recordings from California to New York, leaving the band from the music process until they were called to add their vocals to the finished track. The campaign eventually forced Kirshner to let the group participate more in the recording process. The initial reaction Dolenz, mentioned on the Rhino Rhino 2006 CD of More Than Monkeys, is "To me this is a soundtrack album for the show, and it's not my job." My job is to be an actor and came and sang it when I was asked to do it.I had no problem with it... It was not until Mike and Peter got so upset that Davy and I started to defend them. "They were annoyed because that was not the way they used to make music. Artists are the core. The artist decides what song will take place and in what order and who wrote 'them and who produced them. "Nesmith, when asked about the situation, in Rolling Stone magazine, said,"... We confused, especially me. But we all shared the desire to play the song we sang. Everyone is done - the idea [that] me is the only musician is one of the rumors that started and will not stop - but that's not true... We are also children with our own musical taste and prefer to do songs we love - and/or write - rather than the song that was handed to us... The [TV show] [producers in Hollywood] support us and David participate. None of us can fight with us [with a music publisher] without explicit support from the show producer. "
Four months after their debut single was released in September 1966, on January 16, 1967, Monkees held their first recording sessions as a fully functional, self-contained band, recording an early version of the self-made 40 hit hit Nesmith "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" , along with "All of Your Toys" and "She's So Far Out, She's In". Four days later, on January 20, 1967, their self-titled debut album made a late release in the UK (released in October '66 in the US). The same month Kirshner released their second album of songs using the session musicians, More of the Monkees, without the band's knowledge. Nesmith and Tork were very upset when they toured in January 1967 and found this second album. The Monkees were annoyed for never being told about the release in advance, because their opinion about the selection of tracks was ignored, on Kirshner's self-speech liner notes and also due to the art of an amateur-looking cover, which was merely a composite of photographs of four people taken for clothing ad JC Penney. Indeed, Monkees has not even been given a copy of the album; they must buy it from the record store.
The height of the rivalry between Kirshner and the band was a strong argument among Nesmith, Kirshner and Colgems, Herb Moelis jurists, taking place at the Beverly Hills Hotel in January 1967. Kirshner had presented the group with royalty checks and gold records. Nesmith has responded with an ultimatum, demanding changes in the way Monkees music is chosen and recorded. Moelis reminded Nesmith that he was under contract. The confrontation ended with Nesmith punching a hole in the wall and saying, "That may be your face!" However, each member, including Nesmith, received a $ 250,000 royalty check (equivalent to about $ 1,800,000 in today's funds).
Kirshner's dismissal took place in early February 1967, when he broke an agreement between Colgems and Monkees not to release material directly created by the group along with the material produced by Kirshner. Kirshner broke this agreement when he released "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", composed and written by Neil Diamond, as a single with an early version of "She Hangs Out", a song recorded in New York with Davy Jones' vocals, as the B-side. The single was only released in Canada and withdrawn after a few weeks.
Kirshner was reported to have been angered by the group's unexpected rebellion, especially when he felt they had "little talent" when compared to the big stars of the day such as John Lennon and Paul McCartney. In the liner notes for Rhino 2006 Deluxe Edition CD reissued Over Monkees , Kirshner stated, "[I control the group] because I have a contract I kick them out of the studio because I have a TV show that I need enter the song, and for me it is a business and I have to close the song. "This experience directly leads to Kirshner's later venture, The Archies, which is an animated series - the" stars "only exist in animated cels, with music performed by studio musicians, and obviously can not seize control of creativity. on a note issued on their behalf.
Screen Gems holds the publishing rights to material wealth, with Monkees being offered the first choice of many new songs. Due to the amount of material, many songs were recorded but never released, until Rhino Records began releasing them through the Missing Links album series, beginning in the late 1980s. Rumors continued that Monkees offered "Sugar, Sugar" in 1967, but refused to record it. Producer and songwriter Jeff Barry, co-author and composer "Sugar, Sugar" with Andy Kim, has denied this, saying that the song was not even written at the time.
