Guitarist BEGGED Band Not to RECORD "CRAP" Cover Song…Became #1 Hit of the Year!-Professor of Rock
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- Even though they were branded as the 2nd coming of the Beatles…today’s band wasn’t actually a band at all. The Monkees were the ultimate pretenders… actors assembled to play struggling musicians on TV. But you know what? The struggle was real. Unhappy with faking it, this manufactured band wanted to prove they could play. But their musical supervisor Don Kirshner wouldn’t let ‘em. Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith could sing and they could dance… but they were forbidden to play their own instruments. The tension then got so bad, that Michael Nesmith called their Future #1 hit song crap. I’m A Believer, written by Neil Diamond was the song….Pissing off their producer, Nesmith was actually banned from the studio while it was being recorded. And the conflict wouldn’t end there. He then called their second album “the worst in the history of the world.” It’s the crazy story of how four pretenders went head to head with one of the industry’s biggest hitmakers… But was there any way they could win? Find out … NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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#classicrock #60smusic #vinylstory #themonkees
Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time if you you were ever on the losing end of begging your parents for sugar cereal like lucky charms or fruity pebbles you’ll dig the channel of deep musical nostalgia, make sure to subscribe below right now. We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history. Introducing…
“Here [they] come, walking down the street… [they] get the funniest looks from everyone [they] meet… And with those introductory lyrics, you already know who I’m talking about… it’s the Monkees! This fighting foursome may not have been hired to actually be a rock and roll band, but they rose above all accusations of being fakes and phonies to prove that they were. And I can’t think of a better song with which to tell their story than today’s featured track: I’m a Believer. So let’s jump into it.
The origin story of The Monkees begins in the summer of 1965, with an advertisement in New York’s Daily Variety for a new NBC television series. The ad read: “Madness! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers. For acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21.” Inspired by the Beatles’ A Hard Days Night and fulling looking to capitalize on Beatle-mania, US TV producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider threw together auditions for a show about a struggling pop band. In all, 437 boys responded, including Stephen Stills and future Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton. Neither made the cut. Rather, the final four was whittled down to guitarist-songwriter Michael Nesmith, bassist and folk musician Peter Tork, former child actor Mickey Dolenz, and British actor-singer Davy Jones.
Dubbed the “Pre-fab Four,” The Monkees were created not to be a band, but for pretend to be one on TV. Hired primarily for their acting skills, according to People magazine the four were expected to “clown on camera and sing catchy tunes written by some of the top professionals in the business.” Behind the scenes, they would be propped up by “the man with the golden ear”… Don Kirshner. - Zábava
Poll: Who is your favorite BEATLE, MONKEE and STONE?
Paul. Mickey. Taylor.
Each...Lessee Ringo, Michael, Mick
George
Peter
Mick
Ringo, Mickey, and Keith.
My favorite Beatle is Paul McCarteny. Not sure of the others because The Beatles are my favorite.
Fun episode today 😊
I don't care what anybody says they should have been already in the Rock and Roll Hall Of fame. There's one left give them that honor.
I cannot express deeply enough how much I agree with you. I think it is one of the most rotten injustices in music history that hey are not in there, and that they are not all still alive to see it. But you are right, Mickey is still here to accept the honor on their behalf. I hope I see it in my lifetime, which will mean that somebody finally came to their senses!
I totally agree with you, but I think at this point the Hall needs the Monkees more than the Monkees need the Hall.
@@LarryGonzalez00 Truth 💯‼️❤️🔥
@@MexicoDigDoctor I hope so too in 2019 my mother-in-law was stricken with the soft cancer and was going through a rigorous stage of chemo and radiation treatments. And we got the news that Peter Tork had died, we didn't dare tell her until almost 6 months after she was cleared. Cuz she was such a major fan.
Their story is certainly one that's unique and needs to be in the RNRHOF if you want to tell the complete history of RNR in the twentieth century.
Pretenders schmetenders. No-one looks down their noses at bands like the Supremes, who didn't play their instruments, didn't write their songs, and were groomed into shape by the Motown machine. How were the Monkees any different? They could sing, they could play, and their outpit included some of the most memorable songs from a decade where song standards were incredibly high. And many of those songs were written by Mike Nesmith. People should give them the credit they're due and stop calling them a "pretend band".
Good point there.
Very well said!!
The difference is that the groups you mentioned worked their way to the position they had, and the monkeys used the TV to skip the years of growing a fan base.
@@axer3515 As any musician knows, if you can get publicity to show off your skills, grab it. How many musicians in recent years have grown their fanbase through shows like "America's Got Talent" and the like? How many top musicians of the 1970s got their start on shows like "Opportunity Knocks" and "New Faces"?
@@axer3515 Fine but the the show was groundbreaking and wouldn’t work with any 4 guys….those 4 made it special and if you research their backstory you’ll find they paid their dues individually. They are a unique project and shouldn’t be overlooked just because of that….they were lightning in a bottle that resonate and are relevant to this day! The show won 2 Emmy’s, 1 for best comedy! Their 2016 album went to #14 on billboard! In order to have such longevity, the music and the comedy has to be of high quality and coming from a place of true inspiration.
The two Monkees creators/producers were in thier thirties wanting to spark something from genuine inspiration not some network cats designing something only to cash in. Those two producers went on to produce the Monkees groundbreaking cult film Head and then Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, and more! Look it up :)
Michael Nesmith was a sweet soul. I have 2 letters written in 1961 by Mike to my grandmother Analee Huffaker who was his high school music teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas Texas. An excerpt from one of the letters was published in a July 1967 Tiger Beat magazine interview where Michael expresses that my grandmother taught him the joy of music. It’s about the most beautiful words you could ever hope to hear from a musician complimenting his music teacher. This quote should be on a plaque in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame because it would be the prettiest thing anyone could read in such a museum. Google up the article and read for yourself.
COMMENT OF THE MONTH
I grew up in Hollywood, Ca. and was in Junior High from '66-'68. The Monkees filmed their TV series one block from my school at Columbia Studios. A few of us girls figured this out and so every day after school we stalked out along the chain link fence separating the street from the back lot where the Monkee's studio office was located at the top of some old wooden stairs on the outside of one of the buildings. Every afternoon when they were through filming, all four would climb the stairs and so we would call out to them and they would turn around and wave. There were no security guards at that time and only a few of us girls were there, but as time past the word got out and the crowd got huge and loud, and the Monkees moved on. But for a brief time, it was just a couple of my friends and the Monkees every day after school.
