All the comments on this thread are well thought out and telling. Can’t add much to it except to say that the actual studio musicians who played on the Monkee’s classics hardly ever get recognition which is a shame. Rest in Peace Davy, Peter and Mike.
Not at all true that they were cast only for their looks and characters!!! The guys were cast for their acting comedic and musical skills. They were put through a grueling audition process. No need to make up stuff nor diminish them to make a fascinating story. They were ‘lighting in a bottle’! The show and music much loved many years later.
It turns out almost everyone in LA in the 60's "didn't play on their own records". The Beach Boys used "The Wrecking Crew" and just added the vocals, just like the Monkees. I think Don Kirshner was right. "Sugar Sugar" was the biggest record of 1969. The Monkees were young and arrogant with fame, and maybe a little envious that a bigger chunk of record royalties goes to the songwriters, not the artists.
Which makes the documentary odd, Sugar Sugar is told by Andy Kim as not being written until April 1969, so could not have been demoed in 1967. Mike's responses are not specifically about that track, being spliced in out of context.
Kirshner is bitter and twisted, of course they had talent and that was his big problem, he couldn't manipulate them the way he envisioned so he took his bat and ball and went and invented a cartoon group. Nesmith wrote some great songs for the Monkees...Mary Mary, You Just Maybe the One, Daily Nightly, You Told Me, The Girl i Knew Somewhere, Circle Sky etc. Kirshner was to dumb to realise he had songwriting gold in his own midst. Dismissing them as no talents is completely wrong.
Too true. They could bring out an album with at least 18 tracks called Michael Nesmith written Monkees songs Best of. It's a wonder it hasn't been done.
Kirschner seems to equate commercial success to talent. Headquarters sold half as many copies as More of the Monkees, BUT it is considered by many to be the greatest Monkees album. Michael Nesmith is easily one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and for him to be dismissed as having no talent is insane. So many of my favourite songs were written by him. Different Drum, Tapioca Tundra, Magnolia Simms, Nine Times Blue, Papa Gene's Blues, Listen to the Band, Good Clean Fun, Never Tell a Woman Yes, Some of Shelly's Blues.... the list could go on forever.
