"I'm a Believer"

A couple days ago, I was playing "I'm a Believer" on my keyboard (figuring out the vocal melody both by ear and from memory), and I discovered something interesting, which I then verified by referencing the recording.

The song's in G major, but there's an F natural (the only accidental in the vocal melody) in the last line of every verse.  It corresponds to "all my" in the line "Disappointment haunted all my dreams" and "I got" in the line "When I needed sunshine I got rain."  This foreign tonality musically represents the "disappointment" and the rain in place of sunshine.

"The Christmas Show"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Christmas Show" - the forty-seventh episode of The Monkees series (and the fifteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (25 December 1967).  It was written by Dave Evans and Neil Burstyn, directed by Jon Anderson, and featured the song "Riu Chiu."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group try to instill the spirit of Christmas in a cynical rich kid (played by Butch Patrick)."

"Monkees on the Wheel"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees on the Wheel" - the forty-sixth episode of The Monkees series (and the fourteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (11 December 1967).  It was written by Coslough Johnson, directed by Jerry Sheppard, and featured the songs "The Door into Summer" and "Cuddly Toy."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Micky 'Magic Fingers' Dolenz meddles with the mob when The Monkees land in Las Vegas."

"Monkees in Texas"

When I watched "Monkees in Texas" earlier this week, I found a few references in the incidental music and dialogue.

After Mike tells the rest of the Monkees, "They [Black Bart and his men] killed our golf cart," there's a shot of the golf cart (at about 4:48), and - as incidental music - there's a quote of the third movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35, which has the appropriate heading "Marche funebre: lento."

At about 8:45, as Micky and Peter enter the saloon, Stephen Foster's "Swanee River" is playing.

At about 16:00, Mike tells Davy, "Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes."  At first, I thought this was a reference to the Battle of New Orleans (1812).  In the song "The Battle of New Orleans" (probably most famously sung by Johnny Horton), there are the lines "Old Hick'ry said we can take 'em by surprise / If we didn't fire our muskets till we looked 'em in the eyes."  However, when I lookt up the phrase, I found that it's also associated with the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775).

"Monkees in Texas"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees in Texas" - the forty-fifth episode of The Monkees series (and the thirteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (4 December 1967).  It was written by Jack Winter, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Words" and "Goin' Down."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group comes to the rescue of Mike's Aunt Kate, whose ranch is under siege."

"Hitting the High Seas"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Hitting the High Seas" - the forty-forth episode of The Monkees series (and the twelfth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (27 November 1967).  It was written by Jack Winter, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Daydream Believer" and "Star Collector."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When the group take jobs on a shady ship, thoughts of mutiny are bountiful."

"A Coffin Too Frequent"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "A Coffin Too Frequent" - the forty-third episode of The Monkees series (and the eleventh of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (20 November 1967).  It was written by Stella Linden Ross, directed by David Winters, and featured the songs "Daydream Believer" and "Goin' Down."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group's pad becomes the scene of a spooky séance."

"The Wild Monkees"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Wild Monkees" - the forty-second episode of The Monkees series (and the tenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (13 November 1967).  It was written by Stanley Ralph Ross and Corey Upton, directed by Jon C. Anderson, and featured the songs "Goin' Down" and "Star Collector."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group pose as tough bikers to win the hearts of four motorcycle mamas."

"Card Carrying Red Shoes"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Card Carrying Red Shoes" - the forty-first episode of The Monkees series (and the ninth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (6 November 1967).  It was written by Lee Sanford, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "She Hangs Out."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A Druvanian prima ballerina involves the group in a plot to smuggle microfilm."

"Daydream Believer" b/w "Goin' Down"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Daydream Believer" b/w "Goin' Down" - the Monkees' fifth single (Colgems 1012) - was released in the U.S. fifty years ago this month (November 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA 1645) was released the same month.

The catalogue number that Sandoval lists for the U.K. release is the same as what he has for the "Pleasant Valley Sunday" b/w "Words" single.  I'm not sure if that's a mistake or not, or - if it is - which number is erroneous.

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the Monkees' fourth album - Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (Colgems COM-104 [mono], COS-104 [stereo]) - was released fifty years ago this month (November 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA SF 7912) followed in December.

