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More Of The Monkees
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1. SHE (2:27)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
BOBBY HART: organ
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
NORM JEFFRIES: percussion
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, Hollywood, August 15, 1966
2. WHEN LOVE COMES KNOCKIN’ (AT YOUR DOOR) (1:45)
(Neil Sedaka/Carole Bayer)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL GAFA, NILLARD SUYKER & DONALD THOMAS: guitar
NEIL SEDAKA: piano
RUSSELL SAVAKUS: bass
HERBERT LOVELL: drums
Produced by NEIL SEDAKA & CAROLE BAYER
Engineered by ERNIE OELRICH
Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, New York, November 23, 1966
3. MARY, MARY (2:12)
(Michael Nesmith)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
JAMES BURTON, GLEN CAMPBELL, AL CASEY, MICHAEL DEASY
& DON PEAKE: guitar
MICHAEL COHEN: piano
LARRY KNECHTEL & BOB WEST: bass
HAL BLAINE & JIM GORDON: drums
GARY COLEMAN: percussion
DON PEAKE: arrangement
Produced by MICHAEL NESMITH
Recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, July 25, 1966
4. HOLD ON GIRL (2:23)
(Jack Keller/Ben Raleigh/Billy Carr)
DAVY JONES: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY & JACK KELLER
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, September 10, 1966;
and American Studios, Studio City, October 23, 1966
5. YOUR AUNTIE GRIZELDA (2:28)
(Jack Keller/Diane Hildebrand)
PETER TORK: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY & JACK KELLER
Engineered by RICHARD PODOLOR
Recorded at American Studios, Studio City, October 23, 1966
6. (I’M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN’ STONE (2:25)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
TOMMY BOYCE: backing vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
BOBBY HART: organ
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
HENRY LEWY: percussion
Produced & Arranged by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at Western Recorders, Studio #1, Hollywood, July 26, 1966
Also issued as Colgems single #1002, November12, 1966; Pop #20
7. LOOK OUT (HERE COMES TOMORROW) (2:10)
(Neil Diamond)
DAVY JONES: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 15 & 23, 1966 (studio unknown)
8. THE KIND OF GIRL I COULD LOVE (1:50)
(Michael Nesmith/Roger Atkins)
MICHAEL NESMITH: vocal
JAMES BURTON, GLEN CAMPBELL, AL CASEY & DON PEAKE: guitar
LARRY KNECHTEL & BOB WEST: bass
HAL BLAINE & JIM GORDON: drums
GARY COLEMAN: percussion
DON PEAKE: arrangement
Produced by MICHAEL NESMITH
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, June 25, 1966
9. THE DAY WE FALL IN LOVE (2:20)
(Sandy Linzer/Denny Randell)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL CASEY: guitar
CAROL KAYE & RAY POHLMAN: bass
DON RANDI & MICHAEL RUBINI: harpsichord & organ
HAL BLAINE: drums
FRANK CAPP & JULIUS WECHTER: percussion
LOUIS HABER, IRVING SPICE & LOUIS STONE: violin
DAVID SACKSON & MURRAY SANDRY: viola
SEYMOUR BARAB: cello
ARTHUR BUTLER: conductor
JEFF BARRY: arrangement
Produced by JEFF BARRY
New York Session Engineered by RAY HALL
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966;
and RCA Victor Studio B, New York, November 23, 1966
10. SOMETIME IN THE MORNING (2:24)
(Gerry Goffin/Carole King)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by GERRY GOFFIN, CAROLE KING & JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 13 & 25, 1966 (studio unknown)
11. LAUGH (2:25)
(Hank Medress/Phil Margo/Mitchell Margo/Jay Siegal)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL CASEY: guitar
CAROL KAYE & RAY POHLMAN: bass
DON RANDI & MICHAEL RUBINI: harpsichord & organ
HAL BLAINE: drums
FRANK CAPP & JULIUS WECHTER: percussion
JEFF BARRY: arrangement
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966;
12. I’M A BELIEVER (2:41)
(Neil Diamond)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 15 & 23, 1966 (studio unknown)
Also issued as Colgems single #1002, November12, 1966; Pop #1
Bonus Selections:
13. DON’T LISTEN TO LINDA
(Previously unissued version)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
GENE ESTES: percussion
JIMMIE SEALS: sax
Unknown backing vocals
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966
13. I’LL SPEND MY LIFE WITH YOU (Alternate version)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
GENE ESTES & DAVID WALTERS: percussion
Unknown backing vocals
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 26, 1966
15. I DON’T THINK YOU KNOW ME
(Previously unissued mix)
(Gerry Goffin/Carole King)
PETER TORK: vocal
MICKY DOLENZ, MICHAEL NESMITH & PETER TORK: backing vocals
Other personnel unknown
Produced by GERRY GOFFIN, CAROLE KING & JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 13, 1966 (studio unknown)
16. LOOK OUT (HERE COMES TOMORROW) (Previously unissued long mix)
(Neil Diamond)
DAVY JONES: vocal
PETER TORK: narration
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded late 1966 (location unknown)
17. I’M A BELIEVER (Previously unissued early version)
(Neil Diamond)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded late 1966 (location unknown)
NOTE: Numbers in italic (following original single release information) denote peak positions on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart – courtesy BPI Communications and Joel Whitburn’s Record Research Publications.