Independence
Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones
The Monkees want to pick the songs they sing and play on the songs they record, and be the Monkees. With Kirshner dismissed as a music superintendent, in late February 1967 Nesmith hired former bassist Turtles Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, better known by the stage name Chip Douglas, to produce the next Monkees album, which will be the first Monkee album where they are only musicians, mostly bass, and horns. Douglas is responsible for both music presentations - actually leading the band and recording techniques - and playing bass in most Headquarters. This album, along with the next album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp. ; Jones Ltd. , will serve as the soundtrack for the second season of the television show.
In March 1967, "The Girl I Know Somewhere", composed by Nesmith and played by Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork and bassist John London, was issued as the B-side for Monkees' third single, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You ", and up to No. 39 on the charts. A-side climbs to No. 2.
Released in May 1967, Headquarters did not have a song released as a single in the United States, but it would still be their third album No. 1 in a row, with many of his songs being played in the second season of the television show. Has more country-folk-rock sound than pop songs under Kirshner, Sandoval noted in the 2007 edition of the Deluxe Edition of Rhino that the album went up to No. 1. 1 on May 24, 1967, with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper was released the following week, which will knock Headquarters to # 2 spot on the charts over the next 11 weeks, the same week that will be known by the counter as "Summer of Love". A selection written and composed by Dolenz, "Randy Scouse Git", was published under the title "Alternate Title" (due to the controversial nature of the original title) as an international single, 2 on the charts in England and Norway, and in the top 10 in the rest of the world. Tork's "For Pete's Sake" will be used as a cover theme for television shows. Nesmith will continue with his country-rock tendency, adding a pedal steel guitar to three songs, along with donating his composed rock song "Sunny Girlfriend". Tork added the banjo to the Nesmith rocker composed "You Told Me", a song whose introduction was a satire of "The Beatles" Taxman. Other important songs are Nesmith's simple pop-rock song, "You Just May Be the One", used in the television series during both seasons, along with "Shades of Gray" (with a piano introduction written by Tork),) "Forget the Girl" and "No Time", are used in television shows. The Monkees wrote five of the 12 songs on the album, plus two songs "Band 6" and "Zilch". The Los Angeles Times, when reviewing Headquarters , stated that "Album Quality Improved Monkees" and that "The Monkees got better. Headquarters have more interesting songs and better quality levels [than previous albums]... There is not a single song that can be thrown away... The improvement trend is commendable. "
The height of Headquarters was short-lived, however. Recording and producing as a group is Tork's main interest and he hopes that all four will continue to work together as a band on future recordings, according to liner notes of Rhino 2007 reissue Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. "Cuddly Toys" in Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. will mark the last time Dolenz, who originally played guitar before Monkees, will make a solo stand as a studio drummer. In comments for the DVD release of the second season of the show, Tork said that Dolenz "was not able to repeat the victory." After becoming a drummer for one album, Dolenz lost interest in becoming a drummer and indeed, he largely gave up playing the instrument on the recording of Monkees (producer Chip Douglas has also identified Dolenz drums as a weak point in the collective music of the quartet, having to connect some Dolenz drum taking "shaking" for end use). At this point the four have no shared vision of their musical interests, with Nesmith and Jones also moving in different directions - Nesmith follows instinct of state/instinct and Jones grabs the Broadway style figure. The next three albums feature a diverse mix of musical styles, including rock country, folk-rock, psychedelic rock, soul/R & amp; B, rock guitar, Broadway and British music sensibilities.
At the height of their fame in 1967, they also suffered from a media attack. Nesmith stated in Rhino 2007 birthday Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. , "Everyone in the press and in the hippie movement has brought us to their target window as invalid and not worthy of consideration as a musical force [or] of course the kind of cultural power We are under siege wherever we are go there is such hatred for us We are constantly mocked and humiliated by the press We are really beaten pretty well We all know what is going on inside Kirshner has been cleared We have gone to try to make Headquarters and find that it's just a little bit alright and that our better move is just back to the original songwriting and songmaking strategy of the first album except with a clear indication of how [the music] became.. The crazy element and the hate it generates are almost impossible to explain.This survives to this day among people my age. "Tork disagrees with Nesmith's assessment of < i> Headquarters , stated, "I do not think Pisces album is so engrossed to be heard as Headquarters . Technically it is much better, but I think it suffers for that reason. "
With Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. , Monkees' fourth album, they went back to making music for a television show, except that they had control over which music and songs to choose from. They use a mixture of themselves and session musicians on the album. They will use their own play strategies, plus add sessions musicians (plus Crew Wrecking, Louie Shelton, Glen Campbell, Byrds and Association members, drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh, Lowell George, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miles, and Neil Young) throughout their recording career, relying more on the session musicians when the group became temporarily excluded after Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. and record some of their songs separately.
