The Monkees
The Monkees |
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The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. The show, which ran from 1966 to 1968, helped make them one of the 1960s' most popular music acts.
The Monkees disbanded in 1970, but several reunions and semi-reunions have since taken place. The Monkees last worked together in 2001.
History of the series
The television show first aired on September 12, 1966 on the NBC television network and lasted for two seasons (58 episodes). The final primetime episode ran on September 9, 1968 (see List of The Monkees episodes). Modeled on The Beatles' theatrical films A Hard Day's Night and Help!, The Monkees featured the antics and music of a fictional pop-rock group. Due to the massive success of the records, and the public's expectations, the four Monkees became a real pop group. The series was sponsored by Kellogg's Cereals and Yardley Cosmetics of London. After leaving NBC, the program would later be rerun on both CBS and ABC on weekend mornings. Michael Nesmith is the son of Bette Nesmith Graham, the inventor of Liquid Paper.
The four young men who became The Monkees were British-born David Thomas ("Davy") Jones (percussion/vocals/guitar), Hollywood native George Michael ("Micky") Dolenz Jr. (drums/guitar/vocals), Texan Robert Michael ("Mike"/"Wool Hat") Nesmith (guitar/vocals/keyboards), and Peter Halsten ("Peter Tork") Thorkelson (bass/keyboards/vocals), who had lived with his family in both the eastern United States and Canada.
They were cast after ads were placed in trade publications like Variety calling for "folk & roll musicians" to play "4 insane boys" on a new television series. 437 hopeful actors and musicians auditioned for the parts; a then relatively unknown Stephen Stills was short-listed for a role, but lost out because producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider felt he looked too old for the part, and because he did not want to lose his music publishing rights to Screen Gems. Stills referred friend and former roommate Tork to audition. (False rumors have circulated that Charles Manson also auditioned. He was incarcerated at the time.)
Nesmith (releasing pre-Monkees singles as "Michael Blessing") and Tork (part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village) were both professional musicians. Dolenz (who starred in the 1950s series Circus Boy) and Jones (who appeared with the cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of The Beatles' debut on live American TV) were better known as actors, but both also had musical and recording experience. Jones, who had a solo album to his credit, had performed in musical theatre in England as well as in Broadway theatre in New York. Dolenz had sung and played guitar in Los Angeles area bar bands. However, only the Monkees' voices were used on the group's initial recordings, with the music provided by session players.
All four Monkees were trained in both improvisational comedy and stage presence as a group before the pilot episode was filmed, so that they could look and act like a cohesive band. Each was given a different personality to portray: Dolenz the funny one, Nesmith the smart and serious one, Tork the naive one, and Jones the cute one. Their characters were loosely based on their real selves, with the exception of Tork, who was actually a quiet intellectual. Choosing someone to play the drummer proved tricky; Nesmith and Tork did not want to give up their guitars, and the 5' 3" Davy Jones nearly vanished behind the drums. Dolenz ultimately took the job, and began drum lessons. (According to Rhino Records liner notes, by the time of the Monkees' first solo tour, Dolenz had had only a crash-course in drums. To this day, he still sets up his drum kit as if he were left-handed, as his drum teacher had been, although Dolenz is right-handed.)
The series was filmed by Columbia Pictures, the studio that made The Three Stooges short films from 1934 to 1958. Many of the same sets and props from the Three Stooges were used on The Monkees. A pair of pajamas with a bunny design on the front that had been worn in several shorts by Curly Howard was worn by Peter Tork in various episodes. [citation needed]
As a television show, The Monkees used techniques rarely seen on episodic television. This included characters breaking the fourth wall and talking to the camera (and sometimes even to off-camera studio production staff), fantasy sequences, and abrupt inserts and jump cuts. At least once a week, there was a musical romp which might have nothing to do with the storyline. In retrospect, many episodes included vignettes which now look very much like music videos: short, self-contained films of songs.
The 1965 pilot episode was co-written by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who later co-wrote the Mazursky-directed movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. Mazursky went on to direct such films as Harry and Tonto and Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Series producers Schneider and Rafelson also went on to movie careers, commencing with 1969's Easy Rider (co-produced with star Dennis Hopper). Rafelson would direct such films as Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens.
