Pictured above: Poster for The Monkees’ film Head, 1968
After the complete commercial and critical failure of the Monkees first and only feature film Head, the band thought they had successfully killed off their image, and decided to completely split apart as a recording band. Although, the original show was sold to CBS for reruns, their original label Colgems thought it would be best if they did one more album, so they went into the vaults and used unused songs to create a “new” record from the band: The Monkees Again.
“That album was a sham man, they just took stuff left on the cutting room floor and cobbled it up into a so called “new album!” A fake album for a fake band, imagine that!”
- Mike Nesmith, 1969
The Monkees Again
Side A:
- 01. Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears (2:16) [1]
- 02. So Goes Love (3:07) [1]
- 03. I Won’t Be The Same Without Her (2:41) [2]
- 04. Do Not Ask For Love (2:58) [3]
- 05. I Don’t Think You Know Me (2:14) [1]
- 06. Looking For The Good Times (2:05) [4]
Side B:
- 07. Tear Drop City (2:01) [2]
- 08. You Can’t Tie a Mustang Down (2:58) [3]
- 09. All The King’s Horses (2:18) [3]
- 10. If I Learned to Play the Violin (2:47) [5]
- 11. Teeny Tiny Gnome (2:28) [1]
- 12. I Never Thought It Peculiar (2:28) [6]
Released: January 20, 1969
Track sources:
[1] - The Monkees - Missing Links - 1984
[2] - The Monkees - Instant Replay - 1969
[3] - The Monkees - Missing Links Volume 2 - 1986
[4] - The Monkees - The Monkees Present - 1969
[5] - The Monkees - Headquarters Sessions - 1995
[6] - The Monkees - Changes - 1970
Pictured above: Mike Nesmith, 1969
After the outrage from Mike, The Monkees Again was pulled off of the market for a good 3-4 weeks after it’s original release. Meanwhile, Mike got signed onto RCA records, with his debut album Michigan Blackhawk, released on July 4th, 1969 to a positive critical reception.
Michigan Blackhawk
Side A:
- 01. Good Clean Fun (2:15) [1]
- 02. St. Matthew (2:44) [2]
- 03. Down the Highway (2:16) [2]
- 04. Of You (1:57) [3]
- 05. Naked Persimmon (2:36) [4]
- 06. If I Ever Get To Saginaw Again (2:45) [2]
- 07. While I Cry (2:59) [5]
Side B:
- 08. Never Tell a Woman Yes (3:46) [1]
- 09. Oklahoma Backroom Dancer (2:36) [1]
- 10. Don’t Wait For Me (2:40) [5]
- 11. How Insensitive (2:32) [6]
- 12. Angel Band (3:25) [6]
Released: July 4th, 1969
Track sources:
[1] - The Monkees - The Monkees Present - 1969
[2] - The Monkees - Missing Links Volume 2 - 1988
[3] - The Monkees - Missing Links - 1987
[4] - The Monkees - 33 ⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee - 1969
[5] - The Monkees - Instant Replay - 1969
[6] - The Monkees - Missing Links Volume 3 - 1996
Pictured above: Micky Dolenz, 1969
Meanwhile, Micky met up with Frank Zappa around the time the Monkees broke up, Zappa offering him to record under his Straight Records label, and he’d produce his album too.
“Frank was a wonderful guy, I wrote this song ‘Mommy and Daddy’ for the album, now if we were under Colgems, they’d be upset over it, ya know, due to the lyrics, but Frank was like “Go for it, it’s perfect”
- Micky Dolenz, 1977
After a 6 week recording period, Mickys album The Two Halves of Micky Dolenz was released to little commercial success, later being a cult hit due to the film “High Fidelity” where an obsessed vinyl collector asks for the album.
The Two Halves of Micky Dolenz
Side A:
- 01. Through the Looking Glass (2:43) [1]
- 02. Steam Engine (2:25) [2]
- 03. Little Girl (1:58) [3]
- 04. Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye (2:18) [3]
- 05. Just a Game (1:49) [1]
- 06. You’re So Good (2:42) [2]
- 07. Rosemarie (2:28) [4]
Side B:
- 08. Shake ‘Em Up (2:10) [2]
- 09. Mommy and Daddy (2:21) [5]
- 10. Midnight Train (2:07) [6]
- 11. Shorty Blackwell (5:46) [1]
- 12. Pillow Time (2:32) [3]
Released: August 30th, 1969
Track sources:
[1] - Instant Replay, 1969
[2] - Missing Links Volume 3 . 1996
[3] - The Monkees Present. 1969
[4] - Missing Links, 1987
[5] - Instant Replay, 2010 Deluxe Edition
[6] - Changes, 1970
Pictured above: Davy Jones, 1969
Davy, wanting to mature from his bubble gum image, signed onto Bell Records, and began recording his second album, Someday Man in late 1969, and released on October 1st 1969. His album did better than Micky’s commercially, but less so than Mike’s album.
Someday Man
Side A:
- 01. Someday Man (2:40) [1]
- 02. If You Have The Time (2:09) [2]
- 03. If I Knew (2:19) [3]
- 04. Look Down (2:51) [4]
- 05. Ceiling in My Room (3:42) [5]
- 06. Party (2:45) [2]
Side B:
- 07. You and I (2:14) [6]
- 08. Changes (2:27) [7]
- 09. French Song (2:22) [3]
- 10. War Games (2:33) [2]
- 11. Smile (2:19) [1]
- 12. My Share of the Sidewalk (3:06) [2]
Released: October 1st, 1969
Track sources:
[1] - Instant Replay, 2010 Deluxe Edition
[2] - Missing Links, 1987
[3] - The Monkees Present, 1969
[4] - Missing Links Volume 3, 1996
[5] - The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, 2010 Deluxe Edition
[6] - Instant Replay, 1969
[7] - Missing Links Volume 2, 1989
Pictured above: Peter Tork and Reine Stewart, 1969
Peter went on to sign onto Apple Records, after a meeting with George Harrison during his vacation. George went on to suggest to hook up with the band Grapefruit, due to Peter's sound seeming it could fit in with the groups.
“Yeah, Grapefruit took me in like the lost puppy I was, and we seemed to vibe with each other quite well, though I feel like they were about to break up after this album, just that feeling of tension in the air”
- Peter Tork, 1987
Grapefruit’s second and final album Deep Water was released on December 20th 1969, to positive to mixed reception, though charting at 19 on the UK charts.
Deep Water
Side A:
- 01. Deep Water (2:13) [1]
- 02. Can’t Find Me (2:05) [1]
- 03. Tear the Top Right Off My Head (2:05) [2]
- 04. Thunder and Lightning (3:03) [1]
- 05. Lady Godiva (3:15) [1]
- 06. Merry Go Round (1:44) [2]
- 07. The Right Direction (2:52) [1]
- 08. L.A. & Back Again (1:52) [1]
Side B:
- 09. Lady’s Baby (2:27) [3]
- 10. Come Down to the Station (3:02) [1]
- 11. A Dizzy Day (2:46) [1]
- 12. Come On In (3:11) [4]
- 13. Blues in Your Head (4:43) [1]
- 14. Time to Leave (3:12) [1]
Released:
Track sources: December 20th, 1969
[1] - Deep Water, 1969
[2] - Missing Links Volume 3, 1996
[3] - Missing Links, 1987
[4] - Missing Links Volume 2, 1989
Author’s comments:
Special thanks to my boy Maywood for coming up with this really rad idea for the timeline! - The_Lifehouse
Also we realized our mistake of not including Pink Floyd's On the Road album in our last post before the Spare Creativity series started, so we included it. - Auran
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