| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 11/03/2011 : 18:13:02
They have a whole new teenage fan base....they belong in the Hall, dammit!
Studio recordings controversy
When the Monkees toured the U.K.in 1967, there was a major controversy over the revelation that the group did not always play all of their own instruments in the studio, although they did play them all while touring (except for the solo segments, which used backing band the Candy Store Prophets). The story made the front pages of several UK and international music papers, with the group derisively dubbed "The Pre-Fab Four". Nevertheless, they were generally welcomed by many British stars, who realized the group included talented musicians and sympathized with their wish to have more creative control over their music, and the Monkees frequently socialized with the likes of The Beatles, the Spencer Davis Group, and The Who.
Many Monkees fans argued that the controversy unfairly targeted the band, while conveniently ignoring the fact that a number of leading British and American groups (including critical favorites such as the Byrds and the Beach Boys) habitually used session players on their recordings, including many of the very same musicians who performed on records by the Monkees. This commonplace practice had previously passed without comment. However, the Beatles had led a wave of groups who provided most of their own instrumentation on their recordings and wrote most of their own songs. The comic book quality of the Monkees' television series (where they mimed song performances out of necessity) brought additional scrutiny of their recorded music. But both supporters and critics of the group agree that the producers and Kirshner had the good taste to use some of the best pop songwriters of the period. Neil Diamond, the Boyce-Hart partnership, Jack Keller, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and many other highly regarded writers had songs recorded by the Monkees.
In November 1967, the wave of anti-Monkee sentiment was reaching its peak while the Monkees released their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones Ltd. In liner notes for the 1995 re-release of this album, Nesmith was quoted as saying that after Headquarters, "The press went into a full-scale war against us, talking about how 'The Monkees are four guys who have no credits, no credibility whatsoever and have been trying to trick us into believing they are a rock band.' Number one, not only was this not the case; the reverse was true. Number two, for the press to report with genuine alarm that the Monkees were not a real rock band was looney tunes! It was one of the great goofball moments of the media, but it stuck."
The Monkees went back into the recording studio, largely separately, and produced a large volume of recordings, material that eventually turned up on several albums. (wiki)
Great music from HEADQUARTERS....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-W0ZIO-hMU&feature=related
_____________________________________________
Letting your freak flag fly is a state of mind,
not a fashion statement.
-lk |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| captain america and billy |
Posted - 15/06/2011 : 16:01:36
I'd put the Left Banke in just for their sheer boldness in their attempts to redefine the medium.Sometimes I wonder what happened to lead singer Steve Martin.This man was gifted. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 15/06/2011 : 02:10:13
lot of bands not in the Hall: Love, the Left Banke, Donovan, Hall and Oates, Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Mott the Hoople, the Sundays
still stunned that the Dave Clark Five got in!
at least Traffic is in |
| markk |
Posted - 15/06/2011 : 01:17:27
Captain, you are absolutely right, The Monkees and The Hall doesn't matter, hell they were so special! |
| captain america and billy |
Posted - 14/06/2011 : 16:57:35
Whether or not they wind up a Hall inductees,the Monks have every reason to hang their heads high about the things they DID accomplish as well as the personal relationships they forged with some of rock's most highly respected eschelon of artists,including the Deans of classic rock college,the Beatles.They played a major role in the development of the rock video,landed firm placement in the anals of tv history with their groundbreaking series and remain the only artist to score four Billboard number one albums in a calendar year.(1967:"The Monkees","More Of","Headquarters","Pieces,Aquarius,Capricorn and Jones,LTD").Mike Nesmith was a key player in the devolpment of country rock and Mickey Dolenz was one of the first in the world to own a Moog synthesizer,an essential piece in the advent of progrressive rock in the late sixties and early seventies.While it IS true that perhaps four completely different musicians and actors may well have been chosen for the tv series,it remains a fact that whoever those people might have been,they too likely would have been thrust,albeit through great fortune,into the same advantageous position of being able to parlay their dedications to the project into similar pop historic porportion,due to the marvelous entertainment genius efforts of the televison producers and writers who contributed to this wonderfully timless venture. |
| markk |
Posted - 14/06/2011 : 15:48:18
The Monkees do hold a special place in pop music, they were so loveable, but all and all and then in the end, I do not consider them Hall worthy. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 13/06/2011 : 03:50:47
I particularly like the early demo of "Don't call on me" by Nes, though I don't think thats on any Rhino reissue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ifI8zV3wjI
recorded as Michael Blessing, apparently
gotta love those major 7th chords:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_aMf3F1wss
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| underture |
Posted - 13/06/2011 : 03:04:00
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
is that on Missing LInks vol 2 ?
thats the one with the tv only tracks (All the kings horses, for instance, a Nesmith composition that was ONLY in the show)
the alternate of Love is Only Sleeping
is probably on the Pisces Aquarius Jones 2CD
maybe even a bonus track on the (excellent) late 90s Rhino reissue of the album (gotta love those liner notes!)
everyone in town knew Mr Webster..