Side One:

1. "Salesman"
2. "She Hangs Out"
3. "The Door into Summer"
4. "Love Is Only Sleeping"
5. "Cuddly Toy"
6. "Words"

Side Two:

1. "Hard to Believe"
2. "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"
3. "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky"
4. "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
5. "Daily Nightly"
6. "Don't Call on Me"
7. "Star Collector"

"Monkees Marooned"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Marooned" - the fortieth episode of The Monkees series (and the eighth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (30 October 1967).  It was written by Stanley Ralph Ross, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Daydream Believer" and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When Peter trades his guitar for a treasure map the group goes in search of buried booty."

"Hillbilly Honeymoon"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Hillbilly Honeymoon" - the thirty-ninth episode of The Monkees series (and the seventh of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (23 October 1967).  It was written by Peter Meyerson, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "Papa Gene's Blues."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Davy is caught in the middle of a family feud and once again threatened with the prospect of marriage."

"I Was a 99lb. Weakling"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "I Was a 99lb. Weakling" - the thirty-eighth episode of The Monkees series (and the sixth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (16 October 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, Neil Burtyn, and Jon C. Andersen, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the songs "Sunny Girlfriend" and "Love Is Only Sleeping."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Micky's pride is at stake when a muscle-man steals his chick."

"Art for Monkees Sake"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Art for Monkees Sake" - the thirty-seventh episode of The Monkees series (and the fifth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (9 October 1967).  It was written by Coslough Johnson, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the songs "Randy Scouse Git" and "Daydream Believer."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Peter gets caught in a plot to counterfeit and steal a priceless Rembrandt."

"She"

Over the last couple months, I've been slowly writing out the notation for the bass part in "She."  I finally finished it last week.

My notation starts when the bass part starts in the song, but there are a couple measures of solo guitar before this.  As always, there's the disclaimer that I might have something wrong.

Like I mentioned when I recorded the song last year, there's a single phrase in the second chorus (the last measure on the first page) that's different from the first and third choruses.  I'm pretty sure the bass player (Larry Taylor, according the liner notes) just missed his cue; instead of the measure of four quarter notes (E F# G# B) that's in the first and third choruses, the bass continues playing the same thing as the preceding measures: half and quarter notes of E then a quarter note of B.

"Monkee Mayor"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkee Mayor" - the thirty-sixth episode of The Monkees series (and the fourth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (2 October 1967).  It was written by Jack Winter, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the songs "No Time" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Mike runs for mayor in a bid to save the group's groovy pad."

"Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik" - the thirty-fifth episode of The Monkees series (and the third of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (25 September 1967).  It was written by Jack Winter, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the songs "Love Is Only Sleeping" and "Cuddly Toy."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Davy's hand in marriage becomes the object of desire for a wealthy Arabian princess."

"The Picture Frame"

When I watched "The Picture Frame" this morning, I noticed the painting in the jail cell (jail cells aren't wont to have paintings):

This lookt like a Vincent Van Gogh painting to me, so I did some research.  It's one of several versions of Van Gogh's "La Berceuse," painted between late 1888 and early 1889.

Here's a version from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:

Here's a version from the Met (with the notable difference of the hands' being folded the opposite direction):

I lookt at some other versions, but I couldn't positively identify which version was used in "The Picture Frame."  Whichever version was used, I'm sure it was a reproduction and not the original painting.

"The Picture Frame"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Picture Frame" - the thirty-fourth episode of The Monkees series (and the second of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (18 September 1967).  It was written by Jack Winter, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Randy Scouse Git."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Peter labors to clear the name of his bandmates after they unwittingly rob a bank."

"It's a Nice Place to Visit"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "It's a Nice Place to Visit" - the thirty-third episode of The Monkees series (and the first of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (11 September 1967).  It was written by Treva Silverman, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A trip to Mexico goes south when the evil El Diablo captures Davy."

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" b/w "Words"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" b/w "Words" - the Monkees' fourth single (Colgems 1007) - was released in the U.S. fifty years ago this month (July 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA 1645) was in August.

"Words"

One of my musical goals this year is to learn a bass part to a song on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. every month.  I've been neglecting that a bit, but I did learn the bass part for "Words" this month.  "Words" was never one of my favorite Monkees songs, but - having learned the bass part - I like it a lot more (just because the bass part is fun to play).