Cool 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
There was a good album - cover was black and white with 3 heads. Came out about 1969. Had it. Don't remember name. Cool and different trax.
What great memories!
fun memorees!
Yes the songs from the Monkees bring back sooo many memories!
The Monkees are the epitome of 'fake it until you make it'. Big respect for how hard they worked to become a real band.
Things sure have changed, we would never call a group today that was assembed by executives and just sing and dance to the music as "not real".
I really wouldn't characterize it as "fake it until you make it". The Monkees "made it" straight out of the gate for a variety of reasons. They were skilled, charismatic performers, but more importantly they were really fine pop singers straight away. I think Micky Dolenz was highly underrated as a singer. And if you give them great songs to sing and an excellent studio backing group, not to mention the exposure of a hit tv show, that's an excellent recipe for instant and in my opinion well deserved success.
When they became a "real" band......THE HITS STOPPED!
@@lamper2 Their greatest ever hit Daydream Believer came after
@@Fordham1969 They went from actors playing musicians to full blown musicians though, with total creative control of their own music where at first they were reading lyrics off of a script. They taught themselves to write melodies and lyrics and play instruments and compose entire songs from scratch and became the kind of musicians they thought they were going to be from the start.
My brother went to school with Michael Nesmith. They would practice playing guitars in my parent's garage.
Where was this?
@@musiclistsareus1029using reading comprehension I’m gonna’ go out on a limb and say “they” refers to Michael and this person’s brother 🙄
@@musiclistsareus1029well the post says his brother and Mike Nesmith, so I guess that’s who “they” are!
@@musiclistsareus1029
The voices in his head that made up the story.
@@Frankie5Angels150 Of course it's made up. Michael Nesmith never talked to anyone, and never had friends or relatives. Ordinary people would NEVER have known him before he became famous. My parents helped raise an eventual NFL star, but since that's impossible I guess I won't mention the name. 🙄
Back in 1986, MTV also re-ran episodes of the Monkees, helping to revive their popularity. I was working as a child photographer, and one of my subjects - a boy of about 9 years old - said to me "Oh, do you know the Monkees? I love the Monkees!" I looked at him, smiled, and said "Yes, Son, I know the Monkees. I wasn't much older than you when I knew the Monkees." This brought a big smile from his mother who was standing next to us. It really made my day.
That's when I got into them 😊
I came here to say that I swear I watched them on MTV and not Nick.
Child photographer …
Those reruns were a big part of my childhood summers. Monkees forever!
KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles was also rerunning The Monkees then. That was my first opportunity to see their shows. I knew their music very well, but had never seen their television shows. Well, nothing like making up for lost time! I watched them on 5 on Sunday afternoons, and on weekday mornings too. Weekdays AND Sunday In the same week? That I do not remember. But I DO remember making a private vow that I would not go to a show that only had two or three Monkees performing together. It had to be all four. Did that seemingly impossible dream ever come true, children? Oh yes, it did. 🐒🐒🐒🐒🤗
Music is about finding Joy! I am now 65 years old and I can honestly say that I had the experience of knowing some of the most famous rock stars in the world in my lifetime... whenever I think of the Monkees in my childhood it still brings a smile to my face in a big big way... over 50 years later and we can still word for word sing their songs... if that isn't greatness I don't know what is!
I'm also 65, and I totally agree with you
67 here, I agree
Great memories of mid-sixties classics!
Funny I was recommended this video in my yotuube feed, I just got off the phone with one of the guys from the UK who was among one of the first groups on MTV. odd how things happen.
Let's write a song. 😎👌
I always preferred Mickey's singing. "Last Train to Clarksville" is a favorite.
Always liked it. Plus we lived very close to a "Clarksville" in upstate NY.
Yeah - he voice was so smooth. I can't believe he's the only one left.
My favourite vocal is She.
@@spiralscratch7823 Pleasant Valley Sunday.
Excellent work.
I met Davy Jones on a train to derby in the UK. I was with a chap that had been the road manager of the who. We chatted for close to an hour. Lovely guy.
You sure it wasn't the train to Clarksville?
@@trollking99 no, that one had already left, and I'm pretty sure it was the last train to Clarksville...
In 1987 I had the unprecedented opportunity to stand guard outside Michael Nesmith's hotel room in Los Angeles as he waited for Micky, Davy, and Peter to arrive. Then a whole entourage of us accompanied the 4 of them on the express elevator to their press conference downstairs. It was so surreal to be riding the elevator and escorting all 4 Monkees to their press conference where a crowd of fans erupted into frenzied screams and cheers. Afterwards I went behind the scenes with them to see Henry Diltz take one of his famous photos of them. What an experience, what a cool memory.
I loved the Monkees as a kid, but as I grew older I came to see them as fake. Then one day not too long ago, I came across the famous poster of The Monkees, with opening act The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
I showed it to a friend of mine, a professional musician, and laughed about the accompanying story, namely that Micky Dolenz heard Hendrix in some underground NYC club as a 17-year-old and decided to give him a shot. I expressed how funny it was that Dolenz was enough of a musician to recognize Hendrix's talent. My friend looked at me in disbelief -- "You know," he said, "No one could achieve the commercial success of the Monkees without an incredible amount of talent."
Your video is a great reminder of what tremendous musicians these kids were.
Your friend isn’t that good. They were amazing….for what they were. Look at that era and tell me about all of ‘the talent’
Hendrix was amazing. But remember that in those times a guy like him playing "negro music" would be ignored by most talent scouts if he ever was seen at all. 😢
@@RichardHansbury so you weren’t there. Woke visions of superiority reign supreme. Except for the southern most areas racism was far less than the mess Obama orchestrated. It’s obnoxious to listen to. And even more obnoxious that you believe it. Obama’s job in Chicago was to create ‘problems’ and then organize protests as a response. I actually saw Hendrix and believe me…..there weren’t that many blacks showing up. The guy that took me worked at a gas station so it wasn’t a matter of being ‘poor and downtrodden’. Better get busy rewriting your version of history
@@RichardHansbury Point taken, R, but Chas Chandler was about to nurture and unleash Jimi. The rest is history.
All the best. Rab 🍻😎 🕊 ☠
I loved watching The Monkees! I think their songs were the first ones I could actually sing along with. I'm 66 now. I will always cherish watching their show and singing their songs. RIP Gentlemen, you and Micky Dolenz will never be forgotten. Thank you.
