While at school during the fall semester of '95 and the spring semester of'96, I studied (auf deutsch) the work of parody in music history as anindependent study---proving a parody between two German Baroque composers,Heinrich Schutz and J.S. Bach (early Baroque vs. late Baroque):
According to the WEBSTER DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, a "PARODY" can be defined as an immitation of an earlier work done in an serious or humorous intent of that of the original composer or composition.
Being the BIG Monkee and Beatle fan that I am, I left out one good exampleof a parody: the musical relationship of The Monkees to The Beatles. TheBeatles' musical style and creativity had a big impact on The Monkees'sound. But did The Monkees have any effect on The Beatles' music? In thefilm "Dumb & Dumber," Jim Carrey's character remarked that The Monkees"were a big influence on The Beatles!" So, as for fun, I decided to lookinto this! In comparing the two groups, I guess it can be said that TheMonkees are to The Beatles as Aerosmith is to the Rolling Stones. They aretwo distinct groups, but both have similar qualities and traits---sort oflike "cousins."
To begin with, let's look at The Monkees' television show. As allMonkee fanatics know, The Monkees T.V. show was a spin-off of The Beatles'1964 black-and-white motion picture A HARD DAY'S NIGHT but done in a MarxBrothers-like comedy style. In The Monkees T.V. show, the four guys (MickyDolenz, David Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork) were to be jealous oftheir rock 'n roll cousins, The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney,George Harrison, and Ringo Starr). In one scene from the pilot episode,Wool Hat (Mike Nesmith) is sitting in a recliner, talking to Davy, andthrows a dart across the room at a Beatle poster on the wall...hittingRingo. Later, it shows the four Monkees being chased by a security guardat a fine country-club. They're running in circles wearing yellowdress-shirts and black vests---similar to The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love"scene (the first one) in the film A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. In The Monkees'HAUNTED MANSION INHERITANCE episode (during the "Tomorrow's Gonna BeAnother Day" improv. video-clip), the foursome are lying on the ground withtheir heads together, mumbling to themselves---mimicking The Beatles duringthat same scene from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. The Monkees even did an episodecentering around Davy and his television character's grandfather, which isvery similar to the story-line of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT---centering aroundPaul and his film character's grandfather. Also, The Monkees' seriesfinale THE FRODIS CAPER (also known as MIJACGEO) opens with the fourMonkees rising from their beds as the Beatles song "Good Morning GoodMorning" plays on their record-playing alarm clock. These are only a fewof the references made to The Beatles during each and every Monkee episode. If you pay close attention, you'll discover many more on your own.
Remembering those old Tiger-Beat, Teen-Beat, etc. magazines from the 60sand again in the 80s (during the BIG Monkee revival), they surveyed fans onwhich Monkee fit which Beatle. Most paired Davy Jones with Paul McCartneybecause they were the "best-looking" of the eight, and they bothcontributed great ballads and love songs to each album. Others comparedDavy to Ringo---being percussionists and not to mention the shortestmembers of the group. No doubt about it, Mike Nesmith was paired with JohnLennon---both took on the role as group leaders. Because of his greatguitar sounds, Peter was mostly paired with George Harrison (also, not tomention, both were in another world...the world of Hare Krishna and thosesweet, healing sounds of the Middle East). Peter was also paired withRingo (two very talented musicians, but neither one having the voice to cutit as the frontman for the group). Micky Dolenz sang the majority of TheMonkees' songs, as did John for The Beatles. His singing andguitar-playing could compare him to John, although most fans paired Mickyto Ringo (being both drummers). Down the line, John Lennon brought hiswife Yoko Ono in the recording studio to sit-in and/or just observe Beatlesessions. After The Monkees seized control of their music in early 1967,Micky brought his sister Coco in on some latter Monkee recordings.Samantha Dolenz (Micky's wife at the time) was the host of TOP OF THE POPSin Britain which featured The Beatles as studio guests on a regular basis.Micky's contribution to the HEADQUARTERS album, a song called "Randy ScouseGit," had references to Samantha, The Beatles...among other things! Andjust like there was a fifth and sixth Beatle (Stuart Sutcliffe and PeteBest), there was a fifth and sixth Monkee (Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart).Sad to say, Tommy and Stuart passed away years back.