More Of The Monkees (tracks 1-12) was originally issued as Colgems #102, Jan. 1967
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THE PHENOMENAL MONKEES
After the Monkees’ first single record and album both reached No. 1 on the charts, it became difficult for anyone to be objective about their tremendous talents. With the second single climbing for the No. 1 spot, I thought I’d ask some of the greatest contemporary songwriters and record producers their opinions of The Monkees.
So I asked…
Gerry Goffin and Carole King who wrote Go Away, Little Girl;
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, authors of Last Train To Clarksville;
Jeff Barry who produced I’m A Believer;
Neil Sedaka, the well-known artist and composer;
Carol Bayer who wrote A Groovy Kind Of Love;
Neil Diamond who penned Cherry, Cherry;
Jack Keller who wrote the music for Run To Him;
Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, the authors of A Lover’s Concerto;
Roger Atkins who wrote the lyrics to It’s My Life;
Ben Raleigh who wrote the words to Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing.
They have answered me with some of the songs on this album.
The versatility and talents of The Monkees, both individually and collectively, burst forth here. The performances of Micky as an artist on I’m A Believer and (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone; Michael as producer and composer of Mary, Mary and as an artist, writer and producer on The Kind Of Girl I Could Love; David’s vocal interpretation on Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow); and Peter’s unique performance of Your Auntie Grizelda are but the beginnings of the great recordings yet to be done by the boys.
The Monkees are now preparing to start their first cross-country personal appearance tour. In addition to viewing them weekly on TV, I know that you will be looking forward to seeing them sing and play in your home town.
We at COLGEMS Records are happy and proud to have The Monkees on our label. We congratulate the producers of the show, Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, Screen Gems TV, and RCA Victor, the distributor of these recordings. But above all, we pay tribute to David, Micky, Peter and Michael. The Phenomenal Monkees.
Don Kirschner, President
Colgems Records, a Division of
Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems TV
Write to THE MONKEES Fan Club
c/o Screen Gems
1334 North Beechwood Drive
Hollywood, California 90028
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By the time The Monkees’ second album, More Of The Monkees, arrived in stores in January 1967, Monkeemania had reached a fever pitch. From the end of January to mid-March ‘67, The Monkees television show won its time slot in the Nielsen ratings (no mean feat considering the show went head-to-head against the ever-popular Gilligan’s Island). Similarly, starting in late-December ‘66, The Monkees’ second single, “I’m A Believer,” held the top spot of the Hot 100 for an impressive seven weeks. As if all that was not enough, the group further increased its industry cachet by embarking on a highly successful concert tour, which would break attendance records at nearly every stop.
For The Monkees as individuals, January 1967 was the best and worst of times. Despite their successes, the group’s concerns over their musical output reached a boiling point during their first tour. The main cause of their collective frustrations was the newly issued More Of The Monkees. The album had been rush-released – while The Monkees were out of town, conveniently – to cash in on the group’s unbelievable popularity. However, More Of The Monkees was not the group-oriented effort that Michael, Davy, Micky and Peter were carefully planning for their second long-player. They were deeply angered by this hastily constructed effort, which included some tracks they felt were not worthy of release.
“We were on the road, and all of a sudden we were presented with our second album,” Davy Jones remembers. “Don Kirschner came out all proud and all pleased to show us the album. It was really being represented to us as something we were doing for the TV show only. All the songs were supposed to be part of the soundtrack. But, the company realized that by including ‘I’m A Believer’ or ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ in every episode for six or eight weeks because it sold records, some of the songs got minimal play, and others no play at all.
“It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Originally we were going to put new songs in every show. Most of that stuff in the beginning was recorded for the show only. So, when Donnie Kirschner showed up and said, ‘Look, guys, here’s your second album’ – with us on the cover dressed in J.C. Penny clothes, which we thought was just a promotion, we were going to get paid a thousand dollars for that to sell their clothes and Thom McAn shoes – we all went bloody mad. Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork especially – ‘What do you mean this is our album?’ They had told us we were going to be doing our own album – that’s when it got all funky.”
The musical contents of More Of The Monkees were assembled by Don Kirschner from a total of 34 masters. With only 12 slots to fill on this surefire hit – and two spaces already consumed by the group’s second single – competition was fierce. Recording engineer Hank Cicalo, who worked on the majority of the group’s first five albums, remembers the mad dash to get in on the More Of The Monkees gold mine: “As the show became more and more popular, and more and more successful, the producers all got a little crazier. They could see their songs being on an album that’s selling millions. You’re starting to talk big money here. So the pressures became a lot heavier for the guys. The producers wanted them in the recording studio all the time they weren’t shooting the TV show, and that included Saturdays and Sundays. That schedule created considerable tension for everybody.”
Nevertheless, by the end of November 1966 Kirschner had nearly three albums’ worth of tracks to choose from. Cicalo remembers the final production process: “Donnie Kirschner and Lester Sill sat there for three or four days picking the tunes that would go on the album. There were times when I’d have two rooms and a mix room locked up at the same time. I would run into one room and record a vocal, and then go to the second room for overdubs, plus I’d run upstairs and mix another tune down.”
