How They Used To Do It

adorshki

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Stumbled across this while looking for something else, footage of recording sessions for "Good Vibrations".
Reminders of a happier time, when music for radio play was actually created by many people co-operating "Live in the studio", and their excitement was distilled and transmitted over airwaves directly into millions of listener's hearts.
It beat adrenaline every time.
 

walrus

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According to the usual source, Brian Wilson wrote almost 260 songs. With a group that could barely play their instruments. So unlike, say The Beatles, he was very much on his own, and relied very heavily on these studio musicians. I'm not a big Beach boys fan, but that is impressive!

It's like The Monkees - if one of them wrote all the songs...

walrus
 

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According to the usual source, Brian Wilson wrote almost 260 songs. With a group that could barely play their instruments. So unlike, say The Beatles, he was very much on his own, and relied very heavily on these studio musicians. I'm not a big Beach boys fan, but that is impressive!

It's like The Monkees - if one of them wrote all the songs...

walrus

Please tell me you aren't equating the Beach Boys with the Monkees.
 

adorshki

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That's Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass, key members of the group of studio musicians called The Wrecking Crew.
Right, that's what grabbed me.
How often do we get to see footage of "the crew" as they actually worked?
(I haven't seen the film yet although I know of it, so don't know how much footage of them working is in it)


Please tell me you aren't equating the Beach Boys with the Monkees.

Well they both used the same studio musicians, just had different writers.
:shocked: :biggrin-new:
Okay, I tossed that out as shock humor but it's true, and in fact I prefer the Monkees to the Beach Boys myself.
Even though I grew up in California I was never really into the surfing thing and in fact most surfers preferred other bands to the "Boys", who were actually more rooted in Doo-Wop than rock'n'roll.
Dick Dale was the real surfer's hero.
I never really got why they were so popular (doo-wop never moved me) until I was in my 40's or 50's and finally experienced enough to realize just how good their vocal harmonies were, especially when fueled by Brian's composing talents.
(They did outclass the Monkees in that area)
Sure there were a couple like "Good Vibrations" I did always like, but never enough to actually go out and buy the records.
 
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dapmdave

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Okay, I tossed that out as shock humor but it's true, and in fact I prefer the Monkees to the Beach Boys myself.
Even though I grew up in California I was never really into the surfing thing and in fact most surfers preferred other bands to the "Boys", who were actually more rooted in Doo-Wop than rock'n'roll.
Dick Dale was the real surfer's hero.
I never really got why they were so popular (doo-wop never moved me) until I was in my 40's or 50's and finally experienced enough to realize just how good their vocal harmonies were, especially when fueled by Brian's composing talents.
(They did outclass the Monkees in that area)
Sure there were a couple like "Good Vibrations" I did always like, but never enough to actually go out and buy the records.

I know you were just expressing your personal opinion. And I respect that. But C'MON MAN! :topsy_turvy:

The Monkees were a group of actors who played the parts of goofy musicians in a fake band for a teens TV show. I liked them, too. They had some good songs from good writers and studio players. But, really... the Beach Boys were hugely popular and influential, regardless of how you personally felt about them.
 

gjmalcyon

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But, really... the Beach Boys were hugely popular and influential, regardless of how you personally felt about them.

I find the musical arms race between The Beatles and The Beach Boys fascinating: Rubber Soul inspired Brian Wilson to write and record Pet Sounds. Lennon and McCartney heard Pet Sounds before its release in the U.K. (through Bruce Johnston knowing Keith Moon), and starting working on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. According to George Martin, "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper never would have happened ... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds."
 

walrus

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Well they both used the same studio musicians, just had different writers.
:shocked: :biggrin-new:
Okay, I tossed that out as shock humor but it's true, and in fact I prefer the Monkees to the Beach Boys myself.
Even though I grew up in California I was never really into the surfing thing and in fact most surfers preferred other bands to the "Boys", who were actually more rooted in Doo-Wop than rock'n'roll.
Dick Dale was the real surfer's hero.
I never really got why they were so popular (doo-wop never moved me) until I was in my 40's or 50's and finally experienced enough to realize just how good their vocal harmonies were, especially when fueled by Brian's composing talents.
(They did outclass the Monkees in that area)
Sure there were a couple like "Good Vibrations" I did always like, but never enough to actually go out and buy the records.

