Zappa on "The Monkees"

[A. Scherze]

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/s...st_time_in_hd2

[ThomasKDye]

I'm always amused by this segment ("See the way we worked this out in advance?") but I always thought it could be funnier. Also, could someone explain the "soul of your music is on the 1 and the 7" thing? There's another Monkees segment about that, and even as a musician, I've never understood what the hell that was supposed to mean. Are there bands out there that emphasize what quarter note is more important than another?

[zravkapt]

[Mister Triscuits]

I'm always amused by this segment ("See the way we worked this out in advance?") but I always thought it could be funnier. Also, could someone explain the "soul of your music is on the 1 and the 7" thing? There's another Monkees segment about that, and even as a musician, I've never understood what the hell that was supposed to mean. Are there bands out there that emphasize what quarter note is more important than another?

It's a parody of this discussion from the previous week's episode:

[ThomasKDye]

It's a parody of this discussion from the previous week's episode:

Yeah, that's the other bit I was talking about. Again, is that a real thing?

[Mister Triscuits]

Yeah, that's the other bit I was talking about. Again, is that a real thing?

Oh yeah...haven't you ever heard the thing about "white people clap on the one and three"?

[GuitarGeek]

Yeah, that's the other bit I was talking about. Again, is that a real thing?

Yes it's a real thing, just as some musicians deliberately put extra beats and 8th notes in the music, so that you're unable to tap your foot or dance to it.

[Garden Dreamer]

Awesome to relive an old Monkees episode! Note the instrumental version of "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" during the dog sequence at the end. And a surprising appearance by the Penguin from Batman! Considering the Monkees and Batman were my favorite shows as a kid, I must have went bonkers to see this "mashup" back then.

[Mister Triscuits]

Awesome to relive an old Monkees episode!

I watched the whole series, in order, about ten or so years ago. I bought the DVD boxes of the two seasons, but I didn't binge on them. I got into the habit of watching an episode first thing every Saturday morning for a year. That was fun!

[GuitarGeek]

I've been watching reruns of the Monkees on FamilyNet. They show a lot of re-edited episodes, I noticed. For instance, for most of the first season, they replaced the original opening sequence with the opening sequence from the second season). And there's a few episodes where they swapped out the songs. I remember the last episode, The Frodis Caper, had Zor And Zam in it, when it aired on MTV and Nickelodeon back in the 80's, but the version that airs now has some other song in it's place, and there's a few other episodes where they did that (you only have to check for the songwriting credits in the closing credits to see which songs were changed).

But I always thought it was a cool show. I especially like the second season, which was more psychedelic and very satirical and sarcastic. It was like they got to a certain point and realized how stupid the whole "Pre-Fab Four" phenomenon was, so they started sort of making fun of themselves.

[ThomasKDye]

It's a show I couldn't really binge-watch. There are some terrible episodes, and some really good ones, but the problem is, you get to a point where you say, "Oh, God, not 'Stepping Stone' or 'Clarksville' AGAIN...."

[GuitarGeek]

It's a show I couldn't really binge-watch. There are some terrible episodes, and some really good ones, but the problem is, you get to a point where you say, "Oh, God, not 'Stepping Stone' or 'Clarksville' AGAIN...."

That's becauuse they recut the episodes for syndication, inserting the more popular songs into episodes they weren't in originally. I think there was a stretch where they also inserted songs from the albums that were recorded after the show ended. I think there's supposedly only one Monkees album (well, one album from the 60's) where none of the songs ever appeared on the show. At least, that's what it says on Wikipedia anyway.

Edit: just double checked, it's Instant Replay (the album recorded just after Peter left the group) that is said to be the only one of the original 9 albums to feature no songs that appeared on the show either during it's original on NBC or the reruns that were shown on ABC and CBS.

[mnprogger]

contemplating even referring this thread to my fiancee....

[bRETT]

That's becauuse they recut the episodes for syndication, inserting the more popular songs into episodes they weren't in originally. I think there was a stretch where they also inserted songs from the albums that were recorded after the show ended. I think there's supposedly only one Monkees album (well, one album from the 60's) where none of the songs ever appeared on the show. At least, that's what it says on Wikipedia anyway.

