The Monkees are best known for pop-rock and tunes typical of the mid to late 1960s. However, in rare interview footage, Micky Dolenz admitted that the sound fans knew and loved was a mashup of different styles the band’s members loved. He claimed there never was a “group sound.”
Micky Dolenz once claimed there was never a ‘group sound’ of The Monkees
Micky Dolenz shared his opinion regarding The Monkees’ music in a rare 1968 interview with Monkees bandmates Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork for the Hy Lit Show. He claimed the band never had a “group sound.”
At the clip’s 3:10 mark, Dolenz discussed the band’s music and their first and only feature film, Head. He and his fellow bandmates shared light banter and serious discussions regarding the group and their future.
Hy Lit asked Dolenz, “Tell me a little bit about The Monkees’ music is concerned. Are you going a little bit into an electric vibe? Or will you stay in the typical sound you have now?”
Nesmith said the band was “going back to the roots.” Piggybacking on that statement, Dolenz shared his feelings regarding The Monkees’ overall sound moving forward as a band.
“All four of us have an individual road,” Dolenz claimed. “And an individual path we are all on.”
He continued, “We are expounding on that as much as we can individually. There’s no group sound. There hardly ever was, really. There never was.”
Mike Nesmith piggybacked on Micky Dolenz’s commentary regarding The Monkees group’s sound
Piggybacking on Micky Dolenz’s comments, Mike Nesmith shared his thoughts on The Monkees’ group sound. He, too, believed there was never a group sound to The Monkees.
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“There was a group sound, but you could only hear it at concerts,” Nesmith explained. “Except for ‘Headquarters,’ which was the album we sat down and played on.”
“Concerts were most what we really sound like,” he continued. “Because in the studio, and ‘Headquarters’ and worrying about transitioning at that time, we maybe pulled a few punches.”
He concluded, “I think we are all up to here with screaming, loud, psychedelic stuff. I think that our next album, after the soundtrack album [to Head], is going to be a little more representative of the four of us.”
‘Instant Replay’ immediately followed the ‘Head’ soundtrack minus one Monkees member
Released in February 1969, Instant Replay is the 7th album The Monkees released in three years. However, it was also the first without Peter Tork, who left the band in 1968.
However, Tork does appear on Instant Replay as a guest. He plays guitar on the 1966 outtake for the song “I Won’t Be the Same Without Her.”
Whether or not Nesmith knew Tork planned to leave when he made his statements on the Hy Lit show was never revealed. However, by early 1969 it was clear The Monkees were headed in another direction.
Instant Replay is the only Monkees album of nine original studio albums that does not include any songs featured on the band’s eponymous television show. During The Monkees’ farewell tour in 2021, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz paid homage to Instant Replay by performing the song “While I Cry.”
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