Using the Douglas Chip again to produce, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. , released in November 1967 is No. 4th album. 1 Monkees in a row, staying at No. 1 for 5 weeks, as well as their last album No. 1. It featured the hit single "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (# 3 on the charts) b/w "Words" (# 11 on the charts), A-side has Nesmith on electric guitar/backing vocals, Tork on piano/backing vocals , Dolenz on the main vocals and possibly guitar and Jones in backing vocals; B-side has Micky and Peter alternating main vocals, Peter plays organ, Mike plays guitar, percussion, and provides backing vocals, and Davy provides percussion and backing vocals. Another important item about this album is the feature of the initial use of Moog Synthesizer on two songs, Nesmith-writes "Daily Nightly", along with "Star Collector". All the songs, except for two songs, were shown on Monkees television during the second season.
The song "What Am I Doing Hangin '' Round?", Was recorded in June 1967 and featured on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. , is seen as a landmark in country and rock fusion despite Nesmith's country-flavored rock songs for Monkees. Nesmith stated, "One of the things I think is honest is rock country.I want to move Monkees deeper into it because... if we get closer to country music, we will be closer to the blues, and the country blues, and so on... There are a lot of things abroad: the familiar changes from major to minor VI - things like that.So it's kind of a new wave country the song does not sound like a country song then, that is Buck Owens. "
The next single, "Daydream Believer" (with intro piano written by Tork), will take a photo to No. 1. 1 on the charts, letting Monkees hold the No. 1 position. 1 in single chart and album chart with Pisces simultaneously.. "Daydream Believer" uses a non-album track "Goin 'Down" as its B-side, featuring Nesmith and Tork on guitar with Micky on the main vocals.
During their 1986 reunion, both Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & amp; Jones Ltd. will return to the charts for 17 weeks.
Birds, Bees & amp; The Monkees
The Monkees decided that they no longer needed Chip Douglas as a producer, and starting in November 1967, they produced their own sessions. Although credited to the rest of the band, the songs were largely solo attempts. In some cases, Boyce and Hart have returned from the first two albums to produce, but credit is given to Monkees. It was also during this time that Michael Nesmith recorded his first solo album, The Wichita Train Whistle Sings , a jazz band of great instrumental collections of Nesmith compositions, arranged by jazz musician Shorty Rogers. Praised in The Los Angeles Times by The Encyclopedia of Jazz writer, jazz critic Leonard Feather writes "Orally and music, Mike Nesmith is one of the most articulate spokesmen for a new and educated generation of pop musicians who have a spring of primitive stone waist. [Album] with symphony, rock, country, western and swing train trade, and by riding jazz in the caboose, it may show where contemporary popular music will be was in the early 1970s. "
Considered by some as the Monkees "White Album" period (for example, Sandoval mentions this in the liner notes of the 2010 Rhino Handmade edition of the album), each of Monkees' contributions reflects his own musical tastes, resulting in an eclectic album. Micky sang pop songs (eg, "I'll Be Back Upon My Feet"), and did a double-vocal with Mike on Nesmith/Allison compiled "Auntie Municipal Court". Davy sang ballads (eg, "Daydream Believer" and "We Were Made for Each Other") and Nesmith contributed some experimental songs, such as progressive "Writing Wrong", an unusual hit song "Tapioca Tundra", and lo-fi 1920 sound "Magnolia Simms". The latter song is famous for its extra effects to make it sound like old recordings (even including a "skipping" simulation recording) made before the Beatles "Honey Pie", which uses a similar effect.
