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In the photograph below, The Monkees pose with Don Kirshner, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, and Lester Sill during filming of the first season of The Monkees television series: 
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The latest release from 7a Records features two long lost tracks by Davy Jones. "Rainbows" was written and produced by Chip Douglas (who was also at the helm for The Monkees' Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. LPs along with singles like "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Daydream Believer," and "Goin' Down") and recorded by Davy in 1981. The song has long circulated in tape trading circles of Monkees/Davy fans, but this single marks its first official release. "You Don't Have To Be A Country Boy To Sing A Country Song" was written by Davy and Tommy Boyce (who co-wrote some of The Monkees' biggest hits with Bobby Hart) and appeared as the B-side to "(Hey Ra Ra Ra) Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse," the official theme song for the 50th birthday celebration of Mickey Mouse. That single was released by Warner Brothers in 1978 in England only, and neither side has ever been officially issued on compact disc or been made available digitally. 7a previously provided fans with a sneak preview of the A-side. This release is available as a 7" red vinyl single, and only 500 copies have been pressed. Of note, after speaking with 7a co-founder Glenn Gretlund earlier this week, only 50 copies remain in their stock. Deep Discount had the best pricing option, but they are currently sold out! (Check back later, however, for ordering options.) There are still limited quantities available from Amazon. And for UK customers, Amazon UK has the single listed but it's currently out of stock. Clearly this item is in demand, so be sure to get your copy soon! The ever dependable Ben Belmares has supplied the Live Almanac with scans of his copy of the single below. As always, Ben, thank you! And another thanks must go to both Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund at 7a Records for working so hard to preserve the legacy of the works of the individual Monkees. Don't forget to follow 7a Records on Facebook and Twitter. And you can read more about 7a's past releases in the archives of the Live Almanac.          (Courtesy of Yan Helgos Folkerts - click to enlarge)  (From the October 1967 issue of Hullabaloo) 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)
Here's a photo that was posted yesterday on Davy's official Facebook page, one that I had never seen before! And don't forget to check out the Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart entry here at the Live Almanac which was recently updated with new quotes, information, and tour dates, courtesy of Andrew Sandoval and The Monkees' 50th Anniversary Tour program!
A live recording of a Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart show, Concert in Japan (recorded on July 20, 1976 at Yubin Chokin Hall in Tokyo, Japan), was released as a vinyl LP set in Japan in 1981. At the time, the live album was never given a formal release in the United States or elsewhere. A big thanks to Ben Belmares for sharing his photos of the original Japanese LP:  (Above and below: the front & back covers)  (Micky's arm is in a cast due to a hang gliding mishap)  (Vinyl label)  (Inner sleeve) Concert in Japan was finally issued on compact disc in the United States in 1996 during The Monkees' 30th Anniversary, featuring liner notes by Monkees archivist and producer Andrew Sandoval. Once again, Ben Belmares was kind enough to save me the time of scanning my copy of the CD and provided everything below:           The Monkees' debut single, "Last Train to Clarksville," written and produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1966.  (The picture sleeve) Monkees archivist Andrew Sandoval wrote about the July 25, 1966 session at RCA Hollywood for the song (which also included work on the first version of "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind") in his book, The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation:  This ad for the single appeared in the September 3, 1966 issue of Billboard (courtesy of Monkee45s.net):  Here's video footage of all four Monkees performing "Last Train to Clarksville" live at Wembley in London, England in March 1997: The single's B-side was the stellar Gerry Goffin & Carole King track "Take a Giant Step": The Monkees' debut single, "Last Train to Clarksville," was first recorded on this day in 1966 at RCA Victor Studio B in Hollywood. Written and produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and released by Colgems on August 16 (backed with Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Take a Giant Step"), the song debuted on the Billboard charts on September 3 at #101. By November 5, The Monkees had scored their first #1 single, knocking off "96 Tears" by Question Mark & The Mysterians. The Recording Industry Association of America awarded "Last Train to Clarksville" (and The Monkees' debut album) a gold record on October 27.   (From the August 27, 1966 issue of Billboard - courtesy of Monkee45s.net) Thanks to JD McCutcheon of Monkee45s for sharing this with the Live Almanac!  (Courtesy of KLRA Beat Archive - click to enlarge) In this episode, Mike, Micky and Peter talk a California date, James Grant Interviews Peter Tork. Iain Lee and Bobby Hart talk some cool new releases & "Good Times!" Monkees news & Monkees Mailbag! Love one another! Thank you for listening to & for being part of this show. We love you. It is THE YEAR OF THE MONKEES! Click the image below to listen! 
The Good Times! listening party happening today at Amoeba Records Hollywood at 5pm PT will stream live from the official Monkees Facebook page at 8pm ET.
UPDATE 8:40pm EST: The live stream is now over, but you can watch the taped replay below:
Cookies from the Amoeba event!
Both Bobby Hart and Rhino's John Hughes (executive producer of Good Times!) were in attendance:
(Photo by Jody Richardson)
(Photo by Jody Richardson)
(Photo by Jody Richardson)
More cookies!
(Photo by Jody Richardson)
A big thanks to Tim Powers of Deep Dish Radio, a longtime supporter of The Monkees Live Almanac, who submitted an interview that he recently conducted with Bobby Hart. Here is Tim's description of the conversation: "In July of 1966, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart went into the studio to record 'Steppin' Stone' for The Monkees, but they also recorded a backing track for 'Whatever's Right,' too.
As you know, 'Whatever's Right' is one of the standout tracks from The Monkees' new album 'Good Times!' which arrives this week from Rhino Records. Bobby Hart joined me to discuss not only his (and Tommy's) involvement with Good Times! but also The Monkees as an operation, 'The Bobby Hart Solo Album' from 7A Records, and Bobby's new autobiography, 'Psychedelic Bubblegum.'"
Original Monkees tunesmith and producer Bobby Hart is contributing to the upcoming Monkees album, Good Times!, and the latest track to be recorded is another Andy Partridge contribution, "Love's What I Want," produced by Monkees archivist Andrew Sandoval, who also contributed guitar! And check out the guest musicians mentioned by Andrew!
(Courtesy of Andrew Sandoval's Facebook page)
MTV played a pivotal role in the rebirth of The Monkees in 1986, just in time for the group's 20th Anniversary. On February 23 of that year, MTV aired a weekend marathon of The Monkees television series. The reaction was overwhelming and it helped to create a second wave of Monkeemania just as the group was set to reunite. After the initial success of the "Pleasant Valley Sunday" marathon in February, MTV started to air the series twice a day, seven days a week. By April, the show was being screened three times a day. Throughout this period, MTV also produced a series of weekday segments called "I Was a Teenage Monkee." The clips lasted about two minutes each and featured interviews with Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Jim Frawley, Tommy Boyce, Bob Rafelson, Monte Landis, and more. After Micky and Peter acted as guest VJs on May 3 and 4, 1986, a one-hour special aired (hosted by original VJ Alan Hunter) that collected the previous segments.
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