This is my favorite Monkees video, because of the way he covers his mouth to disguise terrible lip synching.

Epossumondas: This is my favorite Monkees video, because of the way he covers his mouth to disguise terrible lip synching.

Hey, if you had a mouthful of scat you'd want to cover it up, too.

Is my sarcasm meter broken, or did subby point to the wrong link?
BONUS: They play their own instruments (new window)

Lipsync is not one of the more closely regarded aspects of plenty of Youtube posters.

And I never realized Davey Jones was a lefthanded drummer, or I'd forgotten.

From my Monkees obsessed roommate I found out Mickey Dolenz wrote the jokes and songs that I liked as a kid. If there was one thing I learned from my roommate it was how to tell by style who wrote which song.

maldinero: Is my sarcasm meter broken, or did subby point to the wrong link?
BONUS: They play their own instruments (new window)

For clarity:

This clip is a lip-synching they did on the show from a recording where they did play their own instruments. See also: Headquarters.

/Monkeemitter

Just from reading the headline, I figured it was "Randy Scouse Git." Weird, but entrancing song.

peachy92: Just from reading the headline, I figured it was "Randy Scouse Git." Weird, but entrancing song.

Great song, but for entrancing try "Goin' Down". If I listen to it once, then I listen at least 3 times in a row, much to the angst of my chil'ren.

Epossumondas: Great song, but for entrancing try "Goin' Down". If I listen to it once, then I listen at least 3 times in a row, much to the angst of my chil'ren.

I wanted to use that one instead, but all the YouTube videos of it have horrible audio.

/Floatin' down the river with a saturated liver

Help, help!
Help, help!
Help!
Help, help!
Help, help!

Hey, look, the Monkees! They were a huge influence on the Beatles.

They play their own instruments

Like Brian May?
/his guitar is so cool it has 2 wormholes in it. No wonder he become physicist

is it sad or amazing that I knew the title before clicking the link?

John Buck 41: is it sad or amazing that I knew the title before clicking the link?

If you want, we can schedule weekly "shoo kids off our lawns" get-togethers.

Midnight Rambler: Hey, look, the Monkees! They were a huge influence on the Beatles.

Mickey use to hang out with John Lennon. John called him "Monkee Man" all the time.

/fact

Wow.

I would've thought I share a BDay with someone more famous.

/ i still love mickey

How bout in honor of Mickey, we post pictures of his daughter Ami instead.




It looks like she's turned out pretty nicely after all these years as well.

I love the Monkees. If you haven't seen their feature film Head, definitely check it out. It's a surreal satire of their experience being run through the TV/music industry machine like so much cheap steak through a mechanical tenderizer. Bonus: co-written/produced by Jack Nicholson, with appearances by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Frank Zappa, Teri Garr and Victor Mature!

In honor of Mickey Dolenz's 64th birthday, here's a fun ragtime/acid rock/scat piece he wrote for the Monkees. BONUS: They play their own instruments

I call shenanigans on this. At no point was a tambourine seen in Davey Jones' possession.

BKITU: John Buck 41: is it sad or amazing that I knew the title before clicking the link?

If you want, we can schedule weekly "shoo kids off our lawns" get-togethers.

Was I that curmudgeonly?

sariq: Wow.

I would've thought I share a BDay with someone more famous.

/ i still love mickey

Happy Birthday

Funny part of the Monkeys was that while they were the first "boy band" they also rebelled against their TV creators. Mike, Mickey, Dave and Peter wanted to become a "real" band and fought hard and won the right to record and play their own music.

They were a bit successful until "Head". Unfortunately, since they weren't really ever tied together by the same vision or goals, they drifted apart.

Darth_Lukecash: Funny part of the Monkeys was that while they were the first "boy band" they also rebelled against their TV creators. Mike, Mickey, Dave and Peter wanted to become a "real" band and fought hard and won the right to record and play their own music.

They were a bit successful until "Head". Unfortunately, since they weren't really ever tied together by the same vision or goals, they drifted apart.

Actually the first boy band was "New Kids on the Block"

John Buck 41: Was I that curmudgeonly?

