In celebration of The Monkees’ golden anniversary, Rhino Records has announced a pair of career-spanning music collections for August 26th. The first is The Monkees 50, a three CD set packed with 50 unforgettable songs from the band’s historic career, including “She Makes Me Laugh” and “You Bring The Summer” from Good Times! The second is Forever on CD and LP, a 14 track compilation that spotlights the group’s biggest hits including “She Makes Me Laugh” from their latest album.
During the band’s time together, The Monkees scored three #1 hits — “Last Train To Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer” and “Daydream Believer”— which are featured on both collections, in addition to the Top 40 hits “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” “Words,” and “Valleri.” The Monkees 50 delves even deeper into the band’s rich catalog to include classic fan favorites “She,” “Mary, Mary,” “Goin’ Down,” “Tapioca Tundra,” and “Papa Gene’s Blues.”
The Monkees returned to the charts this spring when Good Times! debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top Albums chart, #14 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, and #2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. This marked the highest chart position the group had achieved since 1968.
All three surviving band members — Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork — wrote new songs for the album, which also features the voice of Davy Jones, a founding member of the group who passed away in 2012. Good Times! was produced by Grammy and Emmy-winning songwriter Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy).
Currently, Dolenz and Tork are touring together for an ambitious North American trek that features nearly 50 dates, including a homecoming gig at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles on September 16th. Tickets for the Monkees 50th Anniversary Tour are available now.
On July 8th, the band released the entire series of The Monkees television show on Blu-ray for the very first time. All 58 episodes have been painstakingly restored in high-definition from the original film negatives. The ten disc Blu-ray collection also includes the 1968 cult-classic Head, along with many never-before-seen outtakes from the film. The collection is limited to 10,000 individually numbered pieces.
The Monkees 50
CD 1:
1. “(Theme From) The Monkees” 2. “Last Train To Clarksville” 3. “Take A Giant Step” 4. “Papa Gene’s Blues” 5. “I’m A Believer” 6. “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” 7. “She” 8. “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” 9. “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” 10. “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” 11. “Mary, Mary” 12. “Sometime In The Morning” 13. “Randy Scouse Git” 14. “You Told Me” 15. “Shades Of Gray” 16. “For Pete’s Sake”
CD 2:
1. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” 2. “Cuddly Toy” 3. “Words” 4. “Love Is Only Sleeping” 5. “Daydream Believer” 6. “Goin’ Down” 7. “Valleri” 8. “Tapioca Tundra” 9. “P.O. Box 9847” 10. “Auntie’s Municipal Court” 11. “D.W. Washburn” 12. “It’s Nice To Be With You” 13. “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” 14. “As We Go Along” 15. “Circle Sky” (Live)
CD 3:
1. “Tear Drop City” 2. “A Man Without A Dream” 3. “You And I” 4. “Listen To The Band” 5. “Someday Man” 6. “Good Clean Fun” 7. “Mommy And Daddy” 8. “French Song” 9. “Oh My My” 10. “I Love You Better” 11. “That Was Then, This Is Now” – Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork 12. “Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere” – Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork 13. “Heart And Soul” 14. “MGBGT” (Live) 15. “Every Step Of The Way” 16. “You And I” 17. “Regional Girl” 18. “You Bring The Summer” 19. “She Makes Me Laugh”
Forever – CD | LP
1. “I’m A Believer” 2. “Valleri” 3. “You Just May Be The One” 4. “That Was Then, This Is Now” – Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork 5. “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” 6. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” 7. “Daydream Believer” 8. “Last Train To Clarksville” 9. “She Makes Me Laugh” 10. “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” 11. “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” (Single Version) 12. “Heart And Soul” 13. “Words” 14. “Goin’ Down” (Single Version)
