The Monkees
The Monkees | |
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The Monkees, 1966 |
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General information | |
Genre (s) | Pop , rock , beat |
founding | 1965, 1986, 1993, 2001 |
resolution | 1971, 1989, 1997, 2002 |
Website | www.monkees.net |
Last occupation | |
Michael Nesmith | |
Singing, percussion
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Davy Jones († 2012) |
Vocals, drums
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Micky Dolenz |
Vocals, electric bass , keyboard
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Peter Tork († 2019) |
The Monkees was a US pop-rock - band , that of the same name in the 1960s, the center television series was and could achieve as well as numerous singles chart success. The television series ran from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1968 on NBC .
history
On September 8, 1965, an ad appeared in celebrity magazine Variety and other magazines seeking "four crazy boys aged 17-21" for a television show. This show, planned as a series, was supposed to portray the adventures of an unknown, young, long-haired and modernly dressed beat group with their dreams of fame and success. These dreams should come true. Micky Dolenz (drums, vocals), Peter Tork (e-bass, vocals), Michael Nesmith (guitar, vocals) and David “Davy” Jones (percussion, vocals) were selected from the 437 applicants . Only two of the band members had appeared as actors on television: Micky Dolenz, who played a circus boy as a child star in the youth series Corky and the Circus ( Circus Boy , 1956), and Davy Jones, who, among other things, played a circus boy in the British series Coronation Street and one Broadway performance of the musical Oliver! had contributed.
The American music publisher , producer and promoter Don Kirshner put the band in recording studios for two months to teach them the basic skills. As early as October 1965 they received a record deal with his newly founded record label Colgems . But not because they had convinced the record managers of their vocal or instrumental abilities, but because they were needed as a group for the TV series that was to start on NBC on September 12, 1966 . The sitcom was the title according to the script The Monkees wear, and so it made sense to also mention the artificially assembled troops that way. The composing team Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote some songs for the series . The Monkees initially limited themselves to the vocals, while the studio band The Candy Store Prophets recorded the music.
On September 12, 1966, the first of 58 series episodes ran. Shortly before, on August 16, 1966, with good timing and an extensive advertising campaign, the Monkees' first single, Last Train to Clarksville , penned by Boyce and Hart , was released. It rose to number 67 in the pop charts on September 10, 1966 and reached first place on November 5, benefiting from the parallel TV series. It was followed by I'm a Believer , written by Neil Diamond , which was number one in the US, UK and Germany.
More hits followed, including Daydream Believer penned by John Stewart. For the individual episodes, the Monkees received 450 US dollars each in the first season . From the second season, her salary rose to $ 750 per episode. Despite the success in the music market, the band members had big problems with their further portrayals in the TV series, where they had to act as silly morons. In addition, they strove - especially Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork - to be able to present pieces they had composed themselves and to make a name for themselves not only as actors but also as musicians. The latter was difficult because it quickly became known that other musicians had contributed to the recordings.
In 1968 in Germany, the group received the bronze Bravo Otto from the youth magazine Bravo behind the Bee Gees and the Beatles . In the fall of 1968, the television series was discontinued and in December Tork left the band. On November 30, 1969, the group gave their farewell concert.
Davy Jones died of a heart attack on February 29, 2012 at the age of 66, and Peter Tork on February 21, 2019 of complications from cancer.
Remakes and post fame
In 1987 Columbia Pictures tried to build on the success of the old series under the title New Monkees . The series was canceled after 13 episodes.
Michael Nesmith later became one of the founders of MTV . In 1997 he made a revival film called Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees , which shows the original band members in their television roles after 30 years still looking for success. This hour-long film is the fictional episode 781 of the original series and the authors are "slowly" running out of ideas for new plots. Three music videos from the Justus album from 1996 were shown and a medley of all known Monkees pieces played.
The director Neill Fearnley filmed the story of the origins of the band as a feature film in 2000 under the title Fleeting Fame - The Monkees Story (Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story) . One scene shows a person painting over notes with a liquid called Liquid Paper in the USA (comparable to Tipp-Ex in Germany ). The liquid was invented by Michael Nesmith's mother .
