The Monkees Live Almanac is happy to share the official press releases from 7a Records announcing their latest project: a live recording documenting Michael Nesmith's historic return to the Troubadour in Los Angeles with the First National Band Redux! Thank you very much to 7a co-founders Glenn Gretlund and Iain Lee for passing along all of the details. 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.

The year 2001 saw Micky, Davy, and Peter back on the concert stage for the first time since 1997. The tour certainly had its ups and downs, and by the end of that summer, Peter had returned to Shoe Suede Blues while Micky and Davy continued working together as a duo.

The Monkees' last performance as a trio on the 2001 tour was on August 31 at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California. The Anaheim concert just happened to be recorded and filmed. The subsequent release, Live Summer Tour, was made available on DVD and compact disc in stores and online. The CD, released on the King Biscuit label and still available today on Amazon, appears below:

In September 2017, 7a Records released Michael Nesmith at the BBC Paris Theatre on compact disc and as a limited edition picture disc LP. And now, the album is available on orange vinyl in limited quantities. A big thanks to Ben Belmares for sharing his scans of the orange vinyl issue with the Live Almanac!

Since 2015, 7a Records and its proprietors Glenn Gretlund and Iain Lee have been producing Monkees-related releases, including a collection of Micky Dolenz's 1970s MGM singles, Bobby Hart's first solo album, various limited edition vinyl 45s (Dolenz/Davy Jones/Dolenz with Circe Link & Christian Nesmith), and more recently, vintage and new live recordings by both Nesmith and Dolenz. And now 7a has made an agreement with Michael Nesmith and the members of the First National Band to release a live album documenting their January 2018 performances. 

"We are extremely proud and excited to be able to work with Michael Nesmith and the First National Band on this album," Glenn told the Live Almanac. "What I have heard so far literally gave me goose bumps. It's that good. By all accounts this will be a superb album and one of 7a Records' biggest releases to date."

​Iain was just as enthused. "If you’d have told 15-year-old me I’d be releasing a brand new First National Band live album on my own record label I’d have laughed in your face. This is a dream come true and is the culmination of years of hard work and dreaming from both myself and my business partner Glenn. We make it our business to only release records that we would buy and man, I’d buy a dozen copies of this. It’s a thrill and an honor to be working with Michael and the band on this. And you wait until you hear what Christian [Nesmith] has done with the production. Stunning."

​As Iain said, Christian Nesmith is currently in the process of mixing and mastering the recordings, but at this moment, it has not yet been decided whether the album will consist of one full show or a compilation of the best performances from the various stops on the tour. Nez will have the final vote once everything has been mixed. 

The  following songs are very likely to be included on the album:

Be sure to check back with The Monkees Live Almanac as Glenn and Iain have promised more details about the upcoming First National Band live album release as they become available.

​I would also like to take a moment to thank both Glenn Gretlund and Iain Lee for sharing this news with the Live Almanac and its readers, and for their constant support of the site. 

UPDATE 4/22/2018: Iain Lee is reporting on Facebook that 7a hopes to release the First National Band live album in July 2018. It will be available on compact disc and as a 2-LP set.

UPDATE 6/18/2018: 7a Records announces the release of "Michael Nesmith and The First National Band Redux Live at the Troubadour" deluxe CD and 2-LP gatefold vinyl

The latest release from 7a Records, Micky Dolenz & The Metropole Orchestra: Out of Nowhere, is now available on both compact disc and as a limited edition 180 gram vinyl picture disc. 7a co-founders Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund recently posted audio samples on SoundCloud. 

On April 15, 2017, Micky performed with the American Metropole Orchestra at Rice Auditorium in Salem, Oregon, as part of the Smith Fine Arts Series. The orchestra was led by conductor Keller Coker, and he was assisted by Wayne Avers (Monkees/Dolenz musical director and guitarist). The show was recorded by 7a in order to preserve this unique performance and commemorate it with a special live album release.

And now, thanks (as always) to Ben Belmares, you can take a look at the LP version of Out of Nowhere below. Thanks, Ben!

Previously Reported: Micky Dolenz live with The American Metropole Orchestra!

The LP and CD editions of Michael Nesmith At the BBC Paris Theatre are now available from 7a Records. Remember that the vinyl picture disc is limited to 500 copies, so don't wait to order! A big thanks, as always, to Ben Belmares for providing the scans of the picture disc LP below to the Live Almanac.

