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The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation

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Over the years, several authors have detailed the story of the 1960s pop/rock band The Monkees with varying degrees of success. Most books were published in the mid to late 1980s, conveniently released at the height of The Monkees' resurgence in popularity following their mega-successful 20th anniversary arena tour. Derided by their critics in their heyday for being manufactured and pre-packaged, yet appealing to the masses with four consecutive number one albums, an Emmy-winning television series and countless Top 20 hits, The Monkees were and still can be one of the most misunderstood acts of all time. Luckily for the group, The Monkees experienced a critical rehab of sorts stemming from their initial 1986 MTV-inspired regrouping. Most music critics/authors nowadays (whose noses are not up in the air) give The Monkees their rightful due. The television show was innovative and funny, and their songs are some of the finest pop classics of the 1960s that still earn radio play today.

Until this book, painstakingly compiled by longtime Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval, no one author in particular has been able to truly capture the inner workings and the day to day occurrences of The Monkees as a functioning unit. Eric Lefcowitz and his book The Monkees Tale (available on Amazon.com) does a fine job telling the basic story of the band from inception to reunion. Harold Bronson's coffee table book, Hey Hey, We're The Monkees, acts as a nice supplement to it, featuring old stories and anecdotes as directly quoted from the band members. However, both books do not break any new ground.

Sandoval's book, meanwhile, delves into new territory that until now was never recorded. This is by far the ultimate holy grail of Monkees books, of which no other can stand up to in the way of accuracy, details, and research. Where Lefcowitz and Bronson barely touch the swansong years of 1969 and 1970, Sandoval provides information on this period that I, as a 20 year fan of The Monkees, have never been aware of. Everything from concert performances, recording sessions, personal appearances, television and movie shoots, encounters with The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Jack Nicholson--spanning the years 1965 to 1970--are detailed here in a day to day chronological story. The book's layout allows for an easy and uncomplicated read, though I figure it will take at least two months to digest all that is included.

Longtime fans should be alerted that the 'lost' Monkees tour of 1969 with Sam and The Goodtimers is incredibly chronicled here like never before, and a complete listing of every Monkees song recorded (with full session credits as well) is also present, updated with new discoveries and credits. The book starts off with a brief look at the early lives of Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork, and chronicles the events they experienced on the way to those famous auditions in 1965 that landed them in The Monkees. On top of that, the book unbelievably features photographs that have yet to be published, until now.

Unfortunately, all happenings post-1970 are wrapped up fairly quickly in a one and a half page overview at the end of the book. Being a second generation fan who first enjoyed The Monkees upon their 1986 revival, it would have been great to see Sandoval mine through the initial reunion years of 1986 to 1989, and then delve further into the second regrouping that took place from 1996 to 1997. Perhaps an updated edition awaits us in the future.

Fans of The Beatles had author Mark Lewisohn and his detailed chronicle of The Beatles, and now fans of The Monkees have Andrew Sandoval's near-perfect counterpart. As a longtime Monkees fan, I want to say thank you to Mr. Sandoval for his time and dedication in finally making this book a reality.

Highly recommended.

Long time Monkees historian and archivist Andrew Sandoval has finally released his long-promised chronology of the group's original run (1965-70) and it was well worth the wait. Taking his cues from Beatles scribe Mark Lewisohn (he thanks him in the credits for inspiration), Sandoval presents a meticulous account of the fascinating and frankly strange pop tale of the original Pre-Fab Four. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, Sandoval takes you there, whether in the recording studio, on the set of the TV show, on a concert stage, out hobnobbing with other celebs, or shopping at the latest fashionable boutique.

Sandoval has collected tons of data, gone through countless publications, listened through thousands of hours of recordings, and collected it all in one handy, attractive, hefty volume. He makes liberal use of relevant quotes from all participants, and includes lots of facts, figures and names.

There are over 100 photos, many published for the first time. Personally I would have enjoyed more pics, but this tome of biblical proportions is first and foremost the ultimate source of textual information on the band.

Still, some minor quibbles: Verb tense usage is sometimes awkward, for example, the use of "past-present" tense in the descriptions clashing with quotes squarely in the past tense. A complete discography with sleeves would have been nice, as well as a bootleg listing. The myriad of recorded tracks listed mention their ultimate original destination, if released. But many of the tracks ended up on bootlegs available only on ebay or at record fairs. Maybe boss Rhino didn't want boots mentioned? A full index would also be great. There are a few minor factual errors, but they can probably be counted on one hand. In fact, Sandoval invites readers to contact him with any corrections or suggestions for future editions.

