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Chip Douglas was the producer of The Monkees' two most acclaimed albums, Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., along with some of their best single sides, including "Daydream Believer," "Goin' Down," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Words," and "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." This article comes from the June 1967 issue of Teen Set and looks at Chip's time with The Turtles and the Modern Folk Quartet, along with where his pseudonym, Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, originated, and more.  (Click each image to enlarge)
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At the conclusion of the second season episode "The Christmas Show," which aired on December 25, 1967, The Monkees performed "Riu Chiu," a traditional Spanish carol dating from the 16th century. An official studio version was recorded in October 1967, featuring Monkees producer Chip Douglas on vocals who was substituting for an absent Davy Jones. It went unreleased until 1990's Missing Links Volume Two. It is likely that The Monkees learned the song from Douglas, who himself performed it with his former band The Modern Folk Quartet on their 1964 album Changes. In a 2012 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Peter Tork revealed his admiration for "Riu Chiu." "I would say my favorite song we ever did was 'Riu Chiu.' It's an a cappella song, all in Spanish, that we did only once before TV cameras, and the harmony blend was perfect. It's totally crackerjack!"
Eddie Hoh made his name in the music industry in the 1960s as a noted studio session drummer. Born in Forest Park, Illinois on October 16, 1944, Eddie got his start playing on the Los Angeles club circuit in 1964. He eventually joined forces with the Modern Folk Quartet in 1965, a group that included future Monkees producer Chip Douglas and legendary rock/Monkees photographer Henry Diltz. During this period, Eddie participated in the recording of "This Could Be the Night," written by Harry Nilsson and Phil Spector (and produced by Spector).
By 1966, Eddie was drumming on albums for such artists like Donovan, and by the Summer of Love, Eddie was part of the touring group for The Mamas and The Papas, appearing live onstage with the band at the Monterey Pop Festival. He began working with The Monkees as their studio drummer in the summer of 1967 after Micky Dolenz decided he was no longer going to sit behind the kit after recording the group's third LP, Headquarters.
Eddie can be heard on most of The Monkees' fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (except on "Hard to Believe" which features Kim Capli on drums, and "Cuddly Toy," which features Micky). The album's single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday," is a highlight of Eddie's recorded work with The Monkees, along with being one of the group's most recognized songs.
Micky Dolenz recalled Fast Eddie in a 2011 interview with Modern Drummer. "Yes, he was pretty cool. He was fast, alright, I’ll tell ya! Eddie was also a good friend who came over to my house frequently to party."
Micky and Eddie share drumming duties on the Pisces standout track "The Door Into Summer."
Most likely because of his previous friendship with Chip Douglas, Eddie quickly became immersed in the studio with The Monkees, playing on "Daydream Believer," "Goin' Down," "Tapioca Tundra," "Zor and Zam," the studio take of "Circle Sky," and the extended drum-heavy ending of "Star Collector."
In 1968, Eddie performed on one of the seminal rock albums of the late '60s, Super Session, a collaboration between Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills. It produced the underground classic, "Season of the Witch," written (and originally recorded by) Donovan. Eddie was the drummer on both versions of the song.
Eddie continued to participate in Monkees recording sessions through 1969, drumming on tracks like "Oklahoma Backroom Dancer," "While I Cry," "Auntie's Municipal Court," and "Writing Wrongs."
After working with various other artists throughout the late 1960s, Eddie apparently stopped recording and performing. Chip Douglas, in a 2015 interview with this website, did confirm that Eddie played drums on the 1976 Monkees Christmas single, "Christmas Is My Time of Year." But a 2006 biography in Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties noted that he "reportedly has been out of the music business for some time, down on his luck." A Facebook page dedicated to Eddie was created earlier this year, and members of the Steve Hoffman Music Forums have been discussing his work for quite a while now.
