The Monkees: They outsold The Beatles & The Rolling Stones combined in 1967
Written: May 07 '03 (Updated Jun 28 '05)
Product Rating:
Pros: Hits:"Pleasant Valley Sunday,""I'm A Believer,""Daydream Believer,""Last Train To Clarksville"...
Cons: There are several "greatest hits" collections out and there's no new music here.
The Bottom Line: Six Top 10, million-selling hits:"Last Train To Clarksville,""I'm A Believer,""A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,""Pleasant Valley Sunday,""Daydream Believer,""Valleri"...
Don_Krider's Full Review: The Best of the Monkees by The Monkees
New from Rhino Records for 2003 is "The Best Of the Monkees," yet another compilation album from one of the biggest acts of the last 40 years (and despite a list price of $18.98, shop around for bargains --- I bought this at a Best Buys store for $13.99 in May 2003).
The completist may prefer to have their "Greatest Hits" album (reviewed by me at http://www.epinions.com/musc-review-4A52-5B13BD3-3920EB17-prod2 ) because among its 20 tracks are The Monkees "comeback" Top 20 hit "That Was Then, This Is Now" from 1986 and their last Hot 100 hit from 1987, "Heart And Soul," but "The Best Of The Monkees" will suit most fans just fine.
"The Best Of The Monkees" features 25 tracks (all from 1966-69, so the later hits from the 1980s simply aren't here) and more of band member Mike Nesmith's tunes (something missing from "Greatest Hits"), a definite plus in my book.
Those 25 songs are presented on a single CD. There's also a well-illustrated CD booklet (with the center 8-pages opening out like a centerfold to show various photos of The Monkees).
A second, bonus Karaokee CD + G disc is also included with backing tracks to 5 tracks thus allowing you to sing with the songs (they even include a 6-page extra CD booklet with the lyrics to those five songs).
The Monkees had a total of 21 Hot 100 singles in 1966-87 in the United States ("Randy Scouse Git" wasn't a hit in the United States, but it was # 2 in England in 1967), with 18 of those tunes charting stateside between 1966 and 1970.
On "The Best Of The Monkees," you get 11 of those U. S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles, including all their Top 10 million-sellers: "Last Train To Clarksville," "I'm A Believer," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Daydream Believer" and "Valleri."
The story:
In the early 1960s, the men who created "The Monkees" as a TV entity tried to market an idea about a TV series starring a rock band who did comedy between songs. Those men, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, couldn't sell the idea to network TV until a little band from Liverpool, The Beatles, proved that musicians could score hit records and make funny films ("A Hard Day's Night" in 1964 and "Help!" in 1965).
After Beatlemania, NBC-TV wanted the series. More than 400 actors, musicians and "American Idol" wanna-bes tried out (including the members of The Lovin' Spoonful and Stephen Stills), but only four young men became The Monkees as we know them now: Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork (who auditioned because Stills suggested that he do so), Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones.
The Monkees were given double-duty for their pay: they provided the vocals to their first album (with uncredited studio musicians providing the instrumental sound) and shot their TV series, "The Monkees," as the summer of 1966 ended.
Hitsville:
Some record industry charts began tracking the group's first single on Don Kirshner's Colgems Records, "Last Train To Clarksville," in August, but Billboard magazine first charted the record in its September 10, 1966, issue.
On September 12, 1966, the TV series aired its first episode on NBC-TV and scored an instant hit.
According to the A. C. Nielsen ratings for its first season, the series averaged 31.4 percent share of the viewing audience on Monday nights between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (the show also won two Emmy Awards its first season for "Outstanding Comedy Series" and for Director James Frawley for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement").
Soon, their single, "Last Train To Clarksville," was # 1 on the Hot 100 Singles chart, earning a Gold Record Award for selling over a million copies. Their debut album, "The Monkees," rose to # 1 on the Top 200 Album chart.
