For years, Micky Dolenz has spoken about his admiration for Michael Nesmith, including his song catalog stretching from the Monkees era all the way through Nez's varied solo output. And their well-known camaraderie was on full display during the recent "Mike & Micky Show" tours. "Way back in the day when we were in the recording studio, Nez and I fell into this wonderful harmonic vocal blend I called 'The Everly Monkees,' as exemplified by the beautiful song 'Me & Magdalena,'" Micky wrote in the liner notes of the The Monkees Live: The Mike & Micky Show. "On the set of The Monkees TV show, we would fall into some ad-lib riff and totally crack each other up. We often joked about one day having 'The Mike & Micky Show'!"
Those 2018-2019 dates were a critical and commercial success, performing to audiences in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Although Micky and Michael's most recently scheduled tour has twice been postponed due to COVID-19, Rolling Stone delivered some welcome news today that Micky Dolenz will record an album covering the works of his longtime friend and musical partner Michael Nesmith. "I've always been a huge fan of his songs,” Micky told Rolling Stone. "He's just so prolific." According to Rolling Stone, recording has not commenced for Dolenz Sings Nesmith and there's no firm track listing, but Christian Nesmith, Michael's oldest son, will be producing the project while Monkees manager and historian Andrew Sandoval will be handling A&R duties. 7a Records, the British-based label fronted by Glenn Gretlund and well-known to fans for its Monkees-related releases over the last several years, will issue the album.
UPDATE 11/23/2020: Micky is currently recording the album in Los Angeles, and 7a's Glenn Gretlund has informed the Live Almanac that a tentative release date is set for March 2021.
UPDATE 11/28/2020:
Micky with Christian Nesmith (Photo courtesy of Micky Dolenz on Twitter)
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 And listen to Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund from 7a Records as they discuss their latest project on the Zilch podcast. Click the image below to listen!   "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)
In 1979, Micky Dolenz partnered with Chrysalis Records to release "Love Light"/"Alicia" as a single in the United Kingdom. According to The Monkees: A Manufactured Image, the first 1,000 copies were pressed with a picture sleeve, and the B-side happens to be a Dolenz original. Both songs were featured on the 7a Records CD edition of Micky Dolenz - The MGM Singles Collection, and they are now available to stream or download on most major media platforms:  (Courtesy of Monkee45s.net) In the early 1970s, Micky Dolenz recorded five singles on MGM Records and its subsidiaries. The October 16, 1971 issue of Cashbox noted Micky's affiliation with the label for his first post-Monkees releases:  (Courtesy of Yan Helgos Folkerts)
 Micky Dolenz with Chip Douglas and Red Rhodes in 1973 during the recording of "Love War" (Photos by Henry Diltz and courtesy of 7a Records) Micky's early 1970s singles, originally released on the MGM label, were collected for the first time ever in 2015 courtesy of Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund of 7a Records, both longtime Monkees fans and co-producers of Micky Dolenz - The MGM Singles Collection. The set, originally available as a gatefold vinyl and digital download but later released on compact disc, featured the A and B-sides of Micky's tenure at MGM as well as his collaboration with Michael Lloyd (Starship) that yielded the 1972 single "Johnny B. Goode"/"It's Amazing to Me." The CD version contained a plethora of bonus tracks, including Micky's late '70s/early '80s singles and collaborations with Christian Nesmith and Circe Link. Micky placed his stamp of approval on the project, and conducted several interviews in support of it. "It's really a great package," Dolenz told Examiner.com. "Over the years, I've had versions of those songs, one on a tape here, on a disc here, on a demo here," he said. "It's nice to have them all in one package." The MGM Singles Collection is a stellar release that is highly recommended by the Live Almanac. Bolstered by the photography of Henry Diltz and superb liner notes (by Mark Kleiner Biggar) and mastering, the set is available on Amazon US and Amazon UK and is also downloadable on iTunes. You can take a look inside the compact disc package below, thanks to Ben Belmares, and read more about Micky's career at MGM in the archives of the Live Almanac. Gatefold Sleeve      Liner Notes by Mark Kleiner Biggar  (Click on liner notes to enlarge)                   Updated Liner Notes for Compact Disc Release by 7a co-owner Glenn Gretlund    The Compact Disc A look inside "Out of Nowhere" by Micky Dolenz & The American Metropole Orchestra on compact disc6/9/2018 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. 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 CD version of Out of Nowhere below, including 7a co-founder Iain Lee's liner notes. Thanks, Ben!               (Click to enlarge)    (From the 2012 Monkees tour program - click to purchase CD) 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!   (Click to enlarge)  (Click to enlarge)  
Japan experienced the first rebirth of The Monkees in the 1980s even before Micky, Davy, and Peter reunited for the mega-successful 20th Anniversary Tour of North America in 1986. When "Daydream Believer" was used in a Kodak commercial in Japan in 1980, Monkeemania was rekindled as the group's television show returned to the airwaves and Monkees albums were reissued, causing them to chart in that country once again. Demand for The Monkees was so high in Japan that Micky, Davy, and Peter (with The New Monks) all toured there individually between 1981 and 1982, playing to near-hysterical audiences. Thanks to everyone at Written In Our Hearts for alerting fans to this YouTube footage from the early 1980s. Earlier this month, a very limited edition (500 copies) 7" colored vinyl single featuring two live cuts by Micky Dolenz was released by 7a Records. The single includes Micky singing "Sunny Girlfriend" and "Zor & Zam" on his brief Japanese tour in 1982. A CD release of the entire concert is forthcoming. A big thanks to Ben Belmares for sharing the scans of his copy with the Live Almanac!   (Click to enlarge)       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).
