The Monkees' discography spans over 50 years, from the release of their first single, "Last Train to Clarksville" in August 1966 to their final live album The Mike and Micky Show in April 2020. Their discography is complicated due to the large volume of unique releases in many international markets, the release of many recordings not credited to the Monkees for lack of rights to the trademark, and the existence of many bootleg, promotional, and novelty recordings that are beyond the scope of this article.
After the band's initial breakup and the dissolution of Colgems Records in 1971, control of the Monkees' catalogue moved to Bell Records, who issued the single "Do It in the Name of Love" (credited to "Mickey Dolenz & Davy Jones"), a compilation album, and reissues of Colgems-era songs as singles on their Flashback Records imprint.
In 1975 and 1976 band members Dolenz and Jones reunited with longtime Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart to record new music and perform live as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. Capitol Records signed the quartet and released one studio album and two singles in the United States, plus a third single and a live album in Japan. Dolenz and Jones also reunited with fellow Monkee Peter Tork for the 1976 Christmas single "Christmas Is My Time of Year", released on a vanity press by producer Chip Douglas.
In 1974 the Monkees' catalogue was transferred to Arista Records, who continued Monkees reissues on the Flashback imprint. In 1986 Dolenz and Tork recorded three new songs for Arista as "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of the Monkees)". On the Arista label (in the U.S.) the Monkees released three charting singles, three compilation albums, three compilation EPs, and reissues of some of the band's albums, including for the first time on compact disc. Arista Records in Australia and New Zealand released the double-LP compilation Monkeemania in 1979, which included three previously unreleased recordings, marking the beginning of a flood of previously unreleased Monkees material to be released over the next few decades.
From 1982 to 1991 Rhino Records licensed and issued Monkees recordings on their own label, including three compilation albums of previously released material, the Monkees' first live album, reissues of all nine of the Monkees' Colgems studio albums, the reunion album Pool It! and its two associated singles, and the first two volumes of Missing Links, compilations devoted entirely to previously unreleased music from the Colgems era.
By 1994 Rhino Records gained control of the Monkees' catalogue and trademark and it continues to release Monkees recordings as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Since 1994 Rhino has released in the United States three Monkees studio albums with five associated digital singles and two associated EPs, two box sets, 20 compilation albums, two digital compilation EPs, and several album reissues. Mail-order imprint Rhino Handmade released multi-disc expanded editions of seven of the Monkees' studio albums and of their 1967 live recordings.
For the purposes of this article, all major mass-market recordings released in the United States and credited to The Monkees are included, along with some of the more notable international and niche-market releases. Also included are recordings credited to at least two of the Monkees as the main artists when use of the Monkees trademark was unavailable. Recordings listed are from the United States and credited to The Monkees, unless indicated otherwise.
This table includes the Monkees' nine original Colgems studio albums, including the soundtrack to the film Head, the Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart album released on Capitol, and the four reunion albums released on Rhino. Compilations of previously unreleased archival recordings, such as the Missing Links series, live albums, compilations that include new songs, and minor international variations of these albums are not included.
A: .mw-parser-output .citationword-wrap:break-word.mw-parser-output .citation:targetbackground-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)^ Changes initially failed to chart upon release in 1970, but made the Billboard 200 when reissued in 1986.
B: ^ Released as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.
C: ^ Justus was released initially only on cassette and CD, but not on vinyl. It was issued on limited edition vinyl on October 30, 2012.
D: ^ Released as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.
E: ^ Released as Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork.
F: ^ Released as Micky & Davy.
G: ^ Released as Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork.
H: ^ Released as Micky Dolenz & Davy Jones.
Colgems Records did not release extended-play records for the mass market, but this list includes the two "little LP" versions of the Monkees' first two albums for use in jukeboxes. Internationally, RCA issued many EPs. This list includes those released in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico during the Colgems era, where they were most popular. This list also includes EPs released in the UK in the 1980s, some of which charted; American 3-inch CDs released by Arista Records; and EPs issued by Rhino Records expanding on their final two albums.
