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The Monkees formed in 1966 when Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork were picked out of a mass casting call to portray a band on a zany T.V. sitcom designed to mimic the madcap spirit of the Beatles' a Hard Day's Night. The brainchild of producer/directors Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, the show was a ratings phenomenon and won 1967's Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy®. Through the efforts of music industry legend Don Kirshner, who employed the biggest Brill Building songwriters of the day to pen hits for the group, the Monkees' records were a smash as well. Their first two LPs 1966's the Monkees and 1967's More of the Monkees each scored #1 on Billboard®'s album chart, and delivered the #1 hits Last Train to Clarksville and I'm a Believer. They both sound better than ever on new 2-CD Deluxe Limited Editions, expanded with bonus rarities.. c 1967's More of the Monkees was the band's top seller, racking up 70 weeks on Billboard®'s album chart, including 18 weeks at #1, becoming the 3rd best-selling LP of the '60s (ranking higher than any Beatles album). The Monkees topped the pop singles charts again with the Neil Diamond-penned I'm a Believer. Album also features the Top 20 hit (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone and the classic cut She, both composed by Boyce & Hart. Twelve bonus tracks on Disc 1 include Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) with Peter's narration, an alternate mix of I'm a Believer and the previously unissued Whatever's Right. Disc 2's six bonus cuts include the first recorded version of Valleri and a previously unreleased alternate version of Tear Drop City.
The Monkees