FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: nec13 on March 12, 2009, 05:12:16 PM
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I've been listening to a lot of the Monkees lately. They often get derided for being a studio creation and for their lack of "authenticity." But I think they were a fantastic band that produced many, many great songs. And I don't think they get nearly enough credit. Does anyone here agree with me?
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(http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/headthemonkees.jpg)
quality film.
you got your cameos by Divine and Zappa in there, got your porpoise song, you got your written by jack nicholson in there
also good band for the music.
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wait wait wait did you jsut say that this band The Monkees was a studio creation?
F THIS BAND!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgNxuNaYHsk[/youtube]
Speaking of Zappa.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VxtzQdYg8[/youtube]
This is one of the five greatest songs ever recorded by anyone. No hyperbole.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgNxuNaYHsk[/youtube]
Speaking of Zappa.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2VxtzQdYg8[/youtube]
This is one of the five greatest songs ever recorded by anyone. No hyperbole.
Agreed. King/Goffin in da hiz!
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Watching Head is one of my favorite memories from childhood. A childhood that consisted of Head, a handful of Beatles' movies, various Saturday morning cartoons, and a lot of grape juice. Yum!
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I used to watch reruns of The Monkees on Nickelodeon after school. That was such a great show. And that's how I first got into them.
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That's not even Michael Nesmith's real hat.
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Totally underrated. There are a ton of pop acts that are revered by critics that never wrote their own songs or played any instruments. Practically all of Motown. If you want to give credit to Kirshner go ahead but you can't deny a band that not only put out a ton of hits but also good albums as well. Not that I hold any regard for the rock and roll hall of fame but I think the Monkees not being in it is crazy when you take a look at who else is in there.
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Later in their career, they did write their own songs and play their own instruments and that material was probably their best. I don't hold the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in high regard either, but it is a crime that they are not in there. U2 is in there and not The Monkees. It's a joke.
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I like The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees a lot but I don't like Headquarters all that much. I'd say More of the Monkees and Pisces are their peak so I guess I'm more of a fan of the controlled Monkees. Pisces had them playing instruments but I don't think they wrote any of that.
No disrespect to the Dave Clark Five because they have their place in rock history as well, but they're in and not the Monkees? Yikes.
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I have no problem with the whole "not playing or writing the songs" but I'm also a great lover of classic bubblegum which commits the same so-called sins but, in some cases, takes it a step further by having non-existent bands or bands made up of cartoon characters, fictional characters, etc.
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I was a big fan of the show, it was school-holiday filler in the UK throughout the 80s. The hits, I love. The albums, I can take or leave. I bought the DVDs a couple of years back, and it has the same effect of watching old kids TV. Nostalgic warmth, followed by melancholy that they 'arent as good as i remember', when of course they are, its just that im not 8 anymore.
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Incidentally, were the Monkee's ever actually sold as a 'proper band'? I always understood that they were generally announced as actors performing as a band.
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They toured extensively.
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They toured extensively.
I see, so is that where the 'They dont play their instruments' controversy comes from? As I understand it Tork and Nesmith where reasonably accomplished as musicians, Jones had had an album out, and Dolenz had been in at least one band. I know no-one could drum, at least initially.
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the real shame is talking to your friends about the monkees and they dont recognize any songs...except "i'm a believer". you know, from Shrek.
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the real shame is talking to your friends about the monkees and they dont recognize any songs...except "i'm a believer". you know, from Shrek.
Don't forget about that ebay commercial!
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Anyone based in Toronto can catch Head at the Bloor Cinema tomorrow night -- it's being presented by Edgar Wright, who will be in attendance.
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I've only heard Pool It and thought it was pretty good. How do their other albums stack up to oh forget it
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Tapioca Tundra put me in touch with my inner freak (I think I was 11.)
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See, all this time I thought The Monkees were in the canon.
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I've only heard Pool It and thought it was pretty good. How do their other albums stack up to oh forget it
This just killed me.
Tom.
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I've only heard Pool It and thought it was pretty good. How do their other albums stack up to oh forget it
I'd start with Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. or the awesome 1996 Monkees reunion album Justus.
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In a related vein Clubbo Records was a made-up label with made-up bands and Real music.
I was seriously freaked when I found out it was fake.
I was going to recommend it to you guys. However, I checked to see if it was still happening and I ran into a Google warning along these lines: "Visiting This Site May Harm Your Computer" so I ran away.
Anyone who wants to give it a try is welcome.
Malware sounds too malicious to me.
I did think it was quite brilliant. And some of the music was really quite good.
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I feel so misunderstood
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I feel so misunderstood
Don't we all?
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I feel so misunderstood
You are!
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I'm gonna keep trying and one day one of these jokes will work. Maybe it was a punctuation problem.
Let's start over.
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In truth, I have been totally obsessed with "Valleri" lately. I've listened to it a dozen times in the past week or so. This is probably a well-known factoid, but the Fall's "Barmy" is a straight lift of the bridge from "Valleri."
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Did you know that Mark E. Smith once auditioned for The Monkees? That may explain the unintentional plagiarism.
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I so badly want that to be true. Making up people who auditioned for the Monkees would be a good game. I'm going to spend the next week trying to convince people Skip Spence was a frontrunner.
even if either of these were true, it would still not be as as weird as the Mynah Birds.
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Actually, there is a Monkees-Mynah Birds connection. Stephen Stills auditioned for The Monkees in 1966. But the producers turned him down because of his appearance. Peter Tork, who was his roommate, was hired as his replacement. A useless fact, but interesting nonetheless.
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Saw Head last night. Beforehand Edgar Wright read out some emails he had received from Mickey Dolenz. The first read something like 'I'd be glad to send you something to introduce the movie. It might have to be short and sweet though as I'm writing from my blackberry in the mountains of Indonesia LOL.' The 'LOL' got quite a laugh/cringe from the audience.