Considering the slapdash manner in which it was assembled, More Of The Monkees is still a surprisingly strong album all these years later. In retrospect, Micky Dolenz feels the record was just another stop on the rocky road to becoming a bona fide group: “It’s not like it was anybody’s fault. It’s just kind of the way the cards fell. Nobody realized there would be such a tremendous demand for it. At the time, there was no singular musical vision in the group. I was the one singing most of the lead vocals, Mike was the one with the clearest musical vision, and Peter struggled to get in there with his two cents. Davy was the one fronting the group, playing tambourine because I was singing from behind the drums! It created a lot of problems.”
The Songs
Kirschner’s two Boyce & Hart selections on More Of The Monkees were among the duo’s finest creations. In interviews of the day, Tommy and Bobby would often boast about the unlikely settings in which some of their biggest numbers were written. In the case of “She,” it has long been reported that this venomous rocker was dreamed up in a library. According to Bobby Hart, this is not entirely true: “It wasn’t actually in a library. In Griffith Park there is a library branch, and we often went to the park on nice days to write outside. We’d sit on the grass with Tommy’s guitar and a pad and pencil, and that’s where we wrote ‘She.’ We had actually written it before the Monkees project and just pulled it out. It was during the period when some of the groups playing on the Sunset Strip were The Leaves, Love, and The Doors – groups that were experimenting with psychedelic rock. We were hanging out on the Strip and were inspired by the new psychedelic trend.”
“When Love Comes Knockin’ (At Your Door),” an excellent collaboration from Carol Bayer and Neil Sedaka, was one of the final recordings completed for this album. Another of their joint songwriting efforts, “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” was cut at the same session on November 23, 1966, but remained unfinished. Over the next two years, The Monkees made three further attempts at recording “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” A releasable version was finally captured in 1968 and included on their Instant Replay album the following year.
Michael Nesmith was allotted two cuts on More Of The Monkees in a bid by Screen Gems to appease his increasing clamor for musical autonomy. Micky Dolenz, who sings lead on Nesmith’s “Mary, Mary,” recalls Michael’s concerns: “Mike was especially unhappy with the musical situation. I was quite happy with producers picking the songs. I didn’t care that much. I was singing all the leads, so I was quite happy to have that kind of guidance and advice. Mike of course – being so strongly musical and writing a lot – wanted to do his own stuff, and rightly so. I think he’d been promised stuff by the producers that hadn’t come true.” “Mary, Mary” became a rap hit for Run-D.M.C. in 1988.
Jack Keller, who had produced some of the first album’s tracks, proudly managed to snag two slots on More Of The Monkees. However, as a condition of his songs’ inclusion, Keller was required to record the cuts with The Monkees’ “new” producer, Jeff Barry. The first of Keller’s tracks was the Latin-influenced “Hold On Girl.” A slower version was also recorded around this time, but would not appear until the 1990 release of Missing Links 2.
Peter Tork finally made his vocal debut on “Your Auntie Grizelda,” which Keller had originally fashioned in the mold of The Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown.” While Tork did not appreciate the song’s novelty flavor, he would later establish a creative link with the song’s co-author, Diane Hildebrand. During 1967, Tork and Hildebrand collaborated on such songs as the impressive “Daydream Believer” flipside, “Goin’ Down,” and the unreleased “Merry-Go-Round.”
Boyce & Hart’s punk anthem, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” originally appeared on the flipside of “I’m A Believer.” The Monkees were so popular at the time that the song became the group’s first charting B-side, reaching #20 in December ‘66. During the same month, the powerful song would provide The Monkees’ “freak-out” show closer during their first concert tour.
“Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” was the first of Neil Diamond’s two More Of The Monkees compositions. Although Diamond’s early success is often attributed to the exposure he received from The Monkees’ recording of “I’m A Believer,” Diamond was actually quite successful before the group ever cut his songs. In August 1966, Diamond’s self-penned “Cherry, Cherry” hit the Top 10, and his success triggered his eventual involvement with The Monkees.
As with the first album’s Goffin & King collaboration “Sweet Young Thing,” Screen Gems again attempted to guide Michael Nesmith’s talents in a more commercial direction by teaming him with another, more pop-oriented writer. For More Of The Monkees, Nesmith’s collaborator was Roger Atkins, who at the time was riding a brief crest of fame as lyricist of The Animals’ late-‘65 hit, “It’s My Life.” The pair’s resulting “The Kind Of Girl I Could Love” still turned out sounding uniquely “countrified,” and Nesmith was never asked by Screen Gems to collaborate with outside writers again.
Perhaps the most dated-sounding track on the album, “The Day We Fall In Love,” was envisioned by Kirschner as “I Wanna Be Free ‘67.” However, this Linzer & Randell song lacked the overall sincerity of its predecessor, and it reflected the pitfalls of Don Kirschner’s formulaic approach to record-making. Additionally, “The Day We Fall In Love” has the dubious honor of being the only More Of The Monkees song not to be featured in an episode of The Monkees’ first season.
Although they penned two submissions for More Of The Monkees, Goffin & King only managed to slide in the classic “Sometime In The Morning.” Like many of this album’s cuts, the backing track for “Sometime In The Morning” was recorded in New York – without The Monkees involvement – and later shipped out to Los Angeles for completion. On this track in particular, Carole King sent a separate tape with her performing the three-part vocals she wanted The Monkees to emulate for the final track. While the group was always grateful for the excellent material King provided them with, mimicking another artists’ performance left little room for their own creativity. Engineer Hank Cicalo remembers the frustrations this caused: “In those days, you used to get a demo, and when Carole and Gerry sent us one, it would have everything built into it. A hell of a performance, some great hook – something that made it really great. Inevitably, anyone who ever did a Carole King demo in those days would duplicate it. You had to, because that was what made that demo great. Sometimes you’d get into situations where you’re trying to do something that’s not really you. But that’s what Screen Gems would want them to do: ‘Gee, sing it just like Gerry sang that verse.’ I found at times they were forced into things that were difficult to deal with.”
