Maps of Music

Instant Replay (1969)

Where the lyrics of Instant Replay take you, and where it was really made.

Instant Replay is the only one of the Monkees' original nine studio albums with no songs from the TV show.

Key places

Lead vocal and overdubs at Sunset Sound (1968)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Davy Jones added his lead vocal and extra guitar overdubs to 'You and I' here the month after the backing track was made. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Final completion at RCA (1968)

Recording site RCA Studio B — Davy Jones completed 'You and I' at this Nashville studio in September 1968, with extra guitar parts added by Bill Chadwick and Louie Shelton. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Instant Replay: seventh studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees
• Released February 1969 by Colgems
• Original nine studio albums: the only one with no songs featured in the TV show

Background

• First album released after Peter Tork left the group
• Dolenz's 'Rose Marie' and Nesmith's 'Carlisle Wheeling' were mixed on January 10, 1969 but dropped from the final track listing
• 'Rose Marie' appeared on the 1987 compilation Missing Links in a remix
• A vintage mix of 'Rose Marie' and an October 1968 mix of 'Carlisle Wheeling' appeared as bonus tracks on the 1994 Rhino CD
• Lester Sill rejected 'Mommy and Daddy' over its lyrical content; Dolenz reworked it for the next album, The Monkees Present
• Several tracks date to 1966
• Oldest song: 'I Won't Be the Same Without Her', tracked July 18, 1966
• Newest song: 'A Man Without a Dream', tracked November 7, 1968
• The album was assembled January 30, 1969

Recording

• Boyce and Hart produced 'Through the Looking Glass' in 1966; the album version's basic track dates to December 1967
• 'Don't Listen to Linda' was reworked as a love ballad in December 1967
• 'Me Without You' was modeled after The Beatles' 'Your Mother Should Know'
• Nesmith recorded the backing track for 'Don't Wait for Me' in May 1968 during Monkees sessions he produced in Nashville
• 'You and I' was produced by Davy Jones, with a blistering guitar solo by Neil Young
• 'Shorty Blackwell' grew to well over five minutes in length

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s.
• The group was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the NBC sitcom of the same name, which aired from 1966 to 1968.
• Casting drew 437 applicants; Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz were chosen.

Members

• Micky Dolenz: lead and backing vocals, drums, guitar, keyboards.
• Davy Jones: lead and backing vocals, percussion, bass; died in 2012.
• Michael Nesmith: lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, vocals; died in 2021.
• Peter Tork: bass, guitars, keyboards, banjo, vocals; died in 2019.

Career

• Early music was largely performed by session musicians such as the Wrecking Crew under Don Kirshner's supervision.
• The band had four consecutive No. 1 albums in 1966–1967: The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
• They had three No. 1 singles: "Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer".
• The members gained control over their recordings in 1967 after a conflict with Kirshner.
• The film Head (1968) was a commercial failure; the group broke up in the early 1970s.
• A revival in 1986 led to intermittent reunions, new albums, and tours until 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Cash Box wrote that the album was 'a real powerhouse, perhaps the Monkees' best to date'
• Tim Sendra of AllMusic praised the album, writing that each of the remaining Monkees truly shines and that the album stands with the group's best work

Records

• Billboard Top 40 Albums chart: number 32
• Single 'Tear Drop City', with 'A Man Without a Dream' on the B-side, reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100
• In 2011 Rhino Handmade released an 89-track deluxe edition across three discs

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The single 'Tear Drop City' reached only number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 despite the album's chart showing.
• Micky Dolenz later disparaged 'Shorty Blackwell', calling it my feeble attempt at something to do with Sgt. Pepper.
• Neil Sedaka recalled that Don Kirshner passed on including 'The Girl I Left Behind Me' in the final track listing.
• The Rhino Handmade 2011 deluxe edition includes alternate takes and tapes from the television special 33⅓ Revolutions per Monkee.
• The lyric insert and obi strip are part of the release's packaging.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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