I'm the same age as you. I could sing all of their hit songs back then and even today I can still belt out most of the lyrics from memory. Formative years!
Good memories!
Me too!
Never missed a show of theirs.
I loved watching the Monkeys. Loved their songs. I’m 68 now. Still love “I’m a believer.” It’s been a wonderful music journey all these many years. Mind blowing the amount of talent then.
7:55 "I'm a songwriter...and that's no hit"- Mike Nesmith. Damn, it must've hurt Mike that the song was so popular. He probably concluded that everyone who liked it had awful taste in music, lol!
The fact that they were finally allowed to produce authentic music that has stood the test of time is proof that they were truly talented. RIP Mike, Davy and Peter🙏💙
Rock on Mickey! You're a living legend. And thanks for the music, all of you!!!
I met Davy Jones and Peter Tork when they appeared on a kids' show I worked on back in the 80s. They signed my original release album too, I was stoked. I love their music to this day.
I’ve been a Monkees fan for about 43 years, I’ve even met 3 of the 4 guys in a restaurant in Chicago when they were here for the 20th anniversary. Guys, great music!
Our commercial photo lab developed and printed their photos when they came to St. Louis that year.
I was born in 1959. My first intro to rock and roll was on Feb 9th, 1964, when my family appointed me the tuner. I held the "rabbit ears" antenna above the tv to tune it perfectly
so everyone, especially my screaming older sister, could see the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I saved my allowance for my first album, in 3rd grade- I'm a Believer! I still know all the words to all the songs on the album. Thank you for the memories, Susan from St. Thomas, VI
Same here Sept 19, 1959. The first Rock song I ever heard was "8 Days a Week" by the Beatles when I was 4 years old.
You held those rabbit ears well, did many US families have a rabbit tuner?. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
@@markdavids2511 Yes! I too was born in '59 and held the TV ears many a time for better reception!
Crazy, huh?!
Thank you for featuring the Monkees. I had an awful day at school (I'm a teacher) and this put a smile on my face.
Hang in there. 😊
There's nothing that I don't love about this band. They were a decade before me but I've loved them since I was a little girl. From Mickey's rock voice, Davey's sweet voice, to Peter's quirky Auntie Grizelda. Great music, great TV show. Glad that they got to make their own music, but those early records were lightning and wouldn't have worked without their talent and charisma. Love seeing the Monkees celebrated!!
You know that the two "musicians" Mike and Peter would find it tough to fake it. The other two were professional actors already and that was their life. That Mike and Peter learned to act so quickly is astonishing. Mickey is an underrated singer in my opinion. That he learned to play the drums as he sang is impressive. As a former drum teacher (I now teach digital audio production) that is just amazing to me. Their situation is not much different than much of Nashville today. Session musicians and other people writing the songs. But I get that they wanted to be like the Beatles and Stones. The Monkees are legendary and I AM a believer.
I am from Nashville. You hit the nail on the head with your assessment!!!
I’m a U.K. believer. Everyone I know loves their songs.
The sad part is all that mess could have been avoided with a simple compromise like "You guys get 3 songs on the album and let us see how they do."
THE big rumor was that CHARLES MANSON tried out for The Monkees!
Supposedly it was just a gag by Mickey Dolenz, who said in an interview that Manson had tried out.
It was a joke that was plausible because Manson was a struggling musician who had auditioned for record companies and had been a friend of Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. I believe he even wrote a song for The Beach Boys.
Just imagine if the Pre-fab four had been Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones... and Charlie Manson! "Sorry Peter Tork, but we picked Charlie because he threatened to kill us if we didn't!" 😂
@@ellsworth1956 Ego
My sister and I were fighting over our Monkee album and it fell to the floor perfectly on edge breaking a chunk out exactly to the end ot the theme song track. We still played that damaged album for years... and told the story for... well... to even today.
Nothing as dramatic, but my brother and I used to fight over the "best of" Monkees cassette tape to listen to before bedtime in the early 80s. It was my Mom's tape, but wow... We both loved it so much. 😂
@@goldilox369such a sweet story
Back in 1968, there was a presidential political rally concert held in Berkeley, California which featured a Buffalo, a Bird and a Monkee; featuring Stephen Sills, David Crosby and Peter Tork. It was wonderful! I got to meet Peter back stage and got his autograph. Somehow, despite not having a TV, I knew his intellect was much different than his TV show persona, and as a starry-eyed high schooler, I thought he would eventually do great things. Well, not so much. His talent with the guitar was far more than I expected; singing, well, not so much. When he died a couple of years ago, I felt like a part of my childhood had also left me. RIP, Peter. Thank you for spotlighting the background and history of some of the greatest music of my life.
Locket Charms was the one my mom said never could we have because it had the most poisons in it. It’s banned in many country’s cause of how artificial and cancer causing
I got to meet Peter Tork at one of his "Shoe Suede Blues" bar shows. 75% of the audience were only there to get him to sign their Monkees memorabilia, then left at the halfway point of the night. Instead, I gave him a copy of one of my custom "bar bands" tapes, a compilation of many of my favorite bar bands. He seemed confused about this (heh). I stayed for the full show. Sadly, even in his own band, the OTHER lead singer had a way-better voice than Tork did. Oh well!
Peter Tork is a Carleton College icon. You are correct about his intellect. That school has a really low acceptance rate and a very high graduation rate. Too bad Peter Tork did not stay to graduate.
Girl, we are getting old. And I for one don’t approve of it!!! All of our favorites have passed away or are REALLY old now 🥺
@@nicholaskruger9460Huh?
I got to see Mickey back in the 90's and had my picture taken with him. My daughter is now also a fan and Mickey was playing in Niagara Falls. I got us tickets and we went down to see him. At the meet and greet afterwards, I showed him the photo. He remembered that concert! He said, " oh, the Rocking Back to the 60's" concert! Then he signed my photo! We had the best time!
I never met a Monkee. My best friend was born a few years before me, and saw The Monkees during their 1970s Saturday rerun phase -- and Micky was her fave. I knew their music, but did not see the show until the 1980s. When I won a pair of tickets to the All Four Monkees show at the Universal Amphitheatre on the ninth of July in 1989, of course I took my best friend. There were rumors that some of the Monkees were going to stop by and say hi to us contest winners, but that didn't happen. I guess we can't all be Marcia Brady.