I: ^ Released in Japan as The Monkees, and as Mickey Dolenz & Davy Jones elsewhere. The Japanese single failed to chart in 1971, but a 1981 reissue reached #93.
J: ^ Released as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.
K: ^ Released in 1976 as Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork. A remixed reissue was released in 1986 as We Three Monkees.
L: ^ Initially released as The Monkees, but subsequently released as Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork of The Monkees due to a trademark dispute.[23]
M: ^ Digital-only single.
This list shows recordings released as The Monkees and those released under different names with the participation of at least two of the group's members. The most comprehensive online discography of the Monkees is maintained by JD McCutcheon at Monkee45s.net (link) and features high-resolution images of sleeves, labels, and liner notes from around the world.
The Monkees are considered both one of the best boy bands and best bubblegum pop bands of all time. List of the best Monkees albums, including pictures of the album covers when available. This Monkees discography is ranked from best to worst, so the top Monkees albums can be found at the top of the list. To make it easy for you, we haven't included The Monkees singles, EPs, or compilations, so everything you see here should only be studio albums. If you think the greatest Monkees album isn't high enough on the list, then be sure to vote for it so it receives the credit it deserves. Make sure you don't just vote for critically acclaimed albums; if you have a favorite Monkees album, then vote it up, even if it's not necessarily the most popular.
If you want to know, "What is the best Monkees album of all time?" or "What are the top Monkees albums?" then this list will answer your questions. The Los Angeles band released some great music throughout their career with multiple going platinum. Moreover, the band actually formed as part of a television shows of the same name, but once it was canceled after three years, the band stayed together. List contains albums like Headquarters and Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. Of course, you'll find all the Monkees albums in this list.
This list of popular Monkees albums has been voted on by music fans around the world, so the order of this list isn't just one person's opinion. Share your opinion by voting up your favorite Monkees albums and voting down any you don't think should be at the top.
It didn't take long for The Monkees to realize that they'd experienced a level of success far beyond their wildest dreams. Far from being mere actors on a television show portraying a band, they'd been thrust in front of capacity crowds in stadiums, arenas, and large auditoriums - a de facto band that, in reality, wasn't yet calling the shots on their own careers and music. That changed when Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork demanded creative freedom from impresario Don Kirshner - and got it. The road wasn't an easy one, but it was well worth taking. TV Guide deemed it "The Great Revolt of '67," and the first result was their third studio album, Headquarters. Produced by the band's friend Chip Douglas and recorded in Hollywood, far from the New York crowd of Kirshner and his preferred producers, it failed to yield a big hit single as the group's first two albums had. But it still charted at No. 1 in the U.S. (their third consecutive chart-topper) and No. 2 in the U.K., and remains one of their most beloved releases. Headquarters has been revisited many times on CD, but far from being a mere rehash of past efforts, the new 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition illuminates yet more corners of this most special chapter in The Monkees' discography.
Compilation producer Andrew Sandoval's intentions are made clear in his liner notes: "Rather than plunder the previous reissues of this album to create a Frankenstein-ed compilation that you could very well make yourself, the entire three-month period surrounding the creation of Headquarters has been reexamined to offer a deeper view." To that end, the original album and most of the bonuses have been remixed from the original multitrack tapes, and the album is now presented in its original recorded pitch. (Sandoval explains that "the speed of the analog tape machines used in the original production each ran at a slightly different pitch.") The set also gives full attention to the remnants of the "lost" third album produced by Jeff Barry at Kirshner's behest.
The box set opens with the remix of the original album, offering wider stereo separation on the eclectic journey through pop, rock, country, and comedy. Unsurprisingly, Michael Nesmith's three solo compositions are among the strongest tracks on Headquarters: the jangle pop of "You Told Me," the driving "You Just May Be the One," and upbeat "Sunny Girlfriend." But Nez wasn't the only Monkee to make major strides once creatively fulfilled. Micky Dolenz came into his own with the inventive "Randy Scouse Git," inspired by his own experiences in the United Kingdom (where it became a No. 2 hit as "Alternate Title" after the RCA brass there objected to the phrase "Randy Scouse Git").
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