Here's the notation, although - as always - there's the disclaimer that I might have something wrong:

"Ladies Aid Society"

Last week I listened to the first disc of the deluxe edition of More of the Monkees, and a couple days ago, "Ladies Aid Society" was in my head when I woke up.  According to Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the track itself was recorded in late August/early September 1966 (around the same time other tracks on More of the Monkees were recorded) but wasn't released until The Monkees Present in 1969.  I don't have The Monkees Present, but from what I understand, the bonus track on More of the Monkees is the same recording.  It's just a mono mix where The Monkees Present uses a stereo mix.

Because the song was stuck in my head, I realized that it has sections in different time signatures.  The verses - sung by Davy Jones - are in 4/4, but the choruses - apparently sung in falsetto by some of the session musicians - are in 3/4.

The only other song I can readily think of that also has sections in 3/4 and 4/4 is the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  According to Mark Lewisohn's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was recorded in early March 1967.  So the half-3/4, half-4/4 time signature of "Ladies Aid Society" predates that of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  It just wasn't released until years later.

"Sometime in the Morning"

Yester-day I listened to the first disc of the deluxe edition of More of the Monkees, and I workt on my transcriptions a bit.  I think it was because I was looking at the lyrics while listening to them that I noticed something about "Sometime in the Morning," specifically about the bridge:

Now in her childlike eyes
You see the beauty there
You know it was always there
And you need no longer wear a disguise

The "there" of "You know it was always there" is a perfect rhyme with the "wear" of "And you need no longer wear," and those two phrases have the same number of syllables (seven), so - as far as rhyme and syllable count are concerned - "a disguise" isn't necessary.*  There's even a bit of a pause in Micky's vocal between "no longer wear" and "a disguise," which seems to underscore that it's poetically unnecessary.

In the same way that the phrase "a disguise" isn't necessary to fill in some more syllables of that line or rhyme with the previous line, the lyric itself is also saying - a bit more literally - that a disguise isn't necessary.

---

*Of course, in order to make sense, that line does need "a disguise" because - even though it's an infinitive here - wear (in this sense) is a transitive verb and needs an object.

"I'll Spend My Life with You"

After listening to Headquarters recently, I figured out and notated the lead and harmony vocal parts for the second chorus of "I'll Spend My Life with You" (the first chorus doesn't have a harmony part, and the last chorus has a slightly different rhythm at the end, but the note values in the second chorus sounded like they would be easy to figure out).  While notating the parts, I remembered that the second and third iterations of the chorus can have two different readings because of the to/too homophone pair.  I wrote a post about this last June (before I started this project), and I thought I should post that here too:

To-day I listened to the first disc of the deluxe edition of the Monkees' Headquarters album, and I noticed an ambiguous word in the chorus of "I'll Spend My Life with You."  The last two lines could be rendered as "And if you want me to / I'll spend my life with you" or "And if you want me too / I'll spend my life with you."

The first rendering is an example of elliptical phrasing.  Because the same phrase is repeated in the second line, it's omitted from the first, lest there's the lengthy "And if you want me to [spend my life with you] / I'll spend my life with you."

The second rendering indicates a reciprocity with the "too."  The "if you want me too" implies that the singer/speaker also wants the girl he's addressing.

Because the chorus is repeated (the first chorus has some different lyrics, but the iteration with these "And if you want me to(o) / I'll spend my life with you" lines is sung twice), both renderings could be understood in turn.

"Mr. Webster"

Although I can't find a source I deem credible, 22 May is listed in a few places at the specific day that Headquarters was released in 1967.  I listened to it yester-day (the first disc of the two-disc deluxe edition, anyway), and I remembered something I was going to write about "Mr. Webster" months ago but apparently completely forgot about.  It's just a minor point, but the "raise" in the line "Each time Frisbee promised him a raise" is higher than the notes preceding it.  The phrase "promised him a" is sung to B notes, but for "raise," the melody moves up to a C.  The pitch rises there as something of a representation of the "raise" in the lyric.

Headquarters

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the Monkees' third album - Headquarters (Colgems COM-103 [mono], COS-103 [stereo]) - was released fifty years ago this month (May 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA SF 7886) followed in June.