"The Monkees" album would spend 78 weeks on the charts (including 13 weeks in the # 1 position). It went gold (500,000 units for an album) and has since gone multi-platinum (a platinum album is one that sells one million units; "The Monkees" album has passed the five million sales mark).
It was the first of four # 1 albums in a row for the band in 1966-67. According to Billboard magazine, The Monkees sold more albums in 1967 than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.
There they go again:
Aided by the top songwriters in the country, including Neil Diamond, Carole King, Bobby Hart, Tommy Boyce, Michael Martin Murphy and John Stewart, the hits kept coming.
"I'm A Believer" rose to # 1 for seven straight weeks at the end of 1966. The single sold a million copies and earned the band yet another Gold Record Award.
This was followed by "(I'm Not) Your Stepping Stone" (which hit # 20 in 1966-67), "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" (# 2 in 1967; another Gold Record), "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" (written by the band's Mike Nesmith, it hit # 39 in 1967 and was the first band-written song by the group to chart), "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (# 3, 1967, Gold), "Words" (# 11, 1967), "Daydream Believer" (# 1 for four straight weeks in 1967, Gold), "Valleri" (# 3, 1968, Gold), "Tapioca Tundra" (# 34, 1968, not in this collection) and "D. W. Washburn" (# 19, 1968, also not in this collection).
The band scored on the album front as well. Their second release, "More Of The Monkees" rose to # 1 for 18 straight weeks in 1967 during a 70-week chart run, earning both Gold and Platinum Awards (certified in 1994 for sales of over five million copies).
The band rebelled against record producer Don Kirshner and the use of studio musicians. They decided to take control of their own records themselves (they wanted to be viewed as a real band), resulting in the 1967 album, "Headquarters," which rose to # 1 in the summer of 1967, spending 51 weeks on the charts and selling two million copies.
At the end of 1967, the band went to # 1 with the album "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." The album spent five straight weeks at # 1 during a 47-week chart stay. It was their last # 1 album, selling two million copies.
The band reached its peak in 1968 with "The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees," which hit # 3 in the summer of 1968. In September 1968, "The Monkees" TV series ended, but the band played on. It was the band's last album to earn a Gold Record Award.
Then the band released the movie, "Head" (co-written by and with a cameo by Jack Nicholson; yes, that multi-Academy Award-winning actor Jack Nicholson).
The decline:
"Head" was a disaster --- it was a series of skits that didn't blend well as a movie. The film was a critical and box office flop. The soundtrack album peaked at # 45 in 1968 (their first album not to hit the Top 5 on the Billboard charts).
This was followed by The Monkees "Instant Replay" album in 1969, which peaked at # 32. Colgems released "The Monkees Greatest Hits" in 1969 (several albums have had this title, but the tracks on each (later versions on Arista Records and on Rhino Records) version are different, but it barely made the Top 100 albums list, peaking at # 93.
Topping things off, Peter Tork left the group in 1969. The remaining trio made the album, "The Monkees Present," which peaked at # 100. Then Mike Nesmith quit the group. Dolenz and Jones continued on as The Monkees, recording the album "Changes" in 1970, which failed to even crack the Top 200 Albums chart.
Then it was over, for a while.
Today:
They've regrouped in various formations ever since the mid-'70s. When the band says its over, who knows? The series continues on in reruns and on video compilations.
In the mid-1980s, the 20th anniversary of the band saw cable TV channel MTV air all the original episodes --- leading to Monkeemania all over again. The band went Top 20 with the single "That Was Then, This Is Now" in 1986 (their first Top 20 hit since 1968, and their last to date), while Rhino Records re-issued all the original studio albums --- all of which, save one, re-charted in the Top 200, something unheard of in the music industry.
I saw the band (without Nesmith but with Dolenz, Jones and Tork) in 1987 and they were wonderful on that tour. My then-five-year-old son loved them and so did I (I've got a picture of him standing on his chair next to me as we both clap along to the music). They were older, but they combined comedy (they were still funny, folks) with a great rock 'n' roll show.