Nah, it's just that you're revealing your age with a post like that. LAUGH, IT'S FUNNY! =P

/not really

Just last week I was just boring someone at work with the story behind the lyrics of "Zilch". Monkees were a weird band. My sisters loved them. Even as a kid, I knew they were pre-fabricated (a la today's boy bands) but there was an essence that was hard not to like.

Did you know that "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was written about West Orange, New Jersey?

oops - an extra "just" - clumsy Sunday night typing.

Funny.

Prefabricated or "manufactured" music forty years ago blows away all the current pop-mainstream garbage today.

BKITU: John Buck 41: Was I that curmudgeonly?

Nah, it's just that you're revealing your age with a post like that. LAUGH, IT'S FUNNY! =P

/not really

Well, it was a little funny.

Freschel: Darth_Lukecash: Funny part of the Monkeys was that while they were the first "boy band" they also rebelled against their TV creators. Mike, Mickey, Dave and Peter wanted to become a "real" band and fought hard and won the right to record and play their own music.

They were a bit successful until "Head". Unfortunately, since they weren't really ever tied together by the same vision or goals, they drifted apart.

Actually the first boy band was "New Kids on the Block"

Band? No. Group.

craigdamage: Funny.

Prefabricated or "manufactured" music forty years ago blows away all the current pop-mainstream garbage today.

Well yeah, back then they were trying to rip off the Beatles, now they try to rip off New Kids on the Block. The first clone of genius is liable to be better than the twelfth clone of shiat. And besides, the Monkees evolved well beyond the Beatles comparisons and took things in some different directions. Try saying the same for N*Sync.

Freschel: Actually the first boy band was "New Kids on the Block"

Oh, jeez. You never heard of Menudo, Musical Youth, The DeFranco Family, The Osmond Brothers, or the Jackson Five, huh?

And that's just off the top of my head.

OK, fine, the DeFrancos had a girl or two, and so did the Osmonds and Jacksons (eventually), but Menudo has been cycling young teen boys in and out of the group for forty years now.

And if you're just focusing on the "manufactured" aspect of the group, then you're missing out on The Partridge Family, Captain Kool and the Kongs, The Archies, and a few dozen others that happened in the 60s and 70s.

By the time New Kids on the Block came along, the whole shtick was pretty old.

Epossumondas: peachy92: Just from reading the headline, I figured it was "Randy Scouse Git." Weird, but entrancing song.

Great song, but for entrancing try "Goin' Down". If I listen to it once, then I listen at least 3 times in a row, much to the angst of my chil'ren.

Thanks to you and the monkeemitter BKITU.I had never heard that or the submitted song and I like them both. Not what I think of when I think of The Monkees but very cool.

lokisbong:

Thanks to you and the monkeemitter BKITU.I had never heard that or the submitted song and I like them both. Not what I think of when I think of The Monkees but very cool.


The monkees recorded at least 20 great songs. Beyond the obvious hits (Daydream Believer, Stepping Stone, etc), make sure you check out...

Porpoise Song
Daily, Nightly
Papa Gene's Blues
Love is Only Sleeping
Words
Vallerie
Cuddly Toy
Star Collector
Sweet Young Thing
and of course Auntie Grezelda.

The Monkees do deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame, if only for Pleasant Valley Sunday.

LOVED Mike's big yawn in the background about 1/2 way thru.

I remember building this and having it on the TV table while watching the show.



Zilch is still my fav.

ZeroCorpse: Freschel: Actually the first boy band was "New Kids on the Block"

Oh, jeez. You never heard of Menudo, Musical Youth, The DeFranco Family, The Osmond Brothers, or the Jackson Five, huh?

And that's just off the top of my head.

OK, fine, the DeFrancos had a girl or two, and so did the Osmonds and Jacksons (eventually), but Menudo has been cycling young teen boys in and out of the group for forty years now.

And if you're just focusing on the "manufactured" aspect of the group, then you're missing out on The Partridge Family, Captain Kool and the Kongs, The Archies, and a few dozen others that happened in the 60s and 70s.

By the time New Kids on the Block came along, the whole shtick was pretty old.

