Last Train To Clarksville

The Monkees; Revisited 

Fifty years after their television debut, what are we to make of The Monkees? At one time, the very mention of their name was sufficient to bring howls of derision upon the poor soul unfortunate enough to speak it. After all, when the credibility of any self respecting rock and roll musician could be only be substantiated by their commitment to their art form and their rejection of the “establishment”, how could four young men in a television comedy program about a fictional band hope to be taken seriously? Yet the facts belie much of the histrionics that were in common usage about the group, and its members. For a group that was supposedly nothing more than a cynical and commercial ploy dreamed up by middle aged cigar-chomping Hollywood types, The Monkees sold an astonishing 75 million records worldwide, and in their heyday in the mid 1960’s, had three number one hits according to Billboard’s record sales charts (“Last Train To Clarksville”, “Daydream Believer” and “I’m A Believer”). They released seven albums and went on three tours (including shows overseas) between 1966 and 1969, and even had Frank Zappa appear on their show.  So were their sins that irredeemable, or were they simply sacrificed on the alter of rock music’s pretence to authenticity? 

With the benefit of hindsight, much of the ridicule they were subjected to seems overblown, if not hypocritical. The primary criticism was that they didn’t play their own instruments on their records. With the passage of time, we now know that very few artists from that time period actually played on their own recordings. “The Wrecking Crew”, a 2008 documentary film about a group of  session musicians in Los Angeles, showed that in fact the majority of “top forty” recordings that were being made during the 1960’s were cut by a select group of pros (mostly older jazz musicians) as opposed to the young men and women who were pictured on the record’s sleeves. While this was not exactly a closely guarded secret, it was not something that either the actual band members or the session musicians themselves were anxious to discuss publicly. The studio players on the sessions were not overly enamoured of the music (if the truth were to be told), and were in it for the money (which was good, and much better than they were going to make playing jazz). It was their expertise in the recording studio that made it cost effective to have them record the songs, instead of the actual band members (although this would soon begin to change). 

It is sometimes overlooked in evaluating The Monkees, that from the beginning, it was a television show first and foremost (and the four young men chosen to be the fictitious band’s members were there as actors). Perhaps more credit is due to Don Kirshner, the man behind much of the band’s musical success. The two television producers behind the show wanted someone with music business credentials to look after the songs (and the musicians to perform them) for the show, and settled on Don Kirshner. Don was responsible for bringing the songwriters in for the early songs that solidified the band’s success. Perhaps if the band had only been a hit on television, and the songs themselves that The Monkees sang on had not been the hits they were, the desire from the four young men to have more control over the musical aspects of the band might not have been so important to them. But that wasn’t the case. The first song released under the band’s name was the single “Last Train To Clarksville”, which came out prior to the debut of the television show, and was a huge hit. As well, with the success The Monkees were having in selling records and as a television series, the people behind the band decided they should tour. Under these circumstances, it is easy to see why the band’s members would want to be more involved. Specifically, Mike Nesmith, a guitarist who had successfully auditioned for one of the four roles on the show, wanted The Monkees to start to act like a “real band”, and write and perform their own songs. This lead to break with Don Kirshner, who flew from New York to Los Angeles to meet with the band members and clear the air. The meeting did not go well, notwithstanding that the band members were given royalty cheques for over a million dollars. It soon became clear that with respect to the future of The Monkees, it was going to be Don’s ways or the highway, so it was the highway (for Don that is). 

  

One aspect of the band’s success that is often (I would say deliberately) overlooked by its critics is that they always sang on their own records, a pretty important facet of any pop recording. While there was nothing about the singing that was especially noteworthy, it fit the songs perfectly, and who can argue with records that were hits? In hindsight, it is understandable to see why the band members would see their contributions as the crucial factor in the band’s success, and why they probably felt that they would just as successful if they wrote their own songs and played on them during the recording sessions. Like many young people, (especially with the hubris that comes with being a musical group that has sold millions of records), they thought they knew better and once they were in charge, they could do a better job. Of course, that would not be the case. Although they would continue to perform and record, the television would be cancelled after the conclusion of its second season in 1968, which was the beginning of the end. The next two years saw an original member leave, declining popularity of the remaining three members, and eventual dissolution of the group. 

  So in the context of the music business during the late 1960’s it is hard not to conclude that The Monkees were more sinned against than they were guilty of sinning themselves. In the current musical environment of 2017, where pop stars and their image are micromanaged, and their musical output completely contrived, the fact that a group was artificially created for a television series and didn’t write their own songs, or perform on their own recordings would seem absolutely par for the course. That the group would then become extremely popular with everyone involved making a boatload of dough would be seen as a great success with accolades all around for those involved.  In my humble opinion, it is high time that The Monkees were cut some slack, and the hypocrites need to look in the mirror before pronouncing judgement.