25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Psychedelic! Freak out! Wheee!, March 14, 2002
This review is from: The Monkees: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Originally aired on NBC on April 14, 1969, opposite the Academy Awards, 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee was supposed to be the first of three television specials starring The Monkees, but 33 1/3 RPM was the only one that materialized. The show contained songs that were written specifically for it along with a plot that expressed how The Monkees were manufactured and manipulated by different people including Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider and Don Kirshner during their career.
The story focuses on the famous evolutionist, Charles Darwin (Brian Auger) who takes 4 young men (Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork) erases their identities and names and takes them through different stages so that they will be able to brainwash the world through commercial exploitation. The Monkees, in an attempt to regain their identities and control over themselves, try to think their way out of captivity. Darwin, alarmed that they will become free, uses hypnotism to break them down physically and they become restored to Darwin's tastes. The Monkees, now ready to make their debut, appear as classic rock'n'rollers at the Paramount Theatre with Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Buddy Miles Express playing backup to The Monkees. Darwin, realizing his mistake, sets The Monkees free.
After the failure of their film Head released in 1968, The Monkees went ahead with their television special undaunted by the terrible reviews from critics about the movie. 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee, produced by Jack Good of Shindig, 3.5 Special and Oh Boy! fame, had a lot of time and creativity put into it. The point of the special was to save whatever fans and popularity that they had left and it was virtually snubbed by NBC. By airing it opposite the Academy Awards, the show rated disastrously. Mike Nesmith remembers, "I'd already seen it so I watched the Oscars like everybody else," as told in Glenn A. Baker's book 'Monkeemania.' NBC wasn't taking any chances with this "strange" special that contained psychedelic dancers, music and The Monkees singing and poking fun at their manufactured image.
There weren't any bad reviews for this TV show because no one saw it in 1969 and the critics could care less about The Monkees at that time. It was too far-fetched for the normal public and too uncool for the hippies to watch. The special had a substantial storyline (once it was understood) and some amazing guest stars (such as Brian Auger, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard). The show also contained songs that expressed their manufactured image ('Wind Up Man'), what each of their backgrounds or favorite type of music was (Micky sang an R&B version of 'I'm a Believer,' Mike sang a country-western tune called 'The Only Thing I Believe is True,' Davy, in fairy tale land sang 'Goldilocks Sometime,' and Peter sang a song about spiritual values called 'Prithee') and marking the end of the group as a quartet ('Listen to the Band'). The highlight of the show was when The Monkees, dressed in '50s like clothes, performed at the Paramount Theatre with the classic rock'n'rollers (Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Fats Domino) singing such songs as 'Tutti Frutti,' 'Little Darlin',' 'At The Hop' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin.' According to Eric Lefcowitz in his book 'The Monkees Tale, 'This is the peak performance of the Monkees kept on celluloid.'
33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee was even praised by Variety on the East Coast by saying, 'It was anything but a conventional norm rock'n'roll and in some respects made 'Laugh-In, which is was pre-empting, seem almost conventional television by comparison.' The special showed The Monkees not as musicians, but as performers and made the public realize that they did have minds and talent of their own.
After viewing this special, it showed me that The Monkees were way ahead of their time. The show was very different from their television series that was shown from 1966-1968. It did not contain the same storyline as "Davy meets girl, Davy falls in love with girl and The Monkees get into a lot of trouble," but it showed that The Monkees matured musically and in their writing abilities. I found the show strange at first, but after watching it a few thousand times (as every Monkees fan should) it began to grow on me. I also found the songs more impressive in this special than in their previous shows and on their albums even though no soundtrack was ever released. 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee "... stands out as one of the greatest lost artifacts of Rock'n'Roll," according to Eric Lefcowitz in his book 'The Monkees Tale.'
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Psychedelia Goes Prime Time, August 1, 1999
This review is from: The Monkees: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee" is a fascinating, if uneven, trip through late 1960s pop culture. In 1969, NBC aired this bizarre music special on the same night as the Academy Awards - assuring that virtually no one would see it. Thirty years later, "33 1/3" survives as perhaps the most psychedelic show ever broadcast in prime time. After seeing this belated video release, you can understand why NBC decided to bury this special. Though not on the same level as The Monkees' cult film "Head," there are some truly memorable segments, particularly the 1950s rock medley with Fats Domino, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. The "Listen to the Band" finale has to be seen to be believed - after watching this lengthy "freakout," I'm amazed NBC had the courage to air this show at all. The subversive quality of "33 1/3" will not appeal to mainstream viewers. However, if you are a devotee of experimental TV, this 60-minute video is worth a look.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than Head?.........., June 16, 2001
This review is from: The Monkees: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I give this video 5-stars, but you'll likely have to be a Monkees fan to enjoy it. Yes, it's weird, but weird was par-for-the-course in late 1968(when it was filmed). 33-1/3rd is of tremendous value as a period piece, and has aged better than a lot of the "trippy" garbage put out by other more "respectable" groups(-ie "Magical Mystery Tour", need I say more?). It has been called more clumsy than Head, but it is perhaps simply more blunt and direct. It gets the same thing done in half the running time and contains more music. Each member of the band has at least one interesting solo performance, and then 33-1/3rd finishes off with one of the best group performances by the Monkees on record. (33-1/3rd is perhaps the most complete and self-contained example of how the Monkees truly work as a group: four parts singer/song-writers, one part recording & touring band. Very few other bands have proven able to work so well as solo artists WITHIN a group framework, and yet still be able to reform at will to record and tour.) The live version of "Listen to the Band" should have been a single, faded out before the rave-up at the end gets too wacky. Peter Tork admits the TV special is "more human" than Head, and it is. It lacks the cold distant feel of the feature film, in which all of the Monkees are portrayed as boobs. The biggest flaw of the video release is the video release. The collector cries out to own this on DVD, where it could be segmented into cuts, so the viewer may revisit the musical highlights without reviewing the entire film every time, or hitting "fast-forward" until the tape wears out. Apparently with Rhino, such demand has fallen upon deaf ears. Ultimately, 33-1/3rd on video is better than none at all, and fans who want the experience the Monkees beyond their more restricted and commercial earlier context will find much about the legendary TV-Special to like. One could complain of the recording quality, but this was '60's TV, and not something likely ever intended to be preserved, so such complaints warrant little notice. The fact that 33-1/3rd has been preserved at all makes it a treat for fans of the Monkees and/or 60's rock as it is.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
