RIP Davy Jones

[Zelja]

Rumour has it that another certain David Jones, a budding singer & songwriter, changed his name to avoid confusion with the established star. Changed his name to "Bowie" I believe...

Only 66, which makes you realise just how young the lads were when they became Monkees. Loved the show & the music as a kid, still love the music & I'd like to see the show again to see if I would still dig it or not.

RIP Davey.

 

[walrus]

Not a rumor, magnum, that's a fact! Probably the best thing that ever happened to Stills since the Monkees were not allowed to play their own instruments until they forced the issue. Stills would have gone crazy with that, I think - he is a great guitarist.

Over the summer, I read the "story" of the Monkees, actually an interesting look at the TV business, as well as a look at the Monkees rise to fame. They really had to fight with their producers a lot - typical "money changes everything" story.

If you are interested, its a great read:

http://www.amazon.com/Monkee-Business-R ... ng_title_0


walrus

 

[Hangman]

RIP.
Here he is 'playing' a nice Guild Jet Star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzs5dlLrm0

 

[adorshki]

I remember Davy as being the "Paul" of the Monkees, the one the girls were all crazy over. RIP. Thanks for the music and memories.
The Monkees, Batman, Laugh In and the Man from Uncle were what we lived on in Junior High. Rumor has it Stephen Stills failed to make the group cause he had bad teeth and thinning hair.
T

If I remember correctly Stills knew about the casting call but was already set to break out with Buffalo Springfield and sent his buddy Peter the lead.
There was a great website that detailed a lot of the behind-the-scenes action including filming and recording dates, the session details were great, showing who the session men were on specific cuts, but apparently it's defunct.
But man, 20 hour days in summer '66: 7:30 am do some filming, 7:30pm run down to studio for a vocal session, followed by party a little on "the strip", then back to work the next day, kick back in the "wooden room" with er, uh, "cigars" waiting for the light that went on when they were needed on set.
Fight off girls when neccessary.
I don't know if I would have been able to stand it. :lol:

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

"Rumor has it Stephen Stills failed to make the group cause he had bad teeth and thinning hair."

I don't know if that would have been a problem.
I think that Mike also had thinning hair, if you know what I mean.

 

[Geo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-i_hSwxMc

One of my favorite Monkees' songs.

George

 

[CA-35]

"Rumor has it Stephen Stills failed to make the group cause he had bad teeth and thinning hair."

I think Stephen got the last laugh....I heard he hooked up with 3 other fellas and they didn't sound too bad. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[gjmalcyon]

Here are a few more USA Today-sourced "factoids" about Davy Jones and The Monkees:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news ... 53305814/1

Note in particular Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees.

 

[Guild Dawg]

The Monkees were by all accounts big fans of what Hendrix was doing and really wanted him on their tour, hoping it would give him greater exposure (The Jimi Hendrix Experience had not yet charted in the U.S.) Hendrix, though he had publically called them "dishwater," agreed to go on the tour in hopes of reaching that wider audience. He was on the tour for seven dates, during which the teenyboppers cried for the Monkees throughout Hendrix's set. The Monkees were horrified, embarrassed and upset by the audiences' treatment of Hendrix and agreed to let him out of his contract.

More on snopes.com:
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/hendrix.asp

 

[adorshki]

Hendrix, though he had publically called them "dishwater," agreed to go on the tour in hopes of reaching that wider audience. He was on the tour for seven dates, during which the teenyboppers cried for the Monkees throughout Hendrix's set. More on snopes.com:
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/hendrix.asp

I usually like Snopes as a "myth-buster" but in this case I think they down-played Chas Chandler's role as Jimi's manager. As the bassist for the Animals, Chandler was intimately familiar with the path to pop stardom and Jimi put this stage of his career entirely in Chandler's hands. He probably accepted the gig on Chandler's advice is all I'm saying.
It was Chandler's influence that kept Jimi focused in the studio and which gave us tightly crafted pop singles in the first year of the Experience. One of my favorite periods, when Noel and Mitch still sang background vocals in concerts. :wink:

 

[PEZmusic]

I think the Monkees were really under rated

 

[adorshki]

I think the Monkees were really under rated

Agreed, though the timing of Nesmith's public dismissal of the band as being "pre-fabricated" certainly didn't help things. It coincided too closely with the release of Headquarters which was the first one on which they excercised a significant degree of creative control.