Nesmith rejoined the other three in 1996 for the album "Justus" (as in "Just Us"), but a planned tour didn't happen when Nesmith pulled out (at least according to the other band members) and the album flopped commercially. A VH-1 "Behind The Music" episode recently showed that tension among the band members remains high.
Jones had one solo Hot 100 hit before The Monkees ("What Are We Going To Do?" in 1965, which hit # 93) and one solo hit after first leaving the band ("Rainy Jane" in 1971, which peaked at # 52). A few years ago, Bono of the rock group U2 invited Jones on stage to sing a Karaokee version of "Daydream Believer" to enthusiastic audience response, according to one Davy Jones fan site.
Nesmith wrote hits recorded by The Stone Poneys (their lead singer was Linda Ronstadt) in 1967 ("Different Drum," which hit # 13 --- "... you and I, travel to the beat of a different drum...") and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1968 ("Some Of Shelly's Blues," which hit # 64) while still in The Monkees. His solo work (both as a musician and a video film maker) has won praise --- he even had a # 21 chart solo hit in 1970 with "Joanne" (recorded as Michael Nesmith & The First National Band).
According to Rhino Records, between 1966 and 1969, at their peak in popularity, The Monkees sold 16 million albums and 7.5 million singles.
This CD:
The original studio recordings were produced by Don Kirshner, The Monkees, Michael Nesmith, the musical duo of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart (who had their own Top 10 single in 1967-68 with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite," in addition to writing several Monkees songs), Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jeff Barry, Chip Douglas (former bass player for The Turtles) and Douglas Farthing Hatlelid (aka Chip Douglas).
The new compilation was produced by Andrew Sandoval with new sound production by Bill Inglot. Despite the age of these recordings (in 2006, some of these tracks will be 40 years old), the sound is as clean and clear as if they were brand new.
The CD booklet is 12 pages with limited biographical info by Sandoval (the quotes from Nesmith about the band and its music are interesting to read). The bio Sandoval writes is only of the 1966-69 period of the band and contains limited information on the band's members.
The two CDs have 30 tracks (25 studio recordings on CD # 1; five instrumental Karaokee tracks on CD # 2 in CD + G format). There are two CD booklets: the 12-page bio and a six-page "Karaokee Lyrics" booklet for the five Karaokee tracks. The two CDs are packaged in a single jewel box which comes in a cardboard sleeve with the famous "Monkees guitar" trademark on the cover.
The tracks:
CD # 1: "(Theme From) The Monkees," "Last Train To Clarksville," "I Wanna Be Free," "Papa Gene's Blues," "I'm A Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "She," "Mary, Mary" (written by Nesmith, it was later covered by rap group Run DMC), "Your Auntie Grizelda," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," "Sometime In The Morning" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."
Also, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Shades Of Gray," "Randy Scouse Git," "For Pete's Sake," "You May Just Be The One," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Words," "Daydream Believer," "Goin' Down," "What Am I Doing hanging 'Round?," "Valleri," "Porpoise Song (Theme From 'Head')" (which hit # 62 in 1968) and "Listen To The Band" (which hit # 63 in 1969).
CD # 2 (Karaokee CD + G): "(Theme From) The Monkees," "I'm A Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Daydream Believer."
The best tracks:
"(Theme From) The Monkees":
Like The Beatles, many songs that were never released as singles did receive massive radio airplay in the '60s (plus the bonus, in this group's case, of weekly TV exposure), so this uptempo, rockin' Boyce and Hart-written tune is pretty well-known for its crazy, you've got to love 'em lyrics:
"Here we come / walking down the street / we get the funniest looks from / every one we meet / hey, hey, we're The Monkees / and people say we monkey around / but we're too busy singing / to put anybody down..."
"Last Train To Clarksville":
There's a bit of bubblegum pop magic in this tune, with its Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" nod and folk-rock mix. This was the band's first single, their first hit and the first of three # 1 singles for the band.
