Also what I read years ago as a forerunner to Rap was the Monkee's song Goin' Down. I thought it was scat jazz with words. What do y'all think?

aflem wrote:

I actually thought they already were. But Montreal scribe Joel Goldenberg makes the case for why they should be.

The Monkees & The Rock Hall Of Fame

as has been fairly well documented, the hall is anything but an objective body, mostly existing, in recent years, to promote acts with a box set to sell.

while the monkees did produce an impressive body of work and a good number of hits, it could be argued that this happened largely because they enjoyed the luxury of having a fictional tv show with which to promote their product, something most other acts equally a or perhaps more talented and worthy of inclusion did not. in an objective forum, that would surely not be in their favor,

a more likely and reasonable expectation, i'd say, would be that, sooner rather than later, the americana music association might present mike nesmith with a lifetime achivement award, or something akin to it.

memphis boy wrote:

Goph, Do you think that if their music hadn't been good they would still have been as successful? In a way I think they got a raw deal when it became known they didn't play on their albums, considering, after watching The Wrecking Crew, that a whole bunch of bands didn't play on their albums! Mostly for time considerations but also for better professional quality.

actually, robert, that's an interesting point because, with the exception of their first album, they did in fact play on their recordings. whether the average teen record buyer or radio listener, then, knew or cared is up for grabs as a question.

however, yeah, over the years, the misconception that they didn't may well have not helped them, though it would be hard not to argue that they produced fine pop music as well as venturing into alternative territory in interesting ways also, regardless of the players.

however, they certainly had plenty of competition from many other pop groups who were making singularly unique contributions to the a.m. radio, and cultural landscape as well. i don't think that, without the tv show, they would have garnered the airplay rotation which nade their songs that much more popular than, say, the troggs for example.

though no doubt they would have done just fine, especially if they had continued as a working band in concert. i'm inclined to think that without the show, they were a band who would now be seen by collectors and archivists as another of many successful sixties pop bands who might also be potential hall of famers, going forward.

alas, a moot point i know, since, if not for the show, the monkees wouldn't have existed in any sense of course.
 

Last edited by gopher (January 21, 2020 4:07 am)