20,000 vinyl LPs 313: The Monkees ~ The Monkees

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The Monkees ~ The Monkees

vinyl LP front cover detail

front cover photo by Bernard Yeszin

detail photo of album cover by Styrous® 

 

Sixty years ago today, on October 10, 1966, the self-titled debut album from The Monkees was released and a pseudo rock group was made real. I enjoyed watching the kooky group on TV and only found out much later they did not play their own music.           

The Monkees ~ The Monkees

vinyl LP front cover

front cover photo by Bernard Yeszin

photo of album cover by Styrous®

The album was recorded in several separate sessions around Los Angeles from July 5–25, 1966. Early sessions were produced by the trio of Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart (Boyce and Hart) and Jack Keller; later sessions were produced by Boyce and Hart. Michael Nesmith produced two sessions scheduled around the work done by Boyce, Hart, and Keller.     

The Monkees were not permitted by their management to function as a working band for this album. Although the album cover credits the band as playing instruments (drums for Dolenz; guitar for the other three members), the group's actual contributions were limited almost entirely to vocal tracks. Eight of the original LP's twelve tracks feature one lone Monkee singing lead vocal over instrumentation and backing vocals recorded entirely by a group of session musicians which varies from song to song. Other tracks feature multiple Monkees singing over session players; only on the two tracks produced by Michael Nesmith does a Monkee (Peter Tork) get to play an instrument (guitar). (Nesmith wrote or co-wrote these two tracks.) No tracks on the original LP feature participation from all four Monkees.

 

 

The Monkees ~ The Monkees

vinyl LP back cover

photos by Bernard Yeszin

photo of album cover by Styrous®

 

It was the first of four consecutive U.S. number one albums for the group, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, after which it was displaced by the band's second album, More of The Monkees. It also topped the UK charts in 1967. The Monkees has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of over five million copies.       

The song Last Train to Clarksville, the group's first big hit, was released as a single shortly before the release of the album and went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the only hit single from the album.      

       

The Monkees ~ The Monkees

vinyl LP labels, side 1 & 2

detail photos by Styrous®

 

   

Tracklist:
       
Side 1:

        

A1 - (Theme From) The Monkees, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:20
A2 - Saturday's Child, written by Gates* - 2:44
A3 - I Wanna Be Free, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:24
A4 - Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day, written by Venet*, Boyce* - 2:33
A5 - Papa Gene's Blues, written by Nesmith* - 1:55
A6 - Take A Giant Step, written by King-Goffin* - 2:32

       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Last Train To Clarksville, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:40
B2 - This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:08
B3 - Let's Dance On, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:30
B4 - I'll Be True To You, written by Goffin*, Titelman* - 2:48
B5 - Sweet Young Thing, written by King-Goffin*, Nesmith* - 1:54
B6 - Gonna Buy Me A Dog, written by Boyce-Hart* - 2:38
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Manufactured By – RCA
    Distributed By – RCA
    Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Rockaway
    Published By – Screen Gems-Columbia Music, Inc.
    Copyright © – Radio Corporation Of America
       
Credits:
       
    Coordinator [Music] – Emil LaViola, Lester Sill
    Drums, Vocals – Micky Dolenz
    Guitar, Vocals – David Jones*, Mike Nesmith*, Peter Tork
    Photography By – Bernard Yeszin
    Producer – Tommy Boyce-Bobby Hart* (tracks: A1 to A4, A6, B1 to B4, B6), Jack Keller (tracks: A1, A2, B2 to B4), Michael Nesmith (tracks: A5, B5)
    Supervised By [Music] – Don Kirshner
       
Notes:
       
© 1966 Radio Corporation of America

1st Stereo pressing

Track A5 listed as "Papa Jean's Blues" on sleeve & label

       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
       
    Matrix / Runout (A Side Stamped): TZRS--4689--4S B1 R
    Matrix / Runout (B Side Stamped): TZRS--4690--1S A2 R

 

The Monkees – The Monkees
Label: Colgems – COS-101
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Misprint
Country: US
Released: Oct 10, 1966
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock

         

Viewfinder links:        

        

Boyce and Hart         

Micky Dolenz        

Davy Jones         

Jack Keller        

The Monkees        

Michael Nesmith         

Peter Tork       

        

Net links:        

        

         

        

        

         

        

        

YouTube links:        

        

(Theme From) The Monkees        

Saturday's Child         

I Wanna Be Free            

Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day          

Papa Gene's Blues         

Take A Giant Step         

Last Train To Clarksville   

This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day         

Let's Dance On          

I'll Be True To You              

Sweet Young Thing       

Gonna Buy Me A Dog   

        

         

        

         

"The Monkees are like the mafia. 

You're in for life. Nobody gets out."

              ~ Davy Jones 

 

         

          

        

Styrous® ~ Sunday, October 10, 2021       
       

 

 

 

 

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