by Enzo » Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:48 am
The Monkees were swell and all. A lot if not most of their material was written by Boyce and Hart. In fact they themselves brought out an album covering the same songs. I assume trying to cash in on some of the momentum.
COmparing the Monkess to the Beatles is a sin. The Beatles were all musicians, earning a living by it long before fame hit them. John and Paul wrote most of the material themselves. To say they didn't play all the instruments in their recording is silly. They hired side men sure, but those played in addition to the Beatles, not in place of them. Frank Sinatra didn't play all the instruments on his records either. If he wanted violins or french horns, he hired folks to play them, just as the Beatles did.
The Monkees on the other hand were a totally made up group. The only reason they learned to play instruments was so they could go out and perform live. They learned to play AFTER fame. They were cast for the TV show. CAst to LOOK like a rock band. When that show came on the air, the Monkees were not playing the music themselves.
I take nothing from them for that, any more than I fault the cast of Friends for not REALLY being room mates. They produced good entertainment. And if after a while they got to the point of writing their own stuff and trying to make a statement or at least self -expresion, good for them. I like them too.