Around Here, March Madness = Magical Monkee Moments (all from March of 1968 ... as the band scores their last #1 Hit!)

Gary Strobl provides more ...

MAGICAL MONKEES MOMENTS

 

March 7, 1968

The Napa Valley Register

March 10, 1968

The Daily Inter Lake

 March 16, 1968

The News

March 18, 1968

The Chicago Tribune

March 30, 1968 

Cash Box Magazine - Top 100 Hits

 

Although it may not have been reflected in Billboard Magazine, The Monkees scored FIVE #1 Hits on the pop charts between October of 1966 and March of 1968, an INCREDIBLE stretch of hit singles spread out over 17 months that also included Top 20 showings for "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (#20), "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (#2) and "Words" (#5).

"Valleri" was a chestnut that was revived as a hit single a year after it was first used in their television series in the "Captain Crocodile" episode.  By this point, The Monkees had wrangled creative control of their recorded output ... but this also meant that they had to go back into the studio and recreate the magic of this original session.  (They even brought the song's writers, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, back onboard to help oversee the sessions, despite taking Producer's credit for themselves, which was now also part of their contractual agreement.)  Some thought the new recording lacked some of the magic of those original 1967 sessions ... but I loved it ... and so did a whole lot of other people as it became the group's sixth million selling single.

The Monkees would have one more Top 20 Hit before officially disbanding in 1970.  ("D.W. Washburn" hit #10 in Cash Box and #19 in Billboard when it was released as the group's next single.)  A remarkable comeback sixteen years later (after MTV started airing old episodes of their TV series) created one more Top 20 smash ("That Was Then, This Is Now") ... and the band was able to tour for four decades performing their special brand of feel-good music for millions of fans all over the world.

 

You can read what I like to call the TRUE story behind The Monkees' hit "Valleri"in our salute to The Music of Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart" here:

http://forgottenhits.com/the_music_of_tommy_boyce_and_bobby_hart

You'll find it in Chapter 6!  (kk)