33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee..... what the?

The best way to watch this is on DVD with Micky's commentary-absolutely hilarious!

 

Not the same song though, (The Valli one is marginally better).

 

Unfortunately he was extremely annoying in it. As an actor he's a great organist.

 

Oh, I'd love to own the DVD ... but not the boxed set ...

 

The best way to watch it is to turn the sound off and play Pink Floyd's The Dark side of the Moon.

 

You mean there are TWO different songs titled "I Go Ape"? I would think one would be enough. I guess I didn't get far enough into either to notice a difference.

 

There are indeed, though neither was a hit. Hardly anyone knew of the Valli one before "Jersey Boys."

 

I hope the above works - assuming it's the whole thing in the right order?

In the words of the cow in Head.... "those Monkees are the craziest people.....moo....."

 

I think I first got it on that weird VHS collection of the series - with everything out of order. Was that Columbia House?

 

RHINO released the VHS box set of the TV series...

 

I remember getting them in plastic shells... One at a time...

 

The Rhino VHS box set had the episodes in a seemingly random order because (according to Andrew Sandoval) the way royalties were computed at the time, they saved a bundle by grouping episodes on the same tape which had the same director. If they all had the same director, only one payment had to be made for the whole tape. It was a union thing. Now, why that's not an issue in the DVD era, I don't know.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Monkees...ouse-/321331394093?pt=VHS&hash=item4ad0d7f62d

It was these.

Columbia House.

 

I stand corrected

Yeah, I knew about those, but I *did* forget about the individual Columbia House tapes...

 

Weren't those just reissues of the Rhino tapes from the box set?

 

Correct, this is Sedaka's song. Minor hit in the US #42 Billboard...but a top ten in the UK.



The Monkees backing track (Notice how nice it sounds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNkbUQnRPbk

And the version from the Special (Poorly recorded lead vocal, over-modulated)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13jHcFjN-3E

 

I believe there were a few Rhino compilations, but this was originally the only way to get the entire two seasons (plus 33 & 1/3).

 

I never realized that Circle Sky in Opening Ceremony is the live version. I had to listen and yes it is. My ears always "heard" the studio version.

 

Anything with Julie and Brian can't be all bad. Just to hear Jools' cover of the Rascals song stops me from making fun of this thing.

 

THIS

 

The problem with your argument is that the Monkees had little to nothing to do with the creation of the special. Total outsiders Jack Good and Art Fisher did it all by their lonesome with zero input from the Monkees, Raybert, Screen Gems, or NBC.

That makes the show not like a divorcee who can't stop whining about an abusive ex so much as the lawyer for the divorcee that can't shut up about this memorable case they had.

In fact, 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee may be the most ironic piece of work in the whole Monkees' canon. Think about it: The whole special is focused on how the Monkees were complete pawns in their own creation and subsequent fame, with no control over any aspect of it, yet:

1. They hardly appear in the special. They are their own guest stars in this thing. It's really a Jack Good show featuring The Monkees.

2. They had zero input into the contents of the special. Either the script or the guest stars in it. They were busy on the road in Australia and Japan as it was being put together and rushed right from touring into making the show with little time other than to learn the lines, produce the music, and hit their cues. They were so burnt out they offered little resistance, despite reportedly hating the script and getting into arguments with Jack Good over it.

3. By the time the special aired in mid-1969, it's psychedelic theme, tone, and execution was already dated and passe despite some very legitimate innovations in its technical creation. Had it been made and aired right after the TV show ended and before Head was filmed, it would have been more in tune with the times. Not necessarily a success, mind you, but at least more in synch stylistically with the pop culture of mid-1968. As it was, it only reinforced the backlash that the Monkees were not relevant and yesterday's news.

4. The technical strike at NBC that forced the production to tape at MGM contributed to a cheap and amateurish look and feel to the special, in complete contrast to the highly polished TV show, and Head. A look and feel that made the Monkees look bad.

4. It aired four months after Peter Tork left, and two months after the first single and LP without him (Instant Replay) were issued. This highlighted how long the special had been sitting in the can before being broadcast, further increasing the backlash and perception of the Monkees' cultural unimportance, despite the innovation that does exist in it.

On a side note, I took a real long and critical look at the special after this thread got bumped last week. I think many of the narrative problems a lot of people have may be due to what I see as obvious, blunt, and hamfisted editing. This is especially obvious during the "Rock and Roll Medley." Example: the wolf whistle and Micky's "Dig that crazy chick" is absolutely the intro to "Short Shorts" but *bang* you get what sounds like a musical post-production edit, and we're into "Blue Monday" So...what was that all about?

And speaking of bad editing, nothing can top what happens during "Dry Bones." Seriously, what professional director and editor would allow THAT to happen unless you were under some sort of gun or dealing with huge problems with the footage you have?

I'd love to see the rough assembly or "first cut" of the special. I bet it timed out closer to 90 minutes than an hour. I also bet it would be a less jarring experience. Not a better show, mind you, but a more coherent one anyway. Too bad none of the elements appear to exist.

 

So, in essence, you are saying The Monkees were manipulated into making 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee.

They should have written a Broadway musical about that experience.

 

Ironically enough, YES!

 

Is it just me or does the finale(Listen To The Band) look like they were aping(sorry about that) the Beatles All You Need Is Love film?

 

Some say "All You Need Is Love," some say the "Hey Jude" clip. I'd personally lean more towards the "Hey Jude" clip as, like this, it builds up. "AYNIL" is jam packed from the get-go IMO.