2010 rolled around, and we best friends were by then separated by a couple thousand miles. The Happy Together Tour, with Micky Dolenz in the lineup, was going to be close enough for me to get to at least one show, so I put together a bunch of odds and ends I might be able to get signed if there was a meet-and-greet. But I felt guilty that I would get to meet Micky and my best friend would not.
Righteous fate stepped in. Before the show I was chatting by the souvenir table with the wife of one of the performers, and she told me there would unfortunately be no meet-and-greet after that particular show. She asked, though, if there was anything I brought to get signed, so I pulled out a few of the items and purchased a Micky picture for my best friend. That angel of a rock-n-roll wife took my things and set them in a safe place, and said to meet her back there during a break in the show.
And that's how I got a Monkees album autographed by Micky Dolenz, AND delighted my best friend with an autographed Micky photo, without ever even meeting him. Me meet one of the Monkees? Not without my best friend!!!
Great episode. Pure nostalgia. For many of us the sound of the Monkees is a big part of our childhood.
As a child of the 80's, I jumped on the Monkees bandwagon during their 80's revival. My mom was kind of shocked that I would get so into something that SHE loved and grew up with in the 60's. So it was music and a show that we shared. I still love the Monkees music and have almost all the albums. Had them on cassette back in the day. Getting the vinyl records now. Have the shows on DVD and can still recite all the lyrics to almost every song. Seeing Davy, Peter and Mike pass away probably hit me harder than any other celebrity deaths. I did go to Beavertown PA (about 2 hours from me) when they had a day there to memoralize Davy. Met his daughters, talked to Annabel and got their autographs. That was such an amazing day for me. Never had the chance to see them all in concert, but I did get to see Davy Solo in Altoona Pa at an "oldies" concert with Little Anthony, Dion, and Peter Noone.
My son, also an 80s kid, loved the Monkees. I can still see him at about 3, rocking on his rocking horse, the microphone to his cassette player in his hand, belting out I'm a Believer. 😊
@@juliachildress2943 Awww!!! That would have been so cute! Amazing how music can bridge the generational gap :)
When I was in 6th grade I would spend many Saturdays at the nearby roller skating rink. One day, as I was waiting in line to get in, a girl I liked came along and I offered to let her in line ahead of me. A few minutes later a guy came by handing out raffle tickets. The prize was the "More of The Monkees" album. Long story short, the winning ticket was held by the girl I let in line ahead of me. So close, yet so far away! The worst part is that, when I asked her if I could come over to her house and listen to it with, she very emphatically said, "NO!" What a great time we had in the '60s!
With any class, she would have offered you the winning ticket, fully expecting, of course, that your chivalrous self would decline with a smile.
You sound like a much better person than her.
And they haven't changed a bit.
Obviously an early "modern" woman.
Be glad you didn't fall in love and marry her. Ugh! Best to find out early.
I was at Disney world with my wife I believe Epcot and just happened to be in an area that turned out Davy Jones was about to be performing. We didn’t know he was scheduled to be there, it was a nice surprise. We had a great time and is one of the more memorable events from that trip.
That’s great. My wife and I happened upon John Waite at Epcot and she’s so darn sweet she was ok with us getting back in line for the next show (3 total 😂) I’ll never forget it or regret it.
Believe it or don't... as a High School Freshman in '67, we moved from Kansas, where the Monkees TV show was airing, to El Paso, where it wasn't. My classmates liked the songs, but didn't even know about the TV show. So, I put together a petition, got 50+ students to sign, asking for the show to air and sent it to KTSM-TV, the NBC affiliate. They did send a reply thanking me for my interest. I don't know if my petition had a direct effect, but the station did air the final season of the show. So, there's that. Anyway, thanks for the interesting details to a nostalgic bit of personal history. - "Nevermind the Furthermore, the Plea is Self-Defense."
A do'er
I'm a first generation fan. My mom would buy me each album as it came out. I met Micky at his house in '75 when he was preparing to move to England. I saw Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, and Hart perform at Magic Mountain also in the '70s. In 1986 I saw all of them when Mike joined MIcky, Peter, and Davy in L.A. The new Monkeemania was thanks to MTV airing the tv show for a whole new generation.
I'm a Believer is very special for me. It's my song for my daughter. She also became a Monkees fan with Mike being her favorite.
I was born ‘66, my older brother and I grew up on the Monkees..
Funny, for some strange reason I was thinking about Davey the other day and was thinking of how kind he was. I remembered his smiling face in the Brady Bunch and thought that he must have surely thought ‘Marsha’ was HOT- for real!
My studio buddy Roger told me about a time back in the 70’s when his band backed Davey on a few dates through the Carolinas. Davey had dinner at his home with his mom dad sister and brother. He said Davey was an awesome person.
Have heard this as well, Davey being an actual awesome human being 💯💖
Thanks for sharing this story. It is always talked about how grounded and unstarry he was. I like that he came from here, in the UK, having had much success on stage, and had so much success in the US and worldwide. A multi-talented guy.
I was lucky enough to get to know Davy because my friend’s husband played in his band. One of the sweetest guys I’ve ever known.
I love this. I remember walking into my high school one morning in 1966, when over the loud speaker, "I'm a believer," was dedicated to me by my crush. It was one of the happiest memories of my life.
(EXCUSE MY USE OF CAPS, LEGALLY BLIND IN ONE EYE AND POOR VISION IN THE OTHER)
THANKS FOR FEATURING THE MONKEES, PROFESSOR 🙏🏾😁
I’M STILL A FAN OF THE BAND & THE SHOW. THE SONGS FROM THAT ERA WERE REALLY GOOD.
SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE TRACKS WERE…..SATURDAY’S CHILD, SWEET YOUNG THING, A GIANT STEP, I WANNA BE FREE AND MANY OTHERS.
THANKS AGAIN FOR TELLING THE MONKEES’ STORY 🙏🏾😁
That's okay I'm hard of hearing
CAPS RULE ... I'M ALWAYS BEING FED SHIT OVER IT ... " STOP SHOUTING " PEOPLE ARE SO QUICK TO JUDGE ... PEACE TO YOU TOONHEAD ...
@@mollyhatchet7075 OMG, TELL ME ABOUT IT…..THAT’S WHY I ALWAYS GIVE A HEADS UP WHEN POSTING.
