The Monkees, Head, and the 60s

by Peter Mills, Bill Drummond (Contributor)

How has a group conceived as a short-lived commodity outlived many more 'real' bands by nearly fifty years? Why are The Monkees still important, and what does this tell us about their music, their TV show, and our understanding of popular culture today?

Despite being built in Hollywood, and not necessarily to last, that is precisely what their music, TV, and cinematic output has done. They in many ways unique--as the first 'made for TV' band, their success introduced methods of marketing pop that have since become standard industry practice; their 'big screen' use of film and images in live performance is likewise now a firmly established principle of concert staging; and in the way they changed the rules of the game, taking control over their own affairs at the height of the success, risking magnificent failure by doing so.

The Monkees invented a new kind of TV, gave a new model to the music industry, and left behind one of the most enigmatic movies of the modern era, Head. This book is about all that and more. Beginning by exploring the origins and personalities of the four Monkees before looking in depth at their work together on screen, on stage, and on record, Listen To The Band is the first serious study of the band and the first to fully acknowledge their importance to the development of pop as we now know it.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Biography

344 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2016

Reviews

[Bob Schnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever a book was written for me, this would be it. As a life-long Monkees fan and defender of their movie "Head" I relished every page. Peter Mills is also a longtime fan, but being British and an academic he brings a different view to the story. I didn't always agree with his perspective or interpretations, but he made me think about the Monkees in a way I hadn't before.

The book has four distinct sections; the TV show, the music, Head and the aftermath. Though each Monkee has a brief biography, the book isn't so much about them as it is about the group and its impact on pop culture. It is refreshing to have a music scene so often dismissed as "pre-fab" and "bubblegum" given serious critical evaluation. The author is a bit biased, placing the Monkees third in cultural influence after the Beatles and the Beach Boys, but he is objective enough to make the book a worthy addition to any music library. He even made me re-evaluate my least favorite episode, "Fairy Tale," pointing out its significance in the timeline as to when the Monkees began to take charge of their destiny and bite the hand that created them.

Casual fans and curious onlookers will find plenty to like as well. Plenty of commonly held misconceptions are shattered and there are many stories of Hollywood in the 1960's which show how different it was from the heralded Laurel Canyon scene, though some of those artists tried out to be Monkees as well. As was often the case, critics savaged them while other musicians held them in higher regard. Chances are that most readers will have a bit more respect for the Monkees as well after reading this book.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The movie Head frequently winds up on those Worst Movies Ever Made lists. I suppose that is understandable because it takes a certain type of person to understand all the visual puns and satire. But if you are like me and think it is one of the funniest movies ever made, then this is the book for you. Fortunately, I have seen the film often enough to appreciate an almost frame-by-frame description of each scene (including bits that the author had to slow down on a DVD player to see because the edits go by too quickly).

And I agree, the film is a landmark which paved the way for "New Hollywood." That's because, although the movie was a flop, the Monkees were so successful up to this point, that the directors Rafelson and Schneider had cart blanche do whatever they wanted. It was truly Monkees money that financed Easy Rider. However, in addition to the cinema, the book delves into the music and how the group contributed to it, contrary to popular belief that they were just faking it. Also, I did not know the extent to which Jack Nicholson masterminded the overall structure of the Head soundtrack (ie. choosing which soundbites from the movie to include on the record). At one point, I was so engrossed in a description of how Davy Jones and Toni Basil choreographed and filmed Harry Nilsson's "Daddy's Song," that I missed my stop on the train.

The unfortunate part of reading this is that it has inspired me to go on a quest to fill every single tiny gap in my Monkees collection (that means tracking down the Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart lp). And it also includes re-watching not only Head, but every episode of the TV show, and all of TV specials they ever did including 33 1/3rd, which gets lambasted by the author as the only thoroughly deplorable project they were involved in (while not their best, it's not THAT bad IMHO). I am also going to have to search my VHS tapes to see if I still have the special that aired in 1997, and if so, transfer it to DVD (and if not, get a copy some other way).

Like I always say, you can never be too rich, too thin or too Monkeed out. If you do not agree with that statement, this may be too much information for you.

[Liz Estrada · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and half stars.