There is a ton of new and fascinating info in this book that I had never read in any other place. You will be amazed by the detail.

The Monkees shot to superstardom through a unique marriage of the TV and recording industries, then became a real live stage act, with the help of a dedicated group of people behind the scenes- from old guard cigar chompers to Brill Building assembly-line songwriting legends to maverick hippy TV producers. For the first year it worked like a charm- millions were streaming in as the group filled the vaccuum left by the psychedelisizing Beatles. The unique chemistry of this odd but talented group contributed too.

The four individuals themselves, suddenly caught in the middle of this maelstrom of a media blitzkrieg, worked like dogs, shooting TV, recording tracks, and eventually playing live, sometimes all on the same day! They deserve large amounts of cred and respect for many reasons: for the efforts they put in working basically for slave wages; for the classic material on record and celluloid that they created; for the millions of fans they strived to entertain and succeeded in making happy. And not least, for their unique fight for artistic integrity.

When the press and rock contemporaries started dissing them (surely partially out of jealousy), first Nesmith, then Tork, then finally Dolenz and Jones, decided they wanted complete control. And for a short while, it worked. The Monkees were a functioning band with their eyes on the same prize.
Headquarters, Pisces and Head remain their crowning acheivements as a unit.

The cynic might say it was really about control of the money- but when you think of the wages they got and the work load, they had all the right to fight for their destinies. And being that they were the core of the project, they had the clout.

What they didn't have was the solidarity backbone that only a naturally formed group of like-minded people with the same tastes and egos in check can have, necessary to sustain this abrupt change. Reading some of the near-sighted contemporary comments from various Monkees as they proselytize about their important role in society and how the Beatles are cool but not as hip or multi-faceted as them brings an uncomforable chuckle. A classic case of egos run wild, young men not knowing how to handle immense power, and the weight of intense pressures. Prime evidence that being in the eye of the storm is not always seeing the forest for the trees. The fact remains that the success of the Monkees depended on a well-oiled machinery containing many parts. But when the main cogs started rebelling, the machine started to sputter.

There was always a conflict between the carefully sculpted image of the cuddly, lovable, harmless faux-moptops the kids saw on TV vs. the reality of four strong-willed, turned-on young men growing up in the midst of the cultural revolution that was the 60s. And as their popularity and power grew, they chose to get real and make the image that made them famous secondary- a brave move, though ultimately fatal. Sales started slipping.

And as this teeny bopper Frankenstein perversely attempted to will itself into the realm of contemporary rock and respect of peers, the kids with their short attention spans and need for instant sugary non-cerebral gratification went elsewhere. And the hippies weren't having it either. Original creators Rafelson and Schneider, with the Monkees themselves gladly participating, buried the band with the cynical anti-teenybopper film Head and its disastrous advertising campaign and then basically washed their hands of a sinking ship. Tork left shortly thereafter.

This book has only a brief summary of events after 1970....Let's hope someday Sandoval publishes a sister volume covering this period in which the tale of the Monkees continued with various triumphant reunions, bitter feuds, and- as always- entertainment.

Get this book, it will make you a believer.

Andrew Sandoval's 15+ year relationship as THE Monkees archivist for Rhino's various reissues reaches it's apex with the release of this wonderfully detailed book. Some musical purists/snobs will frown at this much attention lavished at a pre-fabricated unit whose creative run really only lasted about three years, but hard-core fans (there's more out there than you would think) and pop culture students will dig the results:it does for the Monkees what Mark Lewishon has done for the Beatles and Keith Badman for the Beach Boys.

Great layout, with plenty of cool (rare) b&w photos and press clippings. There's only a 1 1/2 page overview of Monkee happenings post-1970, but the books' final 20 pages include a very detailed session musician index as well as a song by song (unreleased as well) sessiongraphy that to this reader was worth the 20 bucks alone..

the other reviewers have commented fairly well about the book's merits. i wanted to just raise one quibble - the group's work on the television show is given massively short shrift. indeed, this is essentially the day by day story of the monkees as recording and touring artists, not the story of their days on set, their days working with interesting guest stars, their days developing an improvisational style on set, their relationships with directors or crew members or any of that. given that the monkees would never have reached any level of musical success without the backbone of the show, it seems horrible to ditch james frawley from the narrative after only one quote, or ignore the inner workings of the series. it's a minor quibble, but i was disappointed to see it missing. i can understand why - it's probably not as well documented as the sessions, which had union records to evaluate; but it's clear sandoval had interview access with many major players, and chose to just focus on the music.