I HATE USING CAPS, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS….
THANK YOU, MY FRIEND 😁
@@Toonhead YOU GOT IT. RIGHT BACK AT YOU ...
👍✌🏻
❤
The Monkees. Watched their TV show as a kid. A manufactured band...... but they were fun!
Tying together with the Don Kirshner theme, he also was the man who signed Kansas to a record deal. Today is the lead singer of Kansas, Ronnie Platts birthday. 🎉
Thanks Professor. Great shirt, and have a great weekend!
Amen! Roger love it!
One of the biggest shows in the 70’s (at least for me and my friends) was Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Young fans (like myself) who didn’t have the chance to see a lot of these bands got to hear them live every Friday night. It might make for a good subject.
@@Sherwoody The highlight of my week was watching Rock Concert, Midnight Special, and Soul Train.
@@c.r.parish5908 these shows were great for a lot of broke college kids. I was lucky I still got to see a few bands live in my college days. Rush and BTO actually played a local high school. (I snuck into the BTO concert.)
Lots of manufactured bands, especially today.
"I'm Goin Down", is a must see video to appreciate Dolan's talent as jazz singer!
Dolenz
Going to a Catholic grade school that believed in corpreal punishment and belittlement, I spent a lot of my childhood in tears. That is except for Saturday mornings when I watched the Monkees. I laughed and smiled so much. The joy was even greater when I listened and sang along to their music. Davy Jones was my first celebrity crush. 😊 I will always be grateful to these four guys who always brightened my days even in dark times.
I never considered myself to be a 1966 teeny bopper, but I guess I was! I loved the Monkees! Now I’m in my 70’s and I loved the thought of being that young again to hear my boys!
Wowee! No mention of "Good Times," their 50th anniversary LP from 2016? That was by far and away, their best offering since Pisces. They decided to go back to their original formula, and hire the best modern-day songwriters for that album. Some of the contributers were Rivers Cuome (Weezer), Andy Partridge (XTC, whom you should check into!) Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller. Believe it or not, Peter sounds great on lead vocals on "Wasn't Born to Follow," and Mike does a haunted, beautiful and sad version of "Me and Magdalena," written by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. But the standout track and incredible fun/creative/nostalgic video is "You Bring the Summer," with Micky on vocals. They also did a Beatles treatment of an unreleased Davy-vocal song called "Love to Love," written by Neil Diamond, where the other three finished the track, like The Beatles did for Lennon's "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love." (And most recently, "Now and Then.") If you're a Monkees fan, go have a listen!
Yes! Love Good Times!❤
I am also disappointed that there is no mention of Good Times!! IMO their second best album after Pisces. I recognize that most put Headquarters ahead of Pisces but I just never listened to enough. Plus I like how Nesmith is more prominently featured in Pisces and the diverse subject matter of those songs.
great stuff!
Great album, liked all the tracks, incl. Birth Of An Accidental Hipster.
So-so Christmas album after that, of course.
Mickey Dolenz has one of the best rock vocals ever. Very distinctive and characterful. I put his vocals right up there with Freddie Mercury, he's just THAT good. Thanks for this video, The Monkees are completely underrated. Their 'Good Times' release is excellent.
I was disappointed that this video did not mention Good Times. It’s one of their best albums.
Completely agree! Yes! @@CahoonHollow
Mickey was good, maybe great. But Freddie was one of the greatest ever, so can’t agree there.
Agreed Freddie was one of the greatest, I just think Mickey has been SO overlooked. Warrants a more thorough evaluation. Mickey's voice is so distinctive and characteristic he deserves more accolades. IMHO that is 🙂@@matthewhealy1892
I saw the last Monkees tour in 2021, really just Mike and Mickey. Nesmith couldn't stand, let alone sing, but Dolenz could STILL belt out everything! And both of their kids could really play guitar. Glad I was able to see them both.😎👍
When I was a teen, Davy Jones and Day Dream Believer were my faves. Now I'm all about Mickey Dolenz and Randy Scouse Git. It's on constant rotation in my house. Even my 19 year old belts out: "Why don't you be like me?
Why don't you stop and see?
Why don't you hate who I hate
Kill who I kill to be free?"
at the top of his lungs.
Such a banger.
Networks were doing a great deal of experimenting in those days, there were the Banana Splits, a band of characters dressed in dog costumes and doing zany things, the Monkees were similar in the antics but for an older audience. I enjoyed watching both growing up.
I was only 8 years old when they came to TV... I loved the TV show it was fun and campy! My sister was a fan and then after the show went off the air, she gave me the 2 albums. I guess it was timing because I was hit... hit hard and have been a fan since then! In my teens I went off in search for albums that was them. I can't explain it, but all I knew is that they made me feel good when I heard their songs. I never favored just one, because all were GREAT! As with most when Davy passed it hit me hard, then Peter and Mike... I felt I was loosing family.
I was able to see all but Davy live, and have to say it was AWESOME! In my eyes they are a "band" and I never tire of listening to their music! To me they are my #1 go to band, and I have NEVER changed my mind or will!
Thank you Monkees for enriching my life...
I remember being a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. Summer, dad doing something in the garage with tools at his work bench and my siblings and I running thru the sprinkler while the Monkeys played from Dads speakers, my brother pretending to play the drums. The whole family liked the music and we would watch the show with us kids bouncing around the living room during the music sections - attempting to dance but just making our parents laugh themselves sick.
I remember a span of time in my life in the 70s when I didn’t get to hear much of the monkees music.
Then when I was about ten or eleven a friend of mine threw on more of the monkees and she came on.
I was transported, as a kid, completely enchanted.
I made him play it four times and I sat there filled with emotions, actually breaking down the song in my head. After that I looked for their records for myself.
She and The kind of girl I could love have been two of my favorite all time songs.
I love your channel. You bring back so many good vibes for so many people in a very difficult time.
Keep up the amazing work.
Thanks for featuring The Monkee’s Professor! I have been a life long fan. I’ve had their music on vinyl , 8 tracks, cassettes, cds, iPod and iTunes 😂😂😂 I watched their show as a kid in the 60’s and have loved them ever since. ❤
Me? I don't do the latter listed methods, but I did have their albums and made them last until my turntable died about 10 years ago. Thank goodness for youtube since the end of Napster.
The SHOW, the humor, the good looking guys, I SAW their talent even then.
