My Two Cents on The Monkees and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
There is always a debate going on about the validity of The Monkees and whether or not they should be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are always dissenters in these discussions and I always assumed that they must have several valid arguments. I started doing a bit of research to check up on some of these arguments and this is what I've found...
The Monkees didn't play their own instruments...
Mike, Peter, and Micky all played guitar before joining the Monkees. Mike was playing gigs as Michael Blessing, released several singles with Highness, Omnibus, Edan, and Colpix, and was hired on to a publishing company for his song writing. Micky was doing local gigs with a group called The Missing Links. Peter was involved in the folk scene in Greenwich Village with guys like Stephen Stills. Davy was an established singer on Broadway and had released an album with Colpix.
They didn't play the tracks for their first two records for obvious reasons- they were busy making a television show. So, a group of musicians called The Wrecking Crew was brought in to play the backing tracks to these albums. This was common practice in the day, though little talked about. The same musicians that played for The Monkees albums also played for The Mamas and The Papas (California Dreaming, Creeque Alley, Dedicated to the One, Monday, Monday), The Beach Boys (California Girls, Fun, Fun, Fun, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, I Get Around/Don't Worry Baby, Sloop John B.), The Righteous Brothers (Unchained Melody, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'), The Byrds (Tambourine Man), and Simon and Garfunkel (Mrs. Robinson) all of whom were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
By the time The Monkees were ready to produce their third album, Headquarters, they were facing criticism for not playing on their albums so, they played on every song. They had already been playing together for over a year doing tours in North America and Britain proving that they were quite capable of playing all their songs for thousands of screaming fans. As Mike is quoted as saying, "I'm fixin' to walk out there in front of fifteen thousand people, man. If I don't play my own instruments I'm in a lotta trouble!"
Peter played keyboard, bass, guitar, and banjo, Mike played lead guitar, Micky played drums and guitar, Davy played bass and drums, and they all sang.
The Monkees didn't write their own songs...
Many people think that because The Monkees had many songs written by other song writers that they weren't responsible for any of their music but this isn't true. Even on their first album Mike Nesmith is credited with writing Papa Gene's Blues and co-writing Sweet Young Thing. On their second album, he is credited with writing Mary, Mary and co-writing The Kind of Girl I Could Love. By the time they released Headquarters, the guys are credited with writing eight of the fourteen tracks.
So, did other groups, specifically those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, write all of their songs? No, they did not. The Animals' hits House Of The Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Outta This Place, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, See See Rider, and Around And Around were all written by outside writers. The Four Tops' hits Same Old Song, Reach Out I'll Be There, and Standing In The Shadows Of Love were written by outside writers. The Byrds' hits Tambourine Man, All I Really Want To Do and Turn Turn Turn were all written by other songwriters. The Hollies started out doing cover songs before moving to written-to-order music and finally producing in-house. The team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King who were responsible for some of The Monkees tracks also wrote Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals), The Loco-Motion (Little Eva), One Fine Day (The Chiffons), Up On The Roof (The Drifters), and I'm Into Something Good (Herman's Hermits).
The Monkees haven't done anything really impressive...
The Monkees held the number-one spot on the Billboard album charts for 31 consecutive weeks, 37 weeks in total. They had four number one albums in one year. In 1967, they sold more records than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. They are one of the first artists to achieve number-one hits in the US and UK simultaneously. The Monkees had the top-charting American single in 1967 (I'm a Believer) that remained number-one for seven weeks with Daydream Believer at third. Their second album, More of The Monkees, spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts, becoming the 12th biggest selling album of all time. They were the first music artists to win two Emmy Awards. Along with The Beatles, they pioneered the idea of the music video. They were the first group to use a moog synthesizer on a pop album. They gave The Jimi Hendrix Experience their first US concert appearance as an opening act for their 1967 tour. Between 1966 and 1970, The Monkees released 121 songs on nine albums and eight non-LP singles. Members of The Monkees have participated in 18 tours of the US, UK, Australia, and Japan. When their albums were re-released in 1986/1987 they had seven albums on the Billboard top 200 chart at the same time including their new release, Pool It!
The Monkees aren't a real band...