When it came to the music, The Monkees were "greatly" influenced by TheBeatles' songs and sounds---just like The Beatles were influenced by ElvisPresley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc. For instance, The Beatles had"Taxman" and "Nowhere Man;" and The Monkees had "Salesman" and "SomedayMan." Ironically, John Lennon had a song on The Beatles' 1965 RUBBER SOULLP called "Girl," and Davy sang another "Girl" song on THE BRADY BUNCHtelevision show in 1971. Both groups combined rock 'n roll and country ontheir records. Mike, the country side to The Monkees, spread his rootsonto The Monkees' sound. Micky, Davy, and Peter (influenced most likelyfrom Nez) all experimented with country-rock and blues on later projects.John, Paul, George, and Ringo (sololy and together) wrote and coverednumerous country-western and southern rock tunes. This mixture of countrywith rock later resulted in a new craze---the "crossroad" sound, where rockand country combine!
The Beatles' influence on The Monkees was evident from the beginning.Take The Monkees' 1966 self-titled LP for example: One of the first songsrecorded for the project was the simple, yet beautifulstring-only-accompanied- ballad "I Wanna Be Free." This was The Monkees'equivalent to The Beatles' "Yesterday." The Monkees (along with someinside help from the two masterminds, Boyce & Hart) also blended theEastern-sound (coming mostly from hearing The Beatles'/Harrison'sexperimentations with music from the Mid-Eastern culture) with contemporaryrock in the songs "Take A Giant Step," "This Just Doesn't Seem To Be MyDay," "Saturday's Child" (also recorded by another British band, HERMAN'SHERMITS), and "Sweet Young Thing." The same thing was evident in songslater recorded that year, songs such as: "Your Auntie Grizelda" (Peter'sh*t...which also has a little STONES flavor to it---sounding a little like"Mother's Little Helper"), "She," "Do Not Ask For Love," "I'll Be Back UponMy Feet," "Hold On Girl," etc. The Monkees' 1967 HEADQUARTERS album had araw sound to it, sounding similar to The Beatles' 1965 RUBBER SOUL releaseand the 1966 REVOLVER album. It's clearly evident in The Monkees' earlysession recordings for HEADQUARTERS ("All Of Your Toys," "Love To Love,""Mustang," etc.) including the lead-off single "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." It's ironic to note that one week after HEADQUARTERS' release, it wasreplaced from the #1 spot by The Beatles' SGT. PEPPERS'S LONELY HEARTS CLUBBAND album...
Part II
1967 was indeed the year for The Monkees! Not only did they sell morerecords than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones "together" between 1966 and1967, but The Monkees finally got to meet their rivals. On 7 February,1967 (while promoting The Monkees' music and television show in England),Micky Dolenz spent the evening with Paul McCartney at Paul's home in St.John's Wood. This went down in rock 'n roll history as the "big"MONKEE/BEATLE MEETING! However, not too many music history texts recallthat the first "Monkee Meets Beatle" day took place back in 1964...twoyears before "MONKEE FEVER" struck the radio and T.V. waves! On 8February, 1964, when The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show inNew York City (exactly two years and 364 days before Micky met Paul), "TEENIDOL" and future Monkee David Jones (who appeared on the program as a castmember of the musical OLIVER!...performing minutes before The Beatles madetheir U.S. debut) met The Beatles for the first time backstage.
The Beatles took a "special" liking to The Monkees for what they coulddo as both actors and musicians. They even let The Monkees sit in on somesessions. One can only wonder what musical ideas were shared between thetwo groups during these meets. On 13 February, 1967, Paul McCartney andRingo Starr went to the Bag O'Nails night-club to see a performance by whocan be regarded as the "greatest guitar-player of all-time," Jimi Hendrix(the man who inspired McCartney's famous guitar solo in "Taxman"), whosecareer took flight thanks to The Monkees. After the release ofHEADQUARTERS in May 1967, The Monkees embarked on a second tour and were inneed of an opening act. Earlier that year, Micky and Peter attended theMonterey Pop Festival in the U.S. as "observers," and it was there thatthey first heard The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was shortly afterwardsthat Hendrix was booked as the opening act for The Monkees' World Tour 1967(which kicked off on 8 July, 1967). Just five days prior to the touropener in Jacksonville, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartneyattened a party thrown for The Monkees at the Speakeasy night-club inEngland. After The Beatles, Hendrix, touring, etc., The Monkees releasedtheir fourth album PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN & JONES LTD in November of'67. The album resulted in a mix of broadway rock, southern rock,psychadelic rock, etc....a twist from the HEADQUARTERS sound. One of thelead-off singles to the PISCES album was "Daydream Believer," whichfeatured an unusual intro by lead vocalist Davy Jones and producer ChipDouglas:
Chip: "7-A."