The Monkees got at 6679 Hollywood Blvd. a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | CH | UK | US | |||
1966 | The Monkees |
DE11 (4 weeks) DE |
- |
UK1 (37 weeks) UK |
US1 × 5
(102 weeks)US |
in US in 1966 (78 weeks) and 1986 (24 weeks, number 92) in the charts
|
1967 | More of the Monkees |
DE16 (16 weeks) DE |
- |
UK1 (25 weeks) UK |
US1 × 5
(96 weeks)US |
in US in 1967 (70 weeks) and 1986 (26 weeks, number 96) in the charts
|
Headquarters |
DE29 (12 weeks) DE |
- |
UK2 (19 weeks) UK |
US1 × 2
(68 weeks)US |
in US in 1967 (51 weeks) and 1986 (17 weeks, number 121) in the charts
|
|
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. |
DE18 (12 weeks) DE |
- |
UK5 (11 weeks) UK |
US1 × 2
(64 weeks)US |
in US in 1967 (47 weeks) and 1986 (17 weeks, number 124) in the charts
|
|
1968 | The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees |
DE28 (4 weeks) DE |
- | - |
US3
platinum
(50 weeks)US |
in US in 1968 (39 weeks) and 1986 (11 weeks, number 145) in the charts
|
1969 | Head | - | - | - |
US45 (15 weeks) US |
|
Instant replay | - | - | - |
US32 (15 weeks) US |
||
The Monkees Present | - | - | - |
US100 (14 weeks) US |
||
1986 | Changes | - | - | - |
US152 (4 weeks) US |
Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones
First published: 1970 |
1987 | Pool It | - | - | - |
US72 (9 weeks) US |
|
2016 | Good times! | - |
CH57 (1 week) CH |
UK29 (1 week) UK |
US14 (4 weeks) US |
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More albums
- 1988: Talk Downunder
- 1996: Justus
- 2000: Headquarters Sessions
Live albums
- 1987: Live 1967
- 2001: Summer 1967 - The Complete US Concert Recordings (Box with 4 CDs)
- 2002: MonkeeMania 2002 Live in Toronto
- 2003: Live Summer Tour
- 2003: Extended Versions: The Encore Collection
Compilations
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | UK | US | |||
1976 | The Monkees Greatest Hits | - | - |
US58
platinum
(30 weeks)US |
|
1986 | Then & Now ... The Best of the Monkees | - |
UK-
platinum
UK
|
US21st
platinum
(34 weeks)US |
|
1989 | Hey Hey It's the Monkees - Greatest Hits | - |
UK12 (9 weeks) UK |
- | |
1997 | Here They Come… The Greatest Hits of the Monkees | - |
UK15th
gold
(10 weeks)UK |
- | |
2001 | The Definitive Monkees | - |
UK15th
gold
(7 weeks)UK |
- | |
2003 | The best of the Monkees | - | - |
US20th
gold
(9 weeks)US |
|
2012 | I'm a Believer - The Best Of | - |
UK84
silver
(1 week)UK |
- | |
Flashback with the Monkees | - | - |
US125 (6 weeks) US |
||
Monkeemania - The Very Best Of | - |
UK70 (2 weeks) UK |
- | ||
2013 | The Monkees Present (Deluxe Box Set 2013) | - | - |
US174 (1 week) US |
More compilations
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Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements= (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1966 | Last Train to Clarksville The Monkees |
DE29 (4 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK23 (7 weeks) UK |
US1
gold
(15 weeks)US |
|
I'm a Believer More of the Monkees |
DE1 (18 weeks) DE |
AT1 (16 weeks) AT |
- |
UK1
gold
(18 weeks)UK |
US1
gold
(15 weeks)US |
||
(I'm Not Your) Steppin 'Stone More of the Monkees |
- | - | - | - |
US20 (8 weeks) US |
||
1967 | A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You Greatest Hits |
DE7 (10 weeks) DE |
AT4 (8 weeks) AT |
- |
UK3 (12 weeks) UK |
US2
gold
(10 weeks)US |
|
The Girl I Knew Somewhere More of the Monkees |
- | - | - | - |
US39 (5 weeks) US |
||
Alternate Title (Randy Scouse Git) The Monkees (1981) |
DE11 (12 weeks) DE |
AT14 (4 weeks) AT |
- |
UK2 (12 weeks) UK |
- | ||
Pleasant Valley Sunday Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. |
DE18 (2 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK11 (8 weeks) UK |
US3
gold
