Maps of Music

More of the Monkees (1967)

Where the lyrics of More of the Monkees take you, and where it was really made.

The band found out its second album was already out only while on tour in Cleveland, Ohio.

Key places

RCA Victor studios, Hollywood (1967)

Recording site RCA Studios — RCA Victor studios in Hollywood are listed as a recording location for this album. The album was recorded in late 1966. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Western Recorders, Hollywood (1967)

Recording site EastWest Studios — Western Recorders in Hollywood is also listed as a recording location for this album. Recording took place in late 1966. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

American Recording Co., Studio City (1967)

Recording site TRS Studios — Studio City is listed as a recording location for this album, shown at city-center level, so the exact building is not marked. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• More of the Monkees: second studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees
• Released in 1967 on Colgems Records
• Recorded in late 1966
• Displaced the band's debut album from the top of the Billboard Top LPs chart
• Stayed at No. 1 for 18 weeks, the longest run of any Monkees album
• The first two Monkees albums held the top of the Billboard chart for 31 combined consecutive weeks
• Also reached No. 1 in the UK
• First pop album to become the best-selling album of the year in the U.S.

Background

• Released at the peak of the band's popularity
• Second single 'I'm a Believer' held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100
• The band was about to start a highly successful concert tour
• Release was rushed to capitalize on the band's popularity, catching even its members by surprise
• The band learned of the album's existence while on tour in Cleveland, Ohio, and was surprised it had been released without their knowledge
• Production overseer Don Kirshner's liner notes praised his team of songwriters before mentioning the Monkees almost as an afterthought
• The songs were selected from 34 recorded, which angered the band, particularly Nesmith
• The group was limited to vocals on this album and the debut, with scattered instrumental contributions
• Within weeks of release, Nesmith successfully lobbied the group's creators, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, to let the Monkees play their own instruments on future records
• During a group meeting with Kirshner and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis, Nesmith punched a hole in the wall of a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel
• Kirshner was later dropped from the project

Recording

• Recorded in late 1966
• Under Kirshner's strict rule, the Monkees provided only vocals on his productions
• Separate sessions produced by Michael Nesmith usually featured Peter Tork on guitar
• Nesmith was limited to one song as lead vocalist on this album
• Recording locations listed: RCA Victor studios in Hollywood, Western Recorders in Hollywood, and American Recording Co. in Studio City

Cover

• Original pressing catalog number is COM/COS 102
• The band was dismayed by the cover image, which had been used in an advertisement for JCPenney

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.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

• Nesmith later told Melody Maker that the album was 'probably the worst album in the history of the world'
• The band was angered by the song selection, with 34 songs recorded and only some chosen for the album
• The band had been limited to vocals on the album, as on the debut
• The band learned of the release while on tour, without prior knowledge

Records

• Billboard Top LPs: No. 1 for 18 weeks, displacing the debut album
• Longest No. 1 run of any Monkees album
• First two Monkees albums: 31 combined consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard
• UK: reached No. 1
• US: certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of more than five million copies
• First pop album to become the best-selling album of the year in the U.S.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band learned the album existed while on tour in Cleveland, Ohio, and was dismayed it had been released without their knowledge.
• Songs were picked from 34 recorded, which angered the band, particularly Nesmith.
• During a meeting with Don Kirshner and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis, Nesmith punched a hole in the wall of a Beverly Hills Hotel suite.
• Kirshner was later dropped from the project.
• The band's second single, 'I'm a Believer', was at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when the album came out.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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