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Thanks a lot to the fantastic Written In Our Hearts Facebook page for allowing the Live Almanac to share this rare photo of Peter, Davy, and Micky rehearsing for their appearance on the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. If you haven't stopped by Written In Our Hearts, be sure to follow their page!  The trio performed "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer" on the September 5, 1986 telecast while The Monkees were experiencing a newfound success during their 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour: And check out this commercial for the encore presentation of the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards that featured The Monkees:
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In early 1986, Arista Records, who owned the Monkees catalog at the time, started planning a greatest hits package that would mark the group’s 20th Anniversary. When Micky, Davy, and Peter hit the road in late May and surprised everyone by becoming that summer’s hottest concert ticket, Arista pared down their original 2-LP package to a single album that ended up including a couple of brand new Monkees recordings.
However, the three new songs that ultimately appeared on Then and Now...The Best of The Monkees ("That Was Then, This Is Now," "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere," and "Kicks"), included participation from just Micky and Peter. (Michael Nesmith, as we all know, remained on the sidelines for most of the group's 20th Anniversary activities.) A little backstory: Davy was signed to Bell Records in the early 1970s, and the label eventually morphed into Arista Records, led by music mogul Clive Davis. For years, Davy vocalized his disdain for the Bell experience, claiming his talents were misused and that he was never given the opportunity to grow as an artist while under their auspices. Once the offer came around from Arista in 1986 regarding new recordings for the reunited Monkees, Davy balked, saying it was a bad deal while also expressing frustration that The Monkees would just be singing over pre-recorded backing tracks. Things became complicated when “That Was Then, This Is Now" took off at radio and on MTV. Davy would leave the stage when the song was performed live, and the music video, filmed in concert, led to questions of “Where’s Davy?” Despite the tension behind the genesis of the Arista Monkees recordings, the Then & Now album went platinum during the group's blockbuster 1986 reunion tour. “That Was Then, This Is Now” became the band's new single that summer and a music video for it was filmed at Great Arena in Jackson, New Jersey on July 25. The video received heavy airplay on MTV, making the song a Billboard Top 20 hit in the summer of 1986.
And who can forget the video's success on MTV's Friday Night Video Fights?! It's here where you can watch the official music video for "That Was Then, This Is Now" (beginning at 40:15). Strangely, the video is not available on YouTube.
An alternate version of the video appears below:
Those who became fans during The Monkees' resurgence in 1986 (like myself) will no doubt have fond memories of the Arista Records compilation Then & Now...The Best of The Monkees. Released in June that year, the album contained the group's greatest hits, along with three new tracks recorded just in time for The Monkees' 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour: "That Was Then, This Is Now," "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere," and "Kicks." Then & Now peaked at #21 and became a million seller, aided by the "That Was Then, This Is Now" single, which peaked at #20 while its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on MTV. Arista, however, had originally planned to release a 2-LP set entitled The Best Of The Monkees to celebrate The Monkees' 20th Anniversary, but plans were changed when it was decided to record new tracks. With the double LP already pressed, it was instead made available via mail order and was distributed by Silver Eagle Records:  The Silver Eagle release featured 24 tracks but unlike the Then & Now issue, there was no gatefold cover and the liner notes were not included.  The Silver Eagle version of the album was also issued on cassette. A combination of both the Silver Eagle Best Of and Arista's Then & Now was released on compact disc in August 1986 and became the first Monkees CD to be made available in the United States. This commercial aired in 1986 and 1987 advertising the 2-LP Silver Eagle set:  (From the 1986 Monkees tour program)  (Photo courtesy of eBay)  (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Maine) Monkeemania: The True Story of The Monkees was authored by Glenn A. Baker, Tom Czarnota, and Peter Hogan. Published in 1986 at the height of The Monkees' 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour, many fans (like me) who discovered the group on MTV that year inevitably purchased the first edition of the book:  (Front cover of the original edition)  (Back cover of the original edition) Baker also produced and compiled the legendary 1979 compilation Monkeemania: 40 Timeless Hits.  The third edition of Monkeemania, pictured below, was published in 1997 with alternate front and rear covers:   Thanks a lot to Tom B. for reminding the Live Almanac about this live footage from a stop on The Monkees' 20th Anniversary Tour! The monumental gathering of Monkees fans in Philadelphia on August 1-3, 1986 was a culmination of the stready growth of smaller, more intimate Monkees conventions since the late 1970s. This sold-out event, hosted by Monkee Business Fanzine editor Maggie McManus and Monkees collector Ed Reilly, and emceed by longtime fan Fred Velez, attracted Davy, Micky, and Peter during the height of The Monkees' 20th Anniversary Tour. Two sold-out shows at Philly's Mann Music Center capped off the event.  (Scans courtesy of Danny Solazzi of The Characters)  (Click to enlarge)  (Photo by Henry Diltz and from the "Monkees Calendar 1988") Thanks to Written In Our Hearts for this flashback from 1986!   (Photo by Stan Brick) Then & Now...The Best of The Monkees was later certified platinum in January 1987.  (From the December 1986 issue of Monkee Business Fanzine) Over the years, I've heard different reports regarding the "dance remix" of "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." I've been told it exists, but I've also heard it doesn't. Appearing first on the platinum-selling Then & Now...The Best of The Monkees in 1986, the song has never been performed live in concert. It was, however, resurrected for last year's The Monkees 50 compilation. Take note of the session credits. Michael Lloyd worked previously with Micky Dolenz in the early 1970s under the Starship banner, and also produced The Monkees' 1986 Top 20 hit, "That Was Then, This Is Now." Laurence Juber was a member of Wings from 1978-1981, and Paul Leim played drums for Michael Nesmith on his 1979 LP Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma, and toured with Nez as recently as 2013.  (From the liner notes of the "Listen to the Band" box set)  Greek Theatre / September 7, 1986 (Photo by Henry Diltz) |
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