Keepers:
Papa Gene’s Blues
Take A Giant Step
Last Train To Clarksville
Sweet Young Thing
If you’re looking at this in the first place, you’re probably one of those people who know that The Monkees were not quite what they seemed to be. The four of them were joined at the hip by some sort of corporate commercial happenstance, but how different is that from bands at that time that came together because the musicians were friends, or lovers, or cousins… especially in California. If you had even one member that could sing, play, or write (or all three) you were in good shape, because there were enough great session musicians floating around to make sure that the finished product was listenable, and tons of artists and their record companies were quick to take advantage of the situation.
So let’s see – The Monkees had one really good writer, three good singers, and a couple of good players. Add to this the fact that Michael Nesmith actually had some sort of vision and was able to act as producer when necessary, and I think you would have to consider The Monkees as legitimate a band as… well, I won’t name names.
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