The original show ended around around the time "Birds, the Bees & the Monkees" came out, so very little of that album was ever featured (only "Zor & Zam" and the pre-existing "Valleri" and "Daydream Believer," I think). The Saturday reruns started in 1969 and featured an awful lot of the otherwise forgotten "Changes" album.

[GuitarGeek]

The original show ended around around the time "Birds, the Bees & the Monkees" came out, so very little of that album was ever featured (only "Zor & Zam" and the pre-existing "Valleri" and "Daydream Believer," I think).

Zor And Zam appeared in the last episode, The Frodis Caper, which Mickey directed. But that's also one of those songs that got replaced in subsequent re-airings. I remember MTV showing that episode with Zor And Zam intact, but recently when I've seen on FamilyNet, there's some other song in it's place.

The Saturday reruns started in 1969 and featured an awful lot of the otherwise forgotten "Changes" album

According to Wikipedia, they used songs from both The Monkees Present and Changes on the Saturday morning reruns. And it wasn't just songs from those two albums either. There was at least one outtake from the Changes sessions, Steam Engine, which got inserted into the Monkees On Tour episode.

Another interesting quirk is they edited the show opening (ya know, where we actually hear the theme music) on the first season episodes, replacing it with the opening of the second season. I never picked up on that for ages, though I do remember seeing at least one episode during the late 80's MTV/Nickelodeon run where they used the original opening. It only became apparent recently, with our current TV service giving the original dates of a given TV show episode, I was able to figure it out. I'd have probably never noticed it, except the second season opening has bits from the episodes, which would of course be anachronistic in the first season opening.

[bRETT]

There was at least one outtake from the Changes sessions, Steamtrain, which got inserted into the Monkees On Tour episode. .

Think you mean "Steam Engine," which later appeared on a few reissues and became pretty well-liked. They're doing it live, for the first time ever, on the current tour. (Yes, I am a Monkees geek).

[zombywoof]

The first five minutes are outrageously hilarious.

[pb2015]

Edit: just double checked, it's Instant Replay (the album recorded just after Peter left the group) that is said to be the only one of the original 9 albums to feature no songs that appeared on the show either during it's original on NBC or the reruns that were shown on ABC and CBS.

I have read people calling Instant Replay the negative Monkees album as nearly every song is about breakups and feeling depressed. One of their best albums, I think.

[GuitarGeek]

Think you mean "Steam Engine," which later appeared on a few reissues and became pretty well-liked. They're doing it live, for the first time ever, on the current tour. (Yes, I am a Monkees geek).

I'm bummed that I never knew they were doing stuff from Head all along during the various reunion tours. I always assumed that would be something that would be ignored, since the movie was a flop, with it and it's respective soundtrack album being more or less "cult favorites". The logic you always hear is, "If we play the obscure stuff, most of the audience won't like it" or whatever, so I never expected to hear Circle Sky or The Porpoise Song in concert. Then I found out that actually did those two songs (and some of the other psychedelic stuff) regularly on tour. Dammit!

[GuitarGeek]

Think you mean "Steam Engine," which later appeared on a few reissues and became pretty well-liked. They're doing it live, for the first time ever, on the current tour. (Yes, I am a Monkees geek).

Yeah, but at the time, it never made it onto a record, not even a single, so it seems strange to insert it into the show in the fashion it was. I believe it was first released on an archival thing that came out in the 80's. But yeah, I do agree it's a fine song, and it's nice to hear they're playing it.

[happytheman]

I recently saw an interview with Zappa or read an interview where he said he always liked the Monkees better than the Beatles.. go figure.. I didn't know much about the Beatles when I was real young (other than the Beatle wigs people were wearing) however I was like a lot of 7 year olds glued to the TV when the Monkees came on (as well as Batman)

[GuitarGeek]

I recently saw an interview with Zappa or read an interview where he said he always liked the Monkees better than the Beatles.. go figure.. I didn't know much about the Beatles when I was real young (other than the Beatle wigs people were wearing) however I was like a lot of 7 year olds glued to the TV when the Monkees came on (as well as Batman)

I can totally believe Frank was a fan of the Monkees, as it's the same sort of smart aleck, sarcastic humor.