The Monkees won two Emmy Awards in 1967: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy (James Frawley). Frawley was nominated for the same award the following season.
Beyond television
During the filming of the second season, the band tired of scripts which they deemed monotonous and stale. They proposed switching the format of the series to become more like a variety show, with musical guests and live performances. This desire was partially fulfilled within some second season episodes, with guest stars like musicians Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley and Charlie Smalls (composer of The Wiz), performing on the show. However, NBC was not interested in eliminating the existing format, and the group had little desire to continue for a third season.
After the television show was cancelled, Rafelson directed the four Monkees in a feature film, Head, originally titled "Untitled." The film was executive-produced by Schneider and co-written and co-produced by Rafelson with a then relatively unknown actor named Jack Nicholson. Rumors abound that the title was chosen in case a sequel was made. The advertisements would supposedly have read: "From the people who gave you HEAD." [1]
Nicholson also assembled the film's soundtrack album. The film, conceived and edited in a stream of consciousness style, featured oddball cameo appearances by movie stars Victor Mature, Annette Funicello, a young Teri Garr, boxer Sonny Liston, famous stripper Carol Doda, and musician Frank Zappa. It was filmed in Screen Gems Studios and on location in California, Utah, and The Bahamas between February 19 and May 17, 1968 and premiered in New York City on November 6 of that year. (The film later debuted in Hollywood on November 20.)
Head was not a commercial success, in part because it was the antithesis of The Monkees television show, intended to comprehensively demolish the group's carefully-groomed public image. Rafelson and Nicholson's "Ditty Diego-War Chant" (recited at the start of the film by The Monkees), ruthlessly parodies Boyce and Hart's "Monkees Theme." A sparse advertising campaign (with no mention of The Monkees whatsoever) squelched any chances of the film doing well, and it played only briefly in nearly-empty cinemas.
Over the intervening years Head has developed a cult following for its innovative style and anarchic humor, and the soundtrack album (long out of print but now available in an expanded CD version) is counted among their most adventurous recordings. Members of The Monkees, Nesmith in particular, cite Head as one of the crowning achievements of the band.
From TV to stage
Critics of the Monkees complained that they were simply a "prefab," made-for-TV knockoff of the Beatles, but the Beatles didn't seem to mind. John Lennon was a fan of the show, publicly comparing its humor to The Marx Brothers. George Harrison complimented their self-produced musical efforts, saying "When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best." (Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison's Wonderwall Music, playing Paul McCartney's five-string banjo.) Longtime Beatles confidant Peter Shotton wrote in his book The Beatles, Lennon and Me, "The Monkees are what the Beatles pretend to be."
The massive success of the series and its spin-off records created intense pressure to mount a touring version of the group by late 1966. Against the initial wishes of the producers, Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork went out on the road. The results were far better than anyone had a right to expect, and wherever they went they were greeted by scenes of fan hysteria reminiscent of the Beatles. This gave the four stars increased confidence in their battle for creative control over the music chosen for the series.
The Monkees had complained that the producers would not allow them to play their own instruments on their records. This campaign eventually forced the series' musical coordinator Don Kirshner to let the group have more participation in the recording process (against his strong objections). This included Nesmith producing his own songs, and band members making some instrumental contributions. Led by Nesmith, the band eventually rebelled against Kirshner, who was later fired. Beginning with their third album, Headquarters (produced by Chip Douglas), the four Monkees wrote and played on much of their own material. However, they also continued to employ session musicians (including Louie Shelton, members of The Byrds and The Association, and Neil Young) throughout their recording career, especially when the group became estranged after Pieces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. and recorded most of their later songs separately.
Kirshner was reported to have been incensed by the group's unexpected rebellion. This experience led directly to his later venture The Archies, which was an animated series — the "stars" existed only on an animation cel and obviously could not seize creative control over the records issued under their name.