Spurred on by hit singles "Daydream Believer" and "Valleri", along with Nesmith who incised a hit 40 "Tapioca Tundra", The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts soon after its release in April 1968. This is the first album released after NBC announced that they did not update The Monkees for the third season.. The album cover - an old collage of items that look like a display in a jumble shop or a toy store - was chosen over Monkees' objections. It was the last Monkees album to be released separately, mono and a special mixed stereo. During the 1986 reunion, it will return to the Billboard charts for 11 weeks.
Outside of television
During the filming of the second season, the band became bored with scripts they considered monotonous and stale. They have managed to remove the trail of laughter (which later became standard in American sitcoms), with most of the Season 2 episodes aired without a chuckle. They propose to change the series format to be more like a variety show, with music guests and live performances. This desire is partially fulfilled in several episodes of the second season, with guest stars such as musician Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley and Charlie Smalls (composer of The Wiz) appear on the show. However, NBC is not interested in removing the existing format, and the group (except Peter) has little desire to continue for the third season. Tork said in DVD comments that everyone has developed such a difficult personality that the big stars invited as guests on the show will always leave the "hate everyone" experience.
Screen Gems and NBC are still running in the existing format, assigning Monkees authors Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso to create live comedy, without half-hour music in printed Monkees; the pilot episode was filmed with a popular nightclub then acting Pickle Brothers. The pilot has the same energy and velocity The Monkees , but never becomes a series.
In June 1968, Music Supervisor Lester Sill chose to release two non-album track "D.W. Washburn" b/w "It's Nice To Be With You" as the next single Monkees. The A-side Leiber/Stoller-writing will go into the Top 20, peaking at No. 1. 19 on the charts.
Head
After The Monkees was canceled in February 1968, Rafelson directed four Monkees in a film, Head. . Schneider is an executive producer, and the project is co-written and co-produced by Bob Rafelson with relatively unknown Jack Nicholson.
The film, compiled and edited in the flow of awareness style, features an eccentric cameo appearance by movie stars Victor Mature, Annette Funicello, young Teri Garr, boxer Sonny Liston, famous strip of Carol Doda, Green Bay Packer Ray Nitschke linebacker and Frank Zappa musician. The film was filmed in Screen Gems studio at Columbia Pictures and at locations in California, Utah, and The Bahamas between February 19 and May 17, 1968 and premiered in New York City on November 6 of that year (the film then debuted in Hollywood on the moon November 20).
The film is not commercially successful, partly because it is the antithesis of The Monkees television show, which is intended to comprehensively destroy the public image of the carefully prepared group. Rafelson and Nicholson "Ditty Diego-War Chant" (read at the beginning of the film by the group), cruelly parody Boyce and Hart's "Monkees Theme". Rare ad campaigns (without mentioning Monkees name) quell any chance of the movie going well, and it's played briefly in half-full cinemas. In the DVD commentary, Nesmith says that at this moment, everyone associated with Monkees "is crazy". They each use the Monkees platform to drive their own different career goals, to the detriment of the Monkees project. Indeed, Nesmith says, Head is the deliberate attempt by Rafelson and Nicholson to "kill" Monkees, so they will no longer be troubled by this problem. Indeed, Rafelson and Schneider broke all ties with the band in the midst of bitterness that occurred over the commercial failure of Head . At that time, Rafelson told the press, "I am of four people in a very special way while at the same time thinking that they have absolutely no talent."
Released in October 1968, the single from the album, "The Porpoise Song", is a psychedelic pop song written by Goffin/King, with lead vocals from Micky Dolenz and backing vocals from Davy Jones, and reaching number 62 on the Billboard charts.
