Headquarters
Studio album by The Monkees
Released	May 22, 1967
Recorded	February - March 1967
Genre	Rock
Length	30:00
Label	Colgems Records
Producer	Chip Douglas
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
The Monkees chronology
More of The Monkees (1967) Headquarters (1967) Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)

The third album issued by The Monkees, this was their first LP recorded primarily by the four members of the group. After a struggle for creative autonomy, the group was allowed to record by themselves. Michael Nesmith recruited fellow folk musician Chip Douglas, a member of The Modern Folk Quartet and The Turtles, to produce the album. Douglas was credited under his birth name, Douglas Farthing Hatlelid. Along with Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., Headquarters constitutes what both critics and supporters alike believe to be the ultimate Monkees recordings. The gamble to attain full artistic control seemed to pay off when Headquarters moved nearly 2 million copies immediately upon its release. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Colgems Records was a record label which existed from 1966 to 1971. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, better known as Chip Douglas, is a songwriter, musician (bass guitar and keyboards), and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... More of The Monkees is the second full-length album by The Monkees. ... Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... Robert Michael Nesmith, born December 30, 1942 ) (age 64) in Houston, Texas, is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, perhaps best known for his time in the musical group The Monkees and on the TV series of the same name. ... Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, better known as Chip Douglas, is a songwriter, musician (bass guitar and keyboards), and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s. ... 1978 album cover. ... The Turtles were an American pop, psychedelic and folk rock band defined by a good-natured, joyously melancholic and occasionally cheeky sound. ... Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. ...

During the early months of 1967, the four Monkees sequestered themselves in the RCA Music Center of the World studios, on Sunset Boulevard near Vine Street in Hollywood. Many of the songs were written by the four group members, or came together organically in jam sessions. A few of the songs were written by songwriters Boyce and Hart, and had been previously recorded by session musicians and produced by Boyce and Hart. Boyce & Hart promotional image (Bobby Hart, Tommy Boyce as pictured) Tommy Boyce (born Sidney Thomas Boyce, September 29, 1939, Charlottesville, Virginia; died November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman, February 19, 1939, Phoenix, Arizona) were songwriters best known for the songs they wrote for The Monkees. ...

The only session musicians used on the album were producer Douglas, who played bass guitar on some songs, and cello and French horn players used on a few tracks.

The album was released on May 22, 1967 and charted at the number one position in the United States. It stayed at that position for only one week, when it was replaced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It then began a run of 11 consecutive weeks at the #2 position as "Sgt. Pepper" remained at #1. The album was issued on the compact disc format for the first time by Arista Records in 1987 remixed from the multi-tracks, then later from the original stereo mastertape in 1995 with several bonus tracks on Rhino Entertainment. The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... For other uses, see Sgt. ... Arista Records is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony BMG, and operates under the RCA Records Group // After being fired from CBS Records, Columbia Pictures hired Clive Davis to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. ... Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label. ...

In 2003, Rhino Entertainment, through their Rhino Handmade division, issued The Headquarters Sessions, a multiple disc box of outtakes from the session as well as the album's original monophonic mix presented in an alternate running order that was rejected before release. Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label. ... Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label. ...

Track listing

1. "You Told Me" (Nesmith)
2. "I'll Spend My Life With You" (Boyce/Hart)
3. "Forget That Girl" (Hatlelid)
4. "Band 6" (Jones/Nesmith/Tork/Dolenz)
5. "You Just May Be The One" (Nesmith)
6. "Shades of Gray" (Mann/Weil)
7. "I Can't Get Her Off Of My Mind" (Boyce/Hart)
8. "For Pete's Sake" (Tork/Richards)
9. "Mr. Webster" (Boyce/Hart)
10. "Sunny Girlfriend" (Nesmith)
11. "Zilch" (Jones/Nesmith/Tork/Dolenz)
12. "No Time" (Cicalo)
13. "Early Morning Blues and Greens" (Hilderbrand/Keller)
14. "Randy Scouse Git" (Dolenz)

Shades of Gray is a 1967 song by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was recorded by The Monkees. ...

Session info

"You Told Me"

• Written by Michael Nesmith
• Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
• The opening parodies the Beatles' "Taxman", from their album Revolver
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 3 & 9, 1967

"I'll Spend My Life With You" For the profession, see Tax collector. ... The Beatles U.S. chronology Alternate cover Cover of the original 1966 U.S. LP Back cover Back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 Compact Disc release. ...

• Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• A remake by the band; the earlier version featured studio musicians
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 4, 9 and 18, 1967

"Forget That Girl" George Michael Dolenz, Jr. ...

• Written by Douglas Farthing Hatlelid
• Lead vocal by Davy Jones
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 7 and 8, 1967

"Band 6" Davy Jones, 1967 Davy Jones redirects here, for other uses see David Jones. ...

