Monkee romps vs Partridge Family "live" performances

There's a quite a few similarities between the acts. But the irony is that while The Monkees became more of a music act/band/whatever, the use of music in their show was more cinematic: using French New Wave style romps with a song playing over it. The Monkees dedicated relatively few of the songs slots in their show to straight "performance" segments and pushed more of a music video aesthetic.

On the other hand The Partridge Family who, musically, hardly existed outside of David Cassidy and a backing band, really pushed the band image on the TV show, having almost all their music slots dedicated to "straight" band performances.

What do you think was more effective?

Maybe The Monkees (who became an actual band) and the Partridges (who only existed in the show) should've swapped segment styles for their songs on the show? Or perhaps romps really wouldn't have suited the straight laced Partridge show format and the Monkees were better physical comedians, etc.

Personally I think it's weird that The Partridges were showcased as a band so much, but I think the studio learned their lesson after The Monkees' revolt. They put together a band that was much more under studio control and probably made less an effort to sell them as a band on the records, so there was much less backlash and expectation from fans and the press.

Also of note is how each group/show was probably envisioned as a vehicle for each groups' respective David (Jones & Cassidy), but The Monkees integrated Jones much more both into the show and music, whereas Cassidy almost always took the backseat to Danny Bonaduce and Shirley Jones on the show; the show's musical numbers being Cassidy's only real spotlight save a few Keith centered episodes. Whereas Jones had about 1/3 musical spotlight on the records and an equal billing with the other three Monkees on the show (if not more at times.)

(I guess the Brady Bunch as a show/recording group/live act was somewhere in between.)

 

I expected to see another poll... oh well, I still vote Monkee romps

 

Monkee's just made better records.

The Partridge Family were not the reaction to the Monkees. Don Kirchner and the Archies were.

 

The Partridge Family had romps (if you could call it that).
Maybe musical montage would be closer.



Darryl

 

It's very subjectice whether the Monkees made better records.

But, yeah, The Archies were actually The Monkees' successor for those who know the story behind it.

 

Apples and oranges.

A more apt comparison, though generations apart, is The Monkees versus Big Time Rush.

Though I still like quite a few tunes by The Monkees, when I've tried to revisit the TV show I didn't find it funny at all. Maybe I just didn't catch good episodes, but then again I remember not really liking the show as much as my brother or sister when I was a kid.

 

As far as music goes The Monkees were better, but in terms of writing and even the acting is better on the Partridge Family.
I still like The Monkees better overall. But thier show is not as watchable as the PF. Not that the PF was any great shakes.

 

I don't see the comparison.
BTR reminded me more of Backstreet Boys.

Darryl

 

Both BTR and The Monkees were groups manufactured for a TV show. The shows were used to promote the groups' music sales.

Both TV shows were successful comedies.

Both groups became successful in terms of record sales and touring, but off the top of my head I'd say The Monkees probably had greater success on the charts. (To be fair, though, it seems like it's more difficult for almost everyone to sell music today.)

Both BTR and The Monkees were groups of four young men. At least all of the BTR guys are attractive. There's a reason why Davy Jones became the focal point for a lot of Tiger Beat readers.

I know that some here make a lot out of the guys in The Monkees being "actual musicians" and fighting their creators/overlords for creative control, but it isn't like any of them were particularly successful as musicians outside the group. So far, the same is holding true for the guys from BTR, though one of them (Kendall Schmidt) is trying hard with his group Hefron Road. One of the other ones (Logan Henderson) also plays guitar and piano, but I haven't heard anything about his post-BTR attempts at music.

 

As were The Partridge Family.

 

You're right. I should've.

 

Yes, but that's where the similarity ends with the PF. I mean, no one actually thought those little kids had anything to do with the records. I didn't even think that as a prepubescent kid. We knew it was a TV show with people pretending to be a group but that David, for all intents and purposes, was the only person actually featured on the hit records (with Shirley's voice being blended in with other background singers). With the Monkees and BTR, the people assembled to play music groups for their TV shows were, in fact, the singers in their respective groups.

 

There was always a disclaimer at the end of the Partridge Family shows that said, "The Partridge Family's performances were augmented by studio performers," or words to that effect. They never pretended to be anything but a TV show.

And it turns out she wasn't on the records either. Shirley Jones admitted she wasn't on any of the hits in her autobiography last year.

 

That's my point. They learned their lesson from not doing that with The Monkees. Thus no pressure on the actors to perform, and no revolt.

 

I was a Defranco family guy myself.

 

Got this?



Darryl

 

No way! Another myth shattered...

 

The Monkees rule!

 

I'll go with The Monkees, but I like their "performance clips" ("Daily Nightly", "Daydream Believer", "No Time", etc...) better than there "romps"...

 

Gotta love Nez's "performance" in Daily Nightly.

 

Very true But, he made up for it in "Star Collector"...

PS: I noticed I used the wrong "their" in post # 20: I wish I had caught that... Oh well...

 

Very true But, he made up for it in "Star Collector"...

PS: I noticed I used the wrong "their" in post # 20: I wish I had caught that... Oh well...

 

Very true But, he made up for it in "Star Collector"...

PS: I noticed I used the wrong "their" in post # 20: I wish I had caught that... Oh well...

 

Very true But, he made up for it in "Star Collector"...

PS: I noticed I used the wrong "their" in post # 20: I wish I had caught that... Oh well...