The soundtrack album for the movie, Head , reached No. × 45 on the Billboard charts. Jack Nicholson put together a movie soundtrack album, weaving dialogs and sound effects from the film in between songs from the movie. Sixth (plus "Ditty Diego") Monkeys songs on psychedelic pop album ranges up to rockers straight to Broadway Rock to influenced Eastern pop-to-ballad folk-rock. Although Monkees did a "Sky Circle" live in the film, the studio version was selected for the soundtrack album. The live version will be released in various compilations, including Rhino Missing Links series from Monkees album. The soundtrack album also includes a song from the composer, Ken Thorne. The album has a mylar cover, to give it a mirror-like appearance, so the person who sees the cover will see his own head, a drama in the title of the album Head . Peter Tork said, "It was something special... [Jack] Nicholson coordinated the recording, made it from the soundtrack He made it different from the movie There was a line in the movie where [Frank] Zappa said, 'That's pretty white. another in a movie that is not juxtaposed in the movie, but Nicholson puts them together on [soundtrack album], when Mike says, 'And the same goes for Christmas.'... it's funny,... so different from the movie... it's so important and amazing that he's collecting different footage of the movie... It's a different artistic experience. "The soundtrack album is a cult favorite among Monkees fans.
Over the years following the Head has developed a stray trend for its innovative style and anarchist humor. Monkees member, Nesmith in particular, cited the soundtrack album as one of the band's major accomplishments.
Beginning 1969: Tork Resignation, Instant Replay and The Monkees Present
Tension in the group increases. Peter Tork, quoting fatigue, stopped by buying the last four years of his Monkees contract with $ 150,000 per year, equaling about $ 1,000,000 a year today. This was not long after the Far East band tour in December 1968, after completing the work on their NBC special 1969 television, <333/3 Revolutions Per Monkee , which took many ideas from Head >, only with Monkees playing the strange second string role. In a DVD commentary for a special television, Dolenz noted that after the filming was over, Nesmith gave Tork a gold watch as a gift going away, carved "From people at work." (Tork saves it back, but changes the watch a few times in the next few years.) Most of the tracks from 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee TV specials will not be released officially until more than 40 years later, in 2010 and 2011 Rhino Handmade Deluxe box set of Head and Instant Replay .
Because Monkees are currently producing their own songs with very little involvement of other band members, they are planning a future double album (eventually going to be reduced to The Monkees Present ) where each Monkee will separately produce one side of the disc.
In February 1969, the seventh album Monkees, Instant Replay, without Tork's involvement outside playing guitar in "I Will not Be the Same Without Her", was released, reaching No. 1. 32 in the chart. The single from the album is "Tear Drop City", which reached 56th place on the US Billboard charts and No. 1. 34 on the Australian chart. According to the 2011 Rhino Handmade Deluxe Birthday edition of this album, Davy Jones told Melody Maker, "Half of the songs were recorded for the last three years, but there were also about six new songs." The Monkees want to please the original fans of 1966 by offering new recordings of some old-style songs that have never been released before, as well as getting new audiences with what they consider to be a more mature voice. Nesmith continued his rock-state vein after offering rock and experimental songs on two previous albums. Nesmith states in the 2011 Deluxe Birthday edition made by Rhino Handmade, "I think it was the same embryo that beat me somewhere in Don Henley and Glenn Frey and Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young.All the people who were hanging out in those days. feel this is happening that this is the case So I went to Nashville to see if I could not get some Nashville state stuff into rock 'n' roll or vice versa What I found was that Nashville state is not a country that will be the country base -rock and that it is the West, the Southwest country.. It comes so much more than the Southern California scene.. I ended up with a lot of Dobro, mandolin, banjo, and things that rock hard-core music things... cat- Nashville cats are exploding by playing this type of music, they love it, for one thing. "
Dolenz contributed the largest and longest Monkees production, "Shorty Blackwell", a song inspired by his cat of the same name. Dolenz called it "a weak attempt to do something with Pepg Sgt." Jones contributed an electric guitar rocker, "You and I". Both Jones and Dolenz continue their singing roles in pop songs. Lyrics, it has the theme of being one of the most monkees' melancholy albums.
Throughout 1969, the trio appeared as guests on television shows such as The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, The Johnny Cash Show, Hollywood Squares and > Laugh-In . The Monkees also have a contractual obligation to appear on several television commercials with Bugs Bunny for Kool-Aid drink mixes as well as single Post cereal boxes.
In April 1969, the single "Someday Man" b/w "Listen to the Band" was released, which has a unique distinction from the B-side, a composed Nesmith rock country track, charted higher (No. 63) than Jones-sung A-side (# 81).
