Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 6, 1967 | |||
Recorded | April 26 – October 9, 1967 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 35:44 | |||
Label | Colgems | |||
Producer | Chip Douglas | |||
The Monkees chronology | ||||
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Singles from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
MusicHound | [3] |
Record Collector | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
The Wire | (favorable)[ citation needed ] |
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. is the fourth album by the Monkees. It was released on November 6, 1967, during a period when the band exerted more control over their music and performed many of the instruments themselves (previously forbidden by Colgems). However, although the group had complete artistic control over the proceedings, they invited more outside contributions than on their previous album, Headquarters , and used session musicians to complement their sound. The album also featured one of the first uses of the Moog synthesizer in popular music. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sold over three million copies. It was the band's fourth consecutive album to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
The group employed studio musicians to a greater extent than their previous album, Headquarters . The greater reliance on studio musicians resulted from the band's busy filming schedule for their popular sitcom. The album's single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" b/w "Words", was a hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album was among the earliest to make use of the Moog synthesizer, which Dolenz introduced to the group and played in the studio; he owned one of the first twenty ever sold. [6] Along with the Doors' September 1967 album Strange Days , Their Satanic Majesties Request by the Rolling Stones in December, and the Byrds' January 1968 album The Notorious Byrd Brothers , Pisces was one of the first commercial recordings to reach a wide audience featuring the Moog. Dolenz played the synthesizer on "Daily Nightly", while electronic musician Paul Beaver played it on "Star Collector".
Two additional songs, "Daydream Believer" and "Goin' Down", were recorded during the album sessions. Released on 7-inch vinyl in October 1967, it was the group's last No. 1 single.
The album's title stems from each band member's respective astrological sign: Dolenz is Pisces, Peter Tork is Aquarius, and both Nesmith and Davy Jones are Capricorn.
The album's cover features a drawing of the four Monkees by Bernard Yeszin, their facial features blank, standing in a field of flowers, with the group's guitar logo half-buried.
In 2007, Rhino issued a two-disc deluxe edition of the album. The CD set featured original album artwork, including replicas of the original Colgems vinyl labels on each disc, as well as a booklet of essays and session information by Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval. The discs contain remastered mixes of the album's stereo and mono releases, as well as alternate mixes and outtakes.
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Salesman" (Craig Vincent Smith) | Michael Nesmith | 2:37 |
2. | "She Hangs Out" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) | Davy Jones | 2:57 |
3. | "The Door into Summer" (Chip Douglas, Bill Martin) | Nesmith, with Micky Dolenz | 2:49 |
4. | "Love Is Only Sleeping" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) | Nesmith | 2:31 |
5. | "Cuddly Toy" (Harry Nilsson) | Jones | 2:38 |
6. | "Words" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) | Dolenz with Peter Tork | 2:52 |
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hard to Believe" (Jones, Kim Capli, Eddie Brick, Charlie Rockett) | Jones | 2:37 |
2. | "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" (Michael Martin Murphey, Owen Castleman) | Nesmith | 3:09 |
3. | "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky" (Tork) | Tork | 0:27 |
4. | "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) | Dolenz | 3:15 |
5. | "Daily Nightly" (Nesmith) | Dolenz | 2:33 |
6. | "Don't Call on Me" (Nesmith, John London) | Nesmith | 2:51 |
7. | "Star Collector" (Goffin, King) | Jones | 4:28 |
The original track lineup for the album, compiled on October 9, 1967, included the following songs: [7]
Side one
Side two
Credits adapted from 2007 Rhino "Deluxe Edition" CD, [8] except where noted.
The Monkees
Additional musicians
Unconfirmed personnel and duties
Technical
Chart (1967) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums ( RPM ) [9] | 2 |
French Albums (SNEP) [10] | 3 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [11] | 18 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [12] | 33 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [13] | 4 |
UK Albums (OCC) [14] | 5 |
US Billboard 200 [15] | 1 |
Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | "Words" | Billboard Hot 100 | 11 [16] |
1967 | "Pleasant Valley Sunday" | Billboard Hot 100 | 3 [16] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [17] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of the television show of the same name, the Monkees were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs, they sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
George Michael Dolenz Jr. is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees, and a co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). After the death of Michael Nesmith on December 10, 2021, Dolenz is the last surviving member of the band.
More of the Monkees is the second studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1967 on Colgems Records. It was recorded in late 1966 and displaced the band's debut album from the top of the Billboard 200 chart, remaining at No. 1 for 18 weeks, the longest run of any Monkees album. Combined, the first two Monkees albums were at the top of the Billboard chart for 31 consecutive weeks. More of the Monkees also went to No. 1 in the UK. In the U.S., it has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of more than five million copies. More of the Monkees is also notable for being the first pop/rock album to be the best-selling album of the year in the U.S.
The Monkees is the debut studio album by the American band the Monkees. It was released on October 10, 1966 by Colgems Records in the United States and RCA Victor in the rest of the world. It was the first of four consecutive U.S. number one albums for the group, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, after which it was displaced by the band's second album. It also topped the UK charts in 1967. The Monkees has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA, with sales of over five million copies.
The Monkees 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.
Changes is the ninth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1970 by Colgems Records. The album was issued after Michael Nesmith's exit from the band, leaving only Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to fulfill the recording contract they had signed in the mid-1960s. Changes was their last new album for Colgems Records and the group's last album of all new material until Pool It!, released in 1987.
Pool It! is the tenth studio album by American pop rock band the Monkees, released in August 1987 by Rhino Records. It was the first Monkees studio album of new material since Changes in 1970 and the first Monkees album to feature Peter Tork since the 1968 Head soundtrack.
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees is the fifth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1968 by Colgems Records. It was the first album released after the cancellation of their TV show and subsequently was their first not to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at No. 3, and their first not to chart in the UK, with their four previous efforts all having reached the top ten. The album has sold over a million copies.
Instant Replay is the seventh studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1969 by Colgems Records. Issued 11 months after the cancellation of the group's NBC television series, it is also the first album released after Peter Tork left the group and the only album of the original nine studio albums that does not include any songs featured in the TV show.
"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left The Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four weeks, and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the Monkees' third and last No. 1 hit in the U.S.
"Daily Nightly" is a song by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, which appeared on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., in 1967, and was featured in two second-season episodes of their television series, "A Fairy Tale" and "Monkees Blow Their Minds".
Live 1967 is a live album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1987 by Rhino Records. The album was compiled from show dates in Seattle, Portland and Spokane on their 1967 United States tour. The songs mostly feature the Monkees themselves singing and playing, although the "solo spots" for each member feature music by opening act the Sundowners.
"Star Collector" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1967 and recorded by The Monkees. The song is included on their fourth album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. It was featured in five second-season episodes of their television series: "The Wild Monkees", "Hitting the High Seas", "Monkees Watch Their Feet", "Monkees in Paris" and "Monkees Mind Their Manor". "The Wild Monkees" uses an early mix of the song, and the other episodes use the released mix.
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, recorded and released by the Monkees in the summer of 1967. Inspired by their move to West Orange, New Jersey, and named for a street there, Goffin and King wrote the song about their dissatisfaction with life in the suburbs.
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart was a supergroup, consisting of songwriting/performing duo Boyce and Hart and two members of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. Boyce and Hart had written many of the Monkees' biggest hits, such as "Last Train to Clarksville" and "(Theme From) The Monkees". The group existed only for a short time in 1976, recording one eponymous album.
"Goin' Down" is a song by the American pop rock band the Monkees, written by all four members of the group along with Diane Hildebrand. It was first released as the B-side to the "Daydream Believer" single on Colgems Records on October 25, 1967, in support of the band's fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. The song managed to bubble under the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.
Good Times! is the twelfth studio album by American pop rock band the Monkees. Produced primarily by Adam Schlesinger, the album was recorded to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary. It is the first Monkees studio album since Justus (1996), marking the longest gap between releases to date, and the first since the death of Davy Jones. The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as a posthumous contribution from Jones.
Christmas Party is the 13th and final studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released on October 12, 2018, by Rhino Records. Produced mainly by Adam Schlesinger, the album is the Monkees' first to focus on Christmas themes. It follows on the success of their 2016 album Good Times! The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as two posthumous contributions from Davy Jones. It is the final Monkees studio album to be released prior to Tork and Nesmith's deaths in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show is a 2020 live album by The Monkees, recorded in March and June 2019, during the band's successful tour. The concerts marked the first time that surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith toured as a duo. The album is the first Monkees release following the death of Peter Tork in February 2019, and the final release to feature Nesmith prior to his December 2021 death.
"Words" is a song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and released by the Monkees. An early version by the Leaves appeared on their 1966 album Hey Joe. The Monkees first recorded the song for their second album, More of The Monkees, in August 1966 under the supervision of Boyce and Hart. While this version went unreleased until the 1990 compilation Missing Links Volume Two, it was featured in the 10 April 1967 episode of The Monkees "Monkees, Manhattan Style". A new version of the song was made to be the B-side of "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in 1967, now produced by Chip Douglas.
Works cited