The Monkees

The Monkees were a made for television band that became a real band. In 1965 an ad was created requesting four young men to star in a television comedy about a struggling band. It was basically America’s answer to the Beatles. The four chosen were Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith, which created diverse mix of acting and musical talents. The issue with having real musical ability was that the Monkees were created to be only a fake television band. The boys were not allowed to play their own instruments or write their own songs. They were simply required to do the vocals and act in the show. This lack of power very quickly created tension between the boys and the producers of the show, especially as their record sales increased. 

In 1966 the producers of The Monkees realize that by touring the band a great deal of popularity and money could be gained as well as giving the boys a chance to perform the music themselves. The idea of touring sounded like a win-win situation but it was just another problem. The filming of the television show took up so much time that the band had very little time to rehearse. Besides that, three of them knew how to play the guitar and none of them knew much about playing the drums. The instrumental arrangement for each member was already predetermined anyway. In the show, each boy had already been assigned to an instrument and because it was best to keep up appearances the band would have to play the same instrument. 

Nevertheless, the band still did okay. To the show’s fans the concerts were great. To any music critic the concerts were rough and not even close to perfect but still not a complete catastrophe even though there were certainly problems. Issues were still arising with contracts and the band wanting to do their own music entirely themselves. These issues are a big part of what ended the show after only the second season. Even after the show ended the Monkees stuck together and prove their worth as a real band. Unfortunately, differences about how the music should be played and what kind of music should be played caused their original run as a band to be short lived. There have been several reunions over the years and even recent releases of new material.

While many critics still gawk at one of music’s first “arranged” band, the Monkees have proved themselves worthy of being considered a real genuine band.  

Listening Recommendations:

• Pleasant Valley Sunday

• Listen to the Band

• Zor and Zam