When the Monkees toured Britain in 1967, there was a major controversy over the revelation that the group did not play on their own records. The story made the front pages of several UK and international music papers, with the group derisively dubbed "The Pre-Fab Four." Nevertheless, they were generally welcomed by many top British stars, who realized the group included some skilled musicians and sympathized with their wish to have more control over their music.
Many Monkees fans argue that the controversy unfairly targeted the Monkees, while conveniently ignoring the fact that a number of leading British and American groups (including critical favorites such as The Byrds and The Beach Boys) habitually used session players on their recordings. This commonplace practice had previously passed without comment. However, the Beatles had led a wave of groups who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, and the Monkees' output paled by comparison. But both supporters and critics of the group agree that the producers and Kirshner had the good taste to use some of the best pop songwriters of the period, including Neil Diamond, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, as well as using top Los Angeles session musicians on the records.
The Monkees had several international hits which are still heard on pop and oldies stations. These include "I'm a Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
Screen Gems held the publishing rights to a wealth of great material, with the Monkees given first crack at many new songs. Their choices were not unerring; the band turned down "Sugar, Sugar," which became one of the biggest hits of 1969. (According to Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval, it is unlikely that the Monkees were ever offered Jeff Barry and Andy Kim's "Sugar, Sugar;" however, a backing track for the Sandy Linzer/Denny Randell song, "Sugar Man," was recorded for them in early 1967. This probably is the source of the confusion.) But the Monkees never had to record a song they truly disliked, as Dolenz affirmed on The Larry King Show in 1987. (They would sometimes lampoon songs during takes, though; their unserious version of "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" ended up being picked for the group's first album).
The Monkees also helped bring America's attention to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who they took on as an opening act during their Summer 1967 concert tour. Hendrix quit the tour after only a few shows. Reports circulated at the time that he had been removed after complaints from the conservative women's group Daughters of the American Revolution. This was later proved false, and it has since been revealed that the story was concocted for publicity purposes by Hendrix's camp; it has also been suggested that Hendrix's management deliberately picked an unsuitable tour to create public controversy. There is no doubt that Hendrix and his group were frustrated at appearing before audiences largely populated by youngsters, who had no interest or appreciation of their brand of musical innovation. During the performance of "Foxy Lady," though the crowd appeared to be singing along with Hendrix, they were in fact impatiently singing "Foxy Davy".
Six albums were produced with the original Monkees lineup, four of which went to Number 1 on the Billboard chart). This success was supplemented by a series of successful world concert tours. But tensions within the group were increasing, and Peter Tork quit shortly after the band's Far East tour in December 1968, after completing work on their 1969 NBC television special, 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee. Reduced to a trio, the remaining members went on to record Instant Replay and The Monkees Present. In March 1970, Nesmith left the group, leaving only Dolenz and Jones to record Changes as The Monkees. Eventually, Jones too departed, leaving Dolenz as the sole remaining recording Monkee. This marked the end of the first phase of The Monkees' recording career.
While the Monkees' recording career was eroding, their TV series was enjoying a resurgence on Saturday afternoon television on CBS from (September 1969–September 1972), and on ABC from (September 1972 - August 1973). The 58 episodes were then sold to local markets for syndication in September 1975, where they typically appeared on independent television stations on weekday afternoons.
In part because of this exposure to a new generation of young fans, The Monkees Greatest Hits charted in 1976. Dolenz and Jones took advantage of this, joining ex-Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart to tour the United States. As the "Golden Hits of the Monkees" show ("The Guys who Wrote 'Em and the Guys who Sang 'Em!"), they successfully performed in smaller venues such as state fairs and amusement parks, as well as making stops in Japan, Thailand and Singapore. They also released an album of new material as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart (they could not use the Monkees name due to legal reasons). Nesmith had not been interested in a reunion. Tork claimed later that he had not been asked, although a Christmas single (credited to Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork) was produced by Chip Douglas and released on his own label in 1976. The single featured Douglas' and Howard Kaylan's "Christmas Is My Time Of Year" (originally recorded by a 1960s supergroup, Christmas Spirit), with a B-side of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." (Douglas released a remixed version of the single, with additional overdubbed instruments, in 1986.) Tork also joined Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart on stage at Disneyland on July 4, 1976, and also joined Dolenz and Jones on stage at the Starwood in Hollywood, California in 1977.
