Introduction

The Monkees are a band that has polarized music listeners for years. Their detractors are fond of pointing out that with few exceptions the group did not play their own instruments and did not write much of their own material. Fans, meanwhile, point to the overall quality of the group's recorded output while questioning what difference it makes who played what so long as the music was top notch.

This site is for the fans-- those who are less concerned about who did or didn't play on what record than just sitting back and enjoying the music. While poring over AFM sheets for session info is part of the Monkees experience for myself and many others (indeed, there's a lot of insight that can be gained by doing so) that is not the jist of what we'll be doing here.

So what is this "alternate history" exactly? Allow us to explain. With a few notable exceptions (primarily the Headquarters, Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones Ltd. and Justus albums) the Monkees-- Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith -- generally contributed little in regard to each other's songs. Instrumental tracks and backing vocals were largely performed by skilled session musicians alongside whichever Monkee was handling lead vocals for that particular track, though as noted there were certain exceptions to the rule.

As such, most of the Monkees' albums released throughout their tenure as a group were actually collections of songs by four separate solo performers simply compiled together. This is not necessarily a bad thing! While Headquarters proved the Monkees could function quite well as a "real band", it remains doubtful that their limited instrumental dexterity (they were in essence a highly-funded garage combo) could have handled the sophisticated arrangements of their best later material. Certainly a number like "As We Go Along"-- to name but one example-- would not have come off nearly as well were it not for top session pros deftly handling the music.

But since the four individual members of the group continued on their own paths in music after the project initially fizzled in 1970, it's tempting to think, "what if the Monkees had never actually split up?"

Utilizing the best of their solo releases, it's easy to construct a fantasy career path for the group. Since the individual band members largely didn't play on each other's recordings in the first place, combining solo performances to create a group gestalt isn't as far-fetched as it would be for, say, the Beatles or most other groups. In fact, it leads to a very interesting case of, "what if?"

This blog purports to tell the saga of what happened in that parallel universe where the Monkees never really broke up. Since this story is loosely based on real events, some parts will sound familiar while others may seem wildly off the wall. Through it all, you will be exposed to music you may or may not already be familiar with in a format that has been completely reimagined.

We now present for your enjoyment... The Monkees: An Alternate History.