Side One:

1. "You Told Me"
2. "I'll Spend My Life with You"
3. "Forget That Girl"
4. "Band 6"
5. "You Just May Be the One"
6. "Shades of Gray"
7. "I Can't Get Her off My Mind"

Side Two:

1. "For Pete's Sake"
2. "Mr. Webster"
3. "Sunny Girlfriend"
4. "Zilch"
5. "No Time"
6. "Early Morning Blues and Greens"
7. "Randy Scouse Git"

"Monkees on Tour"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees on Tour" - the thirty-second episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (24 April 1967).  It was written and directed by Robert Rafelson and featured the songs "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Last Train to Clarksville," "Sweet Young Thing," "Mary, Mary," "Cripple Creek," "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover," "I Wanna Be Free," "I've Got a Woman," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," and "I'm a Believer."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A mini-documentary showing a day in the life of The Monkees during their first concert tour."

"Monkees at the Movies"

When I watched "Monkees at the Movies" this morning, I noticed a pretty obvious Shakespeare reference.  I thought it would be mentioned in the trivia on the DVD, but since it wasn't, I thought I'd make a note of it here.  About five minutes into the episode, after the Monkees have discovered how much of a jerk Frankie Catalina is, Micky says, "No longer shall we suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous Catalina."  He appears in an older style of clothing and holding a skull:

Both of these are references to Hamlet.  In his famous "To be or not to be..." soliloquy, Hamlet wonders about "suffer[ing] / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (III.i.65-66).  Much later in the play, he picks up the skull of the King's jester (which had been buried for twenty-three years) and says, "Alas, poor Yorick" (V.i.177).

For what it's worth: in "Monkees Get out More Dirt," two episodes before this one, Mike quotes from Hamlet too.

"Monkees at the Movies"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees at the Movies" - the thirty-first episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (17 April 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Russell Mayberry, and featured the songs "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Valleri," and "Last Train to Clarksville."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group is cast as extras in a teen-exploitation beach part flick… until Davy is cast into the spotlight."

"Monkees in Manhattan"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees in Manhattan" - the thirtieth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (10 April 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Russell Mayberry, and featured the songs "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," and "Words."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "At the urging of a would-be producer The Monkees hit the Big Apple to star in his rock'n'roll musical."

"Monkees Get Out More Dirt"

When I watched "Monkees Get Out More Dirt" this morning, I noticed some literary allusions (which aren't pointed out in the DVD trivia).

At the end, after April announces her engagement to Freddy Fox III, Davy says, "April is the cruelest month."  This is the first line of T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land."  Then Mike says, "Well, I guess it just goes to prove what Shakespeare said: 'To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the-" at which point he's interrupted by Micky.  Specifically, this is from Shakespeare's Hamlet.  Polonius says to Laertes "This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man" (I.iii.82-84).

"Monkees Get Out More Dirt"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt" - the twenty-ninth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (3 April 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Gerald Shepard, and featured the song "The Girl I Knew Somewhere."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A soap opera develops when Mike, Micky, Davy, and Peter all fall for the same woman, a luscious laundromat owner (played by Julie Newmar)."

"I Wanna Be Free"

Yester-day I listened to The Monkees (specifically, the second disc of the deluxe edition), and I noticed a small thing about "I Wanna Be Free."  The "down" in the line "Without any strings to tie me down" has a melisma.  Instead of one syllable, it's sung to two, and the second syllable has a lower pitch than the first one (it's B to A).  The melody to which "down" is sung goes down, musically representing the tying down that's in the lyric.

Headquarters

A couple days ago, I was writing out notation for what I know of the bass part of "Early Morning Blues and Greens."  (And, of course, while doing so, I found that I had some errors in my recording.)  Because I was already at the Headquarters album in my music collection, I tried figuring out some of the bass part for "You Told Me."  I'd figured out a bit of it before, but not to a high enough degree of accuracy.  (And on a different occasion, I figured out the chords, but I didn't feel they were worth posting about on their own.)  In any case, I realized that - for large sections - the bass parts for "You Told Me" and "Early Morning Blues and Greens" have the same rhythm:

I just put the notes on the middle line so that they're centered; the rhythm is what's relevant here, not the pitch.

It's not a very common rhythm (I'm pretty sure I haven't run across this rhythm in any other bass parts, and there seem to be some pretty common rhythms in bass parts), and it's a musical element that provides a bit of cohesion to the Headquarters album.  It's unsurprising then that - according to the liner notes of the deluxe edition of the album - both bass parts were played by Chip Douglas.

