| More of the Monkees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 9, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | June 25 – November 23, 1966 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 28:34 | |||
| Label | Colgems | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Monkees chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from More of the Monkees | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| MusicHound | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
More of the Monkees is the secondstudio album by the Americanpop rock bandthe Monkees, released in 1967 onColgems Records. It was recorded in late 1966 and displaced the band's debut album from the top of theBillboard 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 theBillboard 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 theRIAA, 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.
The Monkees' popularity was at its peak when the album was released. Their second single, "I'm a Believer", held the No. 1 position on theBillboard Hot 100 and they were about to embark on a highly successful concert tour.
The release ofMore of the Monkees was rushed to capitalize on the band's popularity, catching even its members by surprise. The band learned of the album's existence while on tour inCleveland, Ohio, surprised that it had been released without their knowledge. They were dismayed by the cover image (which had been used in an advertisement forJCPenney) and were offended by production overseerDon Kirshner's liner notes, which praised his team of songwriters before mentioning, almost as an afterthought, the names of the Monkees. The band, particularly Nesmith, was also furious about the songs—selected for the record from 34 that had been recorded—leading Nesmith to later tellMelody Maker magazine thatMore of the Monkees was "probably the worst album in the history of the world".[4]
The group began to grow concerned over their musical output because for this album and their debut,The Monkees, they were limited to just vocals with scattered instrumental contributions. Kirshner had a strict rule that the Monkees were to provide only vocals on his productions, although separate sessions produced byMichael Nesmith usually featuredPeter Tork on guitar.More of the Monkees has Nesmith limited to one song as lead vocalist.
Within weeks of the release ofMore of the Monkees, Nesmith lobbied successfully with the group's creators, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, for the Monkees to be allowed to play their instruments on future records, effectively giving the quartet artistic control. To make his point clear to Kirshner, who had balked at the idea, Nesmith punched a hole in the wall of a suite at theBeverly Hills Hotel during a group meeting with Kirshner and Colgems lawyer Herb Moelis, declaring to Moelis: "That could have been your face!". Kirshner was later dropped from the project.[4]
The original pressing catalog number is COM/COS 102. When the album was reissued in 1968, the Colgems symbol replaced the word "Colgems" on the bottom right-hand corner of the reverse side (catalog number COS 102 RE). It was standard practice for RCA to add an "RE" when any one side of a record sleeve had a revision.[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She" | Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart | Micky Dolenz | 2:40 |
| 2. | "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" | Carole Bayer Sager,Neil Sedaka | Davy Jones | 1:49 |
| 3. | "Mary, Mary" | Michael Nesmith | Dolenz | 2:16 |
| 4. | "Hold On Girl" | Billy Carr,Jack Keller,Ben Raleigh | Jones | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Your Auntie Grizelda" | Diane Hildebrand,Jack Keller | Peter Tork | 2:30 |
| 6. | "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" | Boyce, Hart | Dolenz | 2:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" | Neil Diamond | Jones | 2:16 |
| 2. | "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" | Nesmith,Roger Atkins | Nesmith | 1:53 |
| 3. | "The Day We Fall in Love" | Sandy Linzer,Denny Randell | Jones | 2:26 |
| 4. | "Sometime in the Morning" | Gerry Goffin,Carole King | Dolenz | 2:30 |
| 5. | "Laugh" | Phil Margo,Mitch Margo,Hank Medress, Jay Siegel | Jones | 2:30 |
| 6. | "I'm a Believer" | Diamond | Dolenz | 2:50 |
| Total length: | 28:34 | |||
Credits adapted from 2017 Rhino "Super Deluxe Edition" box set.[6]
The Monkees
Additional musicians
Unconfirmed personnel and duties
Technical
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM)[8] | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] | 1 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[10] | 25 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 16 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 1 |
| USBillboard 200[14] | 1 |
| USTop Current Album Sales (Billboard)[15] | 96 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | "I'm a Believer" | Billboard Hot 100 | 1[16] |
| 1966 | "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" | Billboard Hot 100 | 20[16] |
| 1968 | "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" | Mexico Singles Chart | 1[17] |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[18] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Works cited