According the CD booklet, songwriters Boyce and Hart wrote the tune as "a sly story of a soldier going off to war." Micky Dolenz's lead vocal is magic here, urgent and sweet at the same time:
"Take the last train to Clarksville / and I'll meet you at the station / you can be there by four thirty / 'cause I made your reservation / don't be slow, oh no, no, no / oh no, no, no / 'cause I'm leavin' in the morning / and I must see you again / we'll have one more night together / 'til the morning brings my train / and I must go, oh no, no, no / oh no, no, no / and I don't know if I'm ever coming home..."
"Papa Gene's Blues":
Nesmith mixed country and folk-rock twang for this lovely, uptempo ballad, one of the trademarks of style that made him standout amid the pop-rock leanings of the band's other members.
Nesmith's introspective, romantic lyrics are interesting, as well (plus he cuts loose a few times with lines like "play it magic fingers" and a heart-felt "yee-haw!" as he sings the lead vocal):
"...and now with you as inspiration / I look toward a destination / sunny bright that once before was blue / I have no more than I did before / but now I've got all that I need / for I love you and I know you love me..."
"I'm A Believer":
Neil Diamond was already a hit solo act with tunes such as "Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry" when he was tapped to provide some songs for The Monkees. His biggest contribution to the band's success was "I'm A Believer," which rose to # 1 for seven straight weeks in 1966-67 (15 weeks in the Hot 100):
Driven by its keyboard/guitar intro and an uptempo, rock-based melody, the song is catchy-as-anything and driven by another great Dolenz lead vocal:
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales / meant for someone else but not for me / love was out to get me / that's the way it seemed / disappointment haunted all my dreams / then I saw her face, now I'm a believer / not a trace, of doubt in my mind / I'm in love, I'm a believer / I couldn't leave her if I tried..."
"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone":
The Monkees could rock. Though Paul Revere and The Raiders also did a wonderful cover of this Boyce and Hart song, it took The Monkees to have a rocking Top 20 hit with it. While The Rolling Stones were telling people to get off their cloud, The Monkees were warning girls, via lead vocalist Dolenz:
"...I-I-I-I-I'm not your steppin' stone / you're trying to make your mark in society / using all the tricks that you used on me / you're reading all those high fashion magazines / the clothes you're wearin' girl are causing public scenes / I said / I-I-I-I-I'm not your steppin' stone..."
"Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)":
Another uptempo, Neil Diamong classic, this time with Davy Jones showing his lead vocal skill on the percussion-heavy track (with Jones softly intoning different girls' names and saying "I love you" to each girl):
"...look out, here comes tomorrow / that's when I'll have to choose / how I wish I could borrow / someone else's shoes / Mary, oh what a sweet girl / lips like strawberry pie / Sandra, the long hair and pig tails / can't make up my mind..."
"Sometime In The Morning":
A forgotten album track that's a Carole King and Gerry Goffin-written song, this sweet pop ballad, with Dolenz singing a lead vocal as sweet as any done by The Turtles, cries out for wider exposure, so it's a welcome addition to this collection:
"Sometime in the morning / a simple thought may occur to you / and you hold her / and tell her all the things you never told her..."
"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You":
Neil Diamond delivered the group another smash hit with this tune, which reached # 2 in 1967 and became lead singer Davy Jones signature tune, the type of uptempo ballad that fit the singer perfectly (no doubt melting teenage girls' hearts everywhere):
"...girl / I don't want to find / I'm a little bit wrong / and you're a little bit right / I said girl / you know that it's true / it's a little bit me / and a little bit you, too..."
"The Girl I Knew Somewhere":
Though it peaked at # 39 on the charts in 1967, this Nesmith-written gem featured a lead vocal by Dolenz (who also sang lead on Nesmith's "Mary, Mary"). This is much more uptempo arrangement of a Nesmith tune, but the lyrics identify Nesmith the songwriter as a talented lyricist yet again:
"You tell me that you've never been this way before / you tell me things I know that I've heard somewhere / you're standing in the places and you're staring down the faces / that bring to mind mind traces of a girl, a girl I knew somewhere..."