Of the introduction proper that MD referred to, Wright only read out one or two sentences. Or maybe that's all there was -- short and sweet as promised. Part of it was 'If anyone there knows what the f*** it's about please tell me.' But he actually wrote 'f***' with the asterisks.
And of course I was thrilled to find that Head is every bit the masterpiece Tom has made it out to be. It makes those Beatles movies look like the work of Kevin Smith.
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I've always found it weird that Skip Spence was a frontrunner.
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There's a Fall Song, I think its off Wonderful And Frightening World, but i cant remember the title, that rips off Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight by Spinal Tap.
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There's a Fall Song, I think its off Wonderful And Frightening World, but i cant remember the title, that rips off Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight by Spinal Tap.
The Fall song is "Athlete Cured" off Frenz Experiment.
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There's a Fall Song, I think its off Wonderful And Frightening World, but i cant remember the title, that rips off Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight by Spinal Tap.
The Fall song is "Athlete Cured" off Frenz Experiment.
Ah, thats it thanks. Need to go back to those mid to late 80s Fall albums. The Brix era is probably my least favourite.
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Brix era isn't all that bad. In fact I love This Nation's Saving Grace and The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall! They're fantastic albums in my book! I even like I am Curious Oranj though there are some stinkers on there. I can really only take about half of Frenz Experiment.
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The best Fall era is 1979-83. Dragnet, Grotesque (After The Gramme), Slates, Hex Enduction Hour and Perverted by Language are all great albums.
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In truth, I have been totally obsessed with "Valleri" lately. I've listened to it a dozen times in the past week or so. This is probably a well-known factoid, but the Fall's "Barmy" is a straight lift of the bridge from "Valleri."
Many years ago I lived in a house with a guy who played Fall records constantly. One morning while I was half asleep I heard the Fall playing the Monkees' "Valleri". I could never track down the Fall record that had this, and this guy had never heard the Monkees song and thought I was nuts. Now I know why.
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The best Fall era is 1979-83. Dragnet, Grotesque (After The Gramme), Slates, Hex Enduction Hour and Perverted by Language are all great albums.
Yup. That's a great period. Best even but I feel Brix-era Fall gets an unfair wrap. Forgot to mention Bend Sinister another great Brix-era album!
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One reason to like The Frenz Experiment is the great cover of The Kinks' "Victoria."
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Stephen Stills auditioned for The Monkees in 1966. But the producers turned him down because of his appearance.
That's weird because he looks like a pretty convincing monkey -
(http://stephenstillsfans.com/files/2008/12/stephen-stills-play.jpg)
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Stephen Stills auditioned for The Monkees in 1966. But the producers turned him down because of his appearance.
That's weird because he looks like a pretty convincing monkey -
(http://stephenstillsfans.com/files/2008/12/stephen-stills-play.jpg)
Um...Orangutans ARE NOT MONKEES!
(http://www.bigplastichead.com/images/one_offs/Orangutan.jpg)
Crack a book about simian classification much?
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The reason Peter Tork got his spot in The Monkees was because the producers actually wanted someone who looked like Stephen Stills.
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The best Fall era is 1979-83. Dragnet, Grotesque (After The Gramme), Slates, Hex Enduction Hour and Perverted by Language are all great albums.
Yeah, this is my fave period as well. Add Totales Turns, 77-Early Years--79 and Slates to that list. I particularly like that period because I imagine its exactly the kind of thing that would piss MES off.
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Brix era isn't all that bad. In fact I love This Nation's Saving Grace and The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall! They're fantastic albums in my book! I even like I am Curious Oranj though there are some stinkers on there. I can really only take about half of Frenz Experiment.
I agree about those first two, they are excellent. After that it all gets a bit Indie Disco for me. Oranj, Frenz and Bend Sinister I too can only manage about half.
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The best Fall era is 1979-83. Dragnet, Grotesque (After The Gramme), Slates, Hex Enduction Hour and Perverted by Language are all great albums.
Yeah, this is my fave period as well. Add Totales Turns, 77-Early Years--79 and Slates to that list. I particularly like that period because I imagine its exactly the kind of thing that would piss MES off.
Don't forget Fall in a Hole and Room to Live! Totales Turn is tops!
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I don't know that much about the Monkees besides a few albums I have and I've never seen the show, but I just watched Head[/]. Oh man, what a movie. So many quality jokes in there. Lots of surreal psychedelic stuff and self-aware self-mocking meta-fiction goodness. And then top it off with some great songs.
Davy Jones is definitely the worst Monkee. Everyone thinks this, right?
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Davy Jones is definitely the worst Monkee. Everyone thinks this, right?
Nah. I'd go with Don Kirshner as the worst Monkee.
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A Massachusetts townie bar I found myself in recently had a karaoke night. The book featured about a dozen Monkees tunes including "Goin' Down". I
chickened out realized that I didn't know all the words and didn't trust the lyrics to scroll quickly enough. But I will return and I will KILL it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URb8h4dLKps
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URb8h4dLKps
He doesn't get enough credit for inventing rap.
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Sounds like a hybrid of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and ODB.
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I had no problem with them. I'm sure they were lame live, but it's not like that's a big concern. They had some good session musicians play on their records, so what's the problem? Pleasant Valley Sunday is a bit too preachy, but you could say that about 'Repeater' by Fugazi, too, I suppose.
I've been listening to a lot of the Monkees lately. They often get derided for being a studio creation and for their lack of "authenticity." But I think they were a fantastic band that produced many, many great songs. And I don't think they get nearly enough credit. Does anyone here agree with me?