Davy: "What number is this Chip?"
Chip w/group: "7-A!"
Davy: (laughing) "Okay...I mean, don't get excited man! It's 'cause
I'm short, I know." According to Micky Dolenz's interview for DICKBARTLEY'S YESTERDAY LIVE, the opener to "Daydream Believer" was equivalentof The Beatles going '1-2-3-4....'" (Paul's famous count-in on "I Saw HerStanding There") It was around the time of the PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN& JONES LTD project that the four Monkees began to work in four differentdirections (similar to The Beatles' 1968 self-titled two-record set, akaTHE WHITE ALBUM). The Monkees following album THE BIRDS, THE BEES & THEMONKEES, released in early 1968, showed each Monkees' individual side(except for Tork's, whose contributions never made it on the originalpackage). The sessions resulted in a multi-flavor of bubblegum pop,psychadelic, country western, folk, southern rock, blues, etc. Oneinteresting song from these sessions is Michael Nesmith's and KeithAllison's "Auntie's Municipal Court" which unites both southern rock andpsychadelic rock. It was also during these sessions that Davy Jones teamedup with Steven Pitts---writing numerous compositions (songs like:"Dreamworld," "Party," "War Games," "The Poster," "Changes") that wererepresentative of Beatle tunes (centering around dreams, peace, love,protests, etc.) Jones'/Pitts' "I'm Gonna Try," another song from thesesessions, used the phrase "free as a bird." About ten years later, JohnLennon began work on his unfinished composition "Free As A Bird," a songthat united Paul, George, and Ringo for a new Beatle release...
Part III
"Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monk(EE)!" -John Lennon, 1968
Like The Beatles, The Monkees finally got to show off their group andindividual talents on the SILVER SCREEN! In 1968, (Not long after thecancellation of their television series, which ran for two seasons) TheMonkees released their first full-length film entitled HEAD. Actor JackNicholson and The Monkees came up with the idea for the movie while thegroup was on tour in 1967. It was around this time that Davy Jones met hissoon-to-be wife Linda Hanes. Later in the year, his Beatle rival PaulMcCartney would meet Linda Eastman, the woman that would later be known asLinda McCartney. Putting the ideas together and the filming for HEADcontinued through 1968, and the movie was finally released around Novemberof that year along with a soundtrack record. The Beatles began work ontheir double-record, self-titled project in early '68 and also released itin November of that year. The radio/television promos for HEAD were simplyMike and Micky repeatedly saying the movie title: "HEAD...HEAD...HEAD...etc....etc...." This was uniquely similar to Lennon's "number nine"sequence from "Revolution 9" off WHITE.
It wasn't long after the release of The Monkees second album MORE OF THEMONKEES that the group's record sales slowly decreased, whereas The Beatlescontinued to hold the top chart positions. The Monkees, as a 60s rock 'nroll phenomenom, were fighting a slow, agonizing death! The Monkees (Mike,Micky, Peter, and Davy), as a group, were falling apart!
The Monkees filmed an hour-long made-for-T.V. special 33&1/3 REVOLUTIONSPER MONKEE in December '68 (similar to The Beatles' television film MAGICALMYSTERY TOUR broadcasted in December 1967) which aired 4/14/69. It wasn'tlong after the taping of 33&1/3 REVOLUTIONS that Monkee Peter Tork quit thegroup. The three remaining Monkees (Micky Dolenz, David Jones, and MichaelNesmith) continued to keep the Monkee Machine running for '69. Theirseventh album INSTANT REPLAY hit record stores two months before their NBCspecial aired. The opener to the album, sung by Micky, was a song (writtenand produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and originally intended for TheMonkees' second album) called "Through The Looking Glass," which was basedon Lewis Carroll's novel THE ADVENTURES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND and theclassic sequel THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. As all Beatle fans know, JohnLennon was a great admirer of Carroll's immortal literary classics,especially THE LOOKING GLASS. Not only was Lennon an admirer, but theseclassics had an influence on Lennon's music...clearly evident in "I Am TheWalrus."
