The Monkees

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The Monkees
Monkees-logo.svg

The Monkees, 1966
The Monkees, 1966
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
Davy Jones († 2012)
Vocals, drums
Micky Dolenz
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 DE CH CH UK UK US US
1966 The Monkees DE11 (4 weeks)
DE
- UK1 (37 weeks)
UK
US1
Quintuple platinum
× 5
Quintuple platinum

(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
Quintuple platinum
× 5
Quintuple platinum

(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
Double platinum
× 2
Double platinum

(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
Double platinum
× 2
Double platinum

(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
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 DE UK UK US US
1976 The Monkees Greatest Hits - - US58
platinum
platinum

(30 weeks)US
1986 Then & Now ... The Best of the Monkees - UK-
platinum
platinum
UK
US21st
platinum
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
gold

(10 weeks)UK
-
2001 The Definitive Monkees - UK15th
gold
gold

(7 weeks)UK
-
2003 The best of the Monkees - - US20th
gold
gold

(9 weeks)US
2012 I'm a Believer - The Best Of - UK84
silver
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

  • 1971: Barrel Full of Monkees (2 LPs)
  • 1972: Re-Focus
  • 1972: 25 hits of the Monkees
  • 1972: The Best of the Monkees
  • 1976: The Monkees
  • 1981: The Monkees
  • 1982: 20 Golden Greats
  • 1982: More Greatest Hits
  • 1982: Monkee Business ( Picture Disc )
  • 1983: Here Come the Monkees
  • 1984: The Monkees
  • 1984: Monkee Flips
  • 1984: Hey-Hey-It's the Monkees: 20 Smash Hits
  • 1985: Hit Factory (2 LPs)
  • 1987: Missing Links
  • 1988: Hey Hey We're the Monkees
  • 1988: The Monkees
  • 1990: Missing Links, Vol. 2
  • 1991: Listen to the Band (box with 4 CDs)
  • 1992: The ★ Collection - 25th Anniversary Edition
  • 1994: 18 Great Singles - Volume 1
  • 1994: Hey-Hey-It's the Monkees 16 smash hits
  • 1995: Greatest Hits (US:goldgold)
  • 1996: I'm a Believer - Best
  • 1996: A Barrelful of Monkees (songs for children)
  • 1996: Missing Links, Volume Three
  • 1997: I'm a Believer and Other Hits
  • 1998: Daydream Believer and Other Hits
  • 1998: Anthology (2 CDs)
  • 2001: Music Box (4 CDs)
  • 2001: The Definitive Monkees (also as a limited double CD) (UK:goldgold)
  • 2002: The Essentials
  • 2003: Daydream Believer (UK:silversilver)
  • 2003: The Best of the Monkees
  • 2005: The Platinum Collection
  • 2005: The Platinum Collection Volume 2
  • 2005: Daydream Believer - The Collection
  • 2007: The Works - A 3 CD Retrospective (3 CDs)
  • 2007: Last Train to Clarksville and Other Hits
  • 2007: The Monkees (Collector's Edition) (Box with 3 CDs)
  • 2009: Original Album Series (box with 5 CDs)
  • 2014: The Monkees (box with 3 CDs)
  • 2016: Forever

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements=
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK US USTemplate: chart table / maintenance / charts non-existent
1966 Last Train to Clarksville
The Monkees
DE29 (4 weeks)
DE
- - UK23 (7 weeks)
UK
US1
gold
gold

(15 weeks)US
I'm a Believer
More of the Monkees
DE1 (18 weeks)
DE
AT1 (16 weeks)
AT
- UK1
gold
gold

(18 weeks)UK
US1
gold
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
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
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
gold

(18 weeks)UK
US1
gold
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
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

  • 1967: (Theme From) The Monkees
  • 1969: Daddy's Song
  • 1969: Mommy and Daddy
  • 1970: Hey Hey with the Monkees
  • 1971: Do It in the Name of Love (Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones)
  • 1983: Steam Engine
  • 1986: Christmas Is My Time of Year (We Three Monkees)
  • 1987: Heart and Soul
  • 1987: Every Step of the Way
  • 2007: Daydream Believer (Alternate Mix)
  • 2010: St. Matthew (Acoustic Version)
  • 2010: Porpoise Song (Instrumental Mix)
  • 2011: Circle Sky (Live)
  • 2011: I Go Ape (Acetate Version)
  • 2013: Good Clean Fun (Alternate Mix)

Awards for music sales

Golden record

  • JapanJapan Japan
    • 2014: for the single Daydream Believer
  • CanadaCanada 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 record icon.svg silver Gold record icon.svg gold Platinum record icon.svg platinum Sales swell
Awards for music sales
(country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Japan (RIAJ) Japan (RIAJ) 0! S.- Gold record icon.svg gold1 0! P- 100,000 riaj.or.jp
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) 0! S.- Gold record icon.svg gold1 0! P- 50,000 musiccanada.com
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) 0! S.- Gold record icon.svg 8 × gold8th Platinum record icon.svg 17 × platinum17th 24,000,000 riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI) United Kingdom (BPI) Silver record icon.svg 2 × silver2 Gold record icon.svg 5 × gold5 Platinum record icon.svg platinum1 1,320,000 bpi.co.uk
All in all Silver record icon.svg 2 × silver2 Gold record icon.svg 15 × gold15th Platinum record icon.svg 18 × platinum18th

literature

Web links

Commons : The Monkees  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ^ Julia Edenhofer: The Great Oldie Lexicon . Bastei-Lübbe, 1991, ISBN 3-404-60288-9 , p. 427.
  2. ^ Joseph Murrells: Million Selling Records . 1985, p. 226
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, ISBN 0-8230-7690-3 .
  4. Search mask, "Monkees" everyhit.com
  5. ^ Hit balance sheet, German Chart Singles 1956–1980 . Taurus-Press, ISBN 3-922542-24-7
  6. ^ 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
  7. a b c Chart sources: Singles Albums DE UK US1 US2
  8. a b The Billboard album by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .