The Monkees were better than they were given credit for.
There was this one song that got airplay in the mid 70s. When the radio stations stopped playing it, it just disappeared. I couldn’t remember any words, just vague memories of how it sounded. I didn’t think I’d ever hear it again until youtube got a good selection of songs and I found old Billboard mags online. (I’ve posted this here before)
Well, “After The Goldrush” is a Neil Young classic from the 1970 album of the same name (there’s also a live version on the 1979 “Live Rust”), so not exactly obscure. Though I don’t know how often it is played on US radio stations, Neil still plays it at his concerts from time to time.
I just listened to some of the remastered songs off their third and fourth albums, the ones after they took control. They sound terrific. Great instrument work and arrangements.
They were given a bad rap because they were a manufactured group for a TV series, but they were hardly the first or last “manufactured” performers. Even Folk icons Peter, Paul and Mary were very much manufactured and packaged by Albert Grossman, yet they were taken quite seriously. Many Pop groups of that era didn’t write their own music or play their own instruments, so coming down on the Monkees for that is a hollow argument.
They were all solid talents in their own way, as musicians, singers and actors. I’ve always thought their songs with Mickey Dolenz on lead vocal (like “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”) were good rocking tunes that hold up well. And remember, a number of “serious” musicians, including Stephen Stills, auditioned for the TV show but didn’t make the cut.
And I’ve never seen a single episode of the TV series, but I did like their records and always enjoyed playing them on the radio when they would come up in the rotation.
The show was silly fluff. Some girl falls in love with Davey. Peter gets the boys involved in something weird. Another girl falls in love with Davey. And so on…just a showcase for the music.
It did have its moments, like the video of “Valleri” which involved some very funny edits to make you think Mike was actually picking the guitar bridge when it was actually done by Louie Shelton of The Wrecking Crew.
@Zyada a nice cover, but I prefer Neil’s original. That version still brings me to tears.
I don’t want to bring down the love, because I do really like the Monkees. But “solid talent” for Davy Jones (relegated to tambourine) and Micky is a stretch. Micky was talented singer but a mediocre guitar player at best.
I really love this song:
And this haunting song:
Yeah, I was familiar with it before the Flaming Lips covered it for The Bridge, but their version is the one I love best.
They were both hired for their previous childhood acting abilities (Davy as the Artful Dodger in London’s West End, and Mickey as TV’s “Circus Boy”), and singing as well. Mike and Peter were the musicians. I think their various abilities complemented each other.
“Joanne” is a fine song that got quite a bit of radio play in 1970 but didn’t really click. I even bought the 45 rpm single back when it was on the radio (and before I was on the radio.) I’ve always liked it.
Well, mind blown again, I’ve never known that the Lips did it (though I’m not that surprised, because they did a lot of things and it’s hard to follow all of it). Fitting that it’s a noise guitar cover of a Neil Young piano ballad. Great stuff.
Does anyone else here remember:
Guitarzan
I Gotcha
Gimmee Dat Ding
Disco Duck
?
Three out of four, for certain. I even had a 45 of “Disco Duck.” I blame being 11 years old at the time for that. 
This is absolutely true. Most radio stations now are corporate-owned, and a format like “classic rock” typically has a very tight set of artists and songs that get played. Their research has shown that most of their listeners want the aural “comfort food” of the songs and bands which they recognize.
So, they’ll play a band like The Who (because that band is in the late '60s - early '80s sweet spot for the format), but only a handful of The Who’s songs will get significant airplay on such a station, typically: Won’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Love Reign o’er Me, I Can See For Miles, Who Are You, and You Better You Bet. Their other hits may get occasional play, but album cuts and lesser-known songs are rarely heard.
Some classic rock stations will occasionally have a “deep tracks” show or segment, where they play lesser-known album cuts, but by and large, they lean on the same 200 or so songs, by the same 50 or so artists, for the vast majority of their airplay.
Their last album, Good Times benefited from songs by Andy Partridge (XTC), Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and Adam Schlesinger, who also produced the album. All of them cited The Monkees as a huge influence in their musical journeys.
I might add “Pinball Wizard” and “Bargain” to that list but otherwise you’re spot-on.
Good call; I concur.
This tread made this song pop into my head.
there are whole bands (not just songs) that were completely forgotten:
go on YT and listen to “Smokey - Greatest hits” … you’d be surprised how much of that you might recall (caveat: no idea how big they were in the states, so might be a 1970ies europe thing)
Do the same for Hot Chocolate and Joan Armatrading (and to a lesser degree for ABBA)… lots of “smaller 1970ies hits” that fell completely off the surface of the planet
all pretty straight forward 1970ies pop-rock
I’d just said to a friend that “a message board I’m addicted to” had a discussion titled Why Aren’t These People Famous? and Joan was the first example.
Smokie/Smokey only had one song (“Living Next Door to Alice”) which made the top 40 in the U.S., so they’re probably more or less a “one-hit wonder” here.
Hot Chocolate had a little more success here; they had five top-40 songs, but they’re mostly remembered for “You Sexy Thing” and “Every 1’s a Winner” (both of which I have on my iPhone 
).
Joan Armatrading was someone I heard of a lot in the '80s, mostly in the context of “big British rock artists” (back when I watched MTV a lot), but as noted, she never really broke through here.