"Monkees on the Line"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees on the Line" - the twenty-eighth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (27 March 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, and Coslough Johnson, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group is pressed into service as unlikely operators of an answering service."

"Early Morning Blues and Greens"

A couple days ago, I learned the bass part for roughly the first half of "Early Morning Blues and Greens" from Headquarters.  This evening, I learned the electric piano part for that same section.  I flubbed one transition (although I'm not confident I have all of the transitions correct anyway), but - without practicing it for a few days - I don't think I could do any better:

"Monkee Mother"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkee Mother" - the twenty-seventh episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (20 March 1967).  It was written by Peter Meyerson and Robert Schlitt, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Sometime in the Morning" and "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When The Monkees can't pay the rent, their landlord moves a more mature tenant (played by Rose Marie) into their pad."

"Jericho"

I was recently reminded of the song "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho."  The Monkees' version, titled just "Jericho" (which is actually an outtake from the Headquarters sessions and a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Headquarters), is the only version I know so that's the version I started thinking about.  I'm sure this isn't specific to their version, but the line "And the walls came a-tumblin' down" descends, as if to musically represent the walls' coming down.  Starting with "walls," I think it's a diatonic descent in B major from F# to B, with some notes repeated.

"Monkee Chow Mein"

This morning I watched "Monkee Chow Mein," and I noticed some familiar-sounding dialogue.  After the Dragonman says that they have to find "the boy with the long hair named Peter," Toto says, "That's a strange name for long hair."

I'm not sure if this joke from The Monkees is meant to resemble it, but there's a similar exchange in the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.  A reporter asks George Harrison, "What would you call that hairstyle you're wearing?" to which he replies, "Arthur."  The jokes aren't structured the same way, but both involve giving a person's name to a hairstyle.

"Monkee Chow Mein"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkee Chow Mein" - the twenty-sixth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (13 March 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "Your Auntie Grizelda."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "During a visit to a Chinese restaurant The Monkees get tangled up in a plot to unleash the dreaded Doomsday bug."

In the book, the episode title is given as "Monkees Chow Mein," but on the DVD, it's "Monkee Chow Mein."

"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" b/w "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"

Like I mentioned in this post, Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation says that "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" b/w "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" was released in March 1967.  The DVD trivia for "Alias Micky Dolenz" (which I watched on its original air date) has a more specific date and claims that it was 8 March (fifty years ago to-day), coincident with Micky's birthday:

"Alias Micky Dolenz"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Alias Micky Dolenz" - the twenty-fifth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (6 March 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, and Dave Evans, directed by Bruce Kessler, and featured the songs "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" and "Mary, Mary."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Micky's resemblance to a vicious killer causes calamity."

"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" b/w "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" b/w "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" - the Monkees' third single (Colgems 1004) - was released in the U.S. fifty years ago this month (March 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA 1580) was on 31 March.

"Monkees a la Mode"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees a la Mode" - the twenty-fourth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (27 February 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the songs "Laugh" and "You Just May Be the One."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A haughty style rag selects the group as 'the typical young Americans of the year.'"

"Captain Crocodile"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Captain Crocodile" - the twenty-third episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (20 February 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, Peter Meyerson, and Robert Schlitt, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Valleri" and "Your Auntie Grizelda."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The Monkees find themselves at odds with an egomaniacal children's show host, Captain Crocodile."

"Monkees at the Circus"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees at the Circus" - the twenty-second episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (13 February 1967, incidentally Peter Tork's twenty-fifth birthday).  It was written by Dave Panich, directed by Bruce Kessler, and featured the songs "She" and "Sometime in the Morning."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When an old-fashioned circus company faces extinction The Monkees step in to save the day."

Re-Establishment

About half a year ago, I started a project in which the goal was to learn every part to every song by the Monkees (for the first few albums at least; I don't have their complete catalogue yet).  I don't think I'll ever actually achieve this, but I think it a worthy objective all the same.

