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Peter, Davy and Micky celebrated the group's 20th Anniversary by headlining one of the biggest grossing concert tours that year.  (Photo by Stan Brick)
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The articles below cover several topics, including Michael Nesmith's appearance with the reunited Monkees at the Greek Theater in September 1986, the chart successes of The Monkees in '86, Pacific Arts (Michael's old company) and video magazines, etc. For easier reading, click on the image below.  From the August 1977 issue of Teen Beat...check out the misspelled names. Click to enlarge!  (From the collection of MusicFan76 - click to enlarge) Have you checked out the rare 1969 tour program that was recently uploaded? Click here and scroll down the page. Here's a picture of Davy that appeared in it...   Andrew Sandoval is currently hosting a Monkees hour on Luxuria Music's website. Tune in here. He will be playing Monkees and solo rarities throughout this portion of the show.
Luxuria Internet Radio is currently hosting a fundraising drive. The station hosts Andrew's great Come to the Sunshine broadcasts. You can donate here. 7 pm Update: Here are the songs and other bits Andrew played during his Monkees hour:
 (From the collection of Troy Maynus) It's sometimes easy to forget that The Monkees (and in particular, their television series) became very much a staple of kids-themed Saturday afternoon television in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After The Monkees and NBC mutually agreed to end production of The Monkees in 1968 after only two seasons (and multiple Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 1967), the series premiered in syndication in the fall of 1969 on a new network, CBS, where it was shown through September 1972 (either at 12 noon or 12:30 pm). Shortly afterward, the show moved to ABC, where it aired through the summer of 1973 (during the 1 pm time slot). Ironically, by the time the series premiered in syndication, promoted as a product of the kiddy crowd, The Monkees as a group had spent the better part of the last two years trying to break out of their manufactured, teenybopper image. By recording as a self-contained band (the albums Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd. as well as the singles "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Daydream Believer"), the quartet proved they were not just a product of Donnie Kirshner's world. A series of successful concert tours throughout 1966-1968 highlighted their talents as a live attraction. A feature film, the wildly offbeat and eclectic Head, seemed to be created to appeal to a more sophisticated audience. Even in 1969, the year their old TV show premiered on Saturday afternoon TV, The Monkees (now a trio after the departure of Peter Tork) were releasing albums and songs that reflected a more mature sound. They even conducted a concert tour backed by an all-black rhythm and blues band.  Despite all of these efforts to be taken seriously as a musical entity, Micky, Davy and Michael were seemingly torn between projecting a new image for The Monkees while also satisfying the demands of their Screen Gems contract, which included filming commercials throughout 1969 and 1970 for Kool-Aid (and related tie-ins such as Nerf balls). Kool-Aid sponsored The Monkees television show when reruns began in September 1969. However, there was a concerted effort to promote new Monkees music in the Saturday afternoon repeats. The original soundtrack of the shows were changed in an attempt to promote fresh cuts from albums like The Monkees Present (1969) and Changes (1970). In some instances, songs that didn't see official release until the 1980s (like "Steam Engine," "If You Have The Time," and "Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears") appeared on the new soundtracks of the syndicated reruns (and sometimes in mixes that to this day remain unreleased). For an in-depth listing of the new songs that were chosen for the late 1969/early 1970s reruns, visit these pages at the Monkees Film & TV Vault website: 1969-1970 season on CBS 1970-1971 season on CBS 1971-1972 season on CBS  Billboard ad (May 30, 1970 issue) Almost right away, The Monkees became a ratings success in syndication. In his book, The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval noted that the first few weeks of repeats on CBS earned an audience of over 8 million viewers. In a 1971 article written by future Rhino Records chief Harold Bronson, he wrote that "the foursome receive something like 1,000 fan letters a week (down from the 5,000 a day at the height of their success, but still substantial for a re-run series)." But even with the newer songs being plugged in the highly-rated repeats, it failed to change the dwindling fortunes of the group in late 1969 and 1970 when it came to record and concert ticket sales. The Monkees Present, released in October 1969, managed to climb to just #100 on the Billboard chart. With Screen Gems hoping to capitalize on the success of the Saturday afternoon reruns, the 1970 album, Changes, recorded by just Micky and Davy, missed the charts completely. (It finally charted in 1986 during the group's revival that year.) In the fall of 1969, a Colgems employee told music trade magazine Amusement Business that The Monkees were in need of a strong effort to rebuild their success, which wasn't a hopeful sign for concert promoters. Micky, Davy and Michael performed their last concert together as a trio in December 1969 