The weakest of Kirschner’s choices for the More Of The Monkees was definitely “Laugh.” The song’s four (!) writers only distinguished themselves with their conspicuous absence from Donnie’s self-aggrandizing golden roll call on the album’s original back cover. Hank Cicalo recalls the East Coast tracks on More Of The Monkees were the group’s least favorite to work on: “On the tracks that came from New York, the guys had less and less say about what they were doing, other than getting in there and slamming a vocal on or putting a guitar or percussion piece on. The guys didn’t like that at all, and I don’t blame them.”
“I’m A Believer” was The Monkees’ most popular song ever. As a single it was also one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the era. Astonishingly, more than a million copies of this 45 were sold in advance, without buyers ever hearing a note. The single also marked the debut of The Monkees’ new producer, Jeff Barry. More Of The Monkees music supervisor Lester Sill remembers this musical changing of the guard: “Kirschner felt that we should bring in some fresh blood. Jack Keller was out after the first album. Tommy and Bobby were out after they finished some songs for the second album. Jeff Barry got involved at that point. The Monkees worked with Tommy and Bobby and didn’t have too much trouble with them. But they began to get a little resentful into the second album. When Jeff came in they were respectful, but they still gave him a tough time.”
An early version of “Don’t Listen To Linda” was one of 15 songs Boyce & Hart recorded in late 1966 and submitted for More Of The Monkees. A slower version of the song was cut at the tail end of 1967 for inclusion on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, though the song would not see release until February 1969’s Instant Replay album. The original 1966 version appears on this reissue for the very first time.
Another Boyce & Hart omission was the tender “I’ll Spend My Life With You.” Although the song was passed over for More Of The Monkees, Mike, Davy, Micky, and Peter took an immediate shine to the tune, re-recording it to great effect a few months later for their follow-up album, Headquarters. Bobby Hart is similarly fond of the song: “That was kind of different. That definitely was written for them, but we were in a much more original mode – it was trying not to sound like some previous hit we’d had with them.” Adds Peter Tork: “I managed to talk to Tommy Boyce about that once. It was one of the few real songs he wrote, because there really was someone he was thinking of – a special person – when he wrote that song. You can tell. The song is real heartfelt, not jacked up or forced.”
The previously unreleased alternate mix of “I Don’t Think You Know Me” included here was originally prepared for The Monkees TV series’ first season, but sadly, remained unbroadcast. It is a more complete version than the song’s second attempt, which later popped up on Rhino’s 1991 Listen To The Band box set.
The alternate version of “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” found here is similar to the take used on a couple of episodes of The Monkees series’ first season. However, get ready for a surprise from Peter, who – in another aborted attempt by Jeff Barry to include Tork on More Of The Monkees – officiates the musical proceedings.
Our final bonus, an early version of the Monkees’ classic “I’m A Believer,” is not a far cry from the finished product. Nonetheless, this slightly slower take does reveal some fascinating, albeit subtle differences, including a very raw vocal from Micky, who works his way through Neil Diamond’s lyrics for the very first time.
– Andrew Sandoval
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Music Supervision: DON KIRSCHNER
Music Coordinators: LESTER SILL & EMIL LaVIOLA
Produced for Reissue by ANDREW SANDOVAL & BILL INGLOT
Executive Producer: HAROLD BRONSON
Project Coordination: PATRICK MILLIGAN
Remastering: BILL INGLOT & KEN PERRY
Reissue Art Direction: COCO SHINOMIYA
Design: RACHEL GUTEK
Special Thanks: MICHAEL NESMITH, MICKY DOLENZ, PETER TORK, DAVID JONES, BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE, PAUL WILLIAMS, RICHARD WEIZE
__________________________________________________
THE COMPLETE MONKEES CATALOG AVAILABLE ON RHINO:
The Monkees (R2 71790)
More Of The Monkees (R2 71791) [available late 1994]
Headquarters (R2 71792) [available early 1995]
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (R2 71793) [available early 1995]
The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (R2 71794)
Head (R2 71795) [available late 1994]
Instant Replay (R2 71796) [available early 1995]
The Monkees Present (R2 71797) [available late 1994]
Changes (R2 71798)
Listen To The Band [box set] (R2/R4 70566)
Live (1967) (R2/R4 70139)
Missing Links (R2/R4 70150)
Missing Links, Vol. 2 (R2/R4 70903)
Pool It (R2/R4 70706)
AND FROM RHINO HOME VIDEO:
Heart & Soul (R3 1601)
________________________________________________________
GET ON THE RHINO MAILING LIST
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This Reissue/Compilation (P) & © 1994 Rhino Records Inc., 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025-4900.