I started this project on tumblr, but recently I've started to feel dissatisfied with it.  I felt I should have a cleaner, more professional-looking platform.  (I found some aspects of tumblr's interface less than ideal too.)  Initially, I went with tumblr only because I could directly post audio files of my own recordings of the songs, as a way to demonstrate that I had in fact learned the parts I said I had.  But I can achieve the same thing just with embedded YouTube videos.

So essentially, I'm jumping ship.  I'm going to continue doing everything I would normally do for this project, just on Blogger rather than on tumblr.  I'll be going back and copying my old posts over to this blog, so I'll have the complete archive, but it'll take a while to transfer everything.

"The Prince and the Pauper"

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Prince and the Pauper" - the twenty-first episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (6 February 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, and Peter Meyerson, directed by James Komack, and featured the song "Mary, Mary."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Davy comes to the aid of a lovelorn Prince Ludlow - who just happens to be Davy's doppelganger."

"Monkees in the Ring"

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I noticed a couple things yester-day when I watched "Monkees in the Ring."

There's a running gag where the Monkees mis-name a character, saying "Shylock" instead of "Sholto."  I'm not sure, but I think this is a reference to the character Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.  I haven't read it for a couple years, but from what I remember Shylock - like Sholto - is something of a scheming character.  He's definitely the antagonist in the play.

The other thing I noticed is that in the background of a scene, Peter plays a bit of Bach on the banjo.  It's commonly referred to as "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," but originally, the melody is in the 7th and 10th movements of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147.

"Monkees in the Ring"

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees in the Ring" - the twentieth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (30 January 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Laugh" and "I'll Be Back up on My Feet."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "A shady promoter enters Davy into the ring as an unlikely boxing champion."

"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"

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A couple days ago, I learned the organ part in "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."  I don't think that the organ part itself is worth recording and posting, but - provided I figured it out correctly - it has an interesting feature.

It alternates between two pairs of notes.  For instance, after "Girl," it's A & C, Bb & D, and then back to A & C.  After "I don't wanna fight," it moves down for F & A, G & Bb, and then back to F & A.  After "I'm a little bit wrong," it's back to A & C and Bb & D, and after "You're a little bit right," it's back to F & A and G & Bb.  It continues that way throughout the rest of the chorus.

Those two pairs of notes have a note in common: A & C and F & A have A in common, and Bb & D and G & Bb have Bb in common.  So, musically, there's an element that's "A little bit me" and "A little bit you too."

"The Audition (Find the Monkees)"

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Audition (Find the Monkees)" - the nineteenth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (23 January 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Richard Nunis, and featured the songs "Sweet Young Thing," "Papa Gene's Blues," and "I'm a Believer."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The Monkees try to impress TV producer Hubbell Benson who is looking for a group to star in his show."

To demonstrate the recent HD restoration of the footage, this full episode is on the Monkees' YouTube channel:

"I Was a Teenage Monster"

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "I Was a Teenage Monster" - the eighteenth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (16 January 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner, Dee Caruso, and Dave Evans, directed by Sidney Miller, and featured the song "Your Auntie Grizelda."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When a mad scientist creates a mod monster he hires The Monkees to make him rock'n'roll."

"I'm a Believer"

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A couple days ago, I figured out the electric piano solo in "I'm a Believer."  I wanted to try to figure out the chords though, so I didn't have to record just the solo.  Yester-day, I got the chords and also the electric guitar part (most of it, at least; I'm not sure of the extent to which it doubles the acoustic guitar chords).  But the organ part is probably the most distinctive musical feature of the song, and it didn't seem right to record the song without it, so last night I learned that too.

I'm limited as far as organ sounds go (because I'm using my dad's old Yahama keyboard from the mid-1990s; I'm saving up for a Nord keyboard so I can use their sample library), so the organ part sounds more like a Hammond than a Vox Continental (which I think is what the original recording has).  I could have been more precise in the acoustic guitar part too; it stops short about a measure after "Not a trace / Of doubt in my mind," but I neglected to do that and instead let it ring out.

I found the electric piano solo really interesting.  It's only four notes, but they have the same intervals as the recurring phrase in "Money (That's What I Want)" (although I have to admit that I'm familiar only with the Beatles' version).  Here, the notes are D F F# G, and in "Money," there're E G G# A.  The rhythms are different, but the sequence of notes is somewhat similar.  I'm not sure if that's coincidental or not.