Yes I heard of these groups. They are not boy bands. I never heard of the the phrase "boy band" used before "The New Kids on the Block" came out. They are the group that started the boy band phenomenal.

/BTW you got one group right, "Menudo" is a boy band. Yes they were there after TNKB started.
//Definiton of boy band is when a group of no talent hacks sing and wiggle their ass on stage.
///Jackson 5 had some of their members play their own instruments.

Freschel Definiton of boy band is when a group of no talent hacks sing and wiggle their ass on stage.

You just gave the definition of a group. Specifically, a vocal group. Not, repeat, not a band.

The original version of "Mommy and Daddy" has more balls than most of the protest songs of the '60s. Just sayin'.

Gangway Fathead: lokisbong:

Thanks to you and the monkeemitter BKITU.I had never heard that or the submitted song and I like them both. Not what I think of when I think of The Monkees but very cool.


The monkees recorded at least 20 great songs. Beyond the obvious hits (Daydream Believer, Stepping Stone, etc), make sure you check out...

Porpoise Song
Daily, Nightly
Papa Gene's Blues
Love is Only Sleeping
Words
Vallerie
Cuddly Toy
Star Collector
Sweet Young Thing
and of course Auntie Grezelda.

The Monkees were awesome, prefab or not. As the years roll by, I have found that they remain one of my favourite 60's bands, right up there with CCR. Their catalog has aged very well compared to, say, The Doors. It didn't hurt to have people like Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond and Boyce/Hart writing songs for you... but Mike Nesmith was no slouch either.

Some more good Monkees' songs...

(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
Shades of Gray
She
You Just May Be The One
What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
Last Train to Clarksville
Circle Sky

and, of course Pleasant Valley Sunday



/naugahyde

Bolo Jungle: Even as a kid, I knew they were pre-fabricated (a la today's boy bands) but there was an essence that was hard not to like.

I liked the show for the humor but you could also enjoy most of the music as well. They always seemed to have more fun goofing on the cheesy scripts than trying to play it as written and that little taste of "hey, WTF!" always brought a smile to my face. And the movie (Head) is pretty cool.

carmody: I love the Monkees. If you haven't seen their feature film Head, definitely check it out. It's a surreal satire of their experience being run through the TV/music industry machine like so much cheap steak through a mechanical tenderizer. Bonus: co-written/produced by Jack Nicholson, with appearances by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Frank Zappa, Teri Garr and Victor Mature!

I saw Head in the theater when it came out. One of my very earliest memories.

/old
//Hall Of Fame- sure why not?

I used to watch the Monkees and dance to the songs in my awesome white Monkee go-go boots. I wanted to have Goldie Hawn's job on Laugh-In when I grew up.

Now my life is just shattered dreams...

BKITU: Epossumondas: This is my favorite Monkees video, because of the way he covers his mouth to disguise terrible lip synching.

Hey, if you had a mouthful of scat you'd want to cover it up, too.

he should just swallow it

I was probably singing along to "The Four kings at EMI" when I was 10 and had no idea what he meant, but I still loved it.

Between this and "Daily Nightly," I could never buy into the "But They Don't Play Their Own Instruments or Write Their Own Songs(tm)" complaint. Sure, the Beatles write and play most of their own, but it's not like I listened to the Mamas and Papas or Paul Revere write and play most of their music when I heard them on the radio. Pre-Fab? Sure, I'll take them over any of the Pussycat Dolls' godawful crap anyday.

/No lawn, roughly same age as the PCDs.

I've always loved the fact that Jimi Hendrix was an opening act for one of their tours.

laststarfighter: I've always loved the fact that Jimi Hendrix was an opening act for one of their tours.

It was cause he just sucked!!!!!!

Oh and I support the videos cause of getting them in the RnR HOF, simply because madonna is in there and she doesnt belong at all.

Listen to the Band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4THhYv3vXN4

craigdamage: Funny.

Prefabricated or "manufactured" music forty years ago blows away all the current pop-mainstream garbage today.

To be fair, they had legendary songwriters to start out with, and then turned out to be good writers on their own.

Favorite part: Nesmith leting out a huge yawn around 1:20

/never was a team player, that guy