Later that year, The Monkees released their eighth studio album THEMONKEES PRESENT. The original idea for the project was a four-sided recordthat would demonstrate each Monkee's own creativity as a musician. However(unlike the WHITE ALBUM), each Monkee would individually contribute to aside with the fourth side being a group contribution. Sadly, this conceptcame and went, and the result was a 12-song single disc that peaked at #100on the charts with a 14-week run. The material presented on PRESENT was alittle mellow compared to previous Monkee records and had a sound similarto The Beatles' WHITE ALBUM. Micky Dolenz even contributed a protest song"Mommy And Daddy" to the album. The closing song for THE MONKEES PRESENTwas a lullaby written and sung by drummer Micky Dolenz entitled "PillowTime." The song had a striking similarity to The Beatles' WHITE ALBUMcloser entitled "Good Night" (a lullaby written by John Lennon but sung bythe drummer, Ringo Starr). Prior to the record's release, The Monkee Triotoured with a 7-piece back-up band called SAM & THE GOODTIMERS. AfterPRESENT's release in October, the three continued to tour as The Monkeesfor a few more shows. Then, Mike Nesmith said goodbye...
Part IV
1969 was a year of peace, love, and rock 'n roll! That summer, manyrock fans gathered for the first time at a rock festival in New York for acelebration of FREE SPIRIT, PROTEST, PEACE OF MIND, LOVE, and of courseMUSIC. A celebration that was known as "Woodstock."
Just as 1969 was a good year in rock 'n roll history, it was also a badyear...especially for two bands! In 1969, both The Beatles and The Monkeescalled it quits. It wasn't long after the release of THE MONKEES PRESENTthat Mike Nesmith quit and formed his own band...bringing the group countdown to two Monkees (Micky Dolenz and David Jones). That year saw therelease of The Beatles' YELLOW SUBMARINE movie along with a soundtrackalbum. YELLOW SUBMARINE was a 90-minute topsy-turvy animated fantasy,similar to Walt Disney's animated classic version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND.Later on in the year, The four Beatles said "Goodbye!" with the release ofABBEY ROAD (an album showing Lennon's departure). It wasn't 'til 1970though that both groups "officially" disbanded. That year saw the releaseof The Beatles' LET IT BE album and movie (the tracks and footage wererecorded in early 1969). In 1970, NBC re-ran THE MONKEES on Saturdaymornings making the television series a hit all over again for thebaby-boomers! Mike joined Micky and Davy on many sponsoring commercialswhich aired during each episode but refused to take part in any recordingsor performances. Micky and Davy, still trying to keep the Monkee Machinerunning, cashed in on the deal and released a new Monkee CD entitledCHANGES along with a video for the album's only single "Oh My My." Thealbum and single were a huge flop, but some of the new tracks were addedinto the show. A year later, MICKEY DOLENZ & DAVY JONES (refusing to beknown as THE MONKEES anymore) released a new single "Do It In The Name OfLove" (a song left over from the final Monkee session in September 1970).The song also flopped! Then, David said "Goodbye!"...making it just "TheMonkee," Micky Dolenz.
The 70s saw the eight musicians working sololy. The ex-Beatles' solomusic careers were highly successful whereas the four individual Monkees'solo careers hardly made it off the ground. Although the two groups nolonger existed, the members of each group continued to work together fromtime to time. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon allcontributed to Ringo Starr's 1973 release, simply titled RINGO. In 1976,Davy and Micky teamed up with the ex-Monkee songwriting team Tommy Boyceand Bobby Hart to celebrate ten years of Monkeemania! The four musicians,under the name DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE & HART or "THE NEW MONKEES," releasedan album and toured the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore for about ayear. The album was another flop for Dolenz and Jones. Also that year,Micky Dolenz made a small guest appearance in the 1976 documentary WINGSACROSS AMERICA, a two-hour special high-lighting McCartney & WINGS' 1976world tour. Finally, The "NEW" Monkees called it quits in late '76. A yearafter the DJBH experience, David and Micky teamed up with former bandmatePeter Tork for a 1977 Christmas single "Christmas Is My Time ofYear"/"White Christmas." That year, Micky even appeared in a LEVIScommercial with Ringo Starr. Dolenz and Jones continued to work togetherthroughout the 70s...working in theatre and playing clubs across the U.S.as THE LAUGHING DOGS. The four Monkees even considered doing a McDonald'scommercial down the road...but the idea came and went. But in late 1980, aKodak Film commercial in Japan used The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" asit's soundtrack and started a MONKEE REVIVAL throughout Asia. Micky, Davy,and Peter individually toured the Far East and released a few solo singlesbetween 1980 and '81. This revival launched a successful solo career forDavy Jones on Japan Records. Around the same time as this Monkee revival,Ringo began work on an album to once again feature his three BeatleBuddies. His dream was shattered on December 8, 1980 when John Lennon wasgunned down by a fan, and the world lost a rock legend...
