Happy 50th Anniversary to the Monkees’ third album Headquarters, which was at #1 in the US on this date in 1967. It only stayed there a week but did as best as it could – it spent the next 11 weeks at #2 under Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Headquarters is considered by some to be the band’s finest album, and it was certainly a landmark one; one that saw the band given much greater access to the writing and recording processes than had previously been the case. (It’s worth noting that the album was recorded in the early months of the year and that their second album More of the Monkees had come out Jan 9 and their first The Monkees on October 10 1966 – things moved incredibly fast back then and in reality the band spent no longer under their producers’ strict control than bands these days might spend thinking about when they might want to start making their next record.)

All members write, sing and play on the album, and additional material comes from the likes of regulars Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, Cynthia Mann & Barry Weill, and the band’s Mike Nesmith-recruited producer Chip Douglas (under the name Douglas Farthing Hatfield).  The best known numbers on the album are Micky’s random and fun "Randy Scouse Git", and Mann & Weill’s lovely baroque-folk number "Shades of Grey" (which reminds us somewhat of Barry Gibb’s early attempts at the genre). But, this writer at least reckons the Nesmith tunes here are the pick. In fact he reckons the three Nez tunes are uniformly BRILLIANT.

Album opener "You Told Me", which kicks off with Mike on electric 12-string and Peter locking in on banjo; "You Just May Be The One", which features more 12-string and Peter providing a fantastic bass-line; and “Sunny Girlfriend" with – yes – more of that gorgeous ringing 12 string, are 3 peas in a pod and indeed your trusted correspondent reckons they’re up there with the best of the Beatles and Byrds tracks of the era. They’re brilliant pop songs, and, more, they’re brilliant early country-rock numbers from a man – Nez – who still deserves a who lot more respect from his country-rock contemporaries when it comes to his role in developing the genre. (Put it this way:  Rumour has it Stephen Stills had auditioned for the Monkees when it was first casting. He reckons he was just pitching songs… You think there would’ve been a Buffalo Springfield or CSN or later solo career if he’d got the gig, or even if they’d recorded his songs? I don’t reckon…)

Anyway, treat yourself to these three absolute beauties from Mike Nesmith below, and check out our ‘I Like: The Monkees’ playlist for more fun.    

Love their live version of "You May Just Be The One" too 

- DL