7a Records to issue "Michael Nesmith at the BBC Paris Theatre"

Late last month, The Monkees Live Almanac provided exclusive details about the upcoming CD and vinyl release from 7a Records, Michael Nesmith at the BBC Paris Theatre. Earlier today, subscribers to the 7a Records email list received an update about the Nesmith project, complete with links to pre-order.

Those who looked closely at the email might have noticed a very small "Easter egg" at the bottom left of the message. If you right-click and save the image, here's what you'll see:

Thanks to Iain Lee, co-founder of 7a Records, The Monkees Live Almanac can confirm that Micky Dolenz & The Metropole Orchestra: Out of Nowhere will be issued in the US on November 24, 2017 (while UK fans will see it a week earlier) on both compact disc and as a limited edition 180 gram vinyl picture disc.

On April 15, 2017, Micky performed with the American Metropole Orchestra at Rice Auditorium in Salem, Oregon, as part of the Smith Fine Arts Series. The orchestra was led by conductor Keller Coker, and he was assisted by Wayne Avers (Monkees/Dolenz musical director and guitarist). The show was recorded by 7a in order to preserve this unique performance and commemorate it with a special live album release.

For all of the latest updates, be sure to subscribe to the 7a Records email list by visiting their website (scroll down to the bottom to submit your email address). A hearty thanks and congratulations to Iain and Glenn Gretlund at 7a for their ever-growing list of impressive, first-class releases.

UPDATED 10/10/2017: Here is the official track listing for both the CD and the LP.

Lip Sinker (Intro)
Last Train to Clarksville
Sometime in the Morning
D.W. Washburn
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
Hey Bulldog (Instrumental)
Porpoise Song
Randy Scouse Git
Since I Fell for You
Daydream Believer
Pleasant Valley Sunday
I'm a Believer

7a Records co-founder Iain Lee has delivered the scoop to The Monkees Live Almanac regarding their first ever Michael Nesmith-related release!

Michael Nesmith at the BBC Paris Theatre will be issued as a limited edition 12" vinyl picture disc and as a CD digipak. The compact disc version will be accompanied by a 12-page booklet that includes a rare 1975 interview with Michael, an essay by Iain, and an interview with Dave Pegg from the Fairport Convention, who played with Nez in the past.

Recorded in London on November 27, 1975, the concert had been tucked away in the archives of the BBC until 7a licensed the master tapes, which have been digitally remastered. Nesmith has approved its release, too. The album features Nez performing alone with his guitar, singing First National Band-era songs along with cuts from his then upcoming LP, The Prison.  Here is the complete track listing:

Silver Moon (5:11)
Some of Shelly's Blues (4:18)
Joanne (8:52)
Dance Between the Raindrops (8:35)
Marie's Theme (7:10)
Closing Theme (Lampost) (4:51)

At The BBC Theatre will arrive on September 15, 2017 in the United Kingdom and a week later in the United States. Pre-order links are available below.

A big thank you to Iain and his partner at 7a, Glenn Gretlund, for sharing these details with the Live Almanac. Don't forget to follow 7a Records on Facebook and Twitter. You can read more about 7a's past releases in the archives of The Monkees Live Almanac.

Live at The Palais was released by Michael's company Pacific Arts in August 1978. Recorded in Melbourne at the Palais Theatre during a brief tour of Australia in 1977, the set reunites Nez with First National Band drummer John Ware. Notably, some of the songs on Live at The Palais featured new arrangements in comparison to their studio counterparts.

​Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork performed at the Palais this past December during a stop on The Monkees' 50th Anniversary Tour.

The LP cover features a photo of Nez with his Black Gibson Les Paul custom guitar. This is the same guitar he played when The Monkees recorded "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in 1967, producing the classic riff that became the cornerstone of the song. The guitar was also seen on 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee during The Monkees' performance of "Listen to the Band," and again in 1969 when Micky, Davy, and Michael performed live on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Nez was last seen using the Les Paul with The Monkees at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 1986.

Live at the Palais can be downloaded on iTunes or at Videoranch.

A big thanks to Ben Belmares who supplied the scans seen below:

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: 

Live 1967  was the first official live album by The Monkees, compiled from the last three North American dates (Seattle, Washington on 8/25/67; Portland, Oregon on 8/26/67; and Spokane, Washington on 8/27/67) of the group's 1967 summer tour. It was a long time before anyone heard it as it wasn't given an official release until June 1987 by Rhino Records.