Blessed to have seen three of the four locally just ab few years before Davy's passing... Likely a MUCH BETTER SHOW than what we would have witnessed when younger.
STAYING POWER OF TALENTS 60+ YEARS ❣️
I got into The Monkees when a UHF channel replayed the series back in 81/82. My best friend collected all of their albums, and we listened to them every weekend. We were ahead of the curve on being 80s teen Monkees fans.
May truely ‘magical years’ like the late 60’s and 70’s come around again… In Canada, growing up as a teenager, It was surely incredible listening everyday, waiting for the incredible new tunes that came out of our radios… We had no worries, our parents basically let us all run free (just show up home for your meals), as we EXPLORED the land & our surroundings … Hopefully this planet will see such times again as we experienced in our youth!
We lived enchanted lives, living with ‘Youthful Enthusiasm.’
Thanks Professor for ‘reminding me’ in my retirement.
What's magical is music is happening in the home again. CZcams and inexpensive instruments is giving so many access to musical education that otherwise wouldn't.
Sadly very few will ever be able to grasp the enchanted youthful times of exploration, journeys, wonder, magic and energetic zip that we walked into every mysterious wonderland with. We didnt need Disney... we made our own adventures. We didnt need drugs.... we were high on life. You try and explain but its just no use. they just sit and look at you like a dog would if you put food in your ear.
I remember well watching the Monkey when they first came on TV. We knew they weren't playing their instruments but their voices were great and they were so lovable and genuine.
I was one of those 80’s kids that was introduced to “The Monkees” tv show on Nick at Night and was instantly hooked! AND I realized I knew a lot of their songs before seeing the tv show. I LOVE The Monkees!!!! And their music will live in my home because I introduced my daughter them and she loves them too! Thank you for honoring their story!❤
I grew up with The Monkees. As a child of the 80s, I loved their music and TV show. I had no idea that they were "fakes" or anything else, and if you had told me I wouldn't have believed you or cared. I was a kid who loved their music and their show, and in my eyes they could do no wrong. When my family went to one of the local diners, I would beg for money to go load their music up on the jukebox. I wouldn't have developed my love of The Beatles if it wasn't for my introduction to the genre by The Monkees.The first time I heard "Stepping Stone" I wouldn't stop singing it to myself for weeks. No matter what was going on behind the scenes, they were my childhood idols and I love them.
I was about 13. Having such a wholesome and silly program just cheered my heart. They really did affect my life, watching them grow, helped develop my sense of humor, and then into moogs and psychodelia. I even saw them in 96, without Mike. Guess what -- the music still sounds fresh 50 years later! What an amazing tale.
Ahhh the Monkees. Mickey Dolenz didn’t even know how to play the drums in the beginning. Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were the only legitimate musicians and they were stifled and pushed out of anything to do with the music. The behind the scenes stories are so interesting and intriguing.
And in the end they were one of the better pop rock bands of the time.
Actually I read that Davy Jones had experience playing drums, but they didn't want him behind the drum kit due to his short stature. But yes, Mike and Peter were already established musicians in their own right.
Mickey played guitar. He had a band called Mickey and the one nighters. When he saw the ad for auditions he went down for his audition/screen test with the members of his band.
Tork and Nesmith were already guitarists so they placed mickey on drums.
Davey wasn't a musician but he had the looks and right personality and could sing, so they gave him a tambourine.
You're right, he had to learn how to play drums when they went on tour, first stop was Hawaii. On the follow up albums Mickey played the drums, all the other members played their instruments.
Micky was taking drum lessons with Johnny Barbada at the time. He learned and he did play drums on Headquarters.
@@mysticwolf75 Yes, Davey Jones was a drummer. He's even seen playing drums in the show. Due as you stated to him being a small dude, he even had his own set that was smaller than Mickey's. So actually they were all musicians just not all trained in the instruments they played on the show.
my mom introduced me and my brothers to The Monkees when we were younger. Every summer, we would drive from Maine to Pennsylvania to visit our grandparents, and her cassette tape of "The Monkees: 20 Golden Greats" was always in the rotation. As the years went on, I continued to listen to their albums, even going as far as to find my mom's 45s and LP records that she had of their first three albums. I always loved listening to any song Mike was lead vocals on, and he quickly became my favorite Monkee. The highlight, for me, was getting to travel home to go with my mom and my older brother to see Micky and Mike on their farewell tour when they performed in Atlantic City in October of 2021, about 5 or so weeks before Mike passed away. It was a full circle moment for me, getting to see one of my favorite bands with the woman who got me hooked on them.
I do have to point out that I was surprised you made no mention of their 2016 album "Good Times", which was, to some degree, the last album that all four members were on (Davy being posthumously on the album with a recording of the Neil Diamond song "Love To Love"). For anyone who hasn't given it a listen, it's a solid album that, in my opinion, does hold up nicely against their classic material.
I grew up with the TV show and records the first time 'round as a kid. They were my favorite group and I knew every song by heart. I was really sad when the show was canceled, I was a stereotypical "latch key kid" and they were my friends, shrinks, role models and everything else. I got into cars and ultimately became a pro technician because of the GTO/Lemans wagon creation that was the "Monkee Mobile." It was the coolest thing I saw then and still feel that way. People can say whatever they want about the Monkees and me for liking them... A big part of why I'm who I am, for better or worse, is because of "growing up a Monkee." I imagined I was one of them everytime the show came on. Thank you for doing this. 😊
I LOOOOVE the Monkees!!!!!!! I was born in ‘77 and watched the show on Nick At Nite around 2:30am when they repeated their lineup for the night. That’s when my insomnia started. 😅 But I have always loved them! Rest in peace to the fallen. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💙💙💙
I graduated from Carleton College in 1978. While there i played Viola in the same music group as Peter Tork - the Carleton College orchestra. Tork attended Carleton in the early 1960's and played kettle drum. He dropped out after 2 years and a few years later it was "Hey, hey we're the Monkees."
I used to love that show when i was a kid. Wasnt really old enough to be aware of all the behind the scenes turmoil....just so happy that they finally had their way with things.i cant reminisce about being a kid in the 60's without thinking about the Monkees.
It saddens me to hear of their passings, but as long as there are people like you to bring their stories to life they'll never really be gone. I love musicology, and think your show was great Professor. This was the first one ive seen, and cant wait to see the next. Thank you
What a great episode! I remember seeing the Mike and Mickey Show a few short weeks before Mike Nesmith died. I have great memories of that show. My brother and I saw the Monkees on a Friday night. Two nights later, we saw KISS. What a weekend!