Thanks, Al, this would have been my response. My point was the same - their use of studio musicians and their inability to play their instruments makes them very similar, IMHO. The HUGE difference is Brain Wilson's writing, use of vocal harmonies, etc.

walrus
 

walrus

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I know you were just expressing your personal opinion. And I respect that. But C'MON MAN! :topsy_turvy:

The Monkees were a group of actors who played the parts of goofy musicians in a fake band for a teens TV show. I liked them, too. They had some good songs from good writers and studio players. But, really... the Beach Boys were hugely popular and influential, regardless of how you personally felt about them.

Dave, I agree 100% with the "influential" part of your post compared to the Monkees, although again that's all Brian Wilson's doing IMHO.

Regarding "acting", one might say that pretending to play your instruments on TV, and pretending to be able to surf, is very similar! :ambivalence:

walrus
 

walrus

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I find the musical arms race between The Beatles and The Beach Boys fascinating: Rubber Soul inspired Brian Wilson to write and record Pet Sounds. Lennon and McCartney heard Pet Sounds before its release in the U.K. (through Bruce Johnston knowing Keith Moon), and starting working on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. According to George Martin, "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper never would have happened ... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds."

This "arms race" was really only between McCartney and Wilson. McCartney has always said "God Only Knows" is one of the greatest songs ever written. HE was very influenced by Wilson's harmonies, etc. - that was and still is his kind of music - and of course The Beatles followed each other's lead when writing and recording.

But these bands all influenced each other, really. I'm sure you've heard the story of "Helter Skelter" being McCartney's answer to The Who, "Norwegian Wood" being Lennon's answer to Dylan, etc., etc., etc.

When ever I hear these stories of bands "pushing" each other, I think it's very cool! They all knew each other and followed what each other was doing - I'm not sure that happens much today. And sometimes it's a mistake - like The Stones trying to copy Sgt. Pepper with Satanic Majesty. But it's still cool they chased each other, whether it works or not.

walrus
 

dapmdave

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Dave, I agree 100% with the "influential" part of your post compared to the Monkees, although again that's all Brian Wilson's doing IMHO.

Regarding "acting", one might say that pretending to play your instruments on TV, and pretending to be able to surf, is very similar! :ambivalence:

walrus

I agree, Walrus. Back in those days was it not common for young and inexperienced musicians to be asked to pretend to play on T.V.? Even to lip-sync? It still happens today.

And how many bands are dominated and driven by the contributions of one member?

I pretended to surf, once. But just once!
 

adorshki

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I know you were just expressing your personal opinion. And I respect that. But C'MON MAN! :topsy_turvy:

The Monkees were a group of actors who played the parts of goofy musicians in a fake band for a teens TV show.
OK, after all these years I see the Monkees myths are still alive and well, even after multiple busting on this very forum.
With all due respect for you my fellow forum-ite, here come the big guns in full barrage mode:
In fact, both Mike Nesmith AND Peter Tork were accomplished musicians on the folk circuit before showing up for the auditions.
And Davy actually played drums, too, but was deemed too short for the set so Micky was placed there and was the only one who had to learn an instrument (he'd been a guitarist).
Nesmith has even acknowledged Tork as being a better musician than himself, as he also played guitar (Guild F30, at least 2 of 'em!) and keyboards, besides (GUILD Jetstar) bass.
Mike Nesmith's "Mary, Mary" was covered by no less than the Paul Butterfield Blues Band on the landmark East/West in '66, before the Monkees ever recorded it.
The Monkeees DID play some parts and sang the vocals on the first 2 albums, their primary beef with Kirshner was that he released the second album without their approval, in violation of their contract.
Ironically, it was Nesmith himself who screwed the pooch during the contract dispute with Kirshner by announcing to the press that the Monkees' first 2 albums were largely done by studio musicians, something known as standard operating procedure within the industry but shattering the illusionary myth promoted by the industry and dear to the hearts of millions of teenyboppers, including Beach Boys fans.
(BTW< Did you know Glen Campbell was an "official" Beach Boy for a '65 tour just so they could present the tunes as tightly as possible, in concert, while Brian was incapacited by panic attacks and dealing with growing clinical depression issues?)
Anyway, and ironically, it was Nesmith's statement that actually spawned the myth that the Monkees couldn't play.
Actually, they could and did:
By the time the 3rd album, Headquarters came out, they were in complete control of the playing and recording and the session men who did play on it were brought in at THEIR request as collaborators not "stand-ins".
That album yielded "For Pete's Sake", written by Tork, which became the show's closing theme for the second season.
In my personal taste I prefer that tune to any Beach Boys single you can name.
The Monkees also introduced millions of teenyboppers to Frank Zappa on the next to the last show, and Tim Buckley(playing a Guild 12-er, think it's an F212) on the very last show; and (at primarily Mickey's instigation) Jimi Hendrix was brought on astheir opening act on their (and his) first American tour.
In fact the core audience was so clueless and uncomprehensive of Jimi's style that a face-saving story was fabricated that due to Jimi's stage act, the shows were being being boycotted by the Daughters of the American Revolution so they had to "fire" him.
hendrix-monkees41.jpg
.
hendrix-monkees-opening.jpg

