1967 TV Show
The Monkees Did in fact play their own instruments & Write Songs
“BUZZ: Newspaper Article: Jun- Jul 2011 (#4-D)
How many times have you heard that in reference to the Monkees ? Unfortunately too many. I myself am sort of an original fan. I have documentation to back this bold statement up, (thanks for writing this down Mom). When I was a toddler, apparently I liked these shows, “Batman” “Lost in Space” & “The Monkees” They all came on about the same time of day back in 1966.
The point of this particular article is to dispel some myths about this television show that became a Pop Band of the 60s.
In Sep 1965 Producers Rafleson & Schneider ran an ad in two local magazines looking for four youngsters to star in a cutting edge TV show titled :”The Creeps” who would also record Folk/ Pop music for the show.
“Davy” David Thomas Jones: (30 Dec 1945 Manchester, UK) Broadway star is already on board to do the new TV show. David has already released 1 Album & three 45 Singles prior to the TV show airing.
“Micky” George Michael Dolenz: (8 Mar 1945 Hollywood, Ca.) Former child star on the TV show “Circus Boy” 1956- 1957 for 2 seasons. Mickey is also lead singer & guitar player for a local cover band “The Missing Links” who recorded one 45 single. He is brought in as the 2nd Monkee.
“Michael” Robert Michael Nesmith: (30 Dec 1942 Houston, TX) sees one of the ads for the casting call on his way to the laundry mat. Nesmith has been playing folk music since 1960 and released 4 solo 45 singles prior to the Monkees TV show.
Peter Halsten Torkleson: (13 Feb 1942 Washington DC) Folk singer form the Greenwich Village Folk Music Scene & former member of “The Mugwumps” (early Mama’s & Papa’s) is referred by Stephen Stills to go down for the auditions. Tork plays many musical instruments: guitar, piano, banjo, bass & french horn.
Many people want to throw darts at the Monkees, saying that they didn’t play their own instruments or write their own songs. Well here’s the tally of who wrote what:
Michael Nesmith: wrote 46 songs for the Monkees. Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart: wrote 26 songs. Gerry Goffin & Carole King: wrote 13 songs. David Jones with Bill Chadwick wrote 16 songs. Peter Tork: wrote 12 songs. Micky Dolenz: wrote 6 songs. Neil Diamond: wrote 5 songs. & Harry Nilsson: wrote 5 songs for the Monkees. While it’s true not all of these songs were released while the Monkees were together from 1966 to 1970 and some have never been released at all, it does show that, at the bare minimum Michael Nesmith was quite prolific, and the other three especially Jones contributed to The Monkees canon.
The Monkees released 9 studio LPS from 1966 to 1970 and 12 singles. In 1966 “The Monkees” and two singles. In 1967 they released three LPs in one year “More of” “Headquarters” & “Pisces, Aquarius” and three singles. In 1968 the LPs “Birds & Bees” & “Head” and three singles. In 1969 the band was down to a trio; Nesmith, Dolenz & Jones and release the LPs “Instant Replay” & “Present” come out as well as three more singles.
The final LP & Single came out in 1970 when the band was down to the duo of Dolenz & Jones.
One thing I find really peculiar is when The Monkees go out and tour every 5 to 10 years, since 1975, the public backlash “Well it’s only the three of them” The reality is The Monkees were only quartet from 1965 to 1968 when Peter Tork left the group in Dec 1968 because of artistic differences.
Tork: “The TV show had ended and we were not touring as much and we defiantly were not recording as a four piece band any more, each member was recording their own tunes, so I felt it was time for me to go and do my own band “Release”
Then not even one year later Nesmith in Nov 1969 decides it is also time for his early exit, Nesmith: “I hung with it as long as I could, I had an opportunity to record my tunes. The TV show was over we had made a movie “Head” and a TV special “33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee” in ’68 then Peter left. I did the final tour in ’69. I just didn’t want to do it any more so I bought out the last year of my contract”
And then there were two…..In 1970 The Monkees were down to Micky & Davy who being veteran actors and now musicians fulfilled their Screen Gem’s contracts to the end. Dolenz: “I was an actor hired to be a singer & a drummer as long as they were paying me and putting out my records I was ok with the job.” Jones: “I know which side of my bread the butter is on”
The Monkees began touring in 1966 starting out with seven concerts at the end of the year. Then in 1967 the band embarked upon the unofficial “Summer of Love tour” performing 42 concerts across America. The band took some time off in 1968 only performing in Australia & Japan for 12 concerts and a one off show in America for the movie “Head” The final tour of 1969 saw the band as a trio for the first time. Nesmith, Dolenz & Jones had made many TV appearances on various television programs through out 1969 and played 21 concerts that same year.
The first unofficial Monkees reunion was in 1975 the “Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart Show” this new quartet toured through 1976 and released one LP and two singles during this period.
Micky and Davy continued as a duo again during 1977 & 1978 releasing oe soundtrack Lp of Harry Nilsson songs for “The Point” in 1978.
Moving forward in time Davy & Peter are touring Australia in 1985 as “The Sounds of The Monkees” when Fischoff & MTV get Dolenz to join and reform The Monkees in 1986. The trio record and tour until 1989, when the three have decided they have had enough and go their separate ways in Eureka, Mo. Sep 1989. (yes, I was there) Nesmith did make an effort to appear at one concert in Sep 1986 and film a Christmas Video for MTV with the other three. Nesmith did perform most of a concert in Sep 1989 with the trio for their “Walk of Fame” induction.
In 1996 Micky Dolenz was working on a solo CD, when he asked Nesmith to produce the music for him. Nesmith came and asked “Do you keep in touch with Peter?” Dolenz replied “Yes” Nez said “Let’s bring him in” when Peter arrived to start work on the new music Tork suggested “As long as the three of us are here why not bring in David on this too”
So they did “Justus” was released in 1997 a tour with the trio ensued, as well as the second Monkees: TV special & a made for VH-1 TV movie. The quartet including Nesmith did a brief warm up tour of the UK of nine concerts in 1997. The press was not kind to the guys, as well as Nesmith decided for the final time he did not like working with a couple members of the band.
So a few years had passed and The Monkees decide to go out for a “35th anniversary tour”
Once again the trio of Dolenz, Jones & Tork. This time Tork’s band “Shoe Suede Blues” will be the opening act. They tour throughout 2000 & 2001 for the 3rd time as a trio.
Bringing us to today………
Micky, David & Peter are now on their 4th tour as the trio and on their “45th Anniversary Tour” The Monkees will be at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley 1& 2 July 2011 at 7:30pm.
So be there or be triangular…..
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