Other semi-reunions occurred between 1970 and 1986. Peter Tork helped arrange a Micky Dolenz single, "Easy On You" / "Oh Someone" in 1971. Tork also recorded some unreleased tracks for Nesmith's Countryside label during the 1970s, and Dolenz (by then a successful television director in the United Kingdom) directed a segment of Nesmith's NBC-TV series Television Parts, although the segment in question was not included when the series' six episodes aired during the summer of 1985.
Revival
Brushed off by critics during their heyday as manufactured and lacking talent, The Monkees experienced a critical and commercial rehabilitation a decade later. A Monkees TV show marathon ("Pleasant Valley Sunday", airing on February 23, 1986) on the video music channel MTV sparked worldwide interest for both original fans and their children, who flocked to see Dolenz, Jones and Tork on their "20th Anniversary Tour." MTV promotion resurrected a smaller version of Monkeemania, and tour dates grew from smaller venues to larger stadiums.
The reunited trio became one of the biggest live acts of 1986 and 1987, with their original albums selling again, and a new greatest hits collection reaching platinum status. Mike Nesmith appeared onstage with Dolenz, Jones and Tork twice, both times in Los Angeles, in 1986 and 1989. By now, Nesmith was amenable to a reunion, but forced to sit out most projects because of prior commitments to his bustling Pacific Arts video production company. However, he did appear with the band in a 1986 Christmas medley music video for MTV, and took part in a dedication ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, when The Monkees received a star there in 1989. Because his mother Bette Nesmith Graham was the inventor of Liquid Paper, Nesmith was independently wealthy and had little financial need to join in Monkees-related projects.
The sudden revival of The Monkees in 1986 helped move the first official Monkees single since 1970, "That Was Then, This Is Now," into the U.S. Top 20. (The single peaked at #19 in Billboard, but not without controversy: Davy Jones had declined to sing on the track, recorded along with two other new songs included in a compilation album, Then And Now...The Best Of The Monkees. Some copies of the single and album credit the new songs to "The Monkees," others as "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of The Monkees)." Reportedly, these recordings were the source of some personal friction between Jones and the others during the 1986 tour.) A new album by the touring trio, Pool It! (The Monkees' 10th), appeared the following year and was a moderate success. From 1986 to 1989, The Monkees would conduct major concert tours in the United States, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and Europe.
In 1986, Raybert Productions (now known as Straybert Productions) tried to capitalize on the revival by filming a new television series called The New Monkees. Four young musicians were placed in a similar series based on the original show, but "updated" for the 1980s. The show, its accompanying album, and the New Monkees themselves all sank without a trace.
In the 1990s, The Monkees continued to record new material, Their 11th album, Justus, was released in 1996. It was the first since 1968 on which all four original members performed and produced. The trio of Dolenz, Jones and Tork reunited again for a successful 30th anniversary tour of American amphitheaters in 1996, while Nesmith joined them onstage in Los Angeles to promote the new songs from Justus. For the first time since the brief 1986 reunion, Nesmith returned to the concert stage for a tour of the United Kingdom in 1997, highlighted by two concerts at Wembley Arena in London. The full quartet also appeared in an ABC television special written and directed by Nesmith, spoofing the original series that had made them famous.
With different Monkees citing different reasons, the group chose not to mark their 40th anniversary in 2006.
Impact
The Monkees, selected specifically to appeal to the youth market with their manufactured personae and carefully produced singles, are seen as an original precursor to the modern proliferation of studio and corporation-created bands. But this critical reputation has softened somewhat, with the recognition that the Monkees were neither the first manufactured group nor unusual in this respect. The Monkees also frequently contributed their own songwriting efforts on their albums and saw their musical skills improve. They ultimately became a self-directed group, playing their own instruments and writing their own songs.
The Monkees found unlikely fans among musicians of the punk rock period of the mid-1970s. Many of these punk performers had grown up on TV reruns of the series, and sympathized with the anti-industry, anti-Establishment trend of their career. The Sex Pistols and Minor Threat both recorded versions of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone."