The last album with Michael Nesmith from the original incarnation of Monkees will be their eighth album, The Monkees Present , released in October 1969, which peaked at No. 1. 100 on the Billboard charts. This will include Nesmith consisting of country-rock singles "Listen to the Band" and "Good Clean Fun" (released in September 1969). Other famous songs include the composition of Dolenz "Little Girl", featuring Louie Shelton on electric guitar, joining Micky on acoustic guitar, along with "Mommy and Daddy" (B-side to "Good Clean Fun single") where she singing about the American Treatment of Native Americans and drug abuse, and in the previous release, released in the 2011 Deluxe Edition of Rhino Handmade Instant Replay, sang about the JFK assassination and the Vietnam war. J Jones collaborated with Bill Chadwick on some slower ballads, along with the release of some upbeat songs older than 1966.
In the summer of 1969, three Monkees embarked on a tour with support from soul band "Sam and the Good-Timers". The concert for the tour was longer than the previous concert tour, many of which lasted two hours. Although the tour was greeted with some critically positive reception ( Billboard especially praising it), other critics dislike mixing pop music Monkees with Goodtimers R & amp; B. Towards the end of the tour, some dates were canceled due to bad ticket sales, and the tour failed to rebuild the band commercially, with no one getting into the Top 40 in 1969. Dolenz said that the tour "kicked the dead horses.. "
April 1970: Nesmith's resignation and Change
On April 14, 1970, Nesmith joined Dolenz and Jones for the last time as part of the original incarnation of Monkees to film Kool-Aid ads (with the newly introduced Nerf ball, thrown into the artificial living room by the trio). , available as a premium for the Kool-Aid label), with Nesmith leaving the group to continue recording songs with his own rock-country group named Michael Nesmith & amp; The First National Band, which he began recording on February 10, 1970. His first album with his own band called Magnetic South, and by the time he left Monkees in April, he was recording a song for his second album with The First National Band, titled Loose Salute .
It left Dolenz and Jones to record bubblegum pop album Changes as the ninth and final album by Monkees which was released during its original incarnation. At the moment, Colgems barely strives in the project, and they send Dolenz and Jones to New York for a Change session, to be produced by Jeff Barry. In comments for liner notes of a 1994 reissue of Change, Jones said he felt they had been duped into recording "Andy Kim's album" under the name of Monkees. Except for the vocal performances of two singers, Changes is the only album that failed to win significant praise from critics who look back 40 years into the Monkees recording output. The album spawned the single "Oh My My", accompanied by a music movie promo (produced/directed by Dolenz). Dolenz donated one of his own compositions, "Midnight Train", which was used in the re-run of the TV series Monkees. The "Oh My My" single "I Love You Better" single from the album Changes will be the last single released under the name of Monkees in the United States, until 1986. Originally released in June 1970, The first change will chart on Billboard's Top 200 during the 'Monkees' 1986 reunion, staying on the charts for 4 weeks.
September 22, 1970 marked the final recording session by Monkees in their original incarnation, when Jones and Dolenz recorded "Do It in the Name of Love" and "Lady Jane". Not mixed until 19 February 1971, and released later that year as a single ("Do It in the Name Of Love" b/w "Lady Jane"), the remaining two Monkeys subsequently lost the right to use names in several countries. , US included. The single is not credited to Monkees in the US, but to one of the "missed Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones", though in Japan it was issued under the name Monkees.
Jones released his solo album in 1971, titled Davy Jones , featuring the single "Rainy Jane"/"Welcome to My Love". Both Jones and Dolenz released several singles as solo artists in the years after the original break of Monkees. This duo continued to tour in most of the 1970s.
