Ojai Sam
Staff member
The Monkees - Live: the Mike & Micky Show (2020)
The recent death of Charlie Watts has inspired a lot of discussion about the ethics of continuing a band after the death of key members. The Beatles set the standard by refusing to use the name after John's murder. However, legalities aside, I'm open to survivor bands on the theory that the perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the very good.
This disc offers a rare example of a survivor band that is better on stage than its original incarnation. I've been listening to a lot of The Monkees in recent months, working through various Super Deluxe Editions and rarities compilations. Rhino Handmade even released a box set of soundboard recordings from The Prefab Four's 1967 tour. Not bad, but the group encountered the same basic challenge on stage that The Beatles did: how do you maintain quality in the face of a thousand screaming fans? Fifty years later, the two remaining Monkees are greeted by a self-selecting crowd of baby boomers who buy the concept and want to enjoy their teenage heroes one last time.
Another factor here may seem heartless to articulate, but Mike and Micky were much stronger musically than, rest their souls, Davy and Peter. We learn from the liner notes that they always had a special chemistry born out of their shared enjoyment of music, especially vocal harmony. This chemistry shows clearly in this superb live set. The duo skillfully mix the old Monkees' hits with obscurities and even a bit of new material. The 9 piece road band, featuring Micky's sister, Coco Dolenz and Mike's son, Christian Nesmith, really rocks, harder than the originals but true to their feel and spirit.
Mike and Micky have embarked on their farewell tour which will end at the Greek Theater here in L.A. Based on this superb live set, I would love to see it. Unless you suffer from terminal pithecophobia, The Monkees Live makes a very persuasive case that the group deserved far more respect than it got back in the day.
on the Sam-O-Meter. I'm a believer.
The recent death of Charlie Watts has inspired a lot of discussion about the ethics of continuing a band after the death of key members. The Beatles set the standard by refusing to use the name after John's murder. However, legalities aside, I'm open to survivor bands on the theory that the perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the very good.
This disc offers a rare example of a survivor band that is better on stage than its original incarnation. I've been listening to a lot of The Monkees in recent months, working through various Super Deluxe Editions and rarities compilations. Rhino Handmade even released a box set of soundboard recordings from The Prefab Four's 1967 tour. Not bad, but the group encountered the same basic challenge on stage that The Beatles did: how do you maintain quality in the face of a thousand screaming fans? Fifty years later, the two remaining Monkees are greeted by a self-selecting crowd of baby boomers who buy the concept and want to enjoy their teenage heroes one last time.
Another factor here may seem heartless to articulate, but Mike and Micky were much stronger musically than, rest their souls, Davy and Peter. We learn from the liner notes that they always had a special chemistry born out of their shared enjoyment of music, especially vocal harmony. This chemistry shows clearly in this superb live set. The duo skillfully mix the old Monkees' hits with obscurities and even a bit of new material. The 9 piece road band, featuring Micky's sister, Coco Dolenz and Mike's son, Christian Nesmith, really rocks, harder than the originals but true to their feel and spirit.
Mike and Micky have embarked on their farewell tour which will end at the Greek Theater here in L.A. Based on this superb live set, I would love to see it. Unless you suffer from terminal pithecophobia, The Monkees Live makes a very persuasive case that the group deserved far more respect than it got back in the day.
on the Sam-O-Meter. I'm a believer.
it rightly deserves.
. I should have guessed that one.
