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Re-Focus (album)
''Re-Focus'' is a 1972 compilation album of songs by the Monkees, released on Bell Records, the successor to Colgems Records, the Monkees' original record label. The album replaced Colgems' previous three "best-of" collections, ''Greatest Hits'', ''Golden Hits'', and '' Barrel Full of Monkees''. ''Re-Focus'' was repackaged and reissued a number of times in various territories. Each release featured the same track listing but with different packaging and artwork, usually under the title ''The Best of the Monkees'' or simply ''The Monkees'' (not to be confused with their debut album of the same name). In 1973, Polydor in the Netherlands issued the album as ''Superstarshine Vol. 29'', and in 1979, Arista in Japan issued the album as ''The Best'', with three additional tracks: "Star Collector," "Valleri", and "Words." In 1976, following Bell Records' renaming to Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), The Monkees'' television series, they were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. The band produced four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"). The Monkees were originally a fictional band created for the NBC television sitcom ''The Monkees''. Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork were cast to portray members of a band in the sitcom. Music credited to the Monkees appeared in the sitcom and was released on LPs and singles beginning in 1966, and the sitcom aired from 1966 to 1968. At first, the band members' musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional song ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
More Of The Monkees
''More of the Monkees'' is the second studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1967 on Colgems Records. It was recorded in late 1966 and displaced the band's debut album from the top of the ''Billboard'' Top LPs chart, remaining at No. 1 for 18 weeks, the longest run of any Monkees album. The first two Monkees albums were at the top of the ''Billboard'' chart for 31 combined consecutive weeks. ''More of the Monkees'' also reached No. 1 in the UK. In the U.S., it has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of more than five million copies. ''More of the Monkees'' is also notable as the first pop album to become the best-selling album of the year in the U.S. History The Monkees' popularity was at its peak when the album was released. Their second single, "I'm a Believer", held the N0. 1 position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and they were about to embark on a highly successful concert tour. The release of ''More of the Monkees'' was ru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerry Goffin
Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You Love Me Tomorrow", " Take Good Care of My Baby", " The Loco-Motion", and " Go Away Little Girl". It was later said of Goffin that his gift was "to find words that expressed what many young people were feeling but were unable to articulate." After he and King divorced, Goffin wrote with other composers, including Barry Goldberg and Michael Masser, with whom he wrote " Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" and " Saving All My Love for You", also No. 1 hits. During his career, Goffin wrote over 114 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits, including eight chart-toppers, and 72 UK hits. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, with Carole King. Biography Early life Goffin was born in New York City. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleasant Valley Sunday
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, recorded and released by the Monkees in the summer of 1967. Inspired by their move to West Orange, New Jersey, and named after a street there, Goffin and King wrote the song about Goffin's dissatisfaction with life in the suburbs. The Monkees' version differs somewhat from Goffin and King's demo, and their recording features a distinctive guitar intro played by Michael Nesmith and a heavily reverberated fade-out. It became one of the Monkees' most successful singles, peaking at No. 3 and continuing a string of top ten hits. The song was included on '' Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'', the group's fourth album, in November 1967. Writing Carole King stated in her autobiography that after she and her husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin had earned enough money from songwriting royalties, they moved from New York City to West Orange, New Jersey, where one of the major thoroughfares in town is ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Wanna Be Free (The Monkees Song)
"I Wanna Be Free" is a song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart that was first performed by The Monkees and appeared on their debut album ''The Monkees'' in 1966. It was released as a single in some countries, reaching the Top 20 in Australia. It was also covered by The Lettermen. Monkees version Boyce and Hart wrote "I Wanna Be Free" for the Monkees before the group was even put together. Along with " (Theme from) The Monkees" and "Let's Dance On," it was one of the first songs written for the group. It was also the only song written for the Monkees' first album which was not written under deadline pressure. According to Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald, the song was an attempt by Boyce and Hart to write a song like The Beatles' " Yesterday." Like "Yesterday," the instrumentation for "I Wanna Be Free" incorporates a string quartet. The instrumentation also incorporates acoustic guitar and harpsichord. Davy Jones sang the vocals. A faster version of the song was recor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I'm A Believer
"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967. ''Billboard'' ranked the record as the number-five song for 1967. While originally published by Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI), it is now published by Stonebridge Music/EMI Foray Music (SESAC), with administration passed to Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in January and February 1967. Also, it reached number one in several other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland. ''Billboard'' described the song as "an easy-go dance mover" that "will hit with immediate impact". ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and recorded ten singles that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts: "Cracklin' Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", "Longfellow Serenade", "I've Been This Way Before", "If You Know What I Mean", "Desiree (song), Desirée", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (which he co-wrote with Marilyn Bergman and performed with Barbra Streisand), "America (Neil Diamond song), America", "Yesterday's Songs", and "Heartlight (song), Heartlight (co-written with Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach). A total of thirty-eight songs by Diamond have reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Adult Contemporary (chart), Adult Contemporary chart, including "Sweet Caroline". He has also acted in films, maki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their The Monkees (TV series), TV series of the same name (1966–1968). His songwriting credits with the Monkees include "Mary, Mary (song), Mary, Mary", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Tapioca Tundra", "Circle Sky" and "Listen to the Band (song), Listen to the Band". Additionally, his song "Different Drum" became a hit for the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt. After leaving the Monkees in 1970, Nesmith continued his successful songwriting and performing career, first with the seminal country rock group the First National Band, with which he had a top-40 hit, "Joanne (Michael Nesmith song), Joanne" (1970). As a solo artist, he scored an international hit with the song "Rio (Michael Nesmith song), Rio" (1977). He often played a custom-built Gretsch 12-string guitar, 12-string electric guitar both with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Monkees Present
''The Monkees Present'' (full title being ''The Monkees Present Micky, David, Michael'', also known as simply ''Present'') is the eighth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1969 by Colgems Records. It was the second Monkees album released after the departure of Peter Tork and the last to feature Michael Nesmith until 1996's '' Justus''. History The original plan for ''Present'' was to release a double album which devoted one side to each member of the group, who by now were recording virtually as solo artists. With Tork now gone, and record sales waning, the decision was made to pare the track selection down to a single disc. By the time recording had begun in earnest for ''Present'', the Monkees had passed their commercial peak. As Screen Gems' interest in the Monkees' activities waned, the members were given more control over the creation of the album. Unlike ''Instant Replay'', all but two songs were recorded in 1968 or 1969, and the album was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Listen To The Band (song)
"Listen to the Band" is a song by American pop rock band the Monkees, released on Colgems single 5004 on April 26, 1969. Written by Michael Nesmith, it is the first time Nesmith sang lead vocals on a Monkees single A-side. Background The song was written during Nesmith's RCA Nashville sessions and recording commenced on June 1, 1968. It was completed on December 9, 1968 at RCA studios in Los Angeles, with a horn section added to the track (arranged by Shorty Rogers). "Listen to the Band" was first heard in a live performance on the Monkees' television special '' 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee'' (filmed in late 1968), with Peter Tork making his final appearance before leaving the band. The one-hour special aired on NBC on April 14, 1969, and the single was released 12 days later. The single's flip side, "Someday Man", was a song written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols and produced by Bones Howe. It was sung by Jones and recorded at the same time as Goffin and King's "A Man Wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