• Written by Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz
• Spoken words by Chip Douglas
• A studio exercise, based on the Looney Tunes theme
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 2, 1967

"You Just May Be the One" Peter Halsten Thorkelson (born February 13, 1942), better known as Peter Tork, is an American musician and actor. ... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ...

• Written by Michael Nesmith
• Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
• A remake by the band; the earlier version (on Missing Links, Volume II) featured studio musicians
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 2, 1967

"Shades of Gray" Shades of Gray is a 1967 song by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was recorded by The Monkees. ...

• Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
• Lead vocals by Davy Jones and Peter Tork
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 16 and 22, 1967

"I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" Barry Mann (born Barry Iberman on February 9, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter, and part of one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships in the world of rock music. ... Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1937 in New York City) is a prominent American songwriter. ...

• Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
• Lead vocal by Davy Jones
• A remake of a June 1966 recording featuring studio musicians
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 17 and 19, 1967

"For Pete's Sake"

• Written by Peter Tork and Joseph Richards
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• An edited version became the closing theme for the show's second season
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 23, 1967

"Mr. Webster"

• Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
• Lead vocal by Davy Jones
• A remake by the band; the earlier version featured studio musicians
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, February 23, 1967

"Sunny Girlfriend"

• Written by Michael Nesmith
• Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 23, 1967
• Mike and Micky recorded the song's vocals on a separate track featuring Mike on guitar and Micky with shaker.

"Zilch"

• Written by Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz
• Spoken words by Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz
• A fugue made up of disparate phrases; the Monkees would sometimes enter public places performing it
• "Mr. Bob Dobolina" was a name heard over a paging system, "China Clipper..." came from the movie China Clipper, "Never mind the furthermore..." from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, and "It is of my opinion..." from a political speech
• The line "Never mind the furthermore, the plea is self-defense" is also performed in the song "No Time"
• "Zilch" was the 'hidden meaning' of it all; it added up to... nothing! It was simply entertaining nonsense.
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, 1967

"No Time" In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... Martin model 130 China Clipper class passenger-carrying flying boat The China Clipper was a flying boat used by Pan American Airways for its San Francisco to Manila route. ... Rodgers (left) and Hammerstein (right), with Irving Berlin (middle) and Helen Tamiris, watching auditions at the St. ... Oklahoma! was the first musical play written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II (see Rodgers and Hammerstein). ...

• Written by Hank Cicalo
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• "No Time" was actually composed by the four Monkees (according to Peter, composition was done primarily by Micky and Mike), but as a reward for his hard work, the band decided to credit the song to engineer Cicalo, guaranteeing him a large royalty check. The released version of the song was the second version recorded for the album; the first included session help from guitarists Keith Allison and Jerry Yester, but the released version has only Chip Douglas helping the Monkees out.
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 17 and 22, 1967

"Early Morning Blues and Greens"

• Written by Diane Hilderbrand and Jack Keller
• Lead vocal by Davy Jones
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 22, 1967

"Randy Scouse Git"

• Written by Micky Dolenz
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• Title is a British slang phrase gleaned by Dolenz from television, likely the UK sitcom Til Death Us Do Part; it roughly translates as "lustful fool from Liverpool" (Wiktionary: randy, Scouse, git). In the series the insult was aimed by Alf Garnett at this son-in-law played by Tony Booth, who is Tony Blair's father-in-law.
• To avoid offence in the UK the song was billed as "Alternative Title".
• "The four kings of EMI" is a reference to the Beatles, who were signed to EMI's Parlophone label at the time
• Recorded at RCA Victor Studio C, Hollywood, March 4 and 8, 1967

Til Death Us Do Part (also known as Till Death Us do Part)1 was a BBC television sitcom series written by Johnny Speight that ran from 1966 until 1975. ... Lust is any intense desire or craving for self gratification. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Alf Garnett was a fictional character on the BBC television sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, the ITV sitcom Till Death. ... Tony Booth Antony George Booth (born October 9, 1931 in Liverpool, better known as Tony Booth) is an English actor, best known for his role in the BBC series Til Death Us Do Part. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Kensington in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York. ... Parlophone is a record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ...

CD bonus tracks

"All of Your Toys" (single mix)

• Unused track that was the proposed A-side of the next Monkees single, but song was not controlled by The Monkees' publishing company, Screen Gems; publisher Tickson Music refused to sell the copyright
• Written by Bill Martin
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Hollywood January 16th, 1967 and RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood January 19, 23, 30 and 31, 1967

"The Girl I Knew Somewhere" (Nesmith version) This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Tickson Music was a Hollywood-based music publishing company; songwriters signed to Tickson Music included members of The Byrds, and writer Bill Martin. ... William E. Martin, also known as Bill Martin, is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, comedic actor and voice actor. ...