Eddie Hoh passed away on November 7, 2015. He was 71. For additional reading, please visit Ultimate Classic Rock's remembrance of the late Eddie Hoh. Check out Henry Diltz (on banjo), Chip Douglas (on bass), and company performing on the music variety show in 1965. That's Monkees session drummer Eddie Hoh on drums. They are performing "Come On In," a song Peter tackled in 1968 as a member of The Monkees:  Chip Douglas is fondly remembered by Monkees fans as the producer of the group's two most acclaimed albums, Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., along with some of their best single sides, including "Daydream Believer," "Goin' Down," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Words," and "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." Chip was a noted musician even before Michael Nesmith approached him about taking over the production reigns for The Monkees after the dismissal of Don Kirshner. As a member of the Modern Folk Quartet and then later briefly with the Gene Clark Group, Douglas subsequently joined The Turtles, performing on and arranging their classic 1967 track, "Happy Together." In this exclusive interview for the Live Almanac conducted by British broadcaster and longtime Monkees fan Iain Lee, Chip broaches a wide range of topics in relation to his history with the group. When formulating the questions, it was my goal to move beyond discussion of the Headquarters era, which has been chronicled in great detail. As a result, Iain gets Chip to talk about the inspiration behind his song "Steam Engine" and the expensive recording sessions that surrounded it, as well as his memories of "Today" and "I'm a Man," two tracks recorded during his tenure with The Monkees that never received a proper vocal. The 1976 Dolenz/Jones/Tork Christmas single, working with Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in the early 1970s, Michael Nesmith's recording sessions, Peter Tork's reaction to Chip's role as Monkees producer, and much more are covered throughout the 30 minute conversation. This interview has been in the planning stages since the summer of 2013, and I'm pleased that we are finally able to present it here on the Live Almanac's blog. I'd like to thank both Chie Hama, who played a key role in getting us in touch with Chip, and Iain for taking the time from his busy schedule to conduct the interview. And of course, thanks to Chip Douglas for being accessible to the fans and for all of his contributions to The Monkees and their recorded output. Iain is currently working on another Monkees-related release, Micky Dolenz: The MGM Singles Collection, highlighting Micky's early 1970s solo singles. Be sure to check out the Facebook page for that project. Enjoy the interview!  From his time as The Monkees' producer, being a member of both The Turtles and the Modern Folk Quartet, and more - Chip Douglas has done it all. Shindig! Magazine took time to profile Chip in their September 2014 issue (No. 42). Click each image to enlarge...
 Henry Diltz, founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet and noted rock photographer, is no stranger to Monkees fans. A frequent companion of the group in the 1960s and beyond, Henry has documented The Monkees through photography countless times (and even appeared on a few of their recordings). He was the official photographer at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, and is responsible for dozens of famous album covers, including the Morrison Hotel LP. The interview with Henry below appeared in the July 1995 issue of Television Chronicles. His experiences with The Monkees and more are documented in it, including the coining of Micky's infamous term, Frodis. For easier reading, click on each image and then click on it again.
Members of the Modern Folk Quartet (left to right: Henry Diltz, Jerry Yester, Chip Douglas and Cyrus Faryar) pose with Michael Nesmith at a Television Parts taping in Los Angeles in 1984.  Members of MFQ had a lot of connections with The Monkees, and here they are below pictured in 1990. Chip Douglas, of course, produced both the Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. albums, along with the "Daydream Believer" single. Henry Diltz, noted rock photographer, was constantly around the group in the '60s and even contributed to some Monkees recordings (that's Henry on the banjo on "D.W. Washburn"). And Jerry Yester played bass on "Shades of Gray" and "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" on Headquarters. In 1965, the band added rock drummer Eddie Hoh and was renamed the Modern Folk Quintet, but they preferred to be known as the MFQ. (Hoh later became a session drummer for The Monkees throughout the late '60s, adding his work to albums like Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. and singles "Daydream Believer" and "Goin' Down.") It was at this point that legendary producer Phil Spector took notice of them, producing "This Could Be the Night," co-written by Spector and Harry Nilsson. Despite enjoying a couple of high profile appearances, including a spot on Shindig! and performances at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, the group failed to breakthrough and disbanded in 1966. Years later in 1985, Diltz, Faryar, Douglas, and Jerry Yester appeared with Michael Nesmith on an installment of Television Parts.  (Photo by Michael G. Bush) Pictured left to right are The Yester brothers (Jim & Jerry), Henry Diltz, Cyrus Faryar, and Chip Douglas. This picture was taken on July 19, 1990 at a Monkees convention in Chicago where MFQ played a set that mirrored their concerts in Japan earlier that year. They were joined at the end of the show by Davy Jones, who made a few remarks. MFQ also performed "Riu Chiu" a capella-style on the first day of the Chicago convention, and Chip played a solo show on the second day. (Thanks to Chie Hama for updated information found in this post!) |
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