Well, to be honest was expecting more from this book. I must preface by saying I did NOT grow up watching the Monkees TV show and have never actually seen a full length episode. But I am a total fan of their brilliant film, "Head" from the first go around. I forget how many times I have seen it, but always find it mind blowing in many ways. I like the Monkees music as great pop music and it was interesting to read about the "Brill building", Boyle & Hart, King, etc...., the supposed "manufactured" talented machine. I guess I thought it would be more biographical and less "analytical" and found some parts quite boring.

The best chapter, no doubt, was the scene by scene breakdown of the actual film, which for me is one of the most genius misunderstood surrealistic films ever made. Love how Peter Mills dwells on the "real" vs. "fake" music and band because for me that was the greatest "inside" joke of the whole Monkees fame. I admire them for making this film in the height of their fame and success and allowing themselves to be poked fun of, for after all, they were seen by many insiders as outsiders and a bit of a joke.

Rafelson and Jack Nicholson's mischief and puns run thoughout the entire movie and the audience feels like they are in on it. A sense of deja vu and well edited images makes us feel a part of the show. A genius film way ahead of its time, never gets old and helps "you dig it". What is real or what is manufactured becomes blurred and is all up to your imagination to decide; you are either in the box or out of the box.

The soundtrack to this film is just as amazing and The Porpoise Song is one of the most haunting tunes, fitting in perfectly with the beginning and the end (of the beginning). A true psychedelic trip, for those wanting and willing to mess with their own heads and expand their minds.

If you've "never been accused of having a sense of humor" you may just want to let your "mind relax and float downstream". For the one thing the book did make me want to do is watch and rewatch Head a thousand more times. A nice compendium to the film and album. The rest was kind of lost on me and of little interest, .unless you are a die hard Monkees fan. But you don't have to have been a Monkees fan to dig this film!

It is "supernatural...perhaps" but "baloney" definitely not!!!!

[Lori Schiele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this in December, but have taken a break in reading it, which is why it is still in my Currently Reading list. But as much as I have read so far (more than 1/2), it is incredible, with so much information about the Monkees that I have never heard about anywhere else but know to be true, plus more info on stories that I have heard pieces of but are filled out in their entirety.
For every Monkees fan--this is a definite must!!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Mills knows just about everything there is to know about The Monkees. From the TV show to the movie Head, the low ebb of the 70’s to the high water mark of the 80’s and even the history of Rhino Records. I thought I knew a lot about the band, but I had so much to learn. This book really tells all and is well worth the read for the intense fan like myself.

This was my pallet cleanser between other books. When I finished a book, I would pick this up and read 40-60 pages and then put it down when I started a new one. I was able to drop in & out easily without losing my train of thought.

If you love The Monkees like I do then you’ll enjoy this exhaustive volume of Monkees history.

[Glenn Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝑁𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦." :)

I'll start by stating the obvious here... This is an incredibly "niche" book. The title alone demonstrates that reality. Even within the broader category of The Monkees themselves, the book focuses almost exclusively on the 1968 film and accompanying soundtrack. (That's fine. The author doesn't falsely present this as an overview of the band.) I simply point that out for those who might be interested in reading it. Having said that, I found the book to be incredibly informative, entertaining, and captivating. In many ways it reads like a college text (appropriate given that the author is a professor). It is detailed, thought-provoking, and adds insightful application to the subject at hand.

Having been born in 1967 I was a bit of a late-comer to the Monkees bandwagon in terms of the actual experience itself. However, their music and influence has been an ever-present reality in my life since my early days of rushing home from school to watch the show in syndication back in the early 70s. Recently, I decided to revisit that era of nostalgia by way of rewatching the original TV series and listening more in depth to their musical collection. I quickly realized that I actually knew very little about the band and by coincidence grabbed this book as a starting point for my learning adventure. So glad I did!!! Mills provides a comprehensive and insightful look at the band, their story, and the mindset that accompanied the making of all things "Head" (both the movie and the music). The past few months has been a delightful trip down memory lane via this book as I rediscovered the band that had such tremendous influence on my early years. Now at the age of almost 60, as I read the actual behind-the-scenes story, I am even more impressed with the overnight success and lasting power of this group of 4 amazing people. Great book that I highly recommend to anyone who is either a fan of the Monkees or just wants to learn more about the early days of "pop music" and the entertainment industry that grew in such power during the late 60s.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before we get into this book, maybe we should consider the question “What is / Who are The Monkees?”

