ATTN Scott Reppert!!

[Lester]

"Rubber Soul" came before The Monkees, so that doesn't count. I put that in the "good Beatles pile".

Let's not get even into the obstacles that The Monkees had to face that other bands didn't, the main one being they had to BECOME a band without probably WANTING to become a band.

They birthed (mainly through Mike Nesmith) country rock.

They financed "Easy Rider" and bought the first set of equipment for Three Dog Night.

They brought Jimi Hendrix back to America.

Go deep enough and you will find Mike and Micky laying the actual groundwork for MTV...as far back as 1973, I believe. They are single-handedly responsible for saving MTV from going down the tubes in 1986.

What I'm saying is: The Monkees career blows away the POP half of The Beatles last years and the output of The Velvet Underground blows away the ALBUM ORIENTED half of The Beatles last years.

It's what I'm saying.

And if you ask me tomorrow, I'll still say it. Or a slightly modified version of the same thing, mainly with different times and temperatures...

I bump this thread because it came up tonight in bar-time conversation, and because it is awesome.

I bump this thread because it came up today on Facebook, and because it is [still] awesome.

[Scott Reppert]

NEW MONKEES NOTE:

Michael Nesmith produced an album of MONKEES SONGS DONE IN BIG BAND ARRANGEMENTS WITH 1940'S STYLE VOCALS back in 1967 (I've known that for years...
it's called "The Wichita Train Whistle Sings" and is very unbalanced, odd-sounding, yet VERY good).

Which inspired Paul McCartney into doing the same thing four years later...

Thrillington--Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
Thrillington--Eat At Home
Thrillington--Smile Away

In case you did not know it (which I did not, until recently), Paul McCartney re-recorded his whole "Ram" album in 1971 as a big band album and called it "Thrillington", credited to Percy Thrillington. It was never released until 1977 and is a very desirable vinyl piece.

And as I watched the "Daily Nightly" video above, I realized that that song, in my mind, is more groundbreaking than just about anything on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"...although "Lovely Rita" would have made a great single.

As a matter of fact, what The Monkees put up against "Sgt. Pepper's" in 1967 is the ALBUM THAT KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE #1 SPOT and, frankly, blows it away.

I AM SORRY, BUT THE GROUP THAT RECORDED THE SONGS BELOW BELONGS IN THE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME, IF ONLY FOR THIS ALBUM ALONE!!!!...

Salesman
She Hangs Out
The Door Into Summer
Love Is Only Sleeping
Cuddly Toy
Words
Hard To Believe
What Am I Doin' Hangin' 'Round?
Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Named Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daily Nightly
Don't Call On Me
Star Collector

What I feel is the worst song on there ("Words"...not counting "Peter Percival") was a Top 15 charting song. Jeeesh...

[amayo]

I'm with you Scott! I always loved the Monkees, and have everything on CD.