The Monkees were conceived as a Television show. Four actors/musicians hired to play the role of a band trying to make a living. Because of their beginning, many people immediately count them out as a real band. Even Micky Dolenz has commented on the fact that The Monkees were hired to play a band. However, I think this makes what they've managed to accomplish all the more impressive. Here are four very different guys with very different voices thrown together for the sake of a TV show. You have Micky- Rock and Roll/Blues, Peter- Folk, Mike- Country/Western, and Davy- Broadway. These guys would never have met up in high school and decided to form a band. But the sound and the songs that they produced together are fantastic and unlike any other group because of these differences. No other group has such a diverse catalog of music. Each song could feel completely different simply by switching the lead vocals as can be seen by listening to some of the demos and alternate takes. Each member is a strong musician and together, they create something unique and beautiful that has stood the test of time.
The group was widely accepted into the music scene at the time and is still loved today. They hung out with The Beatles, The Mamas And The Papas, Stephen Stills, Frank Zappa, Paul Revere And The Raiders, Peter Noone, and Jimi Hendrix among others. They got along very well with The Beatles; George Harrison once said, "The Monkees are still trying to find out who they are, and they seem to be improving as performers each time I see them. When they've got it all sorted out, they may be the greatest. According to Paul McCartney, "I'm sure The Monkees are going to live up to a lot of things many people didn't expect." Glen Campbell said, "I love The Monkees becuase I dug the music." And Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys credited the guys with inspiring him to write "Break Away" and wanted "to thank them for all the good music."
Many groups have covered Monkees songs since the 60s including U2 (Daydream Believer), The Four Tops (Daydream Believer), Smashmouth (I'm a Believer), The Sex Pistols (Steppin' Stone), Run DMC (Mary Mary), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Some of Shelley's Blues and Propinquity), and They Might Be Giants (What Am I Doing Hangin' Round).
They have continued to tour individually and together over the years, always drawing a crowd and selling out venues for their 45th Anniversary Tour this past summer. Anywhere I go, I can mention The Monkees and people perk up- a smile spreads across their face and they tell me how much they loved The Monkees and what their favorite song is and who their favorite Monkee is. If I wear a Monkees shirt, I will inevitably strike up several conversations with people who are thrilled to remember these guys. Thousands of fans spread over four generations just can't be wrong, there is something very special about The Monkees.
The Monkees didn't play their own instruments...
Mike, Peter, and Micky all played guitar before joining the Monkees. Mike was playing gigs as Michael Blessing, released several singles with Highness, Omnibus, Edan, and Colpix, and was hired on to a publishing company for his song writing. Micky was doing local gigs with a group called The Missing Links. Peter was involved in the folk scene in Greenwich Village with guys like Stephen Stills. Davy was an established singer on Broadway and had released an album with Colpix.
They didn't play the tracks for their first two records for obvious reasons- they were busy making a television show. So, a group of musicians called The Wrecking Crew was brought in to play the backing tracks to these albums. This was common practice in the day, though little talked about. The same musicians that played for The Monkees albums also played for The Mamas and The Papas (California Dreaming, Creeque Alley, Dedicated to the One, Monday, Monday), The Beach Boys (California Girls, Fun, Fun, Fun, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, I Get Around/Don't Worry Baby, Sloop John B.), The Righteous Brothers (Unchained Melody, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'), The Byrds (Tambourine Man), and Simon and Garfunkel (Mrs. Robinson) all of whom were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
By the time The Monkees were ready to produce their third album, Headquarters, they were facing criticism for not playing on their albums so, they played on every song. They had already been playing together for over a year doing tours in North America and Britain proving that they were quite capable of playing all their songs for thousands of screaming fans. As Mike is quoted as saying, "I'm fixin' to walk out there in front of fifteen thousand people, man. If I don't play my own instruments I'm in a lotta trouble!"
Peter played keyboard, bass, guitar, and banjo, Mike played lead guitar, Micky played drums and guitar, Davy played bass and drums, and they all sang.
The Monkees didn't write their own songs...
Many people think that because The Monkees had many songs written by other song writers that they weren't responsible for any of their music but this isn't true. Even on their first album Mike Nesmith is credited with writing Papa Gene's Blues and co-writing Sweet Young Thing. On their second album, he is credited with writing Mary, Mary and co-writing The Kind of Girl I Could Love. By the time they released Headquarters, the guys are credited with writing eight of the fourteen tracks.