Yeah that's Jimi playing one of Mike's Gretsches.

More cool creds, from here:
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-monkees-final-episode/
"As the second season unfolded, the Monkees themselves became more involved directing episodes and giving more input into how the show looked and sounded. Hippie-esque clothing replaced the JC Penney garb as the spirit of 1967 was in full bloom, and various references to drugs, war, and the counter-culture in general were freely sprinkled throughout. In the next-to-last episode, Mike Nesmith brought in friend Frank Zappa for a guest appearance, and in the final episode, directed and co-written by Dolenz, all hell broke lose.
Titled "The Frodis Caper," the episode begins with a sunrise scene as the boys awaken to the sounds of the Beatles' "Good Morning Good Morning," which was the first time the Beatles had allowed their music to be used in a non-Beatles arena. The episode is, in short, about the evil Wizard Glick (played by Rip Taylor) who is on a mission to control people's minds via their television sets. The airwaves beam out a hypnotic eye that is, well, hypnotizing its viewers, a not-so-subtle comment on the brain deadening effects of television. "This is my attempt to address the manipulation of the American mind by the media," said Dolenz...

Eventually, the boys discover that a creature called the Frodis plant had been captured when its spaceship landed on Earth...They realize they must rescue the Frodis and return it to its spaceship. Upon rescue, the plant emits this cloud of smoke, and in the process, seems to mellow out Glick and his cohorts, "I'll let you work out that reference, folks," adds Dolenz.
As the story part of the episode ends, on walks the late singer-songwriter Tim Buckley to perform a solo acoustic version of his classic "Song to the Siren." Buckley was a friend of Dolenz, who thought he should be introduced to the world. The beautiful song had, at the time, not been released. It remains one of Buckley's finest moments.
-----------
As well:
The movie "Head" had both Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper in the cast andwas a direct antecedent of "Easy Rider": Producer of the Monkees show and "Head", Bert Scheider, used some of the proceeds to fund Easy Rider, his very next movie.
Except for Dennis Wilson, the Boys were still at the sock hop in '67/68 when the rest of the country (including 18-year high school senior males) were starting to ponder just what their futures held.
No snark intended, but tell me who the Beach Boys turned America on to, besides themselves?
Bombshell:
Charlie Manson, who had aspirations to be a pop star in '67-'68.
Yep, every year new fans are startled to learn that Dennis actually introduced Charlie to mega-producer Terry Melcher, and that Melcher's subsequent dissing of Charlie was what led him to Melcher's house on Coelho drive in search of retribution, that fateful night in '69.
But Melcher didn't live there any more. Sharon Tate did.
The Beach Boys Even covered one of Charlie's songs, "Never Learn Not To Love".
From Wiki's Dennis Wilson page:
"In late spring 1968, Dennis was driving through Malibu when he noticed two female hitchhikers, Patricia Krenwinkel and Ella Jo Bailey. He picked them up and dropped them off at their destination.[9] Later on, Dennis noticed the same two girls hitchhiking again. This time he took them to his home at 14400 Sunset Boulevard.[3] He recalled that he "told [the girls] about our involvement with the Maharishi and they told me they too had a guru, a guy named Charlie who'd recently come out of jail after 12 years."[10] Dennis then went to a recording session; when he returned later that night, he was met in his driveway by Charles Manson, and when Wilson walked into his home, about a dozen people were occupying the premises, most of them young women. They were later known as members of the "Manson Family".[3]
Dennis was initially fascinated by Manson and his followers, referring to him as "the Wizard" in a Rave magazine article at the time.[11] The two struck a friendship and, over the next few months, members of the Manson Family – mostly women who were treated as servants – were housed at Wilson's household, costing him approximately $100,000 (equivalent to $700,000 in 2017). Much of these expenses went into cars, clothes, food, and penicillin shots for their persistent gonorrhoea.[3] In late 1968, he told the magazine Record Mirror that "when I met [Charlie] I found he had great musical ideas. We're writing together now. He's dumb, in some ways, but I accept his approach and have [learned] from him."[10] Some of Manson's songs were recorded at Brian's home studio.[11] These recordings remain unheard to the public.[12] Dennis also introduced Manson to a few friends in the music business, including the Byrds' producer Terry Melcher, whose home at 10050 Cielo Drive would later be rented by director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate. Less than a year later, Manson family members would murder Tate and several others at this home.[11]
In September 1968, Dennis recorded a Manson song for the Beach Boys, originally titled "Cease to Exist" but reworked as "Never Learn Not to Love", as a single B-side released the following December. It was credited solely to Dennis. Angered by this, Manson threatened murder.[13] When asked why Manson was not credited, Wilson explained: "He didn't want that. He wanted money instead. I gave him about a hundred thousand dollars' worth of stuff."[14] According to Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks: "One day, Charles Manson brought a bullet out and showed it to Dennis, who asked, 'What's this?' And Manson replied, 'It's a bullet. Every time you look at it, I want you to think how nice it is your kids are still safe.' Well, Dennis grabbed Manson by the head and threw him to the ground and began pummeling him ... I heard about it, but I wasn't there."[15]