To buy this album from Amazon.com, click here: More of the Monkees
__________________________________________________
1. SHE (2:27)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
BOBBY HART: organ
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
NORM JEFFRIES: percussion
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, Hollywood, August 15, 1966
2. WHEN LOVE COMES KNOCKIN’ (AT YOUR DOOR) (1:45)
(Neil Sedaka/Carole Bayer)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL GAFA, NILLARD SUYKER & DONALD THOMAS: guitar
NEIL SEDAKA: piano
RUSSELL SAVAKUS: bass
HERBERT LOVELL: drums
Produced by NEIL SEDAKA & CAROLE BAYER
Engineered by ERNIE OELRICH
Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, New York, November 23, 1966
3. MARY, MARY (2:12)
(Michael Nesmith)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
JAMES BURTON, GLEN CAMPBELL, AL CASEY, MICHAEL DEASY
& DON PEAKE: guitar
MICHAEL COHEN: piano
LARRY KNECHTEL & BOB WEST: bass
HAL BLAINE & JIM GORDON: drums
GARY COLEMAN: percussion
DON PEAKE: arrangement
Produced by MICHAEL NESMITH
Recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, July 25, 1966
4. HOLD ON GIRL (2:23)
(Jack Keller/Ben Raleigh/Billy Carr)
DAVY JONES: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY & JACK KELLER
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, September 10, 1966;
and American Studios, Studio City, October 23, 1966
5. YOUR AUNTIE GRIZELDA (2:28)
(Jack Keller/Diane Hildebrand)
PETER TORK: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY & JACK KELLER
Engineered by RICHARD PODOLOR
Recorded at American Studios, Studio City, October 23, 1966
6. (I’M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN’ STONE (2:25)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
TOMMY BOYCE: backing vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
BOBBY HART: organ
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
HENRY LEWY: percussion
Produced & Arranged by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at Western Recorders, Studio #1, Hollywood, July 26, 1966
Also issued as Colgems single #1002, November12, 1966; Pop #20
7. LOOK OUT (HERE COMES TOMORROW) (2:10)
(Neil Diamond)
DAVY JONES: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 15 & 23, 1966 (studio unknown)
8. THE KIND OF GIRL I COULD LOVE (1:50)
(Michael Nesmith/Roger Atkins)
MICHAEL NESMITH: vocal
JAMES BURTON, GLEN CAMPBELL, AL CASEY & DON PEAKE: guitar
LARRY KNECHTEL & BOB WEST: bass
HAL BLAINE & JIM GORDON: drums
GARY COLEMAN: percussion
DON PEAKE: arrangement
Produced by MICHAEL NESMITH
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, June 25, 1966
9. THE DAY WE FALL IN LOVE (2:20)
(Sandy Linzer/Denny Randell)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL CASEY: guitar
CAROL KAYE & RAY POHLMAN: bass
DON RANDI & MICHAEL RUBINI: harpsichord & organ
HAL BLAINE: drums
FRANK CAPP & JULIUS WECHTER: percussion
LOUIS HABER, IRVING SPICE & LOUIS STONE: violin
DAVID SACKSON & MURRAY SANDRY: viola
SEYMOUR BARAB: cello
ARTHUR BUTLER: conductor
JEFF BARRY: arrangement
Produced by JEFF BARRY
New York Session Engineered by RAY HALL
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966;
and RCA Victor Studio B, New York, November 23, 1966
10. SOMETIME IN THE MORNING (2:24)
(Gerry Goffin/Carole King)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by GERRY GOFFIN, CAROLE KING & JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 13 & 25, 1966 (studio unknown)
11. LAUGH (2:25)
(Hank Medress/Phil Margo/Mitchell Margo/Jay Siegal)
DAVY JONES: vocal
AL CASEY: guitar
CAROL KAYE & RAY POHLMAN: bass
DON RANDI & MICHAEL RUBINI: harpsichord & organ
HAL BLAINE: drums
FRANK CAPP & JULIUS WECHTER: percussion
JEFF BARRY: arrangement
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966;
12. I’M A BELIEVER (2:41)
(Neil Diamond)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 15 & 23, 1966 (studio unknown)
Also issued as Colgems single #1002, November12, 1966; Pop #1
Bonus Selections:
13. DON’T LISTEN TO LINDA
(Previously unissued version)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
GENE ESTES: percussion
JIMMIE SEALS: sax
Unknown backing vocals
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 28, 1966
13. I’LL SPEND MY LIFE WITH YOU (Alternate version)
(Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
WAYNE ERWIN, GERRY McGEE & LOUIE SHELTON: guitar
LARRY TAYLOR: bass
BILLY LEWIS: drums
GENE ESTES & DAVID WALTERS: percussion
Unknown backing vocals
Produced by TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART
Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, October 26, 1966
15. I DON’T THINK YOU KNOW ME
(Previously unissued mix)
(Gerry Goffin/Carole King)
PETER TORK: vocal
MICKY DOLENZ, MICHAEL NESMITH & PETER TORK: backing vocals
Other personnel unknown
Produced by GERRY GOFFIN, CAROLE KING & JEFF BARRY
Recorded in New York City, October 13, 1966 (studio unknown)
16. LOOK OUT (HERE COMES TOMORROW) (Previously unissued long mix)
(Neil Diamond)
DAVY JONES: vocal
PETER TORK: narration
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded late 1966 (location unknown)
17. I’M A BELIEVER (Previously unissued early version)
(Neil Diamond)
MICKY DOLENZ: vocal
Other personnel unknown
Produced by JEFF BARRY
Recorded late 1966 (location unknown)
NOTE: Numbers in italic (following original single release information) denote peak positions on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart – courtesy BPI Communications and Joel Whitburn’s Record Research Publications.