The CD version of the album featured four additional songs (tracks 10-13, highlighting each Monkee's solo segment in the show) that were not available on the vinyl or cassette versions.

In 2001, Rhino Handmade released all of the recordings made during the 1967 tour, including another show taped on August 12, 1967 in Mobile, Alabama. Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings  was a limited edition release of 3,500 copies only and is no longer available. (It can be downloaded on iTunes, however.)

For almost a month, Monkees fans were polled by the Live Almanac asking what they wanted to see as the next Monkees project after the completion of the 2014 spring tour. With the latest round of concerts over, and nearly 1,000 votes cast, fans overwhelmingly desire a live concert CD/DVD release (30.49%) and a new studio album (27.8%).

When it comes to the question of new music by The Monkees, each member of the group has expressed varying degrees of enthusiasm about such an endeavor. Though everyone seems open to the idea, no definite plans have been made. "Never say never; there’s always a chance," Peter said optimistically during a recent interview. "We have no concrete plans right now but there's no telling." "We talk about it regularly," added Michael. "When we are together we talk at length sometimes about Monkees projects we could do, including making (new) music." Micky was forthright with Rolling Stone in April 2013. "I'd love to make a new one," he said.

A live album would seemingly be an easier project to tackle. Fans have expressed their wishes for such a release on internet discussion forums (and in numerous emails to the Live Almanac). The tapes are there for a live CD to become a reality.  At the 2014 Monkees convention this past winter, Andrew Sandoval confirmed that three shows on the 2012 Monkees tour were professionally recorded. He told convention goers that to date he has been unable to strike a deal for a live album release for various reasons. Tapes exist from the 2011 tour with Davy as well. "I have all of the 2011 tour recordings. That would be a great CD project someday," Sandoval told Examiner.com.

Monkees fans are frequently clamoring for a live DVD, too, but no concerts have been professionally filmed since the group returned to the stage in 2011. Micky, in an interview after the 2011 tour, wasn't sold on the idea of filming their show. "You don't record musicals either. And the reason is that you want people to come and see the show, but also, especially theatrical productions, they never look good when you try to film or tape them. You can't just capture the three-dimensionality of a space. It's like shooting the front of a house." Granted, with the large video wall stationed behind The Monkees during their live performance, it very well could prove to be a nightmare to film. But the group might consider other options for a concert DVD if taping the current live show proves logistically impossible. A soundstage would work (think Fleetwood Mac's The Dance  in 1997). A concert filmed on a soundstage also opens up further possibilities (a VH1 Storytellers-like performance, perhaps?). And the astounding video wall footage produced by Andrew Sandoval, Rachel Lichtman, and Jonathan Nesmith over the last several tours could be synced to the live audio and offered as a bonus feature on a concert DVD.

Be sure to take a moment and vote in the new poll located on the right in the blog sidebar: "What is your favorite late period Monkees album?"

Who else had this bootleg that was released by Bird Brain Records? An audience recording with an undesirable sound quality, Live In Los Angeles could be found in record shops that would carry less than official merchandise. Though the tape source is dubious, the boot does capture a near exuberant audience throughout the duration of the show, especially when Nez showed up for the encore that night. 

As someone who is generally a fan of live recordings, I've always been frustrated by the lack of official live albums by The Monkees. We had the '86 live album, the two 1967 releases, Live Summer Tour (an incomplete documentation of the 2001 show on the King Biscuit label), and that's been about it. There were others, like the ones sold at the concert merchandise booths on the 2001 and 2002 tours, but those were not Rhino sanctioned official offerings. (The 2001 live CD is especially horrendous, featuring, of all things, canned applause!)

Take a moment to refresh your memory of the 1987 setlist. And how about the 1989 shows that featured an unplugged set? What about the Justus shows with all four Monkees in the UK in 1997?!  It would have been great for these tours to have been officially documented. (And by the way, who dropped the ball when it came to having the ultra-successful 1986 tour filmed for video release? I still can't figure that one.) 

Perhaps at the top of my list would be live recordings from the previous three tours, which fans have widely praised as some of the group's best performances. How about a box set for this request, Rhino? We'll be ready to purchase. Drop them an email and let them know you're interested.