Yeah I know it's coming off snarky, but them's the facts, folks.
--------
I'll be darned.
For the first time in my employment here, I've hit the post size limit of 10,000 characters.
I've only seen that happen once before.
I'll have to split it up here.
 
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adorshki

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OK, for those of you still with us, part 2 of "Why the Monkees were more influential than the Beach Boys":

I liked them, too. They had some good songs from good writers and studio players. But, really... the Beach Boys were hugely popular and influential, regardless of how you personally felt about them.
I don't dispute that, but I humbly submit that the Monkees were even more hugely popular and influential.
They even outsold the Beatles at times (from Wiki's Headquarters page:
'The album was released on May 22, 1967 and charted at the No. 1 in the U.S. It stayed at that position for only one week, and was then replaced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It then began a run of 11 consecutive weeks at the No. 2 position as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band remained at No. 1."
The point being it took a new Beatles album to knock the Monkees first self-performed album out of their 3rd number one spot.

And in fact everybody but Peter (he was mixing Headquarters) had been in England hob-nobbing with the Fab Four while Pepper's was in production, as detailed below.
More of the Monkees is also notable for being the first pop/rock album to be the best-selling album of the year in the U.S.
And witness how many times the show went into syndication (extremely rare for a series with only 2 seasons' worth of episodes in the first place), in fact you can still see it every Saturday morning on FETV, for the last year now.
Thanks, Al, this would have been my response. My point was the same - their use of studio musicians and their inability to play their instruments
...
Jeff I thought you as a Monkees fan would be keenly aware that this was a myth as I painstakingly busted above.
Further corroboration from the usual source:
"On July 14, 1965, The Hollywood Reporter stated that future band member Davy Jones was expected to return to the United States in September 1965 after a trip to England "to prepare for [a] TV pilot for Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson...In September 1964 he was signed to a long-term contract to appear in TV programs for Screen Gems, make feature films for Columbia Pictures and to record music for the Colpix label.[19] Rafelson and Schneider already had him in mind for their project after their plans for the Lovin' Spoonful fell through; when they chose him, he was essentially a proto-star looking for his lucky break.[citation needed]
On September 8–10, 1965, Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an ad to cast the remainder of the band/cast members for the TV show:
Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running Parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21. Want spirited Ben Frank's types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview.
Out of 437 applicants,[2] the other three chosen for the cast of the TV show were Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz. Nesmith had been working as a musician since early 1963 and had been recording and releasing music under various names, including Michael Blessing and "Mike & John & Bill" and had studied drama in college. Of the final four, Nesmith was the only one who actually saw the ad in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Tork, the last to be chosen, had been working the Greenwich Village scene as a musician, and had shared the stage with Pete Seeger; he learned of The Monkees from Stephen Stills, whom Rafelson and Schneider had rejected as a songwriter. Dolenz was an actor (his father was veteran character actor George Dolenz) who had starred in the TV series Circus Boy as a child, using the stage name Mickey Braddock, and he had also played guitar and sung in a band called the Missing Links before the Monkees, which had recorded and released a very minor single, "Don't Do It". By that time he was using his real name; he found out about The Monkees through his agent.