One way to answer the question is that The Monkees are four musician-actors: Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, and Davy Jones. Each band member was an accomplished musician and/or actor before becoming a Monkee. Micky Dolenz was a successful television actor. Davy Jones was a Tony Award-winning actor/singer. Michael Nesmith was a recording artist who wrote Linda Ronstadt’s hit record “Different Drum.” Peter Tork was a working musician in the folk scene and a close friend of Stephen Stills.

Another way to answer the question is that “The Monkees” was a television show that ran for two seasons but has continued to play in syndication for almost fifty years. Dolenz, Tork, Nesmith, and Jones played characters with their own names, and the plots revolved around their work as a band and how it kept being interrupted by a variety of distractions. The show was known for an instantly recognizable theme song, wacky plots, solid comedic performances, and catchy musical sequences. “The Monkees” was in many ways a pioneering example of how to merge music and video for mass audiences. (It’s no surprise that Michael Nesmith was eventually one of the brains behind MTV.)

Or we can look at The Monkees as a recording phenomenon. The Monkees have released numerous albums and many hit singles, mostly in the late 1960s, but their most recent album Good Times! was a top-20 Billboard release in the summer of 2016. On their first two albums, The Monkees did not play their own instruments. The vaunted Wrecking Crew and other studio musicians laid down the instrumental tracks while The Monkees provided lead vocals and some harmonies. For their third album, Headquarters, The Monkees insisted on playing their own instruments. From that point forward, Monkees albums used a mix of studio musicians and the Monkees themselves playing instruments, which is pretty much what every other recording act of the time did too, including The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

The Monkees can also be considered as a unique show business phenomenon. Yes, the four members were cast to play a band in a television show that used catchy songs as a cross-media marketing strategy, but they actually became a version of the band they played on television. The show ended decades ago, but various incarnations of The Monkees are still touring and making new music. They began as employees required to play themselves in scripts written by others; however, their personalities were so strong that when the show ended they could continue to be themselves as individuals and as Monkees whenever that suited them.

Although I’ve tried to be objective here, I’ll admit I’m a long-time fan. Although others are more fanatical, the first album I owned was that first Monkees album. I had a Monkees lunch box and trading cards. I’ve met Mike and Micky, and they signed an album cover for me. I took my four-year-old daughter to a Davy Jones concert. I’ve followed everything they’ve ever done.

I understand that it can be hard to take the Monkees seriously. After all, they were built for fun. But as time went along, their catchy pop tunes made room for more sophisticated music, and their skills as actors led to the 1968 film Head, a movie that is symbolic, abstract, visually challenging, musically interesting, and different from anything else I’ve ever seen.

British author Peter Mills makes Head the critical focus of his new book The Monkees<, Head, and the 60s. Mills understands The Monkees extremely well, and he does a great job of explaining how their recording, visual, and live performance careers overlap and support each other, even to this day.

Delving into Head is an unenviable task for a critic. To be honest, some of the explication of the film and soundtrack makes for labored reading, but it’s a complex subject. To be even more honest, the book’s title promises a little more than it delivers. Yes, it’s thorough on the band and the movie, but it doesn’t illuminate the entire decade of the 1960s. In fairness, Mills does an excellent job of explaining how The Monkees went from being a popular culture phenomenon to a platform for criticizing popular culture. The book makes clear that The Monkees had important things to say about war, television, fandom, money, and more.

If you’re interested in The Monkees or pop culture, you should get your hands on this book.

Before closing, let me make my case for The Monkees being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They clearly have enough hits, so what’s the holdup? The Monkees are criticized for not playing their own instruments on their records, and for being a manufactured band created in a casting call rather than one that sprang up organically from neighborhood garages.

Let’s break that down a bit. While it’s true that The Monkees did not play instruments on their first two albums, that was not unusual for the time. The Byrds, for example, did not play their own instruments on “Mr. Tambourine Man” and other records. The Beach Boys did not play their own instruments on “Good Vibrations” and many other hits. Both bands are in the Hall of Fame. The use of session musicians was the business model of the time. Studio time is expensive, and tracks could be laid down more efficiently with professional session musicians. The Monkees, however, took the accusations of inauthenticity personally and insisted that their third album, Headquarters, be 100% performed by them. Their next album was also mostly them. After that, they had more freedom, and they played on their own albums but also used session musicians for some tracks.

