The story of the Monkees can be very convoluted and contradictory, especially if you tend to be cynical. The truth, though, was the Monkees were indeed hired to be actors who portrayed a band that played their own music.

Being television, the entire charade was to be done with smoked and mirrors, with the boys performing little or none of the music, with only their voices and their likenesses to provide the sitcom-based impression of credibility. Right from the start, though, the four musically inclined actors felt as though they deserved some level of creative input.

This show and the next few that follow will portray the push and pull that defined the Monkees as a show about musicians, but with the inevitable result that their talents and their unique personalities contradicted the intentions of the producers responsible for the show.

Featured tracks include:

Theme from the Monkees (TV version)

Propinquity

All the King’s Horses

I Don’t Think You Know Me (Mickey)

I don’t Think You Know Me (Mike)

Theme from ‘The Monkees’ (LP version)

Let’s Dance On

This Just Doesn’t Seem to Be My Day

Papa Gene’s Blues (alt mix)

Papa Gene’s Blues (LP)

So Goes Love

I’m Gonna Buy Me a Dog (non-LP version)

I’ll Be True to You

Take a Giant Step