~~BEATLES vs. MONKEES ~~ Gloves are off...who's YOUR favorite?

27 Monkees votes!?!

 

Just a bunch of rebels without a cause

You must comply!

 

The Monkees made you look at their world through your TV set.
The Beatles made you look at the world through their eyes.

 

Maybe the Monkees should take on someone in their own league. Dave Clark Five? Lovin' Spoonful??

 

Nah. Mike would probably vote for the Beatles.

 

Oh, and Beatles for me.

 

This is the least enjoyable thread I've read yet, just a bunch of Monkee-bashing from people who spell Monkees with a Y and still think the guys don't play instruments. I've said this several times, THE BEATLES ARE THE GREATEST ROCK GROUP THAT EVER EXISTED. Do Beatles fans think, because someone asks a question regarding who's albums they play more often, that the aforementioned fact is somehow going to change. Why is it such an insulting question, I think it is aimed at the super die-hard Monkees fans anyway, knowing that the Beatles are probably their other favorite.

 

There's a lot of truth in what you say there. I've personally have had the unfortunate experience of some Beatles fans being absolutely hateful when it came to the Monkees. And no matter how much clear and documented factual evidence you have to counter their arguments (didn't play their instruments, untalented, blah, blah, blah,....) they could never be swayed from their opinion nor even consider that the Monkees may be more talented than they've been given credit for.

On the other hand, Monkees fans on the whole not only love the Beatles, they give the Beatles a huge round of thanks because of the great music and bands that sprang up after them like the Stones, The Kinks, The Who, and others, including the Monkees. It's all good music as far as Monkees fans are concerned, and I've rarely if ever heard a Monkee fan put down the Beatles in any way, shape or form. I've certainly never heard any hateful vitriol coming from Monkees fans about the Beatles, where unfortunately, the opposite has been the case.

The funny thing is, the Beatles and the Monkees have always been close friends. It goes all the way back to the February 9th, 1964 Ed Sullivan show when the Beatles made their American TV debut, and on the same program they met a very young Davy Jones who was then playing the part of the Artful Dodger in the Broadway production of 'Oliver!', and the entire cast were performing on the same show.



Davy Jones on the Ed Sullivan Show, February 9th, 1964
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-fLLuQgIss

The Beatles even gave the Monkees a huge party in their honor when the group first toured England in 1967 (Micky's song 'Randy Scouse Git' is a chronicle of that party where the Beatles are referred to as "the Four Kings of EMI".) and invited them to the Sgt. Pepper sessions.

Randy Scouse Git (listen for the 'Four Kings of EMI' line)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iFEa7pRO1o

The Beatles acknowledged a kinship with the Monkees in regards to there being another group of four guys who at the time were receiving the same type of wild fan adulation that they received. And the Monkees always had and still do have huge respect and admiration for the Beatles and always publicly held them in high regard.

It's funny that these two groups can acknowledge and admire each other's talents but some factions of their fans can't.

A Day In The Life - Look for Michael Nesmith at the 2:33 and 3:30 minute points of the video (also look out for Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Donovan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xljFT44Y1Y

Paperback Believer Mash-up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCTni8Zpm34&feature=related


Monkee Meets Beatle, 1967


Paul McCartney & Micky Dolenz backstage at Madison Square Garden, 1989.


George Harrison & Peter Tork at the 'Wonderwall' sessions (George invited Peter to play banjo)


George and Peter at 'Wonderwall' sessions


Michael Nesmith & Ringo Starr at the 'Sgt. Pepper' sessions


Davy Jones, Lulu and Ringo at 'Sgt. Pepper' sessions


Micky Dolenz with John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Anne Murray and Alice Cooper

Ringo & Monkees Pizza Hut Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7RlBas3xY8



Michael Nesmith - I'll Remember You: A tribute to John Lennon, The Beatles and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, written and recorded a year before Lennon's death. (the young lady in the video is Nesmith's daughter Jessica)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HduVoDN0zSY


Michael Nesmith and John Lennon at 'A Day In The Life' sessions

 

Steak v cheeseburgers sums it up, but man some of these cheeseburgers are good.

Uptight Beatles fans make me scratch my head. It's like those guys who used to scoff at The Beatles for being trash, not "proper music" like Beethoven's 9th. Well sure, compared to Beethoven's 9th, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is kind of trashy, but that's not really the point...

Anyway, those who "don't even own one Monkees record" should at least listen to the "Head" soundtrack, or bits of "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd". It's not (quite) "A Day In The Life", but this music ain't "I'm A Believer" either. However much, or however little, the Monkees themselves had to do with "The Porpoise Song", it's still a great piece of highly adventurous late-60s pop.

Yeah, I'd vote Beatles, but that doesn't reflect any worse on The Monkees than it would on any other group in music history.

 

The Beatles, of course!

 

I would also throw in tracks from BB&M and Present to show how talented they really could be when left to their own devices.

 

Thanks for the great post (hard work!), FredV!

 

But if this thread offered "Beatles vs. Stones" or "Beatles vs. Led Zep", it'd be much closer and there'd be many more passionate arguments for the non-Fabs band.

Seems like every Monkees voter says "the Beatles were better but I like the Monkees" more, which is fair - the thread IS "who's your favorite?", not "who's the best?"

But I don't think Beatles vs. Other Iconic Rock Band would necessarily be as lopsided...

 

This was lopsided:

Don Ho vs. The Beatles?


Don Ho appeared on the Brady Bunch as well. Hmmm...

Maybe what we really need is a Monkees vs Don Ho thread.

 

Now on that one, I'll cast my vote!

 

Which not ONE PERSON has done in this thread...

 

Ditto. Just like most groups/"artists" emerging today.

 

Yeah! No-one spells monkeys like that!

 

The thread to me is really asking "who do you play more"? I play the Monkees more. I also have to consider that it took me a year to buy the Beatles remasters (and I still don't have all the stereos). When a new Monkees product comes out, I order in advance.

The Monkees also are in my very first memories, so there's something to that. They will always be my first favorite band. (Yes, I mean 'band')

 

Goodness.....not even close. The Beatles!

 

a) not true, and
b) I came across this weird entomologist dude the other day who spelled beatle without an A.

 

It was just a figure of speech, if you read the three favorite Monkees albums thread you will see a bona-fide Y speller, lol. The point is there is still a lot of misinformation about the Monkees and their body of work.

 

I don't have ANY of the Beatles remasters. Mono Or Stereo.

Darryl

 

Really? "Most artists today"? Can I get a list of artists that are manufactured that make up most of the industry?

 

ANY artist from American Idol, good or bad, and that includes Daugherty. And let's not forget Glee.