(10 weeks)US |
||
Words Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. |
- | - | - | - |
US11 (9 weeks) US |
||
Mary, Mary More of the Monkees |
- |
AT13 (4 weeks) AT |
- | - | - | ||
Daydream Believer The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees |
DE4 (16 weeks) DE |
AT7 (8 weeks) AT |
CH10 (1 week) CH |
UK5
gold
(18 weeks)UK |
US1
gold
(16 weeks)US |
||
1968 | Valleri The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees |
DE11 (8 weeks) DE |
AT20 (4 weeks) AT |
- |
UK12 (8 weeks) UK |
US3
gold
(10 weeks)US |
|
Tapioca Tundra The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees |
- | - | - | - |
US34 (6 weeks) US |
||
DW Washburn The Monkees (1976) |
- | - | - |
UK17 (6 weeks) UK |
US19 (7 weeks) US |
||
It's Nice to Be with You The Monkees (1976) |
- | - | - | - |
US51 (7 weeks) US |
||
Porpoise Song Head |
- | - | - | - |
US62 (6 weeks) US |
||
1969 | Teardrop City Instant Replay |
- | - | - |
UK44 (1 week) UK |
US56 (7 weeks) US |
|
Someday Man The Monkees (1976) |
- | - | - |
UK47 (1 week) UK |
US81 (2 weeks) US |
||
Listen to the Band The Monkees Present |
- | - | - | - |
US63 (8 weeks) US |
||
Good Clean Fun The Monkees Present |
- | - | - | - |
US82 (5 weeks) US |
||
1970 | Oh my my changes |
- | - | - | - |
US98 (2 weeks) US |
|
1980 | The Monkees EP |
- | - | - |
UK33 (12 weeks) UK |
- | |
1986 | That Was Then This Is Now Then & Now… The Best of the Monkees |
- | - | - |
UK68 (4 weeks) UK |
US20 (14 weeks) US |
Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork
|
1987 | Heart and Soul Pool It! |
- | - | - | - |
US87 (4 weeks) US |
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More singles
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Awards for music sales
-
Japan
- 2014: for the single Daydream Believer
-
Canada
- 1986: for the album Then & Now… The Best of the Monkees
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
Country / Region | silver | gold | platinum | Sales | swell |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
|||||
Japan (RIAJ) | - | gold1 | - | 100,000 | riaj.or.jp |
Canada (MC) | - | gold1 | - | 50,000 | musiccanada.com |
United States (RIAA) | - | 8 × gold8th | 17 × platinum17th | 24,000,000 | riaa.com |
United Kingdom (BPI) | 2 × silver2 | 5 × gold5 | platinum1 | 1,320,000 | bpi.co.uk |
All in all | 2 × silver2 | 15 × gold15th | 18 × platinum18th |
literature
- Julia Edenhofer : The Great Oldie Lexicon . Bastei-Lübbe, 1991, ISBN 3-404-60288-9 .
- Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul . 3rd revised edition. St. Martin's Press, New York City 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 468-470.
Web links
- The Monkees at Allmusic (English)
- The Monkees at Discogs (English)
- The Monkees in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- New Monkees in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Monkees website
- The Monkees Rhino Records Page
- Discography at 45cat.com
swell
- ^ Julia Edenhofer: The Great Oldie Lexicon . Bastei-Lübbe, 1991, ISBN 3-404-60288-9 , p. 427.
- ^ Joseph Murrells: Million Selling Records . 1985, p. 226
- ^ Joel Whitburn: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, ISBN 0-8230-7690-3 .
- ↑ Search mask, "Monkees" everyhit.com
- ^ Hit balance sheet, German Chart Singles 1956–1980 . Taurus-Press, ISBN 3-922542-24-7
- ^ Text and music by John Stewart; Producer: Chip Taylor; US catalog number: Colgems 1012; For more information on the title, see: Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. Billboard Publications, New York City 1992, p. 233
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: Singles Albums DE UK US1 US2
- ↑ a b The Billboard album by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .