Looking back at the Monkees first Australian tour, which took place in September 1968, and looking forward to the Monkees first ever Christmas album, out October 12.
Following the successful and much-loved Good Times! album in 2016, the Monkees have recorded another new album – their first Christmas album – called Christmas Party, available to pre-order here.
The album features all new material sung by the surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, and the unmistakable voice of the late Davey Jones is present on two tracks. The album was again produced by Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger. In addition to Christmas classics like “Merry Christmas, Baby” and “Silver Bells”, it includes covers of Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1979 tune "Wonderful Christmastime" and Wizzard’s much-loved ’73 smash “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day”. Students of power pop will be thrilled to hear the Monkees cover Big Star’s “Jesus Christ”, with guests Peter Buck of R.E.M and The Minus 5, and Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5. Buck & McCaughey also contributed a new song, as have Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Andy Partridge of XTC, both of whom contributed so wonderfully to Good Times!
Coincidently, the announcement of Christmas Party has come during the anniversary of the Monkees’ legendary first Australian tour in September 1968. The tour, which continued in Japan in October, was the band's final tour as a four-piece: Peter Tork quit the group in December. The Monkees played 13 concerts in Australia - five in Sydney, four in Melbourne and two each in Adelaide and Brisbane.
The band’s set was an eclectic and surprisingly did not include a number of their bigger hits including “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” and “Valleri” which had been one of their biggest Australian hits, peaking at #4 just months before the tour. Each member was given a brief solo spot in which they performed a favourite cover. Introduced by “(Theme From) The Monkees” playing over the PA, the band played 16 songs each night:
1. Last Train to Clarksville
2. I Wanna Be Free
3. D.W. Washburn
4. Sunny Girlfriend
5. Daydream Believer
6. Cuddly Toy
7. Salesman
8. It's Nice to Be With You
9. Mary, Mary
10. Lucille (Little Richard cover - Peter solo)
11. Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky (Peter solo)
12. Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover - Mike solo)
13. Gonna Build a Mountain (Anthony Newley cover - Davy solo)
14. I've Got a Woman (Ray Charles cover - Micky solo)
15. I'm a Believer
16. (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
Check out the band’s arrivals and press conferences in Sydney and Melbourne and accompanying scenes of Monkeemania here.