Last summer, 7a Records released the very first official collection of Micky Dolenz's early 1970s singles on vinyl and later as a digital download. And now here's an exclusive look at their next project - The MGM Collection on compact disc, along with a plethora of bonus tracks! Look for it this October, and you can pre-order via Amazon US and Amazon UK. Thanks a lot to Iain Lee of 7a for passing along the press release to the Live Almanac.  (Click each image to enlarge)  A few notes on the bonus tracks: In 1979, Chrysalis Records in the UK released "Love Light"/"Alicia" as a single there. According to The Monkees: A Manufactured Image, the first 1,000 copies were pressed with a picture sleeve. The B-side is a Dolenz original.  (Courtesy of Monkee45s.net) Micky toured Japan in January 1982. The Monkees had experienced a massive revival there when "Daydream Believer" was used in a television commercial in 1980. "To Be Or Not To Be" was released as a single in Japan to coincide with the tour, and was backed by Micky's own "Beverly Hills."  Earlier this year, two long lost Dolenz solo tracks, "Chance of a Lifetime" and "Livin' On Lies," were issued as a 7" vinyl single on Record Store Day exclusively in the UK. A limited edition release in the US quickly followed.  "Porpoise Song," "Good Morning Good Morning," "Crying in the Rain," and "Randy Scouse Git" were performed by Micky, Christian Nesmith, Circe Link, and company during a special 2015 online concert event. A limited edition vinyl EP arrived in July. 
Record Store Day was founded in 2007 and has become an annual tradition that takes place every April. With a stated purpose of celebrating the culture of the independently owned record store, bands and labels will press unique items that are distributed exclusively to shops participating in the event.
For the first time, The Monkees will be represented on Record Store Day, which takes place on Saturday, April 16. In celebration of the group's 50th Anniversary, Rhino Records will issue a limited edition (4500 copies) 7" vinyl picture disc shaped in the mold of the famous Monkees guitar logo. The mono TV versions of "Saturday's Child" and "You Just May Be The One" make up both sides of the disc. Visit the link posted below for more details. And be sure to find your nearest participating store. 
Additionally, Record Store Day shoppers in both the United States and the United Kingdom will be able to purchase the recently released 10-CD box set, Classic Album Collection, on colored vinyl (in the US) and 180 gram vinyl (in the UK). This collection is limited to 3000 copies.
And if that wasn't enough, Micky Dolenz will be the first Monkee to have his solo recordings featured on Record Store Day when 7a Records issues a gatefold 7" single of "Chance of a Lifetime" and "Livin' On Lies" on transparent vinyl, exclusively in the UK (limited to 1000 copies).
(Photo courtesy of 7a Records)
 (Photo courtesy of Dolenz and Daughters Fine Furniture) Micky Dolenz sat down recently with Peter Noone for a series of interviews, and 7a Records is commemorating these special appearances from earlier this month by issuing a 2-CD set, expected to be released in March. Check out 7a's Facebook page for more information.  After a few years of being semi-retired musically, Micky Dolenz toured Japan in January of 1982. The Monkees had experienced a massive revival in Japan when "Daydream Believer" was used in a television commercial in 1980. "To Be Or Not To Be" was released as a single on JAM Records in Japan to coincide with Micky's solo tour. It was backed by Micky's own "Beverly Hills."  Original picture sleeve (From the collection of Kevin Schmid/Courtesy of Monkee45s.net)
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