Monkeemania: 4 Days 'til the Monkees Concert

I had just recently crashed into the proverbial wall known to most as Writers' Block. I had this great idea for an alternate universe starring a popular quarterback going slightly insane... but it's been derailed by how I want to write it. It put me in such a stall that I didn't have any other ideas to get me out of this ditch. But then I realized that there's less than a week left until the big Monkees concert in Cupertino... and I realized I can write about my total excitement for the upcoming show.


I know it's weird calling this a nostalgic blast from the past, since I wasn't even born during the original airings of the shows and releases of their albums, but the 80s came, MTV and Nickelodeon put on reruns, and I was swept by the Monkeemania wave. My first "album" was their second album "More of the Monkees" on cassette. I don't know where that cassette went to... I don't know if it got lost at school or at home, but I was devastated when I lost it.

A couple of years later, I upgraded to CD's and would get Arista's version of "The Best of the Monkees," which had "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", one of their more popular B-sides.

The first 'real' album I got was a gift from my mom... and she just got any album and got their last album "Changes." At this point, the Monkees were reduced to two (Mickey and Davy) since Peter left after the movie, and Mike left after two albums of the Monkees being a trio. None of the songs off these albums are known by casual fans who only know their greatest hits. My favorite songs were actually bonus selections not originally on the initial release, added for the CD. "Time and Time Again" is definitely my favorite off this CD... off the original album, I dig "99 Pounds," "Midnight Train," and "I Never Thought It Peculiar."

The third CD I got was coincidentally the Monkees' third album, and the REAL topic of this post: Headquarters.

When I first heard of the concert, I immediately asked my co-worker Bernadette in complete excitement and asked if she wanted to go. She said she definitely wanted to see it and was bringing her husband well. After a Facebook call to all my friends, another friend of mine back from high school and college joined to have a four-person party. I didn't care what they were playing... as long as I was with friends, they could be playing their greatest hits and not even bother with the deep cuts. All I cared about was Michael Nesmith coming back was touring with them, giving me a second chance after I missed out the first time.

A couple of weeks ago, I found out that, like most bands, they were going to play an album of theirs from beginning to end. When I saw Weezer this year, it was Pinkerton and other hits; when it was Jimmy Eat World, they played Bleed American and other hits. For The Monkees, this tour is going to focus on Headquarters.

Headquarters had been my favorite Monkees favorite album for well over a decade, from the time I received it back in the 8th grade to the time Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Limited took over as my favorite... and I'll admit at times Headquarters wins me over from time to time. So when I heard that, not only was I really happy they were going to focus on one of my favorite albums, it also made perfect sense.

You see, The Monkees had been criticized for not playing their own instruments and not writing their own music. That's right, Young! I fucking said it. You don't have to constantly remind me! Well, part of it was true. The musicwriting duo of Boyce and Hart wrote most of their songs from the first two albums, and their producer Don Kirshner had studio musicians work on their songs, even though Nesmith and Tork could play pretty well. But this album changed things. After the controversy, they wanted to play their own music in the studio. They wanted to be legit, despite being formed purely for a TV show. They first started the 'revolution' for this album. They began working as a band, writing the music, and playing their instruments. And I fucking love them for it.

For the longest time, "You Told Me" was my favorite track off the album. I don't know... there was something about it that I just really liked. Maybe this song was the stepping stone (ha! Monkees reference) to me appreciating Michael Nesmith as a singer. At that time, I never really paid attention that it was kind of a breakup song at a time I had never been with anyone. I just liked it because it sounded cool.

When I became older... and had my heart broken way  more times than I'd like to admit, I'd listen to this album. Like most songs from the '60s, it was all about love... either being with someone or breaking up with them or wanting to get with someone. I mainly fit the latter... all the time. And well, there were no songs about rejection... so breakup songs became rejection songs... and for me "Forget That Girl" fit the bill. Sure, Weezer and Offspring and the Foo Fighters and other rock bands filled in for The Monkees when it came to that kind of stuff, but this was my bag for the longest time.

But it wasn't always about heartbreak and being sad. I had hope. "Sunny Girlfriend," "You Just May Be The One," and "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" cheered me up in that aspect.

And then there was "Shades of Gray." This was on the Arista's Greatest Hits compilation and since I didn't know which song was on what album, this was my first favorite song off this album.

When Rhino Records were re-releasing The Monkees albums on CD, they were adding songs to the album that were either an alternate version of previous songs or different B-sides that never made it to the LPs. My two favorite songs off the songs that weren't on the original album but was on the CD were an alternate cut to "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" sang by Michael Nesmith (there is the more common version that sounds completely different and is sung by Mickey Dolenz.)

... and an alternate version of "All Of Your Toys" sang by Mickey.

There's this version of "Nine Times Blue" that Michael does on the additional tracks that I really like, but I all ready feel like I've loaded this post with so many videos anyway... so I'll link it.

I know I'm forgetting to put the rest of the songs on here... a lot of good songs like "Randy Scouse Git" and "Early Morning Blues and Greens" and "Mr. Webster" (the story told in this song can probably relate to a lot of people who have worked for their company for a long time without getting much in return and doing something about it)... and seriously, I can't wait to hear "Randy Scouse Git" live because I heard Mickey's modern take of the song, and it sounds really good... but I can't help but recommend giving this album a listen.

I'll close this post off with the end theme to the TV show during their second show. If I ever got off my lazy ass and wrote an awesome TV show that went on for several seasons, I would totally parodize give tribute to this ending with the same song... just because. Hopefully I'll feel inspired to write more during the countdown to the concert... and maybe talk about more songs I want to hear.