Damn – that’s a tough one!

Conversation turned to this at a party held in the confines of the Doctor’s palatial residence recently – and the jury was still out 2 hours after the topic was raised.

Jimmy Hendrix vs Elton John, The Beatles v the Bee Gees, the Moon Landing vs Star Wars – the lists were endless – or seemingly at least.

The 70’s was afterall a time when Grease was the Word that We Heard, and The Jackson 5 taught us that learning the ABC was as easy as 1-2-3 and flares were either something you wore . . . a distress signal . . . or both.

It was a time when The Fonz was cool, the girls from ABBA were hot and protest marches were on the boil.

We had mood rings and sea monkeys, platforms and pet rocks, safari suits and slinkies Rubiks Cube and Rod Stewart.

We had Rocky, the Brady Bunch and CHiPs and a Million Dollar Man.

We saw Travolta dazzle and Nixon frazzle and we paid homage to a raft of new Hollywood Queens – yet publicity mourned the loss of the one and only King.

So welcome to the 70’s – where Stayin’ Alive was a credo – not a survival technique.

Of course the 60 saw indiginous Australians win the vote – and Americans lose a president.

 . . . when a band of 4 cheeky Monkees were telling us they were Believers

. . . and 4 foreign Beatles were wanting to Hold our Hand

Where Woodstock and the Flintstones both rocked

. . .  and hippies were simply chose to get stoned.

It was time when knee-high boots and Mini Skirts were in – and Vietnam resulted in our troops being shipped out, where The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady waxed lyrical and the Beach Boys waxed surfboards.

It was an era of hope and the Age of Aquarius . . .

So which was cooler?

I’m still getting splinters from sitting on the fence.

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The Monkees were the quinessential ‘manufacturerd’ pop quartet, assembled in LA during the mid 60’s – purportedly to combat the scourge of the British invasion by bands such as The Beatles.

Marketed to the pre-teen and teen audience – the group is probably best known for its hit TV series – known (strangley enough) as The Monkees.

 Featuring Americans Mickey Dolena, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Englishman, Davy Jones – the group’s rise to stardom came about when two spiring filmmakersBob Rafelson and Bert Schneider  – having been besotted by the Beatles film A Hard Days Night – decided to develop a television series about a fictional rock ‘n’ roll group.

While both Nesmith, a guitarist, and Tork, who could play several instruments were legitimate musicians – Dolenz was in essence an actor (having starred on early TV programs such Circus Boy) and Jones and actor and sometimes session singer.

Spending up to 12-hour days on the set, before being called in to the recording studio to cut vocal tracks, the Monkees were essentially the creation of the recording studio, there were few limits on how long they could spend in the recording studio, and the result was an extensive catalogue of hit after manufactuered hit – with collaborative writers including Neil Sedaka and Carol Bayer Segar.

With Jones sticking primarily to vocals and tambourine (except when filling in on the drums when Dolenz came forward to sing a lead vocal), the Monkees’ act constituted a classicpower trio of electric guitar, electric bass, and drums.

Critics of the Monkees observed that they were simply the “prefab four”, a made-for-TV knockoff of The Beatles but the Beatles took it in stride, and made the Monkees welcome when they visited England. John Lennon publicly compared the Monkees’ humor to The Marx Brothers, George Harrison praised their self-produced musical attempts, saying “When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best” (Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison’s Wonderwall Music playing Paul McCartney’s five-string banjo.

The Monkees had several international hits which are still heard on pop and oldies stations. These include I’m A Believer, Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday along with their signature theme tune from the TV series.

 Despite their seemingly permanent reputation as a made-for-TV act, their hits and many lesser recordings present an enduring quality that has earned respect over the years.

Click Here To Hear The Monkees on YouTube

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