More Of The Monkees (tracks 1-12) was originally issued as Colgems #102, Jan. 1967
__________________________________________________
Original 1967 Album Liner Notes
THE PHENOMENAL MONKEES
After the Monkees’ first single record and album both reached No. 1 on the charts, it became difficult for anyone to be objective about their tremendous talents. With the second single climbing for the No. 1 spot, I thought I’d ask some of the greatest contemporary songwriters and record producers their opinions of The Monkees.
So I asked…
Gerry Goffin and Carole King who wrote Go Away, Little Girl;
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, authors of Last Train To Clarksville;
Jeff Barry who produced I’m A Believer;
Neil Sedaka, the well-known artist and composer;
Carol Bayer who wrote A Groovy Kind Of Love;
Neil Diamond who penned Cherry, Cherry;
Jack Keller who wrote the music for Run To Him;
Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, the authors of A Lover’s Concerto;
Roger Atkins who wrote the lyrics to It’s My Life;
Ben Raleigh who wrote the words to Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing.
They have answered me with some of the songs on this album.
The versatility and talents of The Monkees, both individually and collectively, burst forth here. The performances of Micky as an artist on I’m A Believer and (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone; Michael as producer and composer of Mary, Mary and as an artist, writer and producer on The Kind Of Girl I Could Love; David’s vocal interpretation on Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow); and Peter’s unique performance of Your Auntie Grizelda are but the beginnings of the great recordings yet to be done by the boys.
The Monkees are now preparing to start their first cross-country personal appearance tour. In addition to viewing them weekly on TV, I know that you will be looking forward to seeing them sing and play in your home town.
We at COLGEMS Records are happy and proud to have The Monkees on our label. We congratulate the producers of the show, Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, Screen Gems TV, and RCA Victor, the distributor of these recordings. But above all, we pay tribute to David, Micky, Peter and Michael. The Phenomenal Monkees.
Don Kirschner, President
Colgems Records, a Division of
Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems TV
Write to THE MONKEES Fan Club
c/o Screen Gems
1334 North Beechwood Drive
Hollywood, California 90028
__________________________________________________
By the time The Monkees’ second album, More Of The Monkees, arrived in stores in January 1967, Monkeemania had reached a fever pitch. From the end of January to mid-March ‘67, The Monkees television show won its time slot in the Nielsen ratings (no mean feat considering the show went head-to-head against the ever-popular Gilligan’s Island). Similarly, starting in late-December ‘66, The Monkees’ second single, “I’m A Believer,” held the top spot of the Hot 100 for an impressive seven weeks. As if all that was not enough, the group further increased its industry cachet by embarking on a highly successful concert tour, which would break attendance records at nearly every stop.
For The Monkees as individuals, January 1967 was the best and worst of times. Despite their successes, the group’s concerns over their musical output reached a boiling point during their first tour. The main cause of their collective frustrations was the newly issued More Of The Monkees. The album had been rush-released – while The Monkees were out of town, conveniently – to cash in on the group’s unbelievable popularity. However, More Of The Monkees was not the group-oriented effort that Michael, Davy, Micky and Peter were carefully planning for their second long-player. They were deeply angered by this hastily constructed effort, which included some tracks they felt were not worthy of release.
“We were on the road, and all of a sudden we were presented with our second album,” Davy Jones remembers. “Don Kirschner came out all proud and all pleased to show us the album. It was really being represented to us as something we were doing for the TV show only. All the songs were supposed to be part of the soundtrack. But, the company realized that by including ‘I’m A Believer’ or ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ in every episode for six or eight weeks because it sold records, some of the songs got minimal play, and others no play at all.
“It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Originally we were going to put new songs in every show. Most of that stuff in the beginning was recorded for the show only. So, when Donnie Kirschner showed up and said, ‘Look, guys, here’s your second album’ – with us on the cover dressed in J.C. Penny clothes, which we thought was just a promotion, we were going to get paid a thousand dollars for that to sell their clothes and Thom McAn shoes – we all went bloody mad. Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork especially – ‘What do you mean this is our album?’ They had told us we were going to be doing our own album – that’s when it got all funky.”
The musical contents of More Of The Monkees were assembled by Don Kirschner from a total of 34 masters. With only 12 slots to fill on this surefire hit – and two spaces already consumed by the group’s second single – competition was fierce. Recording engineer Hank Cicalo, who worked on the majority of the group’s first five albums, remembers the mad dash to get in on the More Of The Monkees gold mine: “As the show became more and more popular, and more and more successful, the producers all got a little crazier. They could see their songs being on an album that’s selling millions. You’re starting to talk big money here. So the pressures became a lot heavier for the guys. The producers wanted them in the recording studio all the time they weren’t shooting the TV show, and that included Saturdays and Sundays. That schedule created considerable tension for everybody.”
Nevertheless, by the end of November 1966 Kirschner had nearly three albums’ worth of tracks to choose from. Cicalo remembers the final production process: “Donnie Kirschner and Lester Sill sat there for three or four days picking the tunes that would go on the album. There were times when I’d have two rooms and a mix room locked up at the same time. I would run into one room and record a vocal, and then go to the second room for overdubs, plus I’d run upstairs and mix another tune down.”