My mother is a giant Monkees fan, even to this day. She still has all the vinyl albums she bought growing up, and they were my introduction to music, along with The Glenn Miller Band courtesy of my grandfather. As soon as the show came back in syndication, we'd watch it together. Good Times.
I was five years old when the TV show was originally broadcast. Already a Beatles fan, I thought The Monkees were super! Thanks for the trip down Amnesia Lane!
I was 11. My younger brothers and I loved it, and silly things like HR Puffenstuff.✌🖖
Thanks for another great video. I loved the Monkees when I was a kid and have ever since. I was lucky enough to see them on the tour in 1989 - it was a shame that Nesmith wasn't there, but so great to see the other three. It was in Manchester, UK, Davy's home town, and he sang 'Manchester Boy' to mark it. I'm now in my mid fifties and my appreciation for them and their music has only deepened over time.
Just hearing the opening notes of "Last Train to Clarksville" instantly puts me in a good mood.
Everyday after school, i watched the show as reruns. i knew the lyrics to all the songs they featured on the show. Music and fun won over the depression of the 70's . Hard times smoothed over with silliness and music!
I remember watching The Monkees show in the ‘80s as a kid. I was a Beatles fan since I was 6. I had asked my dad if there were any other bands like The Beatles. He told me to watch The Monkees and I was hooked. I had always like the theme song, but my favorite is “Daydream Believer”.
I've got a couple stories. I used to be in the Monkees Fan Club when I was about 12 years old in 1966. A bunch of us little teeny-boppers got together to watch The Monkees on the living room floor in Santa Ana California. My favorite Monkee was Peter Tork. I saw Mickey Dolenz at The Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix Arizona 10.23.22. He was great. I got some video I put up on my ch.an.nel and I would like to share it with you but sometimes they don't allow links in the comments. I don't want to lose my whole message, so I'll try it separately. Thanks for the great story about The Monkees! I'm a new subscriber to you now!😃✌️☮️
I remember being a toddler when the Monkees first aired and being fascinated by the tv show and loving the music even then. I rediscovered them when I was 11 or 12 and I have loved them ever since. I knew they didn't play on the first 2 albums, but they did from the 3rd one onwards, and I loved all of their records whether it was them playing or the wrecking crew of whichever musicians did the playing. I wish I could have seen all 4 of them play live, but I did get to see Micky and Peter in concert in 2016, and it was a really great show! Micky has always been my favourite Monkee. His voice is just amazing! Thanks for this great episode, Professor.
Thanks for giving the Monkees some love, Adam. They earned it, and their catalog speaks for itself. Great sound! A band I was in did Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday, to amused and enthusiastic reception by audiences. Great catchy tunes, well performed.
We had a whole bunch of record's that my mom and stepdad bought at a fleemarket so at 7 I picked Grease because of cover and The Monkees "Last train to Clarksville" on 45 to play in my room on one of those suitcase record players. I loved em both but differently. I still love em both at 52. Great one Professor!
I am seriously obsessed with “Daddy’s Song”, and would love a breakdown of the meaning of the song behind the jaunty music, plus Toni Basil’s explanation of the choreography and how she matched the dance to the meaning of the song. Who is she, this mysterious dance partner who shows up when Davy sings about his mother? Does she represent his mother? His future partner as a man? Does it mean something when she exits?
And some deeper dives into “Head” in general would be appreciated.
I so love The Monkees. And, because it’s so silly and different from the rest of their catalogue, I think “Auntie Griselda” has always been my favorite 😂
11am Saturday morning. Time to watch The Monkees. Knew the show was dumb but loved watching every move of Davy Jones. ❤❤ Couldn't wait until the song performance at the end. Happy they fought for the recognition they deserved.
Summer before fourth grade. Playing out in the yard by my swing set. My mother called to me. "That song you like is on the radio." I tore into the house and stuck my ear right on the speaker, just in time to hear the British accent as Davy sang "I'm a Believer" on the fadeout.
It was just about the nicest thing she could have done for me.
Sweet! That's love.
So glad you did a piece on this group. Much better than given credit. Hopefully they can be considered for induction in the Rock and Roll hall while we still have Mickey ❤❤❤
Great coverage!! Thank you for making this video!!
Love this! I was a big fan as a pre-teen in the early 70s, catching reruns an resurgence. In 1986, they was a flyer in NYC for the New Monkees auditions. So, I auditioned and got 2 call backs before they let out that it was all a publicity stunt to gin interest in their reunion tour. So close! Missed it by that much!
Yeah, Michael, Davey, Peter and Mickey made it happen down the road. But to be honest, the songs written on their behalf were nothing short of PERFECT! As a 7 year old, then 8, I was proud to own their first two albums. I remember day dreaming in the middle of class about getting home and firing up my turntable to listen to the Monkees.🥰
Great material !
Thank you for this video... Fighting and honoring their presence and talents... And care for their product❣️
Thanks so much for doing this. The Monkees are a huge part of my youth. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see them live 4x in 86 and 86. I met Micky on Toronto on publicity tour.
Paul Revere and the Raiders released "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" in May 1966. The Monkees followed with their version in November 1966. The Raiders' version is arguably more 'rock,' but _both_ versions hold up well.
My favorite Monkees song.
I also liked their version of Spanish Christmas Carol "Riu, Riu Chiu."
The Sex Pistols played "...Stepping Stone" at their gigs, alongside "Don't Gimme No Lip Child" (Dave Berry) and "Substitite" (The Who) Some demo recordings of their version exist.
I’m 66 now and loved the Monkees and was so proud that the little cute one was a (UK) northerner like myself! 😂 So many of our TV programmes back then were American and were unbelievably glamorous with beautiful blue skies and fantastic cars, so a Manc lad really stood out, in a good way! 😄 RIP Davy, and Peter and Mike (my favourite 😊)
I worked at a TV station in the 70s. We ran a lot of syndicated film shows then and ran The Monkees every Saturday along with many other cartoon/kid shows. I never got tired of them. Saw every episode several times. Listen to the Band was a favorite of mine.
Great video, which I found very enjoyable. Like others, I watched The Monkees as a child and enjoyed their music. Since we didn't have a record player at the time, I never got any of their records. By the time we did, I had forgotten about them. Then CZcams came along and their music started being uploaded to it and it rekindled my enjoyment of them. I bought their tv series on DVD. Their humor is also great.