"At the time songwriters Boyce and Hart considered the Monkees to be their project, with Tommy Boyce stating in the 2006 Rhino reissue of More of the Monkees that he considered the Monkees to be actors in the television show, while Boyce and Hart were the songwriters and producers doing the records. They wanted Micky to sing the faster songs and have Davy sing the ballads. He also stated in the liner notes that he felt that Michael's country leanings didn't fit in with the Monkees' image, and although he thought that Peter was a great musician, he had a different process of thinking about songs that wasn't right for the Monkees. Music Coordinator Kirshner, though, realizing how important the music was, wanted to move the music in a newer direction than Boyce and Hart to get the best record, and so he decided to move the production to New York where his A-list of writers/producers resided. "
"Four months after their debut single was released in September 1966, on January 16, 1967, the Monkees held their first recording session as a fully functioning, self-contained band, recording an early version of Nesmith's self-composed top 40 hit single "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", along with "All of Your Toys" and "She's So Far Out, She's In"

When ever I hear these stories of bands "pushing" each other, I think it's very cool! They all knew each other and followed what each other was doing - I'm not sure that happens much today. And sometimes it's a mistake - like The Stones trying to copy Sgt. Pepper with Satanic Majesty. But it's still cool they chased each other, whether it works or not.
Have you forgotten the Beatles/Monkees connection?:
"George Harrison praised their self-produced musical attempts, saying, "It's obvious what's happening, there's talent there. They're doing a TV show, it's a difficult chore and I wouldn't be in their shoes for the world. When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best."[32] (Monkees member Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison's album Wonderwall Music, playing Paul McCartney's five-string banjo.[124]) Nesmith attended the Beatles recording session for "A Day in the Life" at Abbey Road Studios; he can be seen in the Beatles' home movies, including one scene where he is talking with John Lennon. During the conversation, Nesmith had reportedly asked Lennon "Do you think we're a cheap imitation of the Beatles, your movies and your records?" to which Lennon assuredly replied, "I think you're the greatest comic talent since the Marx Brothers. I've never missed one of your programs."[32] Nesmith wrote about this encounter on Facebook:
When the Beatles were recording Sgt. Peppers, Phyllis and I spent a few days with John and wife Cynthia Lennon at their home, and one in the studio with "the boys." That's where those pictures of John and I come from—the "Day in the Life" session. The minute I had the wherewithal—cachet and money—I raced to London and looked up John.
During the '60s it seemed to me London was the center of the World and the Beatles were the center of London and the Sgt Pepper session was the center of the Beatles. It was an extraordinary time, I thought, and I wanted to get as close as I could to the heart of it. But like a hurricane the center was not stormy or tumultuous. It was exciting, but it was calm, and to an extent peaceful. The confidence of the art permeated the atmosphere. Serene—and really, really fun. Then I discovered the reason for this. During that time in one of our longer, more reflective, talks I realized that John was not aware of who the Beatles were. Of course he could not be. He was clueless in this regard. He had never seen or experienced them. In the strange paradox of fame, none of the Beatles ever saw the Beatles the way we did. Certainly not the way I did. I loved them beyond my ability to express it. As the years passed and I met more and more exceptional people sitting in the center of their own hurricane I saw they all shared this same sensibility. None of them could actually know the force of their own work.[125]
And, finally:
paul-mccartney-the-beatles-Micky-Dolenz-The-monkees.jpg

9f109aa0f633da2b4769a9245fa51498.jpg

MB-MikeRingo02.JPG

monkees_john_lennon_and_george_harrison_beatles_1967_sgt__pepper_mike_nesmith.png

Fellow members, I rest my case.
Somebody's gotta stick up for the under-monkeys.
And oh yes, almost forgot, in the spirit of fairness, Carl Wilson's been cited as a quite competent guitarist in his own right, and even played a Guild himself:
BeachBoysPittsfield66001.jpg

Courtesy of our member Dbirchett, here:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?193862-Beach-Boys-amp-a-Guild
:friendly_wink:
 
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F312

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You never monkey with the truth.


Ralph
 

walrus

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No quarrel with anything you said, Al! I love The Monkees! More Monkee talk is always good!