"Randy Scouse Git":
A very strange song sung by Dolenz --- inspired lunacy if you will, music with a dual personality, and a wonderful song that Dolenz also wrote:
The tempo is set early, with maniac drumming quickly followed by slow piano, it has a nod to E. M. I. recording artists (Capitol Records in the U. S.) The Beatles in its psychedelic lyrics as "the four kings of E. M. I.".
Dolenz sings sweetly to pop perfection, then comes close to a rock scream as he addresses the band's critics:
"Why don't you cut your hair? / Why don't you live up there? / Why don't you do what I do? / See what I feel when I care? / Why don't you be like me? / Why don't you't you stop and see? / Why don't you hate who I hate? / Kill who I hate to be free?"
Much as John Lennon and Paul McCartney merged two different songs to make "A Day In The Life," Dolenz has merged several styles here, from sweet pop ballad, to screaming rock track, to what he calls "progressive scat vocals" together into a highly interesting song.
"For Pete's Sake":
Written by songwriter Joseph Richards and band member Peter Tork, but sung by Dolenz, "For Pete's Sake" was the closing theme of "The Monkees" TV series. With its moderate rock beat, its lyrics said what The Monkees thought of their generation:
"Love is understanding / don't you know that this is true / love is understanding / it's in everything we do / in this generation / in this lovin' time / in this generation / we will make the world shine..."
"You Just May Be The One":
Another gorgeous Nesmith ballad with a country-rock feel, with Nesmith showing his fine lead vocal chops and intelligent lyrics sung over a harmony-filled chorus:
"All men must have someone, have someone / who would never take advantage / of a love bright as the sun / someone to understand them / and you just may be the one / ... / I saw when you walked by / the lovelight in your eye / and I knew I must try / to win more than just a friend / I'm starting near the end / and I go again..."
"Pleasant Valley Sunday":
Singing Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Pleasant Valley Sunday," Micky Dolenz proves himself to be an outstanding rock vocalist on this moderate rock track, rich in multi-part harmony:
"The local rock group down the street / is trying hard to learn their song/ seranade the weekend squire, who just came out to mow his lawn / another pleasant valley Sunday / charcoal burning everywhere / rows of houses that are all the same / and no one seems to care / ... / another pleasant valley Sunday / here in status symbol land / mother's complain about how hard life is / and the kids just don't understand..."
"Daydream Believer"
Written by John Stewart (who had a # 5 solo hit of his own as a singer in 1979 with "Gold," featuring backing vocals by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame), this gentle ballad is pop perfection with a lead vocal by Davy Jones:
"Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings / of the bluebird as she sings / the six o'clock alarm would never ring / but it rings and I rise / wipe the sleep out of my eyes / my shavin' razor's cold and it stings / cheer up, sleepy Jean / oh, what can it mean, to a daydream believer / and a homecoming queen..."
Recommendation:
If you love '60s pop, you'll enjoy this. The music is as fun as anything made during that decade and has been reproduced with crystal clarity of sound here. The Monkees continue to gain new fans through cable TV reruns of their series and classic rock radio airplay, so the gift giving potential (multiple generations of fans) of this package is obvious.
On the web:
Official Monkees site: http://www.monkees.net
Official Micky Dolenz site: http://www.monkees.com
Official Michael nesmith site: http://www.michaelnesmith.com
Official Peter Tork site: http://www.petertork.com
Official Davy Jones site: http://www.davyjones.net
Capitol/EMI's 20-track 24-bit digitally remastered CD "Greatest" by Raspberries (the original lineup --- Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti --- who sang the million-seller "Go All The Way" reunited in 2004-2005) was released in May of 2005 in the U. S. and Europe. It features all 7 of Raspberries Hot 100 singles, has 20 tracks and runs 78:53 minutes: http://www.epinions.com/content_186044681860
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