Part V
1980 was a complete turn-around in both groups. As The Monkees weremaking a come-back, disaster struck the four lads from Liverpool. In justthat year, Paul McCartney was arrested and imprisoned in Japan forpossession of cannabis. Ringo Starr was in a serious car crash that almostcost him his life. As for John Lennon, his marriage and music career wasback on track in 1980. But, tragedy struck when a deranged fan shot andkilled Lennon in front of his New York home on December 8, 1980...not evena month after DOUBLE FANTASY's release in the U.K. (the record that manyfans consider to be "THE ALBUM OF HIS CAREER").
1981 saw the release of Ringo Starr's LP: STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES.Although the record featured George Harrison and Paul & Linda McCartney w/WINGS' (a band that McCartney formed around 1971) lead-guitarist LaurenceJuber, the album didn't do as well as his previous records. Whilerecording STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES, Ringo contributed, along with Paul andLinda, to George Harrison's "All Those Years Ago"...Harrison's tribute tohis fallen bandmate. The song was produced by former Beatle producerGeorge Martin. John Lennon's death seemed to have brought the threesurviving Beatles closer together. 1982 saw the release of Davy Jones'single "Can She Do It (Like She Dances) for Japan Records...a song that wasrecorded by Ringo Starr for his 1977 release RINGO THE 4TH. Following thedisbandment of WINGS in 1981, Paul McCartney continued to work withproducer George Martin and Ringo Starr on three follow-up solo releases.In 1985, Starr and Martin joined Paul in his film and soundtrack releaseGIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADSTREET (which featured a few Beatle remakes, suchas "Yesterday," "For No One," "The Long and Winding Road," etc.). Thatsame year, The Monkees (minus the MISSING LINK, Michael Nesmith) reunitedto discuss a possible 20th anniversary tour for '86.
MTV (a music television network that Michael Nesmith had a hand inbuilding) promoted The Monkees' 20th Anniversary by re-airing all theoriginal episodes in a week-long MONKEE-MARATHON in 1986. Before long,T.V. networks across the U.S. were showing the television show five days aweek. When The Monkees (Micky, Davy, and Peter) took to the road duringthat summer, it was like they never left the 60s...MONKEEMANIA took theworld by storm once again! The tour united the old generation with a newgeneration...parents would take their teenage kids to see The Monkees. Tocash in on the madness, ARISTA records released a BEST OF THE MONKEESanniversary record which featured two new Monkee songs by Micky Dolenz andPeter Tork (along with McCartney & WINGS' legendary Grammy-Award-Winningguitarist Laurence Juber and songwriter Bobby Hart), including the smashcome-back hit "That Was Then, This Is Now." Also featured was a Monkeeremake of the Paul Revere & The Raiders classic "KICKS." Later that year,Arista released another single a remix of "Daydream Believer." They evenincorporated the mix into the original "Daydream Believer" video segmentfrom the T.V. show to make a NEW Monkee music video of an old hit. Thatyear the three Monkees played the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. MikeNesmith made a surprise appearance on stage with his bandmates for the lastfew numbers of the show...making it the first time in 18 years that thefour original Monkees have performed together on stage! In 1987, the threeMonkees (Micky Dolenz, David Jones, and Peter Tork) released an album ofall-new material for Rhino Records called POOL IT! With another hit songon their hands ("Heart & Soul") and a new music video, The Monkees wereback on the road for the HERE WE COME AGAIN TOUR '87...a tour that provedto be just as successful as the '86 tour and featured many guestappearances, including Weird Al Yankovich. Even Mike Nesmith madeappearances here and there. That year, Rhino Records bought the rights tothe entire Monkee catalog and re-issued each original album in stores.Every original Monkee record re-charted including, for the first time,CHANGES. There was even an attempt that Fall to bring out a new MonkeeT.V. show with all new characters, simply called THE "NEW" MONKEES...anattempt that proved to be unsuccessful. In 1988, Nickelodean (a televisionnetwork for children) began re-airing the T.V. show five days a week andbecame a new sponsor for the group. The tour came to a close in 1989 whenall four Monkees got their star on Hollywood Boulevard. They ended theevening with a small performance. Later that year, the four Monkeesappeared in a Christmas video on MTV. Then, they called it quits...but notfor long...
