The Monkees

The Monkees is a group of American Pop-Rock'n'roll. formed in 1965 and dissolves in 1970.

At the origin

An advertisement passed in the newspaper " Variety " by two producers of the NBC chain, eager to launch a series evoking the spirit of film of the Beatles, has Hardware Day' S Night. On the mass of young people who present themselves, four will hold the attention.

Michael Nesmith , which already left a disc. He plays of the guitar, he is very insolate.
Michael Dolenz , which formerly held the main role in intulée televised series " Circus Boy".
David Jones , which was noticed in the famous comedy of Broadway " Oliver". It already left a disc as a singer.
Peter Torkleson , which is known in Greenwich Village for its services with the banjo.

Scenario

Immediately, a problem arises, because only two of Monkees can play their instruments. But within the framework of the series " The Monkees" , that is quickly solved, all will be comedy. Thus, only voices of the four small " singes" will be recorded. To final, the roles are distributed: Dolenz will be " Micky" the facetious one, Nesmith will be " Mike" the serious débrouillard, Torke will become " Peter" the naive one and, finally, Jones will be " Davy" , the dashing young man with a somber air.

Success

The series is diffused as of the re-entry 1966. It is an incredible success. The naturalness of the four Monkees, comic the of certain ones episodes, their insolence, their charisma and the musics make series one of the programs headlight of the Sixties. It will last 58 episodes for two seasons.
La series is organized around two or three songs. The history is often the same one, our four boys who live together on the west coast in a house cossue find themselves to defend of the weak characters against a pleiad of people without scruples.
Les songs which rythment the series is filmed like clips.

With final, on the first five albums, four are number 1, and it is the case for almost all the individual ones (" I' m has Believer" , " Last Train to Clarksville " , " In Little Bit Me, Little Bit You" has; , " Pleasant Valley Sunday" , " Daydream Believer"). Monkees are then to be the best American answer to the British Invasion, the United States revive besides a Beatlemania, Monkeemania

Evolutions and controversies

Beginning 1967, Mike Nesmith is wearied to play the comedy, especially on the discs. He and Peter Torke force to exploit their discs, and even their own compositions! It is true that the songs of Monkees are composed by talented people, and musical parts played by pros of the studios (the future Stooges, Neil Young, certain ex-members of the Byrds). On final they force the production to set up a round where they will only play on scene! With this intention they force Micky Dolenz to learn the battery.

the rounds : The American round is a success, Monkees live in a true euphoria. They also propose that the Jimi Hendrix Expérience makes the first part. However, that occurs badly because part of the fans of the four Monkees is not in phase with these distorted and innovative sounds. In England, Monkees divulgent the secrecy. That causes the anger of the American producers, but the sympathy of the British artists is worth to them who push them to compose. Thus, Monkees meet the Kinks in studio and Beatles at the time of one evening. John Lennon will congratulate them even on their humor their informant " that they resemble the Marx Brothers " and that it is its tele show preferred . George Harrison will invite even Peter Torke to exploit of the banjo its next compositions (invitation which it will hold).

the series : Consequently, Monkees require to improve the episodes, to put their key at it. Criticisms towards the State are then frequent, Monkees defend then the peaceful demonstrations of Berkley in 1967. They also ask for the authorization of invite artists like Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley or Johnny Cash.

the discs : With the intruduction of their own compositions, the discs become more Psychédéliques and more Country. Nesmith in particular takes a certain stature (" Don' T cal one me" …)

Crisis and End

the album " Headquarters" is a success but the fans ask more to pop melody for the producers show themselves extremely dissatisfied with the turning of the events, considering that the group goes to its loss if it continues its experiments. The producers already seek to create a new concept: a series on an rock group in cartoon the Archie! Wearied little by little by their own image, Monkees stop the series and launch out in the creation of a film psychedelic with as producer Jack Nicholson. It is a failure for " Head" , the group separates shortly after in 1970.

Discography

The Monkees (1966) (#1)
More off the Monkees (1967) (#1)
Headquarters (1967) (#1)
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd. (1967) (#1)
The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees (1968) (#3)
Head (1968) (#45)
Urgent Replay (1969) (#32)
The Monkees Present (1969) (#100)
Exchanges (1970) (#152)

Simple: The Monkees

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