But their first albums - with most of their hits (the first in particular) used studio musicians, that was where I was coming from. I realize they fought (hard!) to play their own stuff - good for them! But as you yourself point out, at the very least Dolenz was not a drummer!

I also wonder how much of the Monkees' popularity had to do with their "Beatle-ness", and the TV show, which of course drove record sales. I love the music, but I think there was more at play there. A great example of Marketing 101 in the '60's.

The Beatles loved The Monkees and were friends with them - they loved their TV show and said so - very much like "The Goon Show" they loved so much from Britain. And one might argue a lot like the future "Monty Python", which George Harrison in particular loved.

Also, a random thought - I have no evidence of this, but always wondered - how much of The Monkees' popularity with other musicians of the day had to do with Peter Tork's "party house" in Laurel Canyon? Hard not to like a guy with a place like that, doing what they did there...

Lastly, a recommendation, "Monkee Business" - a great read about how the Monkees came to be, and other stuff alluded to in Al's scholarly post above.

https://smile.amazon.com/Monkee-Bus...44746653&sr=1-2&keywords=the+monkees+business

walrus
 

walrus

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:biggrin-new:

"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkee"?

george_peter_sit_gui.jpg

OOOOHHHH!!!!
This is a new one!:
4a6f659cd5a8c22feeb59ce9ab64646b.jpg


Oh, nice! I never saw that before! Could that be Hendrix at Tork's house? Free concert by the pool? Oh my!

walrus
 

adorshki

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Oh, nice! I never saw that before! Could that be Hendrix at Tork's house? Free concert by the pool? Oh my!

walrus

Hmmmm...
Can't recall ever hearing of Jimi showing up at Peter's, although apparently he was known at the Morrison's house, also in Laurel Canyon, showing up there on the evening he totaled his brand new Corvette in '68.
Story in Pamela Des Barre's autobio "I'm With The Band", IIRC.
Also that chair doesn't look like household furniture of the times, suspect more likely a hotel somewhere during the Monkees/Hendrix tour.
Haircuts look to be period correct, too.:
d58e98efc7b208fb9284aa407c422d6c.jpg

hendrixboat_orig.jpg


Tour stories from the day and photo source here:
https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/blog/category/jimi hendrix
O--o-o-orrr----:
Y'know what just hit me?
Wonder whose yacht that could be?
We recently saw a story that Tork actually lent Crosby the money to but his yacht.
Even if not true, maybe this was the germ of truth behind the myth?
And for some reason the first one in original post doesn't want to seem to persist, but here it is again:
george_peter_sit_gui.jpg
 
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adorshki

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Also, a random thought - I have no evidence of this, but always wondered - how much of The Monkees' popularity with other musicians of the day had to do with Peter Tork's "party house" in Laurel Canyon? Hard not to like a guy with a place like that, doing what they did there...
Tough call.
"The Canyon" itself was also home to Mama Cass and the Phillipses, and the Morrisons, and at least a couple of others I'm forgetting (Joni Mitchell? Wrote "Ladies of the Canyon" but don't recall if she actually lived there), and I've read anecdotes about the visiting between households.
And let's not forget former Turtles bassist and future wunder-producer Chip Douglas played bass on and produced Headquarters and the follow-up which yielded "Pleasant Valley Sunday":
"Seeing The Turtles perform at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go in early 1967, The Monkees' Michael Nesmith approached Douglas and asked if he'd like to become the new producer for The Monkees, who were tired of the "manufactured" recording setup they'd used thus far. Douglas answered candidly, "I've never produced a record in my life." Nesmith, who had produced album tracks for the group, but had little pull with their label Colgems Records. assured him, "Don't worry; if you're willing to quit The Turtles, I'll show you everything you need to do."[2][3]
So I kind of suspect that the studio connections and other meetings led to invitations to "Pete's Place".
What I wondered yesterday was: if Dennis Wilson had hung out at Pete's instead of Malibu, maybe he wouldn't have picked up those hitchikers that fateful day in early '68.
On the other hand, Dennis was the real surfer in the Beach Boys, so he probably would have been at Malibu one way or the other....

What was it about Laurel Canyon?
Isolated and private rural atmosphere only 15 or 20 minutes from the studios...
 
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gjmalcyon

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(Joni Mitchell? Wrote "Ladies of the Canyon" but don't recall if she actually lived there)

She did, and Graham Nash lived with her for some period of time. He wrote "Our House" about a totally normal morning, living with Joni in the Canyon.
 
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