Part VI
For years, fans have dreamed of a Beatle reunion. On 20 September 1976,Sid Bernstein (The Beatles' U.S. concert promoter in New York from 1964 to1966) made his famous offer...requesting all four Beatles to reunite for acharity concert. The concert never came to be, but on 20 November, GeorgeHarrison made an appearance on the popular U.S. comedy television programmeSATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in New York---poking fun of this million-dollar offer.It was rumored that both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were watching theshow that night and considered joining their Beatle mate on livetelevision. A little over four years later, the dream of a future reunionwas shattered when John Lennon was shot five times in the back at closerange by a fan. He was rushed immediately to the hospital but pronounceddead upon arrival. The Beatles, as a group, were no more. In the late80s, ABC TELEVISION began work on a Beatle documentary project called THEBEATLES ANTHOLOGY...in which The Beatles would each tell their story oftheir rise and fall. Paul, George, and Ringo aka THE THREATLES wereindividually interviewed and asked to contribute music to the project. Theidea of the project was to reunite The Beatles in voice. So, Yoko Onoentrusted THE THREATLES with two scratchy Lennon recordings: an unfinishedcomposition called FREE AS A BIRD and a finished demo of another Lennonsong called REAL LOVE (the acoustic version was used in the 1989 motionpicture documentary IMAGINE and was available on the soundtrack release).Paul, George, and Ringo added new verses to the unfinished track and dubbedtheir instruments and vocals overtop of the other. The BEATLES ANTHOLOGYwas set to air November 1995...the accompanying six-CD set was to follow.That November, as fans were getting ready for the BIG BEATLE REUNION, TheMonkees (Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork) reunited on ABC's BOYMEETS WORLD. Michael Nesmith was present at the taping but refused toappear on the episode. All four Monkees were each awarded a Monkees VideoBox-Set from Rhino Records while on the set-taping. That episode of BOYMEETS WORLD also reunited The Monkees with McCartney & WINGS' legendaryguitarist Laurence Juber who had a regular gig with supplying music for theshow. This was also the second time that the four Monkees appeared inpublic that year. In January of '95, The four Monkees received some awardsat the HARD ROCK CAFE. That evening, Davy Jones was a special guest on theTONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO in which he plugged the upcoming MONKEES 30THANNIVERSARY.
The Nov. 18-24 issue of TV GUIDE entitled BEATLES '95 featured theupcoming Beatles Anthology. On page six of the CHEERS 'N' JEERS section(listed as a CHEER), TV GUIDE talked about The Monkees' 30th AnniversaryReunion. "CHEERS: To this month's 'other' mop-top reunion. With all themonkey business about the Beatles' second coming on ABC this week, you mayhave missed the BOY MEETS WORLD episode (Nov. 17) in which three of theMonkees got back together. That appearance, also on ABC, made us yearn fora reunion of the 'entire' Pre-Fab Four (the unkind label bestowed upon the'60s sitcom combo). But we've got news that will make a daydream believerof you all over again: Monkee holdout Mike Nesmith is said to beconsidering a 30th-anniversary tour with his bandmates next summer. So getready, 'cause here they come, walkin' down the street..."
The first two-hour episode of THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY broadcasted Sunday,November 19th. The episode ended with a count-down premier to the newBeatle Grammy-Award-Winning song and video FREE AS A BIRD. John's voice onthe track sounded as if he was singing from the Heavens above as hissurviving mates harmonized overtop. Then, Paul came in with an incrediblebridge that seemed to reflect the olden days of Beatlemania. It was trulya moving moment for Beatle fans everywhere...as was the trivial video whichaccompanied the song. The song REAL LOVE was premiered at the end of thesecond episode on November 22nd. Paul dubbed his vocal overtop of John'son the track...sort of mimicking John's vocal-style in the process. Thissong became a new favourite among Beatle fans. The accompanying videoshowed old Beatle footage mixed in with new session footage of THETHREATLES. The Beatles, as a group, were back...