So, did other groups, specifically those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, write all of their songs? No, they did not. The Animals' hits House Of The Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Outta This Place, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, See See Rider, and Around And Around were all written by outside writers. The Four Tops' hits Same Old Song, Reach Out I'll Be There, and Standing In The Shadows Of Love were written by outside writers. The Byrds' hits Tambourine Man, All I Really Want To Do and Turn Turn Turn were all written by other songwriters. The Hollies started out doing cover songs before moving to written-to-order music and finally producing in-house. The team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King who were responsible for some of The Monkees tracks also wrote Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals), The Loco-Motion (Little Eva), One Fine Day (The Chiffons), Up On The Roof (The Drifters), and I'm Into Something Good (Herman's Hermits).
The Monkees haven't done anything really impressive...
The Monkees held the number-one spot on the Billboard album charts for 31 consecutive weeks, 37 weeks in total. They had four number one albums in one year. In 1967, they sold more records than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. They are one of the first artists to achieve number-one hits in the US and UK simultaneously. The Monkees had the top-charting American single in 1967 (I'm a Believer) that remained number-one for seven weeks with Daydream Believer at third. Their second album, More of The Monkees, spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts, becoming the 12th biggest selling album of all time. They were the first music artists to win two Emmy Awards. Along with The Beatles, they pioneered the idea of the music video. They were the first group to use a moog synthesizer on a pop album. They gave The Jimi Hendrix Experience their first US concert appearance as an opening act for their 1967 tour. Between 1966 and 1970, The Monkees released 121 songs on nine albums and eight non-LP singles. Members of The Monkees have participated in 18 tours of the US, UK, Australia, and Japan. When their albums were re-released in 1986/1987 they had seven albums on the Billboard top 200 chart at the same time including their new release, Pool It!
The Monkees aren't a real band...
The Monkees were conceived as a Television show. Four actors/musicians hired to play the role of a band trying to make a living. Because of their beginning, many people immediately count them out as a real band. Even Micky Dolenz has commented on the fact that The Monkees were hired to play a band. However, I think this makes what they've managed to accomplish all the more impressive. Here are four very different guys with very different voices thrown together for the sake of a TV show. You have Micky- Rock and Roll/Blues, Peter- Folk, Mike- Country/Western, and Davy- Broadway. These guys would never have met up in high school and decided to form a band. But the sound and the songs that they produced together are fantastic and unlike any other group because of these differences. No other group has such a diverse catalog of music. Each song could feel completely different simply by switching the lead vocals as can be seen by listening to some of the demos and alternate takes. Each member is a strong musician and together, they create something unique and beautiful that has stood the test of time.
The group was widely accepted into the music scene at the time and is still loved today. They hung out with The Beatles, The Mamas And The Papas, Stephen Stills, Frank Zappa, Paul Revere And The Raiders, Peter Noone, and Jimi Hendrix among others. They got along very well with The Beatles; George Harrison once said, "The Monkees are still trying to find out who they are, and they seem to be improving as performers each time I see them. When they've got it all sorted out, they may be the greatest. According to Paul McCartney, "I'm sure The Monkees are going to live up to a lot of things many people didn't expect." Glen Campbell said, "I love The Monkees becuase I dug the music." And Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys credited the guys with inspiring him to write "Break Away" and wanted "to thank them for all the good music."
Many groups have covered Monkees songs since the 60s including U2 (Daydream Believer), The Four Tops (Daydream Believer), Smashmouth (I'm a Believer), The Sex Pistols (Steppin' Stone), Run DMC (Mary Mary), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Some of Shelley's Blues and Propinquity), and They Might Be Giants (What Am I Doing Hangin' Round).
They have continued to tour individually and together over the years, always drawing a crowd and selling out venues for their 45th Anniversary Tour this past summer. Anywhere I go, I can mention The Monkees and people perk up- a smile spreads across their face and they tell me how much they loved The Monkees and what their favorite song is and who their favorite Monkee is. If I wear a Monkees shirt, I will inevitably strike up several conversations with people who are thrilled to remember these guys. Thousands of fans spread over four generations just can't be wrong, there is something very special about The Monkees.