Reunion and revival
Dolan, Boyce & amp; Dolenz, Dolney, Jones, Boyce & Hart
Partly due to the repeat of the TV series The Mondays on Saturday morning and in syndication, The Greatest Hits Hits was mapped in 1976. The LP, issued by Arista, currently has the custody of Monkees master cassettes, owned by their company owner, Screen Gems, is actually a repackaging of a pre-made LP compilation (1972) called Refocus that has been published by Arista's previous label label. , Bell Records, also owned by Screen Gems. Dolenz and Jones took advantage of this, joining former Monkeys songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for a tour of the United States. From 1975 to 1977, as performances of "Golden Hits of Monkees" ("The Guys Who Wrote 'Em and Guys Sang' Em!"), They managed to perform in smaller venues such as state fairs and amusement parks, also like stops in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore. They also released new material albums as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & amp; Hart . Nesmith was not interested in the reunion. Tork claimed later that he was not asked, although one Christmas (credited to Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork for legal reasons) was produced by Chip Douglas and released on his own label in 1976. The single featured Douglas' and Howard Kaylan's "Christmas Is My Time Of Year "(originally recorded by the 1960s Christmas Spirit group), with Irving Berlin's B-side" White Christmas "(Douglas released a remix version of the single, with overdubs, in 1986). This is the first (though unofficial) Monkees since 1971. Tork also joins Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & amp; Hart was on stage at Disneyland on July 4, 1976, and also joined Dolenz and Jones onstage at Starwood in Hollywood in 1977.
Another semi-reunion occurred between 1970 and 1986. Tork helped set Dolenz single, "Easy on You"/"Oh Someone" in 1971. Tork also recorded some unreleased songs for the Nesside Countryside label during the 1970s, and Dolenz (by then successful television director in the United Kingdom) directed the NBC-TV Nesmith Television series segment, although the segment in question was not included when the six-episode series aired during the summer of 1985.
MTV and Nickelodeon rekindle Monkeemania
Wrapped by critics during their heyday as a manufactured and lacking talent, Monkees underwent critical and commercial rehabilitation two decades later. The marathon TV Monkees ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") was broadcast on February 23, 1986, on the five-year-old MTV music video channel. In February and March, Tork and Jones play together in Australia. Then in May, Dolenz, Jones and Tork announced the "20th Anniversary Tour" made by David Fishof and they started playing in North America in June. Their original albums started selling again when Nickelodeon started running their old series every day. The MTV promotion also helped revive the smaller version of the Monkeemania, and the tour dates progressed from smaller places to larger venues and became one of the largest live shows in 1986 and 1987. The collection of the greatest hits just released, reaching platinum status.
Currently, Nesmith agrees with the reunion, but is forced to sit outside most of the project due to his previous commitment to Pacific Arts video production company. However, he appeared with the band in a Christmas music video in 1986 for MTV, and appeared on stage with Dolenz, Jones, and Tork at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on September 7, 1986. In September 1988, the three rejoined to play Australia again, Europe and then North America, with a series of tours that ended in September 1989. Nesmith returned again at the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, a show on July 10, 1989 and took part in a dedication ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, when Monkees received a TV star there in 1989.
The sudden resurgence of Monkees in 1986 helped move the first official monkees since 1971, "That's Now, It's Now", to No. position. 20 on Billboard Magazine. However, success is not without controversy. Jones has refused to sing on the track, recorded along with two other new songs included in the compilation album, Then & amp; Now... The Best of The Monkees . Several copies of singles and albums credits new songs to "the Monkees", others as "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of the Monkees)". Reportedly, this recording was the source of some personal friction between Jones and others during the 1986 tour; Jones will usually leave the stage when new songs are done.
The 1980's reunion tour was the most lucrative effort that three people had seen in their days as Monkees, far beyond the money they made in the 1960s. Nesmith does not have much financial need to join Monkees-related projects, especially since his mother Bette Nesmith Graham is the inventor of Liquid Paper, leaving Nesmith over $ 25 million after his death in 1980.
A new album by the tour trio, Pool It! (Monkees' tenth), appeared the following year and was moderately successful. From 1986 to 1989, Monkees will hold major concert tours in the United States, Australia, Japan, and Europe.
New Monkeys
In 1987, a new television series called New Monkees appeared. Four young musicians were placed in a similar series based on the original show, but were "updated" for the 1980s. The New Monkees left the air after 13 episodes. (Neither Bob Rafelson nor Bert Schneider were involved in the development or production of this series, although produced by "Straybert Productions" headed by Steve Blauner, Rafelson, and Schneider's partners at BBS Productions.)
