The Monkees Present (full title being The Monkees Present Micky,David,Michael,[citation needed] also known as simply Present) is the eighth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees,released in 1969 by Colgems Records. It was the second Monkees album released after the departure of Peter Tork and the last to feature Michael Nesmith until 1996's Justus.
The original plan for Present was to release a double album which devoted one side to each member of the group,who by now were recording virtually as solo artists. With Tork now gone,and record sales waning,the decision was made to pare the track selection down to a single disc.
By the time recording had begun in earnest for Present,the Monkees had passed their commercial peak. As Screen Gems' interest in the Monkees' activities waned,the members were given more control over the creation of the album. Unlike Instant Replay,all but two songs were recorded in 1968 or 1969,and the album was accompanied by a strong advertising push (including a cross promotion with Kool-Aid) and a tour with Sam &The Goodtimers —a seven-piece R&B backing band. This was the Monkees' last attempt at commercial viability,reaching only No.100 on the Billboard charts. Shortly after the album's release,Nesmith announced that he was leaving the Monkees to form his own group,the First National Band.
The album featured two singles:"Listen to the Band",b/w the non-LP song "Someday Man";and "Good Clean Fun" b/w "Mommy and Daddy",which upon release reached No.63 and No.82,respectively,in the US,with neither charting in the UK. Both singles did much better in Australia,reaching No.15 and No.26,respectively,and giving the Monkees their last hits. The title of "Good Clean Fun",which bears no relation to the lyrics,was a direct response to a music publisher (believed to be Lester Sill) who told Nesmith that,in order to have hits,he would have to write songs that were "good clean fun".[2]
Though not a huge hit at the time,"Listen to the Band" became a sort of theme for the group. Though Nesmith said that the lyrics were not a plea to be judged on musical merit,people nonetheless chose to view them that way. Rhino records even chose the song's title as the name of the group's box set released in April 1991. Nesmith would later re-record it with his own group the First National Band. "Listen to the Band" was originally performed with Tork on their NBC TV Special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee early that same year. That version differs greatly from the single or album release. The album mix of the song has a slightly longer organ bridge section than the single mix does.[citation needed] "Mommy and Daddy" finds Dolenz overtly tackling the political issue of the treatment of American Indians. The album version was dramatically toned down from the original,which also touched on drug use,war,sexual reproduction,social ignorance,and the JFK assassination.[3][bettersourceneeded]
Nesmith's "Hollywood",as well as Boyce and Hart's "Apples,Peaches,Bananas and Pears" and "(My) Storybook of You",were songs that were considered for the album but ultimately rejected.
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