Book Review: The Monkees – The Day To Day Story Plus Unboxing Video!

By Fred Velez

 

Just in time for the 55th Anniversary of The Monkees first coming onto the Pop Culture scene, Andrew Sandoval’s original 2005 book, The Monkees: The Day To Day Story, has not only been updated, it has received a full 740 page re-write in beautiful deluxe editions filled to brim with photos and additional and in-depth information, making this the absolute definitive book on The Monkees as a media phenomenon.

Starting with the individual childhoods of the four who would become the Monkees, Sandoval’s book traces them in their early careers as entertainers, the beginnings of the Monkees television project by producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, Don Kirshner‘s entry as the music supervisor for the project, the work of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart in writing the songs and shaping the Monkees’ sound, the selling and initial success of the television series and records, the first live appearances by the group, their place in the 60’s counter culture, the filming and release of the movie Head and the 33 & 1/3 television special, and much more.

Photos Property of Beatland Books

Following the template of Beatles author Mark Lewisohn, Sandoval follows the history of the Monkees through deeply detailed date entries that fully explore what took place between the years 1965 to 1970. If you want to find out what the Monkees were doing between the months of January to August of 1967, it’s all there with in-depth information and dates on filming and recording sessions, with tons of amazing black & white and color photos. Many of the photos are broken up in pull out pages that give you a panoramic view of the Monkees in the recording studio, in concert, filming the movie Head, etc.

Photos Property of Beatland Books.

 

Perhaps the most anticipated part of the book is the lawsuit between Don Kirshner and Screen Gems that got Kirshner booted from the Monkees project. Sandoval has included details of the lawsuit with the legal depositions of the Monkees that gives revealing and detailed information that puts into perspective of, as Micky Dolenz referred to it, “the palace revolution”, that ousted Kirshner from his position as music supervisor of the Monkees records, and leading to the freedom for the group to write and record the music on their own recordings.

 

Beatland Books is offering three different versions of the book at different prices: the Super Deluxe Hardcover Editionwhich comes inside a sturdy Red protective clamshell casing with an exclusive booklet of rare and fascinating photos that couldn’t be fit into the main book. The Deluxe Edition comes in a slipcase with the design of the famous Monkees ‘Rainbow’ room. The least expensive Open Flexibound Edition is a sturdy and firm Paperbound book that includes everything in the hardcover versions minus the extras. Both Deluxe Editions are personally signed and numbered by Andrew Sandoval. The Regular Edition is not signed or numbered.

The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story: Deluxe Clamshell Edition

Deluxe Clamshell Edition with Bonus Photo Booklet

Original 2005 Edition in Size Comparison with Deluxe Clamshell Edition

As of this writing, the Super Deluxe is completely sold out, and there are limited supplies of the Deluxe Edition and Open Flexibound Edition still available. Orders and payments for the books can be placed at the Beatland Books website.

Andrew Sandoval who has done yeoman’s work as a music archivist, Grammy Award winning producer, and producer and manager for The Monkees, has painstakingly put together an amazing book on the group that can only be described as a work of art in its own right. Pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Monkees can be found in this book, with well-researched details and beautifully reproduced color and black & white photos that on their own will literally take hours to properly digest.

Whether you’re a serious student of Pop Music Culture, or a Monkees fan from any generation of the past 55 years, The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story is an essential addition for the library of collectors and fans alike.

Beatland Books Order Link: 

https://beatlandbooks.com/preorder-your-book/

Fred Velez, 2021.

Fred Velez is the author of the books ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’, ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives’, and the Monkees’ themed Holiday cd ‘A Little Bit Christmas’.

FreddyPop Shop Link: https://freddypop.wordpress.com/freddy-pop-shop/

 

Andrew Sandoval Monkees Book – Unboxing Video! Archival News!

 

From Andrew Sandoval: 

Direct Link: https://mailchi.mp/beatlandbooks/2021-june-23?e=5233c33b87

Hello Beatland Readers!

It has been a very busy week here, and I have much information for you in this update.

I was on a Zoom call with Michael Nesmith preparing for the upcoming Monkees farewell tour when there was a ring at the door. The FedEx man delivered samples of all three versions of the book! I had to immediately leave the call to review the contents (yes, I hung up on a Monkee to look at pictures and words about the Monkees) and instantly get back to the printers with any issues I found. Looking through 740 pages three times (plus the 40-page super deluxe supplement) took several hours. In the end, I spotted some minor things even at this late stage, and one photo flaw necessitated rerunning a 12 page “signature” (a huge grouping of pages printed at once, which are later cut and bound) to fix one image.

On a lighter note, I have made a fun video of the unboxing for you to see the three distinct versions and how they will look when they ship to you in August.

A Journey With Michael Blessing

I did get back to Michael the next day and spent the end of the last week visiting with him at his home. Nez was in fact the first person outside of my design and editorial team to see the finished book. It was an amazing moment handing it over to him to look through. Like many serendipitous events in the journey of creating this book, it was not planned, but presented itself in just the perfect way.

I stood over his shoulder laughing endlessly at his commentary on the photos and various events chronicled in the book. Michael was also fascinated by my research regarding the Kirshner court depositions and said he could remember being in an office giving his (which ran over 200 pages in its printed form).

I know most reading this will ask, “Where are the photos and videos of this wonderful time?” Although I might have whipped out my camera and tried to document it, I didn’t take any. After all, I was a guest in my friend’s home and part of our thirty-year relationship has been treating the Monkees with a certain formality and respect.

Furthermore, the reason for my visit was not to show off the book, but because Michael and his assistant Melodie Akers specifically requested my help with organizing his archive of “older stuff”: recordings and handwritten lyrics and notes from pre- and post-Monkees. The wonderful news is that we began this process a few days ago and made some incredible discoveries! Nez has a substantial archive which I hope he will be ready to share in various forms in the new year.

I am sure another question will be, “Why has it taken you thirty years to look at Michael’s personal tapes and documents?” Well, there is one obvious answer to me. They are his personal items and I have never felt it was my right to have access without his being completely comfortable with the concept. Simply put, in the very long gestation of this book, all four Monkees were extremely helpful, but I have always tried to observe their personal boundaries.

As fans, we want to see and hear everything. And in 2022, I think we are going to get some of our archival prayers answered with more Beatland Books and possibly some audio/video projects of note. I am hoping to announce the second Beatland Book (which is in pre-production) once all of the Day-By-Day books are in the post to you. There is a lot to look forward to, so hang in there and get ready for August!

Very best,

Andrew Sandoval

Beatland Books