Considering the slapdash manner in which it was assembled, More Of The Monkees is still a surprisingly strong album all these years later. In retrospect, Micky Dolenz feels the record was just another stop on the rocky road to becoming a bona fide group: “It’s not like it was anybody’s fault. It’s just kind of the way the cards fell. Nobody realized there would be such a tremendous demand for it. At the time, there was no singular musical vision in the group. I was the one singing most of the lead vocals, Mike was the one with the clearest musical vision, and Peter struggled to get in there with his two cents. Davy was the one fronting the group, playing tambourine because I was singing from behind the drums! It created a lot of problems.”
The Songs
Kirschner’s two Boyce & Hart selections on More Of The Monkees were among the duo’s finest creations. In interviews of the day, Tommy and Bobby would often boast about the unlikely settings in which some of their biggest numbers were written. In the case of “She,” it has long been reported that this venomous rocker was dreamed up in a library. According to Bobby Hart, this is not entirely true: “It wasn’t actually in a library. In Griffith Park there is a library branch, and we often went to the park on nice days to write outside. We’d sit on the grass with Tommy’s guitar and a pad and pencil, and that’s where we wrote ‘She.’ We had actually written it before the Monkees project and just pulled it out. It was during the period when some of the groups playing on the Sunset Strip were The Leaves, Love, and The Doors – groups that were experimenting with psychedelic rock. We were hanging out on the Strip and were inspired by the new psychedelic trend.”
“When Love Comes Knockin’ (At Your Door),” an excellent collaboration from Carol Bayer and Neil Sedaka, was one of the final recordings completed for this album. Another of their joint songwriting efforts, “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” was cut at the same session on November 23, 1966, but remained unfinished. Over the next two years, The Monkees made three further attempts at recording “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” A releasable version was finally captured in 1968 and included on their Instant Replay album the following year.
Michael Nesmith was allotted two cuts on More Of The Monkees in a bid by Screen Gems to appease his increasing clamor for musical autonomy. Micky Dolenz, who sings lead on Nesmith’s “Mary, Mary,” recalls Michael’s concerns: “Mike was especially unhappy with the musical situation. I was quite happy with producers picking the songs. I didn’t care that much. I was singing all the leads, so I was quite happy to have that kind of guidance and advice. Mike of course – being so strongly musical and writing a lot – wanted to do his own stuff, and rightly so. I think he’d been promised stuff by the producers that hadn’t come true.” “Mary, Mary” became a rap hit for Run-D.M.C. in 1988.
Jack Keller, who had produced some of the first album’s tracks, proudly managed to snag two slots on More Of The Monkees. However, as a condition of his songs’ inclusion, Keller was required to record the cuts with The Monkees’ “new” producer, Jeff Barry. The first of Keller’s tracks was the Latin-influenced “Hold On Girl.” A slower version was also recorded around this time, but would not appear until the 1990 release of Missing Links 2.
Peter Tork finally made his vocal debut on “Your Auntie Grizelda,” which Keller had originally fashioned in the mold of The Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown.” While Tork did not appreciate the song’s novelty flavor, he would later establish a creative link with the song’s co-author, Diane Hildebrand. During 1967, Tork and Hildebrand collaborated on such songs as the impressive “Daydream Believer” flipside, “Goin’ Down,” and the unreleased “Merry-Go-Round.”
Boyce & Hart’s punk anthem, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” originally appeared on the flipside of “I’m A Believer.” The Monkees were so popular at the time that the song became the group’s first charting B-side, reaching #20 in December ‘66. During the same month, the powerful song would provide The Monkees’ “freak-out” show closer during their first concert tour.
“Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” was the first of Neil Diamond’s two More Of The Monkees compositions. Although Diamond’s early success is often attributed to the exposure he received from The Monkees’ recording of “I’m A Believer,” Diamond was actually quite successful before the group ever cut his songs. In August 1966, Diamond’s self-penned “Cherry, Cherry” hit the Top 10, and his success triggered his eventual involvement with The Monkees.
As with the first album’s Goffin & King collaboration “Sweet Young Thing,” Screen Gems again attempted to guide Michael Nesmith’s talents in a more commercial direction by teaming him with another, more pop-oriented writer. For More Of The Monkees, Nesmith’s collaborator was Roger Atkins, who at the time was riding a brief crest of fame as lyricist of The Animals’ late-‘65 hit, “It’s My Life.” The pair’s resulting “The Kind Of Girl I Could Love” still turned out sounding uniquely “countrified,” and Nesmith was never asked by Screen Gems to collaborate with outside writers again.
Perhaps the most dated-sounding track on the album, “The Day We Fall In Love,” was envisioned by Kirschner as “I Wanna Be Free ‘67.” However, this Linzer & Randell song lacked the overall sincerity of its predecessor, and it reflected the pitfalls of Don Kirschner’s formulaic approach to record-making. Additionally, “The Day We Fall In Love” has the dubious honor of being the only More Of The Monkees song not to be featured in an episode of The Monkees’ first season.