It’s also true that The Monkees came together in sort of a test tube. They met each other not as working musicians coming together with a common vision of music they wanted to make but as actor-musicians cast in a television series. But they went far beyond simply playing their roles. They became The Monkees and continued to make music after the series ended. Nothing like that happened with The Partridge Family, not to mention The New Monkees, a failed attempt to recreate the Monkee magic.

I could write about The Monkees for a long time, and I’m happy to engage in discussions about them here. For now though, I hope you’ll watch Head (available on Youtube) and then delve into this new Peter Mills book!

Cross-posted with media on my What's Not Wrong? blog.

[Eric Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read so many books on the Monkees that it feels hard to find anything new or insightful. Mills even references most of the books I have read before--Monkees Tale, Monkee Music, Total Control, I'm A Believer--among others. Yet, Mills does bring something fresh to the discussion. Sure, he covers much of the same ground, discussing how the group was formed, broad strokes on the music and TV show, with some special focus on Headquarters and Pisces, and a scathing review of 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee (which is so bad that I've not been able to sit and watch in a single sitting). Most of the author's focus is on a scene-by-scene analysis of the weird little cult film "Head."

While it would be easy to dismiss the Monkees as a made-for-TV "band," and frankly, it's not dishonest to say that they never really were intended to be a band, just a TV show about one...yet Micky's oft-repeated line of "we really became a Vulcan" is true. Still, the movie was...weird. The first time I saw it was in Ecuador on HBO, subtitled in Spanish...I would put it on the TV during college while those in the room were inebriated to get a rise. As it ages, though, the better it seems.

Mills really gets to the root of the creative importance of the movie; more than simply being a vehicle for music (which may actually be the best collection of their songs, much overlooked), it was a cynical discussion of the band's origins and a discussion of the manufacturing process that is Hollywood, but Mills doesn't get overly involved in that talk. He does an excellent job of discussing the merits of a cult film that holds up well over time.

While there isn't a tremendous amount of new material here, the analysis is worth the time to read.

[Senor Sock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE the Monkees. But I also absolutely despise their mess of a movie, "Head". So I went into this incredibly well researched book with some trepidation.

Fortunately my angst was for nothing. Besides being incredibly well researched, Peter Mills writes in a very readable and compelling style. In addition this book was not JUST about trying to convince the reader that "Head" was really well thought out or entertaining in any way. The movie was terrible. Mills book however, is pretty good.

The best parts of the book are the detailed examination and telling of the Monkees story prior to their lifeless motion picture, and then the aftermath--how the group eventually dissolved, survived as individuals and eventually came back. It's really good.

There's a big chunk of this book where understandably Mills breaks down "Head" scene by painless scene and then how the album was constructed, but feel free to skip that and you'll really enjoy the book. To be frank as a big time Monkees fan I did read that part, which only convinced me never to watch the movie again.

Curiously Mills did not include the advertising logo that Jack Nicholson had suggested for a hoped for sequel to the movie, "from the people who gave you head."

Perhaps better he did.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author tries to warn the reader at the outset that he’s written the book he always wanted to read, but I can’t remember the last time I found a book so aggressively targeted to the author’s interests, assumed knowledge base and proclivities as this. Incredibly disappointing, and I can’t help to wonder why a book that begins by lamenting the lack of existing scholarship about the Monkees would also assume that the reader has an incredibly detailed working knowledge about the band going in. Where was an editor to look out for the poor audience of this book, as well as to notice the more hyperbolic our outlandish claims (sure, the movie Head was a box office bust, but to suggest it was the least likely film of its time to find a general audience is patently intellectually dishonest, to choose one example almost at random). Sorry to go on so long, I was just really looking forward to this one and I’m frustrated at how poorly it turned out.

