"D.W. Washburn" b/w "It's Nice to Be with You"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "D.W. Washburn" b/w "It's Nice to Be with You" - the Monkees' seventh single (Colgems 1023) - was released in the U.S. fifty years ago this month (June 1968).  Sandoval gives a specific day (21 June) for the U.K. release (RCA 1706).

"She Makes Me Laugh"

Yester-day I listened to Good Times! again and decided to start including it in this project (I'd intentionally been avoiding writing about it for a while because I just wanted to enjoy listening to it).  I have a couple little things to write about, but I think I might wait on those for a while to see if I can find anything more substantial.

I did notice something significant about "She Makes Me Laugh," specifically this recurring guitar phrase:

(I notated it an octave higher than it's played, and that second F# is a bent note.)

This guitar phrase is extremely similar to the recurring guitar phrases in the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long."  Those phrases vary a bit, but here's the one from around 0:24:

(Again, I notated this an octave higher than it's played, and I think that that G natural note is also bent.)

The rhythms match exactly, and while the melodies aren't the same, they are extremely similar.

"Circle Sky"

This morning I listened to Justus, and I noticed a small thing about "Circle Sky."  The line "Hamilton, smiling down" descends (G E E | E C# B A), musically representing that "down."  This articulation is also present in the live version included as a bonus track on the Head soundtrack.  The studio version on the Head soundtrack is fairly similar, but I think there's an extra D note, so: G D E E | E C# B A.

A couple months ago, I read the entry for 9 December 1967 in Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation where Mike Nesmith says, "'Hamilton smiling down,' one of the lyric lines in ["Circle Sky"], refers to the name on the music stand that I was sitting in front of."  I was surprised to discover shortly after reading this that my music stand also has "Hamilton" on it.  Because it's reflective, it was a bit difficult to get a good picture of it:

Apparently, this is the Hamilton KB400N.  I'm not sure if this is the specific type of music stand that Nesmith had, but I think it's pretty close.

"(Theme from) The Monkees"

Early this morning I was thinking about "(Theme from) The Monkees" and realized something about the shape of the melody for the chorus (except for the chorus before the instrumental section, which is a bit different).  The melody in each phrase is fairly conjunct (I think the biggest interval is a major third), and most of the phrases ascend, but at the end of the line "To put anybody down," there's a falling fourth (D to A), so that "down" is represented musically.

The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the Monkees' fifth album - The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (Colgems COM-109 [mono], COS-109 [stereo]) - was released fifty years ago this month (April 1968).  The U.K. release (RCA 7948) followed on 5 July.

Side One:

1. "Dream World"
2. "Auntie's Municipal Court"
3. "We Were Made for Each Other"
4. "Tapioca Tundra"
5. "Daydream believer"
6. "Writing Wrongs"

Side Two:

1. "I'll Be Back up on My Feet"
2. "The Poster"
3. "P.O. Box 9847"
4. "Magnolia Simms"
5. "Valleri"
6. "Zor and Zam"

"Mijacogeo (The Frodis Caper)"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Mijacogeo (The Frodis Caper)" - the fifty-eighth and last episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-sixth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (25 March 1968).  It was written by Micky Dolenz, Dave Evans, and Jon Anderson, directed by Micky Dolenz, and featured the songs "Zor and Zam" and "Song of the Siren" (performed by Tim Buckley).  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group battle with the evil Wizard Glick (Rip Taylor) who plans to take over the world through the hypnotic spell of television."

"Zilch"

This morning I watched Oklahoma! for the first time.  I think I may have read somewhere that this is the source of the line "Never mind the furthermore, the plea is self-defense" in "Zilch" (and also "No Time"), but now that I've actually seen the movie, I know the context from which the line is taken.

Near the end of the movie there's an improvised trial (something of a formality that the characters want to rush through), and as one character explains his actions ("And furthermore..."), he's interrupted by the judge, who says, "Never mind the 'furthermore,' the plea is self-defense."  Because I hadn't seen the movie and didn't know the context, I didn't know that the "furthermore" in this quote is itself a quote.

"Monkees Blow Their Minds"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Blow Their Minds" - the fifty-seventh episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-fifth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (11 March 1968).  It was written by Peter Meyerson, directed by David Winters, and featured the songs "Valleri," "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" (instrumental mix), and "Daily Nightly."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Peter is suffering from writers' block and seeks help from a manipulative mentalist."

"Some Like It Lukewarm"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Some Like It Lukewarm" - the fifty-sixth episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-fourth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (4 March 1968).  It was written by Joel Kane and Stanley Z. Cherry, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "The Door into Summer" and "She Hangs Out."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When the group enters a mixed-gender 'rockathon' Davy learns that band contests can be a drag."

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

"Monkees Mind Their Manor"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Mind Their Manor" - the fifty-fifth episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-third of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (26 February 1968).  It was written by Coslough Johnson, directed by Peter H. Thorkelson (Peter Tork), and featured the song "Star Collector"  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group travel to England to sort out Davy's inheritance of Sir Malcolm Kibee's estate."

"The Monkees in Paris"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Monkees in Paris" - the fifty-fourth episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-second of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (19 February 1968).  It was written and directed by Robert Rafelson, and featured the songs "Love Is Only Sleeping," "Don't Call on Me," "Star Collector," and "Goin' Down."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group, bored with the grind of their television show, flee to Paris for some freeform frolics."

"Monkees Race Again"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Race Again" - the fifty-third episode of The Monkees series (and the twenty-first of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (12 February 1968).  It was written by Dave Evans, Elias Davis, and David Pollack, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group come to the rescue of a friend whose race car is the victim of sabotage."