• Written by Michael Nesmith
• Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
• First known recording for the Headquarters album
• Recorded at Goldstar Studios, Hollywood, January 16, 1967

"Peter Gunn’s Gun" (jam session)

• Written by Henry Mancini

"Jericho" (studio dialogue) Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ...

• (trad.) This was recorded during a break from regular sessions; when Davy starts fooling around with a french horn Peter and Chip make fun of his playing; when Douglas mentions Jericho's Wall Micky cuts in with a spiel about Jericho's Wall and amid laughter by Douglas the conversation spirals into a spontaneous vocal jam by Peter and Micky of the song "Jericho."

"Nine Times Blue" (demo version)

• Written by Michael Nesmith
• Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith

"Midnight Train" (demo version)

• Written by Micky Dolenz
• Lead vocal by Micky Dolenz
• Harmony vocal by Coco Dolenz

"Pillow Time" (studio dialogue)

• Written by Janelle Scott and Matt Willis
• Spoken words by Micky Dolenz
• Janelle Scott is Micky Dolenz' mother.

Original Album

The track line up for the album, compiled on April 21, included the following songs:

Side 1:

1. "For Pete's Sake"
2. "I'll Spend My Life With You"
3. "Forget That Girl"
4. "You Just May Be The One"
5. "Shades of Gray"
6. "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"
7. "Band 6"

Side 2: Shades of Gray is a 1967 song by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was recorded by The Monkees. ...

1. "Sunny Girlfriend"
2. "Mr. Webster"
3. "You Told Me"
4. "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
5. "Zilch"
6. "Early Morning Blues And Greens"
7. "Randy Scouse Git"

Miscellanea

• "Randy Scouse Git" was nearly replaced on the album for its UK release; writer Micky Dolenz had heard the title phrase on the BBC-TV programme 'Til Death Us Do Part, not realising it was actually considered obscene (translating roughly as "horny Liverpudlian bastard"). Since the phrase didn't appear in the lyrics, their UK label was willing to accept an alternate title for the song, so Dolenz gave it the name "Alternate Title". So much interest had been generated from media commentary about the song, that a single was released, which later went to #2 on the UK charts.

• On the Monkees' 1967 summer tour, Jimi Hendrix was the opening act.

• Several instrumental jams (available on Headquarters Sessions) were taped by Chip Douglas which The Monkees apparently intended for inclusion on the album. The group (with bassist John London) jammed an instrumental cover of the song "Memphis Tennessee" in which Peter's guitar grooving (and some of London's bass work and Davy's tamborine) overshoots the ending; after Micky good-naturedly curses out Peter and bashes his drums for effect, he decides, "We'll cut him off, just cut off the track (for the ending)," to which Mike replies, "No, don't cut off the track, it was groovy until (the ending)."

• Another instrumental track intended for the album was a Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil rock number, "Masking Tape," which the group recorded with bassist Jerry Yester. One take was recorded; before the take Micky and Chip Douglas run through one of the song's verses. At the end of the performance Micky exclaims, "Whoa! That was it!" but producer Douglas protests, "No, that wasn't it, it slowed down in the middle, but it's getting close." For some reason the song was never finished.

• Peter, Mike, and Micky with his sister Coco recorded demos early in the sessions. Peter's demo of "Seeger's Theme" was instrumental, while Mike and the Dolenzes' demos ("Nine Times Blue" and "Until It's Time For You To Go" by Mike; "She'll Be There" and "Midnight Train" by Micky and Coco) featured full vocals over acoustic guitar.

The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... John Carl Kuehne (6 February 1942 - 12 February 2000), better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions. ... Barry Mann (born Barry Iberman on February 9, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter, and part of one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships in the world of rock music. ... Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1937 in New York City) is a prominent American songwriter. ... Jerry Yester (b 1942 ?) is an American folk rock musician and record producer. ...

Personnel

• Michael Nesmith: vocals, pedal steel guitar, 6-string guitar, 12-string guitar, organ
• Davy Jones: vocals, tambourine, jawbone, maracas, etc.
• Micky Dolenz: vocals, drums, guitar
• Peter Tork: vocals, keyboards, 12-string guitar, bass guitar, 5-string banjo
• Chip Douglas: bass guitar
• John London: bass guitar on "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" and "All of Your Toys"
• Vince DeRosa: French Horn on "Shades of Gray"
• Fred Seykora: cello on "Shades of Gray"
• Jerry Yester: additional guitar on "No Time"
• Keith Allison: additional guitar on "No Time"

References

• All information can be found on the Rhino Reissue of the Monkees' Headquarters
• The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation by Andrew Sandoval