In 1988 Run DMC recorded "Mary, Mary" on their album Tougher Than Leather. Australian indie-rock bands of the 1980s such as Grooveyard ("All The King's Horses"), Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers ("Mary Mary", "For Pete's Sake" and "Circle Sky") and The Upbeat and The Mexican Spitfires ("Mary Mary") performed Monkees cover versions. The alternative rock group Smash Mouth had a hit with "I'm a Believer" in 2001 (and featured in the blockbuster computer-animated movie Shrek). Japanese popsters Shonen Knife recorded "Daydream Believer".
It is even rumored that The Spice Girls, The Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and Britney Spears are big fans of the group, often seen attending concerts in recent years.
The band's legacy was strengthened by Rhino Entertainment's acquisition of The Monkees' franchise from Columbia Pictures in the early 1990s. The label has released a slew of Monkees-related projects, including remastered editions of both the original television series and their complete music library, as well as their motion picture Head.
In the 1990s, three of The Monkees had minor roles in the family sitcom Boy Meets World. Tork played Topanga's father Jedidiah, Jones played Reginald, an old friend from Europe, and Dolenz played Gordy, Mr. Matthews' best friend. In the one episode that the three were in together, they performed "My Girl."
Notable achievements
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- Had the top-selling American single of 1967 ("I'm a Believer").
- First rock band to extensively use the Moog Synthesizer on a pop album.
- First rock band to extensively use pedal steel guitar on a pop album.
- One of the first pioneers of country-rock music.
- Outsold the Beatles and Elvis Presley combined in 1967.
- Hold the record for most #1 albums in one year. Four of their albums (The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.) hit #1 in 1967.
- First TV sitcom to make political and social comments defending the youth of America.
- First use of solarisation in a major motion picture.
- First television series to show teenagers living on their own.
- First rock band to use a multimedia live concert show.
- Gave the Jimi Hendrix Experience their first US concert appearances.
- First "manufactured" rock band (The Original Pre-Fab Four).
- First American band to play in Thailand.
- First rock band to win two Emmy awards.
- First male leads in a television series to have long hair.
- The Monkees reunion tour was the largest grossing tour of 1986.
- Last music artist to win the MTV Friday Night Video Fights by defeating Bon Jovi 51% to 49%.
- Introduced Tim Buckley to a national audience, via his appearance in the series finale, "The Frodis Caper".
- Featured the only appearance by a villain from the "Batman" series in another sitcom when The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) made a cameo appearance in "The Monkees Blow Their Minds." Also had Julie Newmar (Catwoman) as the female lead in "Monkees Get Out More Dirt".
Discography
Unless noted, all releases listed are American releases.
Studio albums
- The Monkees -- Colgems COM/COS-101 (1966) (US #1, UK #1)
- More of the Monkees -- Colgems COM/COS-102 (1967) (US #1, UK #1)
- Headquarters -- Colgems COM/COS-103 (1967) (US #1, UK #2)
- Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. -- Colgems COM/COS-104 (1967) (US #1, UK #4)
- The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees -- Colgems COM/COS-109 (1968) (US #3)
- Head -- Colgems COSO-5008 (1968) (US #45)
Without Peter Tork
- Instant Replay -- Colgems COS-113 (1969) (US #32)
- The Monkees Present -- Colgems COS-117 (1969) (US #100)
Group reduced to Davy Jones & Micky Dolenz
- Changes -- Colgems COS-119 (1970) (Originally did not chart, but reached US #152 when reissued in 1986)
First reunion, without Mike Nesmith
- Pool It! (1987) (US #72)
Second reunion with all four Monkees
