"Micky Dolenz Live in Japan" coming soon from 7a Records (UPDATED WITH EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SAMPLES)3/18/2020 
UPDATE #2: 4/17/2020:
UPDATE #1: 3/20/2020:
Thanks to 7a Records, you can listen to the very first audio samples from Micky Dolenz Live in Japan, coming this May! A big thank you to both Glenn Gretlund and Iain Lee for providing this exclusive preview to The Monkees Live Almanac.
US customers can pre-order the CD + DVD edition from Amazon and Deep Discount, while UK customers can pre-order the CD + DVD from Amazon. The 180 gram splatter vinyl LP is also available to pre-order in the US from Amazon and Deep Discount, and in the UK from Amazon. Now, enjoy snippets of "Goin' Down," "Mary, Mary", "Randy Scouse Git," "Shades of Gray," "You Just May Be The One," "I Wanna Be Free," "Sunny Girlfriend," "Pillow Time," "I'm Your Man," "Tomorrow," and "To Be Or Not To Be."
ORIGINAL BLOG POST:
This spring, 7a Records will release Micky Dolenz Live in Japan on May 8 in the United Kingdom and May 15 in the United States as a lavishly packaged CD + DVD digi-sleeve set, including a 24-page booklet packed with informative liner notes written by Mark Kleiner and many previously unseen pictures. The DVD will include a concert filmed during the 1982 tour, and Live in Japan will also be released as a special limited edition pressing on 180 gram splatter vinyl.
Micky Dolenz traveled to Japan in early 1982 to give his first ever tour as a solo performer, towards the end of a massive Monkees resurgence that had been sparked there in the fall of 1980 when "Daydream Believer" was used in a Kodak commercial. Micky's Japanese concerts marked the closest thing he had ever done (up to that point) to a solo concert tour. While he had performed extensively in 1975 and 1976 with Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, he had seldom set foot on the concert stage post-Monkees 'on his own.' Dolenz employed a Japanese group of musicians for his backup band, hiring an outfit called Marlboro. The '82 tour provided a revealing look into what he himself, only fifteen years removed from the original Monkees phenomenon, may have considered the crème-de-la-crème of the group's catalog. While the practice of playing deep cuts for diehard fans has become more common in recent years, at this early juncture Micky makes some captivating choices, including 1969’s "Pillow Time," written by his mother Janelle Scott, along with two standout Michael Nesmith compositions from The Monkees' third album Headquarters, "Sunny Girlfriend" and "You Just May Be The One." Also included are the Davy Jones staple "I Wanna Be Free," "Shades of Gray," and what might be the first-ever concert performance of "Zor and Zam." Everything concludes with Micky's then-current Japan-exclusive single "To Be Or Not To Be" b/w "Beverly Hills." The CD + DVD version includes five bonus tracks, featuring the debut release of "I'm Your Man" from Micky's performance at the 1978 World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, along with "Tomorrow" from the West End play Bugsy Malone, which Dolenz directed. Check out a preview of Micky Dolenz Live in Japan below, and take a look at the full track listing of the CD, DVD, and LP courtesy of The Second Disc. Thanks to 7a Records, the Live Almanac was given an advanced preview of Mark Kleiner's liner notes, which are superb. And stay tuned to The Monkees Live Almanac for audio samples from Live in Japan coming soon! 
"Micky Dolenz Live in Japan" 180 gram splatter vinyl (Courtesy of 7a Records)
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In 2010, Head was included in a Criterion Collection box set, America Lost & Found: The BBS Story, which highlighted the films of Bob Rafelson & Bert Schneider and Steve Blauner. This poster was created to promote the DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as a screening of Head at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in New York.  (Poster designed by Wayne Shellabarger) Last night in London, 7a Records held a launch party for the upcoming CD release of Micky Dolenz: The MGM Singles Collection. A host of other goodies were available, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith performed via Skype, and Micky Dolenz welcomed those in attendance via a special video message. To top off everything, 7a's extended quest to release Keep Off My Grass, a long-lost film produced in the 1970s and starring Micky, has become a reality: Directed by comedian Shelley Berman and starring former Monkee Micky Dolenz, Keep Off My Grass is a stoner comedy that had a limited run on it's initial release. In fact, it's fair to say that hardly anyone saw the movie when it first came out in the mid 70's and almost no one has seen it since. Never released on video or DVD, this is the first time this movie has been publically available. Sourced from a VHS copy owned by the producers Albert J Salzer & Allan D. Yasnyi, this DVD is presented in this low-fi version as a matter of historical interest. Lovingly restored by film archivist Garrett Gilchrist, please don't expect HD quality! It is taken from a low quality VHS of a screening of the film, while everything has been done to make the image as sharp as possible, it is of a lot lower quality than we have come to expect. This really is for hardcore fans. Thank you for your understanding on this matter! Monkees expert Iain Lee has spent years searching for this film and has included some great extras to make this a very special package for fans of Dolenz, kitsch and lost 70's classics.  Congratulations to both Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund of 7a Records on their latest projects. Don't forget that Micky's MGM Singles Collection (with 12 bonus tracks!) will be available in the United States on October 14 (and October 7 in the United Kingdom).
UPDATE 8/30/2016:
Iain Lee, longtime fan and proprietor of Monkee Bootlegs, has been meticulously working on giving Keep Off My Grass, a 1972 cult film that starred Micky, a modern day release. The project is coming close to a conclusion, as noted in Iain's latest Facebook post below: "Very, very exciting news. I have been in talks with the producer of the 1972 Dolenz comedy movie Keep Off My Grass. I am being sent a copy of this movie in the next few weeks. I shall then be trying to organise a screening somewhere in London followed by a limited release on DVD. If anyone knows of a suitable venue in the UK for a screening or has any leads on getting a DVD release, please do let me know... American fans, do not worry. I shall do my best to secure a screening in the States (again, if anyone knows a of a venue in either LA or NY, please contact me) and a limited DVD release there as well. Please note, this will be a legitimate release and I will not be sharing for free. This has taken a LOT of work to not only track this film down but also win the trust of the people who own it. I really hope that when this does get released, you will respect the work, effort and time that has gone into securing this and not share freely. These are exciting times!"       Booklet  (Box inside the package that held the DVD slips that are seen below) Head, as included in the Criterion box set, features the following:
     Booklet  (Box inside the package that held the DVD slips that are seen below) The Monkees' last performance as a trio on the ill-fated 2001 tour occurred on August 31, 2001 at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California. The Anaheim concert was recorded and filmed. The subsequent release, Live Summer Tour, was made available on DVD and compact disc in stores and online. Here's a look at the DVDs:   Due to popular demand, the entire uncut concert was later released as a limited collector's edition:   |
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