The Monkees: Classic or Dud?

How d’you like them Screen Gems?

Are you referring to the 33 1/3 video? Haven’t watched …yet.

Yep I'm watching now, and was live blogging I guess. I'll stop the spoilers.

This book I was referring to, Monkee Business, seems pretty good.

Introduction by Penn Jillette! Oh wait.

Here is a review: https://psychojello.tumblr.com/post/14175947986/review-monkee-business-by-eric-lefcowitz/

Guess it will have to serve since the Sandoval book is out of print.

But Sandoval's Bee Gees book is in print.

Yet another guy shows up in Micky's Screen Test!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63nhSFFFfJ4

Part of Davy's interview reminds me of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOCxplCFYCE

It's actually pretty bizarre seing the also-rans in these tests. It's like the kids above the bleachers in the opening sequence of the first episode of Freaks and Geeks.

A familiar character actor appears near the end of the screen tests, believe he was also in the first episode, maybe in a different role.

This Lefcowitz book is pretty good at telling the story, just went through the Jimi Hendrix part of the story as well as Peter Tork’s Laurel Canyon hippie hideaway, but yeah, the guy makes no bones about his dislike of Davy, which is fine with me I guess.,

Placing here for future reference:
https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/australia--japan-1968.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yChXUCGV4E

Mike sounds like Lee Hazlewood on “Love Is Only Sleeping.”

Davy version of "Nine TImes Blue" not bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH2wGtAULe0

So Andrew Sandoval finished updating his day-by-day book earlier this year but it could only be ordered through his website and is long sold out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjiQnu8uEWs

Weird hearing the garage-ier version of “Valleri” Richie Unterberger begrudgingly approves of with the Louis Shelton fiddle Flamenco guitar only appearing later in the proceedings.

great nesmith tribute on wfmu right now. playlist available after: https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/111213

Excellent, thanks. Listening on the app now.

Y'all do know that today is Capricorn Jones Day, don't you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAXuPvfSZAk

Is that from 33 1/3 Revolultions Per Monkee?

Head

Oh, no, Head, (xp), still need to rewatch.

"Long Title..." is one of the only Pete tracks issued while he was in the band...his actual backing on the recording is a version of Buffalo Springfield.

The budget for that Head party scene was probably higher than whatever they had for the entirety of 33 1/3.

Guess I can either watch the movie here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4nT-5DyjX0
or just look at the extensive screen grabs here:
https://monkees.coolcherrycream.com/pictures/head

Golden football helmet of Easy Rider makes an early appearance here!

Was reading some guy who was kind of the lone holdout who hated “Me and Magdalena” but I dunno, to me it’s some kind of perfect heartfelt weatherbeaten old buddy song, some kind of Monkees “Two of Us” #OneAfter909

They played "Long Title...." along with the rest of Head on the post-Davy tour. Set list and show looks pretty good! https://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/11/18/shows-ill-never-forget-the-monkees-november-16-2012/

I saw them the next summer, and that was basically the show I got, except they switched out "Daily Nightly" and the "I Wanna Be Free" vid for "No Time" and what I see now was the live debut of "Door Into Summer". Really fun show! They opened up with a clip show that included things both from the show and movies & TV that used Monkee music on their sound tracks, like Mad Men, Breaking Bad*, and Scorsese's After Hours.

*IIRC, Dolenz was wearing a Heisenberg tee onstage.

Cool! There are couple of live versions of “Door Into Summer” from the Mike and Micky tour on YouTube, one with video that seems to have Coco Dolenz on backing vox, one with no video but really good sound.

Guess the first hit, the official video, has both. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1iqrWnSsp0

There seems to be some speculation about why Mike rejoined to tour so soon after Davy passed. I don’t know enough and it’s not really my place to say, but I can imagine that the set list possibilities became more interesting.

Looks like when Micky tours Coco sings some leads. Just saw a pretty good version of “Different Drum.”

“The Door Into Summer,” “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress,” by Jimmy Webb, which Linda Ronstadt sang, among others, “All You Zombies,” by The Hooters- any other Heinlein-titled songs out there?

OMG first song on Headquarters Sesssions is a Dino, Desi and Billy cover.

XP "Stranger In Strange Land" by Leon Russell and a different track with that name by the Blackburn & Snow (written by David Crosby).

Thanks! Not to be confused with Sam Phillips's "Signposts," from Walker Percy's Signposts in a Strange Land, which is quoted in full in the lyric.

Speaking of Peter, digging the first, Headquarters version of "Can You Dig it?"

While I have your attention: should I finally get around to watching that Harry Nilsson doc?

Yeah, although if you have access to the DVD/Blu release, make it that as there's some good extras, including a number of fun stories from Jimmy Webb's interview.

Thanks. Might just end up watching it on Tubi.

Micky is one of the first to speak.

Thought I read somewhere that The Monkees recording “Cuddly Toy” was a big break for him.

Yeah, Nesmith actually brought the Nilsson songs in, and actually recorded lead vocals on it and "Daddy's Song" before they were handed over to Davy (Nez versions later released as bonus tracks).

Nezsplaining w/all the "actually's"

Ha!

They played the Nez version of “Daddy’s Song” on that excellent WFMU tribute the day before yesterday.

Perhaps you should get one of those NEZ Dispenser t-shirts I just found at Amazon UK. I know that I want one.