1990's reunion
In the 1990s, Monkees continued to record new material. In 1993, Dolenz and Jones worked together in a television commercial, and another reunion tour was launched with them both in 1994. Rhino Records (who in August 1994 acquired the complete audio and video catalog of Monkees, as well as the right to name Monkees and the official logo , under an agreement with Rafelson and Schneider) re-issued all original LP on the CD, each of which included between three to six previously unexploited bonus tracks or alternative pickups; the first edition comes with a collectible trading card.
Their eleventh album Justus was released in 1996. It was the first since 1968 in which all four original members performed and produced. Justus is produced by Monkees, all songs written by one of the four Monkees, and it was recorded using only four Monkees for all instruments and vocals, which is an inspiration for album titles and spelling. ( Justus = Just Us).
The Trio Dolenz, Jones, and Tork reunited for a successful US 30th amphitheaters memorial tour in 1996, while Nesmith joined them onstage in Los Angeles to promote new songs from Justus . For the first time since a brief 1986 reunion, Nesmith returned to the concert stage for a tour of England in 1997, highlighted by two sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena at Wembley Park, London. This is a very fitting place, from 30 June to 2 July 1967 Monkees have become the first group to become their own headliners in the Empire Pool, as Arena is then called.
The full quartet also appeared on the ABC television show titled Hey, Hey, This Monkees , written and directed by Nesmith and falsified the original series that made them famous. After the British tour, Nesmith refused to continue his future performances with Monkees, after facing harsh criticism from the British music press for his worsening music. Tork noted in his DVD commentary that "In 1966, Nesmith had studied a pretty good version of the famous 'Last Train to Clarksville' song, but in 1996, Mike was no longer able to play it" and Tork took over the lead guitar part.
Nesmith's departure from the tour was fierce. Jones was quoted by the Los Angeles Times for complaining that Nesmith "made a new album with us, he was traveling around the UK with us, and then suddenly he was not here, and then I heard the rumor he was writing the script for our next movie Oh, that's bloody news for me He's always been a solitary, inaccessible person... the fourth part of a jigsaw puzzle that never fits. "
2000s reunion
Tork, Jones and Dolenz toured the United States in 1997, after which the group returned to hiatus until 2001 when they re-united for a tour of the United States. However, this tour is also accompanied by public sniping. Dolenz and Jones announced that they had "fired" Tork for continuously complaining and threatening to quit. Tork was quoted as saying that, as well as the fact he wanted to tour with his own band, "Suede Blues Shoes." Tork told WENN News that he was distracted by excessive alcohol consumption by other members of the tour crew:
Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones fired me just before the last two performances of our 35th anniversary tour. I am happy and sad for everything. I always liked the work on stage - but I can not handle the backstage problem. I gave them 30 days notice that I would leave so my position was I resigned first and then they dropped me off. Alhamdulillah I do not need Monkees anymore... I am a recovering alcoholic and have not had a drink in a few years. I am not against people who drink - just when they become evil and rude. I went on an anniversary tour with an appointment I did not have to deal with drinking and difficult behavior offstage. When things did not improve, I told them I would be gone in 30 days forever.
Torque later stated in 2011 that alcohol only played a minor role and Torque later said, "I am fully responsible for the backstage problem on the 2001 tour. We hang out well enough until I am in ruins. I mark the others off well and right and that is a serious mistake on my part, I'm not in control of my best ability - as I've been expecting since, I'm actually behaving inappropriately, honestly, I apologize to them. "
Jones and Dolenz went on tour to the United Kingdom in 2002, but Tork refused to participate. Jones and Dolenz toured the United States once again as a duo in 2002, and then split up to concentrate on their respective projects. With different Monkees citing different reasons, the group chose not to mark their 40th anniversary in 2006.
reunion 2010-2011
In October 2010, Jones stated that the reunion that marked the band's 45th anniversary was a possibility. Noted Monkees biography Andrew Sandoval commented in The Hollywood Reporter that he "spent three years persuading them to look beyond the recent differences (which include
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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