- Justus (1996) (US #200)
Live albums and compilations
- The Monkees Greatest Hits -- Colgems COS-115 (1969)
- A Barrel Full of Monkees -- Colgems SCOS-1001 (1971)
- Re-Focus (1972)
- The Monkees Greatest Hits (1976)
- More Greatest Hits of the Monkees (1982)
- Monkee Business -- Rhino RNLP-701 (1983)
- Monkee Flips (1984)
- Hit Factory (1985)
- Then and Now... the Best of The Monkees (1986)
- Live 1967 -- Rhino RNLP-70139 (1987)
- 20th Anniversary Tour Live (1987)
- Missing Links -- Rhino RNLP-70150 (1987)
- Missing Links, Volume II (1990)
- Listen to the Band (1991)
- Greatest Hits (1995)
- Missing Links, Volume III (1996)
- The Monkees Anthology (1998)
- Music Box (2001)
- The Best of The Monkees (2003)
- Headquarters Sessions (2003) (3-CD set)
- Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings (2004)
Hit singles
| Release date | Title | Chart Positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Charts | UK Singles Chart | ||||||||||
| 1966 | "Last Train to Clarksville" | #1 | #23 | ||||||||
| 1966 | "I'm a Believer"/ | #1 | #1 | ||||||||
| 1966 | "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" | #20 | - | ||||||||
| 1967 | "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"/ | #2 | #3 | ||||||||
| 1967 | "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" | #39 | - | ||||||||
| 1967 | "Alternate Title" | - | #2 | ||||||||
| 1967 | "Pleasant Valley Sunday"/ | #3 | #11 | ||||||||
| 1967 | "Words" | #11 | - | ||||||||
| 1967 | "Daydream Believer"/ | #1 | #5 | ||||||||
| 1967 | "Goin' Down" | #104 | - | ||||||||
| 1968 | "Valleri"/ | #3 | #12 | ||||||||
| 1968 | "Tapioca Tundra" | #34 | - | ||||||||
| 1968 | "D.W. Washburn"/ | #19 | #17 | ||||||||
| 1968 | "It's Nice To Be With You" | #51 | - | ||||||||
| 1968 | "Porpoise Song"/ | #62 | - | ||||||||
| 1968 | "As We Go Along" | #106 | - | ||||||||
| 1969 | "Tear Drop City"1 | #56 | #46 | ||||||||
| 1969 | "Listen to the Band"/1 | #63 | - | ||||||||
| 1969 | "Someday Man"1 | #81 | #47 | ||||||||
| 1969 | "Good Clean Fun"/1 | #82 | - | ||||||||
| 1969 | "Mommy and Daddy"1 | #109 | - | ||||||||
| 1970 | "Oh My My"2 | #98 | - | ||||||||
| 1971 | "Do It In The Name Of Love"/"Lady Jane"2 3 | - | - | ||||||||
| 1986 | "That Was Then, This is Now"4 | #20 | #68 | ||||||||
| 1986 | "Daydream Believer (remix)" | #79 | - | ||||||||
| 1987 | "Heart and Soul"4 | #87 | - | ||||||||
| 1987 | "Every Step of the Way"4 | #92 | - | ||||||||
| 1996 | "Circle Sky"/"You and I"5 | #87 | - | ||||||||
Notes:
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See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of The Monkees episodes
- Category:The Monkees episodes
- Category:The Monkees albums
- The New Monkees
- The Monkeemobile
External links
- Official websites
- The Monkees Home Page
- Micky Dolenz Official Website
- Official Davy Jones Website
- Peter Tork Official Website
- Michael Nesmith Official Website
- IMDb
- The Monkees at IMDb
- Head at IMDb
- Resource sites
- The Monkees Film & TV Vault
- The Monkees: The Complete Internet Guide
- Monkees Concert Tour Set Lists & History
- Rhino Records Monkees CDs and DVDs
- Monkees 101: An Introductory Guide to The Monkees
- The Monkees Collector's Home Page
- Monkeesrule43 Online: Your Monkees News and Information Source
- Misc sites
- Articles lacking sources from February 2007
- Musical groups established in 1965
- 1960s music groups
- 1960s American television series
- American musical groups
- American television actors
- American television personalities
- Emmy Award winners
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Los Angeles musical groups
- NBC network shows
- Rock music groups
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
- The Monkees
- California musical groups
- Bands with American and British members
- American comedy television series
- 1966 television program debuts
- Television series starring recording artists