I started the draft of this blog on 2/20, and am updating it for 3/1 publication. It's always startling to realize those you think of as living on forever are, in fact, mortal. Thank God we have the music. RIP Davy.
Blog entry 99, the discovery of The Specials remake of "A Little Bit Me," marked a resurge of Monkee interest in the house. To my complete delight, Will giggled his way through an episode I played for him on youtube. Dave has found himself a couple of times thinking "this is a great song, what is it?" Monkees! Dave and I also debated the pros and cons of their place is in music history, and if they deserve entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Our discussion was filled with plenty of if/then and contradictions. Even I'm not sure. The wikipedia description of their movie Head describes the conundrum perfectly:
Throughout the film... they try to deal with the fact that they're four real people in a real band that makes records for real people, but are also scripted characters in a fake TV band doing nothing except exactly what the director wants them to.
With that said, how do you recognize an innovation such as the Monkees? While the series was honored at the time, winning several Emmys for Best Comedy, it's the music that has endured. Countless reunion concert tours have happened in the last 45 years, I attended in 1986. I'm a Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and Daydream Believer are pop classics that are played on oldies stations. Peter and Mike were amazing musicians, and their playing was featured on even the earliest recordings. Not so surprisingly, their deeper catalog of work has been appreciated by artists and musicians across the spectrum: rap and hip hop artists have sampled Stepping Stone and Mary, Mary; Michael Nesmith is considered a pioneer of the country blues, and their songs have been remade by countless punk artists - Sex Pistols anyone? The Beatles loved them, and collaborated on several projects.
Rockers take note, girls like it when you smile
Other impressions? Michael Nesmith should really reconsider his self-loathing as he is a comic genius in the series. With girls, there's always the question of who your favorite member is - always, always, always Peter for me. Micky had amazing soul, and his vocals are vastly underrated by history. Davy, the group would have been incomplete without him.
Open letter to VH1 - find some time in your lineup to drop the trashy reality whores and put the Monkees back on the air.
Peter! Peter! Peter!
He sang very little lead with the band, which is too bad. I've been listening to some of his Blue Suede Blues stuff and he's pretty good. Auntie Grizelda is crap, and just can't include it here. Instead, I will highlight his contributions as a musician and songwriter.
What Am I Doin' Hanging Round? - Peter going to town on the banjo.
The Girl That I Knew Somewhere - a tune written by Mike, with Pete on harpsichord and Micky's wistful vocals. Probably my favorite Monkees song of all. The "video" of the song features the four attempting to woo a beautiful laundress, played by Julie Newmar.
Words - one of the few songs that feature Peter in the role as a vocalist, and even then, it's in a call-and-answer to Micky's lead. There's two versions of the "video" from the series, and the second one is vastly superior to the one in the suits.
Randy Scouse Git - translation: horny Liverpool asshole. Scatting, big toms, some fierce Tin Pan Alley piano playing by Peter. Cool.
Daydream Believer - Pete on piano, and Davy's sweet vocals. Little known fact: Peter contributed those opening bars and wrote the melody. On drunker nights in college, one of those sing-it-out-loud with my sorority sisters at the bar, and everyone joined in. One our of favorite local bands had it on their playlist, along with Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia".
No Time - R&B by a pre-fab pop band? Co-written by Micky and Peter - let's blow that "dumb one" persona to smithereens. Badass, and funny too.
Six from Nez
Papa Gene's Blues - I didn't appreciate Mike Nesmith until I was an adult; I discovered his songs and show clips on youtube back in 2006. How it started: I was looking for figure skating songs and discovered one on roller skating from Elephant Parts ("Lucy and Ramona, and their brother Sunset Sam..."), which led me to old Monkees videos. Six hours later, I found myself digging out my old Monkees cassettes, wondering why I bypassed listening to his country blues rock hybrids.
Sweet Young Thing - "I know that something very strange is happenin' to my brain, I know I'm feeling very good or else I am insane."
The Kind of Girl I Could Love - a great blend of music and harmony.
You Just May Be the One - "love bright as the sun."
Sunny Girlfriend - "she owns and operates her own sunshine factory"
Circle Sky - heavy bass, and pretty trippy for their teen idol status. In the movie, the band is torn apart by the audience to reveal themselves as mannequins. Whoa. Band remade the song for their reunion with Nez in 1997, rocked harder than the original, and made it on the modern rock charts.
Micky's Soul
Mary, Mary - Funk soul brother. Reportedly, Run DMC was surprised to find out this song was by the Monkees and not an obscure soul group from the 60s.
I'm Not Your Stepping Stone - wicked bass, psychedelic middle bridge.
Some Time in the Morning - ballad by Micky, and one of the sweetest episodes, when they take in an older, lonely woman as a boarder. Rose Marie imagines herself as a younger woman dancing with the band.
I'm a Believer - Signature song, and I would say their most famous. Remade a million times over, most famously by the band Smashmouth for the Shrek movie series. Infectious joy.
Pleasant Valley Sunday - heavy bass line, amazing vocals by Micky about subdivisions some 20 year prior to Rush. The PVS marathon in 1986 regenerated their career and legacy. Plus, this tune really rocks.
Porpoise Song - the mermaid fantasy/suicide/dream sequence opening to the movie Head. To me, sounds heavily influenced by the Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour albums. Research into reveals a universal consensus that Head is the creative peak of the band as a band.
Ok, Some Davy...
Star Collector - first use of a Moog synthesizer in a hit song, a groupie homage that I think every band eventually writes.
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You - it's been covered in blog #99, but it had to make the list.
Ditty Diego War Chant - the wry "eff you" to their TV alter image.
I listened to a podcast where two DJ's compared their five favorite Beatles tunes v. their five favorite Monkees tunes. Maybe I will do that in the future, to of course beat a topic to death. Roll credits, for Pete's sake.
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