[Terry Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb scholarly examination of the Monkees with a focus on the origins, production and impact of their one film together HEAD. I found myself listening to the soundtrack repeatedly during the reading of this book, which is HIGHLY recommended for Monkees fans (of course), but also those interested in pop culture of the 1960s and the impact of that decade on American film and music. A bonus comes through a tracing of the timeline between Rhino Records and the resurgence of the Monkees via MTV in 1986 ... talk about timing! Side note: since I was loaned the book by massive Monkees fan himself, one Albert Bryan Bigley, I need to return and get his new Criterion version of the film HEAD to watch the movie again in crystal clear clarity with commentary and extras. I will now be a more informed viewer than my last viewing two decades ago via a grainy video cassette.

[Ward Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a forensic analysis of the Monkees film 'Head' with the angle that it is an artistic and cinematic triumph might be a tall order to swallow for the casual reader, the book as a whole is successful in exploring just how and why their music and TV show has sustained popularity over the decades. Whether or not they were truly "innovative" remains a constant debate -- personally, while we love some of the music, we think they're no more entitled to induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame than the Partridge Family is -- the author makes some compelling arguments. Essential for Monkeemaniacs, less so for anyone else.

[David Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished The Monkees, Head and the 60's by Peter Mills
I am a Monkees fan and I also think the film Head is superb (way ahead of its time), so naturally I'm pretty biased towards the subject matter, but the book is a cracking read even if a lot of it is almost a scene by scene deconstruction of the film.
I think it is a bit light on the "60's" element, as although it does refer to cultural connections throughout, it'd be good to have The Monkees phenomenon and their place in the 60's explored further.

[Craig Bierko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Movie too important to be Good

This is for film fans and scholars practicing beginners mind. In retrospect the success of a film can be considered according to the context of its time and the conditions under which it was produced - HEAD lacked the benefit of being a later seventies project. It set brilliant innovations that would have benefitted from previous examples of what not to do. It is a brave suicide note from artists who yearned for authenticity - and I consider their attempt it's own reward
A well written account.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

#5 of 130 books pledged to read during 2020.

I absolutely loved the book-- I'm an original Monkees fan from 1966 and saw the film "Head" in the theater when it was released in 1969; also have the DVD now. The book goes over the film in detail- every scene, every scrap of dialogue, interviews with various band members or the director about certain scenes and their meaning, and if you've seen the movie numerous times like I have, I found it to be fascinating.

[Heather Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book about the Monkees that makes mention of "Gold Diggers of 1933" gets five stars from me!

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For superfans only. But there was some fun stuff about the early days.

[Alan McCleaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, but not for casual fans. If you are interested in the film and art of the 60s, this is for you.

[Vincenzo Ridente · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time Monkees fan and a defender of the movie Head I really enjoyed this book

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Closing line in the conclusion:

"There's no one like the Monkees."

My rebuttal:
"And there never will be again."

Thank you gentlemen.

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the Monkees, their music, and their bizarro movie "Head." It was nice to get some context for "Head," since the two times I've watched it I've thought, "what the heck was that?" but sometimes the book veered into fawning territory.

[Phil Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read which I found out about from a tweet by Micky Dolenz so, you might guess from that, it's a strongly 'pro-Monkees' read - having said that it's not a piece of 'fan work', more scholarship of their place in popular culture. The book explains the early days of the band very well and goes into good detail about their struggles to become a 'real group', excellent on the music in particular. About 40% of the book is about their film 'Head', which was total flop in 1968 but is now viewed as a cult classic. Very detailed analysis of the film best read while watching, where I can confirm it is very useful! Also I didn't know that Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper got their breaks through their involvement with the Monkees only movie. Up to date as well with a section on their 2016 album 'Good Times', latest tours and so on. I've read few books on the Monkees but none like this one. Good for anyone interested in the history of pop music and its connection to society, TV and film and for any Monkee maniac its a no-brainer - read this and you'll find plenty to enjoy!

[JJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting background on The Monkees' inception, working on the TV series, and recording history. Much of this is already documented, yet there are references to 2016's "Good Times," making this the most current Monkees book I am aware of. That was the first 40% of the book. The analysis of "Head" (which is what drew me to the book) doesn't fly. There's a lot of play-by-play on each scene, and a few background nuggets that were new to me. But the author lost me when he repeatedly dismissed Bob Rafelson's own comments on the film. He instead advances his own view that "Head" is a monumental cultural touchstone, apparently beyond the grasp of those who created it. I love The Monkees, but this was a stretch.