Part VII
The 90s saw the four Monkees and the four Beatles (along with JohnLennon, in voice and spirit) come together one more time to makemusic...giving us a great ending to the 20th Century! In 1994, Peter Torkreleased his very first solo CD: STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED. Producedby long-time friend James Lee Stanley, the CD featured new arrangements ofthree Monkee classics, "Take A Giant Step," "MGB-GT" (featuring MikeNesmith), and "Gettin' In." Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and McCartney &WINGS' Grammy-Award-Winning guitarist Laurence Juber added fuel to the song"Milkshake" from the same CD. The Peter Tork CD was well-received with thefans, and a few of the songs were plugged on The Monkees' 30th AnniversaryTour. A year later, Davy Jones revised his role in THE BRADY BUNCHMOVIE...released in the summer of '95. Micky and Peter made a cameoappearance with David at the end of the movie. Later that summer, in afunny attempt to plug the two reunions, Ringo Starr teamed up with Davy,Micky, and Peter to do a stuff-crust PIZZA HUT commercial. In thecommercial, Ringo called upon his rock 'n roll lads to get backtogether...to eat their pizza "crust first." In a funny surprise, Davy,Micky, and Peter walk in and grab a few slices of pizza to the "MonkeeTheme," and Ringo turns to the camera saying "Wrong lads!" Later thatyear, on November 17th, both Micky and Peter would reprise theircharacters' role on the hit ABC comedy BOY MEETS WORLD...only this time tobe joined by third Monkee Davy Jones, making it an ABC MONKEE REUNION. Twodays later, ABC would premier part one of THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY. Volume 1of the three-volume CD set hit stores on November 21st, and part 2 of thebroadcast aired on November 22nd. Part 3 aired the following week. Themost interesting part of the reunion was the music! The CDs each includedpreviously unreleased versions of familiar Beatle songs and many unissuedtracks...PLUS two newly recorded Beatle songs just for the reunion: FREE ASA BIRD (containing NEW verses sung by Paul McCartney and George Harrison,oddly similar to the verses in Moron's "Remember (Walking in the Sand)")and REAL LOVE (a song that features both Lennon & McCartney on lead, likein the olden days of "Love Me Do"). Even though Volume 2 of the six-CD setwas not yet available in stores, the song REAL LOVE received specialairplay on Valentine's Day '96. A few months later, the four originalMonkees would go into the studio together (with no outside help) and recorda new CD to be produced ENTIRELY by The Monkees for Rhino Records. Thatsummer, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork (along with Davy's back-upband ELVIS MEETS THE BEATLES) took to the road to promote THE MONKEES' 30THANNIVERSARY in the U.S. Mike Nesmith stayed behind to finish mixing andediting the new CD. Davy plugged one of the new songs on the summer tour,an emotional song called "It's Not Too Late." Then, in September of '96,the four Monkees played a full concert together for BILLBOARDLIVE!...marking the first time in 28 years that the Monkees (Mike, Micky,Peter, and David) would perform a full set together. A number ofcelebrities were in attendance, including singer Little Richard and actorDavid Spade. The four Monkees, just them, performed six new songs("Regional Girl," "Oh, What A Night," "Admiral Mike," "Run Away From Life,""You And I," and "Circle Sky")...plugging the new CD "JUSTUS." They endedthe performance with two Monkee classics, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (featuring a jazzy, piano intro by Peter).The CD was finally released in October. With all songs written, performed,and produced by the guys, The Monkees proved once again that they were aREAL rock band and not a manufactured image like in the beginning! Thesound was a bit heavy and raw compared to previous albums, but the CDreceived great reviews...even though no single was issued. It was thefirst time in 28 years that the four Monkees had recorded an albumtogether, and the only GROUP project since HEADQUARTERS, which was issuedin 1967. The CD featured Nesmith's "Circle Sky" but with new lyrics, andDolenz/Jones' "You And I," which was sung by David this time around (theoriginal version, sung by Micky, appeared on the DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE &HART album)...
Part VIII
1997 saw the release of The Beatles Anthology Volumes 2 (featuring thenew Beatles song REAL LOVE) and 3 on CD, and later that year, the entireAnthology release (consisting of eight videos) was available for fans topurchase in stores. 1997 was also The Monkees' 30th anniversary in Europe. With the new CD "JUSTUS," new video, and Mike Nesmith in the picture; TheMonkees prepared for a new year of MONKEEMANIA. In January, the fourMonkees released their own TV documentary exclusively for THE DISNEYCHANNEL, entitled "Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees"...this was The Monkees'chance to finally tell their story...their ANTHOLOGY! An accompanying bookand CD-Rom was also available through Rhino. The Disney special waseventually put onto video with bonus footage and sold through Rhino Recordsas well. In February, the four Monkees did an hour-long come-back specialfor ABC entitled HEY, HEY THEY'RE THE MONKEES. Based on the originalMonkee T.V. show, the special was written and directed by Mike Nesmith andproduced by the original television show producer Ward Sylvester (who onceagain took over as The Monkees' personal manager for the 30th Anniversarytour). Aired as the "FINAL MONKEE EPISODE," the show featured three newsongs from JUSTUS, including "You And I," "Regional Girl" (clean-lyricversion), and "Circle Sky" as well as a medley of Monkee favourites: "LastTrain To Clarksville"/"Daydream Believer"/"(I'm Not Your) Steppin'Stone"/"I'm A Believer"/"Pleasant Valley Sunday." The show's opener evenfeatured a 90s-remake of the MONKEE THEME which was used in the upcomingtour. In March, the four original Monkees headed off to England to kickoff the '97 tour. They played Dublin, Manchester (Davy's hometown), etc.and even sold out Wembley Arena twice. The shows were a lot like the showson the '67 tour. They (JUSTthem) plugged a lot of the newer stuff first,including many tracks from HEADQUARTERS, then they individually did solonumbers, and finally came out with an augmented band to end the eveningwith some of the more produced Monkee songs.