This is only the fourth video of yours I've watched. (I watched the one Tequila today as well, my fifth.) I enjoy your work as you do your homework, have good personal knowledge and just the right amount of enthusiasm and personality to make your channel work. Keep it up.
Thank you Professor. I bought my first album at 8 years old, and it was the Monkees. And recently, I found a CZcams video called "What led to the DEMISE of Laurel Canyon’s Freewheeling Society of Sex and Rock n Roll?" Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and the guys had a place where everyone came and had fun. Peter and Mickey were integral to that amazing time, with an amazing cast of characters in that amazing neighborhood. Watch it or be oblong!
I have to say I’ve binged a number of episodes today, as well as finally just doing the smart thing and hitting subscribe - as a man on the waning cusp of 50, this channel speaks to me. Thanks for the awesome content, so much better and more literate than a lot of the other pseudo-historical stuff here on the ‘Tube. Creators like you are the reason I haven’t paid for cable or satellite in almost 7 years - less time on the couch but no less entertaining for a single dad constantly on the move!
Thanks for reminiscing. Really enjoyed this!!
Never missed a show when I was a kid, bought the greatest hits album in 76 when I graduated high school and saw them in 83 with the happy together tour! Monkees forever!❤
There's always one "serious" musician in the band that doesn't want to "sell out". lol. Sadly, those intellectual types are in charge at our nation's institutes of higher learning. You, professor, are a breath of fresh air! People should never wonder why classical and Jazz music are things of the past - they have been studied to death, analyzed, and ruined at virtually every school.
This was one of your best shows. Did manage to see Mikey Dolenz play shortly after Michael passed. Loved every minute of that concert. Loved their tv show. Davey didn't live too far from me in PA. Love my Monkees. Thanks for all your work Professor of Rock ❤😊
I don't know if many Americans know this but Davey Jones had a part in the UK s longest running soap, " Coronation Street " it started in 1960 and is still going strong today, Davey played the grandson ( i think ) of a character called " Ena Sharples " , the series still has the oldest actor from the first episode still in it today " Bill Roach " now in his 80s.
My favourite TV show when I was 7, too young to be a music buff, just swept along by the zany antics and catchy tumes on the show. I was a believer and still am.
Great story, thanks! They sounded like very humble guys deep down inside. Songs bring me childhood memories. The 60's, to me, is the best musical decade! Creativity wasn't controlled and shadowed! And of course, it was truly highly organic.
My boy band. Neil Diamond my favorite in concert. The Monkees should absolutely be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Good times!
I remember watching The Monkees TV show in black and white when I was a kid in Australia. I'm now 67 and living in the Philippines, and still enjoy singing songs by The Monkees on our videoke at home. My adult son in Australia was introduced to "I'm A Believer" by the Smashmouth version. I think my favorite song by The Monkees is "Daydream Believer" which if I remember correctly was also written by Neil Diamond. It's amazing to think that Boyce and Hart, greats in their own right, provided the music for most of The Monkees' songs. I've also always loved Mike Nesmith's hit country song, "Joanne". Great memories!
XLNT, Prof! Liked and subbed, though I've been out of the loop for awhile.
Keep it up, man! You're a great host, and your ch is informative, educational, and nearly always VERY nostalgic. 😁👍🇺🇲❤️
I loved Michael Nesmith's solo hit Joanne (which he wrote). He also wrote the Linda Ronstadt Mega-hit Different Drum. I had very little understanding of The Monkees. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for this vid. Took me back in time; more so that it was my older sister, who's left us, who made us watch the Monkees; had the records, posters, magazines articles etc. etc.
Thanks again Professor.
Great insight into some of the "monkeying"(groan)
around that went on behind the studio scenes of
the Monkees. It is fun to watch some of their music
videos from the show and see Mike's faces, and actions
that kind of show his disdain of some of the songs
he has to do. The Monkees were a band I feel were an
example of the late 60's, early 70's sound and feels of
society and the youth of the day. I listen to a Monkee CD
in the car that ends with their song"Shades of Gray."
Funny listening to that song you see things haven't changed
much in almost 60 years.
Thank you for doing this piece! Wonderful memories!!
I was a Davy's Girl, for sure! I loved them all, but Davy was MY heartthrob! It has been a long time, but I'm pretty sure I saw every episode of the TV show, & probably the reruns, too! Being an only, I had no siblings to fight with over the TV! The Monkees were cute, goofy, & as far as I knew, very talented artists! Mama even bought me a tambourine so I could "play along" w/ my records! A Green Tambourine, BTW! Anyway, once they were allowed to do their own thing, they showed themselves as REAL, & incredible musicians! During their "fake group" days, they were NOT happy campers! Even as a pre-teen, I could feel that something wasn't right. I just didn't know what. To me, their getting so much better "all of a sudden" was a happy surprise, but I didn't have a clue what had brought on the improvement! It saddens me that they had to fight & threaten to quit in order to become the "real" Monkees! It was like The Wizard of Oz. Black & white at the start, relatively dull & insubstantial, then they blossomed into this beautiful, Rainbow Bright, eye- (& ear-)catching, great group of guys! They were absolutely one of the best groups of the time! Mike's songs were "different" in a good sense, Mickey & Davy's voices, were so unique & recognizable, & Peter... Well, what can I say about Peter? Ask Auntie Grizelda! His comedic goofiness came to a head through his character on the show, & I wondered if he was really that ditzy! I doubt it b/c it seemed he used it to hide a seriousness about his music. He was as kooky as could be, but he seemed to be the glue that kept them such a tight, cohesive force. At 11-12 y/o, they were my heros! Plain & simple! Just think how much greater they could've been if they had been allowed to be themselves from the start! -- To more fully answer your question, Paul was my favorite Beatle. My Mom preferred Ringo b/c she said "he's got a big nose, like mine"! 😂 IDThink either had a very big nose!! I have no favorite Stone b/c their music was too harsh for me. I just plain didn't like them. A few songs here & there, but not them as a group.
Davy, Peter, & Mike, Y'all are so deeply missed! Mickey, I believe you'll keep The Monkees alive in our hearts for a very long time! Thank you all!
I remember them being called the "Prefab Four". That was a lot to live down. They did eventually write and play their own music, and held their own in the pop world.
I love this channel. Keep up the great work Professor of Rock!