I believe it is on the 2CD Pisces edition. Awesome collection; even the Davy offering (Hard to Believe) is OK. The rest? All great, with Nez's contributions maybe the best ever by the group.
You Set The Scene |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 12/06/2011 : 04:30:04
is that on Missing LInks vol 2 ?
thats the one with the tv only tracks (All the kings horses, for instance, a Nesmith composition that was ONLY in the show)
the alternate of Love is Only Sleeping
is probably on the Pisces Aquarius Jones 2CD
maybe even a bonus track on the (excellent) late 90s Rhino reissue of the album (gotta love those liner notes!)
everyone in town knew Mr Webster.. |
| underture |
Posted - 12/06/2011 : 03:30:34
quote:
Originally posted by captain america and billy
You know what Monks' tune I've always dug.Mike Mesmith's "Love is Only Sleeping" from their self-instrumentalized fourth l.p and the show's second season,when we get to see the Pre-Fabs morphed into full blown psych-heads with their new grovy hairstyles and psychedelic gear.
Love is only Sleeping is one of my favorites as well. I prefer the TV episode version over the album one. It had a psych-reverb ending as opposed to the fading organ. Alot of the TV versions were better than the cuts that made it onto an album. Zor and Zam, I'll Be Back upon My Feet, Valleri are just a few.
You Set The Scene |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 07/06/2011 : 00:28:14
lot of their early stuff is out in 2CD editions (I have 2CDs for The MOnkees, More of the MOnkees, Headquarters, Pisces)
There are also 3CD releases for the Headquarters (called Headquarters Sessions) and Birds the Bees the Monkees
and Head releases
(released by Rhino Handmade) (HS is hard to find, long out of print and absolutely wonderful. The other 2 3CDs are recent issues and should be easier to find
Andrew Sandroval said in Goldmine YEARS back that the volume 4 of the Monkees Missing Links (Rhino) would focus on the solo stuff by each member of the band, but that it seemed that Peter Tork's solo stuff was missing (maybe theres stuff he cut with Release?)
Micky did a few singles (Huff Puff, etc) and Davy Jones did an album (on Colgems?) before he was in the band. Michael Nesmith did some recordings as Michael Blessing; quite a lot of his later solo stuff (Propinquity, Shellys blues, Nine Times Blue) he originally cut for Monkees sessions
Theres footage of Michael "Blessing" doing an early single (Until its time for you to go) (not an original but by Bridget St John) on the
(Rhino video release) Hey Hey We're the Monkees
(never issued to dvd by Rhino and only put out by them in the late 80s on video, though you can probably come across it on dvd (albeit with the interviews on Hendrix, etc after the end credits MISSING on the disc!!) |
| captain america and billy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 15:53:30
You know what Monks' tune I've always dug.Mike Mesmith's "Love is Only Sleeping" from their self-instrumentalized fourth l.p and the show's second season,when we get to see the Pre-Fabs morphed into full blown psych-heads with their new grovy hairstyles and psychedelic gear. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 04/06/2011 : 21:53:11
I'm glad one of them isn't just continuing as the Monkee! |
| mikeb |
Posted - 04/06/2011 : 12:11:52
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
did Davy leave the stage for "That was then this is now"?
I didn't notice Joe, there were not always all three on stage I do remember that. I didn't know the history behind that till you mentioned it and I googled.
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
any cds available for sale at the live Monkees shows
Can't remember, if there were there certainly wasn't a huge selection, had a quick look at the merch stand but nothing other than T shirts, programmes has stuck in my mind. |
| Joe Morris |
Posted - 27/05/2011 : 15:46:55
any cds available for sale at the live Monkees shows
like the 20th Anniversary Tour 1986
album for sale at the 1986 shows
Its ironic - they actually ARE decent musicians. On the Live 1967 Monkees album (Rhino Records) Petes playing banjo
and they do rock |
| captain america and billy |
Posted - 25/05/2011 : 19:28:18
Hadn't heard Dusty's take one "Anyone Who Had A Heart" before,just used to the more oldies radio spun Dionne Warwick version.Both deliver an equally soulfully divine performance of one of my favorite tear jerkers.(sniff sniff) |
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