In May, Sir Paul McCartney released his off-Anthology release FLAMING PIE.Two of the album's tracks "Young Boy" (which had The Beatles' "Real Love"flavor to it) and "The World Tonight" were featured in the movie FATHER'SDAY with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams...both tracks were released andissued as singles prior to the CD's release. The album reunited Paul onceagain with Beatlemate Ringo Starr and long-time Beatle producer Sir GeorgeMartin. Not long after FLAMING PIE's release in the U.S., The Monkees(minus Mike Nesmith) came back to the U.S. to finish the '97 tour. ThatFall, The Monkees' JUSTUS CD was up for a GRAMMY in the pop music category. Also up for a Grammy was Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley's TWO-MAN BAND CD;and Paul McCartney's FLAMING PIE was up for album of the year. But in late'97, The Monkees called it quits once again...
Part IX
In late 1997, The Monkees planned to take the JUSTUS tour into Japan,Australia, and throughout Europe; but by early '98 the group disbanded onceagain. That summer, Rhino Records released a 2-CD set entitled THE MONKEESANTHOLOGY...containing 30 years of music, 1966-1996. The accompanyingbooklet consisted of the entire Monkee story from beginning to end withwords of gratitude from many musicians and actors who have been a part ofMonkee history or were fans themselves; celebrities such as Glen Campbell,Brian Wilson, Neil Sedaka, Stan Freberg, Neil Diamond, Andy Partridge, etc. Also, that summer saw the release of Ringo Starr's off-ANTHOLOGY albumVERTICLE MAN. The album reunited Ringo once again with his Beatlemates SirPaul McCartney, George Harrison, and Beatle producer Sir George Martin.One of the tracks off the new album was a remake of The Beatles' first #1hit in the U.S., "Love Me Do"...except this time to feature Ringo not onlyplaying the drums but singing the lead. In August of 1999, the threeMonkees (minus Mike Nesmith) reunited once again to tell their story forE!'s "TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY," except this time to end the documentary withan OFFICIAL disbandment note to fans. Earlier that day, Davy Jones wasperforming in Tipton, PA and jokingly made the announcement: "Who knows,maybe we'll make music again somewhere down the line...maybe someday inHEAVEN!" As for THE MONKEES, they are all working sololy. Will there be a35th or 40th Anniversary reunion, one can only wonder!
But it seems like the magic that made The Monkees who they are is stillthere and still going strong and has been going strong for over thirtyyears! Many musicians, from Tom Petty to REM, have been greatly influencedby The Monkees. Like Ricky Nelson, The Monkees led the way for rock 'nroll into television; and this craze still continues on...even today, fromTHE PARTRIDGE FAMILY to CALIFORNIA DREAMS. The Monkees are even creditedfor having developed music videos as we know it...by using this concept asa regular part of their weekly programming. They may never make THE ROCK'N ROLL HALL OF FAME, but their music will live forever and be aninspiration for musicians to come. Michael Stipe of REM has even said thatthey will not allow themselves to be inducted into the ROCK 'N ROLL HALL OFFAME until The Monkees have been inducted. As for their rock cousins, PaulMcCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (along with George Martin)reunited once again to re-release YELLOW SUBMARINE on video and DVD(containing an original deleted segment from the film) for the movie's 30thAnniversary. The Beatles' revamped and remixed the soundtrack for thefilm, and the new songtrack charted once again...proving that THE BEATLES,despite their age in today's music industry, still remain TOP OF POPS andwill always be THE BEATLES FOREVER. Davy Jones was right when he said,"It's not about age, it's about life!" -Chris '99