Although they penned two submissions for More Of The Monkees, Goffin & King only managed to slide in the classic “Sometime In The Morning.” Like many of this album’s cuts, the backing track for “Sometime In The Morning” was recorded in New York – without The Monkees involvement – and later shipped out to Los Angeles for completion. On this track in particular, Carole King sent a separate tape with her performing the three-part vocals she wanted The Monkees to emulate for the final track. While the group was always grateful for the excellent material King provided them with, mimicking another artists’ performance left little room for their own creativity. Engineer Hank Cicalo remembers the frustrations this caused: “In those days, you used to get a demo, and when Carole and Gerry sent us one, it would have everything built into it. A hell of a performance, some great hook – something that made it really great. Inevitably, anyone who ever did a Carole King demo in those days would duplicate it. You had to, because that was what made that demo great. Sometimes you’d get into situations where you’re trying to do something that’s not really you. But that’s what Screen Gems would want them to do: ‘Gee, sing it just like Gerry sang that verse.’ I found at times they were forced into things that were difficult to deal with.”
The weakest of Kirschner’s choices for the More Of The Monkees was definitely “Laugh.” The song’s four (!) writers only distinguished themselves with their conspicuous absence from Donnie’s self-aggrandizing golden roll call on the album’s original back cover. Hank Cicalo recalls the East Coast tracks on More Of The Monkees were the group’s least favorite to work on: “On the tracks that came from New York, the guys had less and less say about what they were doing, other than getting in there and slamming a vocal on or putting a guitar or percussion piece on. The guys didn’t like that at all, and I don’t blame them.”
“I’m A Believer” was The Monkees’ most popular song ever. As a single it was also one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the era. Astonishingly, more than a million copies of this 45 were sold in advance, without buyers ever hearing a note. The single also marked the debut of The Monkees’ new producer, Jeff Barry. More Of The Monkees music supervisor Lester Sill remembers this musical changing of the guard: “Kirschner felt that we should bring in some fresh blood. Jack Keller was out after the first album. Tommy and Bobby were out after they finished some songs for the second album. Jeff Barry got involved at that point. The Monkees worked with Tommy and Bobby and didn’t have too much trouble with them. But they began to get a little resentful into the second album. When Jeff came in they were respectful, but they still gave him a tough time.”
An early version of “Don’t Listen To Linda” was one of 15 songs Boyce & Hart recorded in late 1966 and submitted for More Of The Monkees. A slower version of the song was cut at the tail end of 1967 for inclusion on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, though the song would not see release until February 1969’s Instant Replay album. The original 1966 version appears on this reissue for the very first time.
Another Boyce & Hart omission was the tender “I’ll Spend My Life With You.” Although the song was passed over for More Of The Monkees, Mike, Davy, Micky, and Peter took an immediate shine to the tune, re-recording it to great effect a few months later for their follow-up album, Headquarters. Bobby Hart is similarly fond of the song: “That was kind of different. That definitely was written for them, but we were in a much more original mode – it was trying not to sound like some previous hit we’d had with them.” Adds Peter Tork: “I managed to talk to Tommy Boyce about that once. It was one of the few real songs he wrote, because there really was someone he was thinking of – a special person – when he wrote that song. You can tell. The song is real heartfelt, not jacked up or forced.”
The previously unreleased alternate mix of “I Don’t Think You Know Me” included here was originally prepared for The Monkees TV series’ first season, but sadly, remained unbroadcast. It is a more complete version than the song’s second attempt, which later popped up on Rhino’s 1991 Listen To The Band box set.
The alternate version of “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” found here is similar to the take used on a couple of episodes of The Monkees series’ first season. However, get ready for a surprise from Peter, who – in another aborted attempt by Jeff Barry to include Tork on More Of The Monkees – officiates the musical proceedings.
Our final bonus, an early version of the Monkees’ classic “I’m A Believer,” is not a far cry from the finished product. Nonetheless, this slightly slower take does reveal some fascinating, albeit subtle differences, including a very raw vocal from Micky, who works his way through Neil Diamond’s lyrics for the very first time.
– Andrew Sandoval
__________________________________________________
Music Supervision: DON KIRSCHNER
Music Coordinators: LESTER SILL & EMIL LaVIOLA
Produced for Reissue by ANDREW SANDOVAL & BILL INGLOT
Executive Producer: HAROLD BRONSON
Project Coordination: PATRICK MILLIGAN
Remastering: BILL INGLOT & KEN PERRY
Reissue Art Direction: COCO SHINOMIYA
Design: RACHEL GUTEK
Special Thanks: MICHAEL NESMITH, MICKY DOLENZ, PETER TORK, DAVID JONES, BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE, PAUL WILLIAMS, RICHARD WEIZE
__________________________________________________
THE COMPLETE MONKEES CATALOG AVAILABLE ON RHINO:
The Monkees (R2 71790)
More Of The Monkees (R2 71791) [available late 1994]
Headquarters (R2 71792) [available early 1995]
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (R2 71793) [available early 1995]
The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (R2 71794)
Head (R2 71795) [available late 1994]
Instant Replay (R2 71796) [available early 1995]
The Monkees Present (R2 71797) [available late 1994]
Changes (R2 71798)
Listen To The Band [box set] (R2/R4 70566)
Live (1967) (R2/R4 70139)
Missing Links (R2/R4 70150)
Missing Links, Vol. 2 (R2/R4 70903)
Pool It (R2/R4 70706)
AND FROM RHINO HOME VIDEO:
Heart & Soul (R3 1601)
________________________________________________________
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This Reissue/Compilation (P) & © 1994 Rhino Records Inc., 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025-4900.