"Hold on Girl"

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A couple days ago, I learned the introductory keyboard part for "Hold on Girl."  It shows up again later in the song, and it's expanded a bit at the end (although I haven't workt on that yet).

I'm not positive of what instrument this is played on (and since the personnel on the recording are unknown, apparently so are what instruments are present), but I think it's clavichord.  That's what I used anyway (well, the fake clavichord setting on my keyboard).  There's something of a tremolo effect (particularly in the lower register), which rules out electric piano, and there's a darker timbre, which makes me think it's clavichord rather than harpsichord.

"Mary, Mary"

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After I listened to More of the Monkees a few days ago, I figured out the bass part for "Mary, Mary."  I was going to record it, but most of the bass part is just the same figure repeated over and over, and I thought that would get boring.

In lieu of that, here's the phrase in notation:

Hopefully that's proof enough that I learned it.

"Take a Giant Step"

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When I went looking into that drum rhythm in "Take a Giant Step," I sort of accidentally learned the bass part too.  My recording has just the first two verses, but the rest of the part is essentially the same (there might be some variation near the end).  This also gave me an opportunity to finally record the glockenspiel part I learnt back in September, but the fake glockenspiel setting on my keyboard sounds a bit too clunky for my liking.

"Your Auntie Grizelda"

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Yester-day I listened to More of the Monkees because it was the fiftieth anniversary of its release.  I noticed something about "Your Auntie Grizelda."  After the lines in the verses, there's a drum part with this rhythm:

This sounded familiar to me because the same drum rhythm is in "Take a Giant Step."  It's during the instrumental section, with the first occurrence at about 1:39.

I referenced Sandoval's day-by-day book The Monkees and found that while the personnel on "Your Auntie Grizelda" are unknown, it was recorded in New York.  Since "Take a Giant Step" was recorded in Los Angeles, so I think it's safe to say that the songs feature two different groups of musicians (coincidentally, "Your Auntie Grizelda" was recorded the same day that the "Last Train to Clarksville" b/w "Take a Giant Step" single was issued in the U.K. - 14 October 1966).  The songs were written by different people too:  "Take a Giant Step" is by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and "Your Auntie Grizelda" is by Jack Keller and Diane Hilderbrand.

So it seems that it's just coincidence that both songs have the same drum rhythm.

More of the Monkees

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Manufactured Monkees:

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the Monkees' second album - More of the Monkees (Colgems COM-102 [mono], COS-102 [stereo]) - was released fifty years ago this month (January 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA SF 7868) followed on 25 March. 

Side One: 

1. "She"
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)"
3. "Mary, Mary"
4. "Hold on Girl"
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda"
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" 

Side Two: 

1. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
2. "The Kind of Girl I Could Love"
3. "The Day We Fall in Love"
4. "Sometime in the Morning"
5. "Laugh"
6. "I'm a Believer"

According to the trivia on the third disc of season one of The Monkees, More of the Monkees was released the day after "The Case of the Missing Monkee" aired:

Since "The Case of the Missing Monkee" aired on 9 January 1967, this would make the release date of More of the Monkees 10 January 1967, fifty years ago to-day.

"The Case of the Missing Monkee"

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Case of the Missing Monkee" - the seventeenth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (9 January 1967).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Robert Rafelson, and featured the song "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Peter stumbles into a plot to kidnap an esteemed professor and shortly thereafter stumbles out of sight." 

"Salesman"

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One of my sub-projects this year is to figure out a bass part for a song on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd. every month.  A couple days ago, I got most of the bass part (the verses and about half of the bridge) and all of the chords for "Salesman."  Right before I recorded this, I figured out the rest of the bass part during the bridge.

My recording ends right before the little drum solo.  When the other instruments come back in, there's some more variety in the bass part, but I haven't figured that out yet.

More of the Monkees

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the Monkees' second album - More of the Monkees (Colgems COM-102 [mono], COS-102 [stereo]) - was released fifty years ago this month (January 1967).  The U.K. release (RCA SF 7868) followed on 25 March.

Side One:

1. "She"
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)"
3. "Mary, Mary"
4. "Hold on Girl"
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda"
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"

Side Two:

1. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
2. "The Kind of Girl I Could Love"
3. "The Day We Fall in Love"
4. "Sometime in the Morning"
5. "Laugh"
6. "I'm a Believer"