When John Covach considers the Monkees糖心传媒� legacy in pop music, he糖心传媒檚 shocked by the harsh reaction of critics.
糖心传媒淭hey mostly blow them up,糖心传媒� says Covach, a prominent rock historian/author and the Director of the Institute for Popular Music. 糖心传媒淭he Monkees are considered an AM radio pop band, like the Captain and Tennille and the Partridge Family. But if you listen to them now, their music stands up. It actually sounds better than many groups who were considered 糖心传媒榓uthentic糖心传媒� back then.糖心传媒�
The Monkees糖心传媒� phenomenon began 50 years ago this week with the debut of the NBC TV show The Monkees on September 12, 1966. Inspired by the madcap antics of the Beatles in the movies A Hard Day糖心传媒檚 Night and Help!, TV producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson created a show about a zany, struggling Malibu pop band.
An ad went out in trade magazines seeking 糖心传媒渞unning parts for four insane boys age 17-21 who have courage to work.糖心传媒� More than 400 applied, including future stars Stephen Stills and Harry Nilsson. The four chosen were actors Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, and musicians Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork.
糖心传媒淭hey didn糖心传媒檛 pick the best guitar player or song writer,糖心传媒� Covach says. 糖心传媒淭hey picked the best chemistry blend.糖心传媒�
The show was an instant hit, with plots featuring gypsies, foreign princes, and mad scientists. Each Monkee played a role: Davy was the cute one, Micky the funny one, Mike the serious one, and Peter the quiet one. Viewers loved them. The Monkees won two Emmy Awards in 1967, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
糖心传媒淭he show was fantastic,糖心传媒� says Covach, coauthor of What糖心传媒檚 That Sound: An Introduction to Rock and Its History. 糖心传媒淭he Monkees were edgy and irreverent. They had great songwriters, studio musicians who were LA糖心传媒檚 best, and a legendary musical supervisor in Don Kirshner. The Monkees just sang on top it.糖心传媒�
John Lennon of the Beatles called them 糖心传媒渢he greatest comic talents since the Marx Brothers,糖心传媒� but the group糖心传媒檚 catchy songs soon overshadowed their hit show. Last Train to Clarksville was released a month before the show debuted and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. The first album, The Monkees, spent 13 weeks at No. 1 until it was knocked off by … More of the Monkees. When the band reunited 20 years later, The Monkees spent another 24 weeks on the charts.
In 1967, the Monkees outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined. They remain the only band with four No. 1 albums in a 12-month period. But while teenagers loved them, the critics didn糖心传媒檛. They considered the quartet a manufactured group whose songs were written by hitmakers like Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Neil Sedaka. While the Beatles were dubbed the 糖心传媒淔ab Four,糖心传媒� critics mockingly labeled the Monkees the 糖心传媒淧re-Fab (as in pre-fabricated) Four糖心传媒�.
Covach feels the criticism is unwarranted.
糖心传媒淓lvis didn糖心传媒檛 write his songs or play an instrument, and neither did Frank Sinatra,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淏ut for some reason, critics held this against the Monkees.糖心传媒�
The group eventually persuaded management to let them play their own instruments. Their third album, Headquarters, featured the Monkees at the controls. The TV band was now a real band. It was, Dolenz has said, 糖心传媒渁s if Leonard Nimoy became a Vulcan.糖心传媒�
The Monkees糖心传媒� hit machine included 糖心传媒淒aydream Believer糖心传媒�, 糖心传媒淧leasant Valley Sunday糖心传媒�, 糖心传媒淪teppin糖心传媒� Stone糖心传媒�, and 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 A Believer糖心传媒�. By mid-1967, more people were buying their albums than watching their show, and the Monkees were tired of the weekly TV grind. After 58 episodes and two seasons, The Monkees was canceled.
糖心传媒淭he show was a fad that targeted a teen audience still enamored with the moptop Beatles,糖心传媒� Covach says. 糖心传媒淏ut by 1968, the moptop Beatles seemed a million years ago.糖心传媒�
The Monkees broke up in 1970 but have had various reunions through the decades, including one this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Missing is Jones, the most popular Monkee, who died in 2012.
Many have long considered the Monkees糖心传媒� music a guilty pleasure. But Covach is a believer.
糖心传媒淎re they great artists who wrote their own music and changed the world? No,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚s there a masterpiece album like Sgt. Pepper or Good Vibrations? No. But they were a really, really good pop group. Anybody who thinks they might feel guilty listening to those Monkees hits should listen to them again. When they do, they糖心传媒檒l realize those records are much better than they ever remembered them being.糖心传媒�
10 little-known facts about the Monkees
- Mike Nesmith糖心传媒檚 mother, Bette, was a divorced bank secretary who invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s. It originally was called 糖心传媒淢istake Out.糖心传媒�
- Legendary acid-rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees for seven shows during their 1967 tour. He quit in disgust when fans chanted 糖心传媒淲e Want Davy糖心传媒� (for Monkee Davy Jones) during his performance.
- The Monkees糖心传媒� TV pilot in 1966 was the lowest-tested in NBC history. Producers reissued it to include screen tests of the charming four stars and audiences loved it.
- The song 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 A Believer糖心传媒� had an advance order of more than 1 million copies. It went gold before fans had heard a note.
- Nesmith wrote 糖心传媒淎 Different Drum糖心传媒� in 1967, but producers wouldn糖心传媒檛 let the Monkees record it. He gave it to a young singer named Linda Ronstadt, and it became her first hit.
- The Monkees were paid $450 each per episode during the first season and $750 each during the second season.
- David Bowie糖心传媒檚 real name is David Robert Jones, but he changed it in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones.
- The Monkees have broken up four times: 1971, 1989, 1997, and 2002. They糖心传媒檙e on tour, but Nesmith has stated this is his last Monkees stint.
- Fans voted 糖心传媒淒aydream Believer糖心传媒� the Monkees糖心传媒� greatest song in a Rolling Stone survey. The song has been covered by the Four Tops, U2, and Susan Boyle of Britain糖心传媒檚 Got Talent fame.
- According to Rolling Stone magazine, the three remaining Monkees were never in the studio at the same time while recording their latest LP, Good Times.