This is a jaw-dropping volume of research from the world's foremost authority on the Monkees, painstakingly assembled and magnificently presented. I can hardly believe it exists! The only book it can be compared to is Mark Lewisohn's THE BEATLES RECORDING SESSIONS, which has (incredibly! impossibly!) been allowed to go out of print.

The lesson, Monkee fans? Grab it while you can. You know who you are.

Wow. I just got my copy of the book today. I've been a fan for years - have seen various reunion tours, Nesmith solo, a number of books, all the music - but this book offers more insights, pictures and tales than any other I've read or seen. If you're a die-hard fan, there are little questions that must persist for you in this band's tale, and this book answers so many of them. By going through their bright, brief history over virtually each day, its great fun to read. The detailed insights are great, like recording session information, concert dates and songlists, (who/what/tracks, where they eventually appear), but also the commentary that goes along with them - IE how/why Boyce and Hart got back into producing songs in late 67 after being dismissed under Kirshner almost a year before, etc. I guess I had thought all that was to be learned was already out there - but this book offers so many new insights and is really tremendous. My first online review - thought it was worth submitting.

The Monkees remains a lightning rod in music annals. Condemned as a "manufactured group" by certain music types even today, the group's following has never wavered, and the last twenty years has seen not only a revival of interest in The Monkees but some spirited rebuttals to the condemnation of the group's conception and the quality of their music.

Music historian Andrew Sandoval fills in multiple gaps with his day-by-day chronology of the group from their earliest struggles as individuals to make a name for themselves in show business on through the five-year-period within which they were brought together, created the television series that not only remains for the most part fresh and funny 40 years after shooting commenced but also accelerated the development of the music video concept, engaged in the creation of hit music, fought to assert creative control of the music, reached their artistic and financial peak, and then began the slow process toward eventual breakup.

A key to the book's completeness is that it wisely includes Michael Nesmith's First National Band period of 1970, for it best displays how much of a backbone Michael Nesmith truly was to the group, both in terms of leadership and also in terms of musical strength.

The book goes into perhaps the strongest detail yet on the pivotal January 1967 showdown with Don Kirshner and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis in which an infuriated Nesmith punched open a wall and snarled "That could have been your face." Don Kirshner is allowed to tell his side of the story, both in terms of this incident and his overall involvement with the group, and it becomes clear that even 40 years later the incident still stings him. It also shows the truth in Micky's analysis at the end of the book - that The Monkees had undeniable charm and chemistry, but that it was like a nuclear fusion reaction; under the control of a conductor positive energy was channelled, but if left unchecked it could spiral out of control.

In addition to Micky, Mike, Peter, and Davy, the book features extensive quotes from many others involved in the group's heyday, including some quotes from Mike's longtime bassist John London before his death in 2000, and also from Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, creators of such hits as "Last Train To Clarksville" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone." There are also quotes from Mike's FNB drummer Johnny Ware which add insight into the short but artistically fulfilling life of Mike's post-Monkees act.

Chip Douglas also gives insight into the artistic battles that simmered even during the period of 1967 following the group's victory over Don Kirshner, going into detail about some of Peter Tork's recording antics and also detailing some of his disagreements with Mike.

Also very noteworthy are pieces and photos of The Monkees' and their closeness with The Beatles, who respected the Monkees as performers and often jammed with them when they visited London.

The Monkees' success proved important in pop music history and Andrew Sandoval shows how.

Simply put, this is the best book (by a mile) that is out there on the "pre-fab" four. A must for fans, and every painstaking detail (unlike one prior reviewer's comments) is noteworthy, relevant and facinating. Kudos to Andrew for this impressive work and thanks are in order...

It just makes me wonder...whatever happended to "fast" Eddie Hoh??? Anyone out there know??? Andrew???

This joins the ranks of similar books about The Beatles, Elvis and Hendrix as the most authoritative source of Monkees information. If you are a fan, you'll love the details about the sessions and MANY unreleased songs. The passion and care that went into this book are evident from the amount of details. Not a book to read in one session but these books never are. This is a great reference to thumb through while you are listening to the CDs. OK, so The Monkees weren't as important as The Beatles, Elvis or Hendrix, but there are fans (count me as one) who remember these songs from their youth and love re-living that era.

Great job. Amazing book.

great in depth, day by day accounts of monkees recording dates and concerts, detailed and entertaining, a work of love.only bummer no colour photographs. also check out the authors own recordings, which are inspired in a sixties vein, at avebury records.