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  "Oh My My" picture sleeve By early 1970, Michael's efforts to be released from his Monkees contract were completed, though he would still film sponsorship commercials with Micky and Davy through April of that year. The final Monkees single, "Oh My My," peaked at a lowly #98 in June 1970. Micky and Davy conducted one more recording session in September, but the single, 1971's bubblegum-esque "Do It In The Name of Love," would be credited to Dolenz & Jones and not to The Monkees. In 1975, The Monkees television series was sold to local markets for syndication, which resulted in another generation of Monkees fans. A year later, a new greatest hits album was released, peaking at #58 and remaining in the Top 100 LPs for over sixteen weeks. Here's a collection of photographs from the Saturday Afternoon rerun era, including pictures from Kool-Aid commercial shoots and various other promotional clippings.  Michael and Micky filming the final Kool-Aid commercial in April 1970 (Photo by Henry Diltz)  The trio film a Kool-Aid commercial in February 1970 - photos of Micky and Davy driving bumper cars will later appear on the back cover of the "Changes" album. (Photo by Henry Diltz)  1970 ad (From the collection of Kevin Schmid)  1970 Kool-Aid / Nerf promotion (From the collection of Kevin Schmid)  Filming a February 1970 Kool-Aid commercial (Photo by Henry Diltz)  On the set of a Kool-Aid commercial in February 1970 (Photo by Henry Diltz) This ad was submitted to the Live Almanac, and after checking with JD at Monkee45s.net, he thinks it could be from Record World magazine circa late February to March 1969 (but both of us aren't 100% sure). It also appeared in the packaging of the Instant Replay deluxe edition.   (Photo by Henry Diltz) Tickets for the 2013 Michael Nesmith Spring Tour apparently have been selling fast. Philadelphia is already sold out as is Chicago and Nashville. Be sure to visit this link for all previous blog posts about the tour so far, including dates, venues, and links to purchase tickets. This acoustic performance of "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" comes from a show held in the Netherlands on April 21, 1989 during The Monkees' tour of Europe that year. It's sourced from a widely circulated bootleg of the show (which was also broadcasted on European radio and filmed for Holland television). Enjoy...
Here's a couple more 1970s-era articles centered around Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. "Look Who's Back, Better Than Ever" (from 1976) discusses the formation of the "new" Monkees with Micky, Davy, Tommy and Bobby. "What's Up With The Monkees?" (from 1977) is about the break-up of DJBH. The third article talks about Davy and his horses. For easier reading, click on the image and then click on it again.  This review of The Monkees' performance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 10, 1986 came from the Wisconsin Sentinel. The group later returned to Wisconsin in November during the second leg of the '86 tour to play at the La Crosse Center and the Brown County Arena. For easier reading, click to enlarge.   After numerous run-throughs, Micky’s "Randy Scouse Git" was finally recorded on March 4, 1967. Tired of tapping on his wood block, Micky noticed a kettle drum sitting in the corner of the studio and hit upon the idea of using the instrument for the choruses, intro, and fade. “I remember when Micky first showed me that song, I was so excited,” Tork recalls. “He played me the verse and the chorus, and then he said, ‘In the end we do them both at the same time!’ I thought that was a brilliant piece of music. I’ve always thought that Micky was more creative than he ever gave himself credit for. He’s a vastly more talented individual than he’s aware of. I always thought that song was proof of it.” (From the liner notes of the 1995 CD release of Headquarters, written by Andrew Sandoval)  Beyond a couple of songs found on Headquarters, original Monkees producers and tunesmiths Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were largely absent from the recording of the band's third album (and first under their complete creative control). In this article from the September 1967 issue of Flip magazine, Boyce and Hart recount some stories on the making of Headquarters. For easier reading, click on the image to enlarge.  From 1970...  (From the collection of MusicFan76 - click to enlarge) Check all of the information here, and note that it says there will be "Meet and Greet" options, too.
The entire 1969 tour program is now available for viewing in the 1969 Tour section. Scroll down on that page and check it out! Note: There were various pressings of the '69 tour book. Some featured an ad for the Instant Replay album as well as a different back cover.  Today is Peter Tork's birthday. Here are some photographs of Peter that I have collected or saved over the years. Enjoy!
Here's the first of a couple of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart articles I want to share. I'm not sure on the source! It discusses how the four Monkees got together at Micky's house in 1975 and couldn't agree on plans to revive the group, and how that ultimately led to the formation of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. For easier reading, click on the image and then click on it again.  Lynne Randell was one of the opening acts on the 1967 Monkees summer tour. For easier reading, click on the image and then click on it again.  |
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