The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[gblews]

In the case of Elvis, certain fanbases have selective memory--or they allow the cult of personality (all of that fraudulent "King of rock n Roll" on-bended-knee BS) to act as if he was a self-contained creative force when nothing could be more far removed from the truth

No argument here from me. Not my king.

When I say "written, " it means the act in question did not create the material.

Then, in the context of this discussion about musical “covers,” you’re using the word, “written,” incorrectly. Written, means “compose.” Neither term has anything to do with a cover. To cover a song means you ew ord or perform a song thinpreviously recorded by another artist. A “cover band” is yet another musical thing, The Monkees were not.

I'll refer to a 1982 Playboy interview with Paul McCartney, where he revealed how certain Beatles songs were composed:

No one--even McCartney himself--ever said that admission was with tongue in cheek. That they were--as McCartney put it--"Plagiarists extraordinaires" was known long before the Playboy interview.

If you haven’t already, I suggest you read Nerys Myc’s post in which he presents the full context of the statement by Paul. It’s wasn’t saying the Beatles plagiarizes material and took credit without paying the original artist.

But, I have seen a couple of YouTube vids that reported the Beatles had some issues with unknowing and even a few knowing, copyright infringements late in the band’s career. But, as I said, they never did a full cover of a song without giving proper credit.

The marriage of art and business never sought to create an environment of equal access or promotion. It should be pointed out that in the decade of the 1960s alone, Elvis had twenty-seven films released (1960's G.I.Blues to 1969's Change of Habit), where his music was routinely a part of the soundtracks, thus giving his music more promotion than any other artist of the era--the Monkees included in terms of longevity and (arguably) total running time--but were the anti-Monkees types pissed at that? Even as Presley's career hit peaks and valleys in the 60s, those complaining acts were never--ever going to reach that level of exposure / promotion of his music. If they had cause to complain, they should have started there, with one of the most constructed acts in history.

Okay, we can quibble over what offered the most exposure and hype, 30 odd nationally broadcast “commercials” in 30 minute increments over a 2 year span, versus 2 movies a year with some TV ads, but the fact is no one got more hype and exposure than the Monkees over the same period.

Again, what musicians might have resented was the fact that the 4 act who portrayed the feaux band for,The Monkees didn’t deserve the success they achieved because they were perceived as being the recipients of hype and exposure, not because of having created a library of great songs and performances, but because they were just part of a show NBC was spending millions to hype. .

And yes, some of those acts that resented the Monkees suddess may not have become hig even with the same exposure, but that’s not the point. Those bands are saying “we MIGHT have made it big with what the M’s got. Most likely they would have, especially if given those same songs.

As a “ “constructed act,” neither Elvis, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, etc, compares to how “constructed” the M’s were.

I have my issues with Elvis as well, but compared to the Mokees, which is insult enough, he deserved everything he got.

The problem is that aforemnentioned TV Guide column level of knowledge from most of the complainers: they accused the group of being nothing but actors (using that to support their "not musicians" claim) and either did not know the musical background of all four or consciously ignored it. There's a vast difference between an assembled act with members with records, songwriting, musical and club experience under their belts, and the kind of thing one would see on TV series such as The Donna Reed Show, where Shelly Fabares and Paul Peterson were more or less recruited into recording songs, when they were only actors with no musical background or ambitions.

I get that there is a general lack of respect for the Monkees among many writers, but I’m not echoing the same criticisms. I have my own.

My lack of respect for the Monkees has nothing to do with whether of not they had musical talent prior to joining the cast of the show, it is about the fact that collectively, The Monkees, as 4 characters in a TV show, had NO musical background. They didn’t exist before the show. . The 4 were able to take their characters out on the road, during the show’s run and, for a while, after the show ended, , just like The Partridge Family and other Tv feaux bands.

BTW, you can drag Elvis all day long, but do not dismiss my boyhood crush, Shelly Fabres. “Johnny Angel” still brings tears to my eyes. The. The Monkees were only slightly more legit than her and Paul and all the rest of the TV show teen idols of the 60’s.

Context

…is king.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Paul was clearly talking about how the Beatles were aping the styles and harmonies of various groups they listened to. They always wore their influences on their sleeves. Be it the Everly Brothers, Little Richard or the Supremes.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

And if you read contemporary reviews of The Monkees, the criticism is not aimed at the performers, whom pretty much all agree are four nice talented young men; it's at how there's an artificial aspect to their records.

I should also point out 'The Lovin' Spoonful' were at one point asked to portray The Monkees and would most likely have been recording songs written by others for their albums.

 

[RJDiogenes]

"Diamonds Are Forever," Shirley Bassey

Not the best Bond theme, but a classic.

"Talking Loud and Saying Nothing, Part 1," James Brown.

Ah, James Brown.

"Rock and Roll Lullaby," B. J. Thomas.

A nice, and quite unique, song.

"Roundabout," Yes.

Classic Rock.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

What Makes This Song Great? Rick Beato on Roundabout - YouTube

Bill Bruford, former drummer for Yes and King Crimson, is curating his legacy by starting a YouTube channel. He posted this video by Rick Beato breaking down the song 'Roundabout'. It's really interesting to watch, if you have the time.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

No argument here from me. Not my king.

Hope springs eternal!

If you haven’t already, I suggest you read Nerys Myc’s post in which he presents the full context of the statement by Paul. It’s wasn’t saying the Beatles plagiarizes material and took credit without paying the original artist.

I read the article; McCartney responded due to the long-held belief that his group did swipe from the work of others and never acknowledged it. then, there's

But, I have seen a couple of YouTube vids that reported the Beatles had some issues with unknowing and even a few knowing, copyright infringements late in the band’s career. But, as I said, they never did a full cover of a song without giving proper credit.

It seemed to be second nature to some degree, as this practice infamously moved into the solo years--in the case of Harrison being successfully sued for his "My Sweet Lord" being a rip from The Chiffons' massive 1963 hit, "He's So Fine". Harrison (early on in this case) dismissively claimed he hadn't heard the song before, which was--considering how big a hit "He's So Fine" had been--was a preposterous thing to say. This is all to say that all elements considered, there was a line of this behavior associated with at least some of that group.

Okay, we can quibble over what offered the most exposure and hype, 30 odd nationally broadcast “commercials” in 30 minute increments over a 2 year span, versus 2 movies a year with some TV ads, but the fact is no one got more hype and exposure than the Monkees over the same period.

Two movies per year across a decade--27 movies--was unprecedented in its level of (over)saturation and would not be seen again until the Marvel Cinematic Universe in this century. No TV series matched that kind of exposure, and certainly not The Monkees, a TV show with ratings that never entered the top 25, which means it was seen, but it was not in the majority of homes like Bonanza or Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. by any stretch of the imagination.

Again, what musicians might have resented was the fact that the 4 act who portrayed the feaux band for,The Monkees didn’t deserve the success they achieved because they were perceived as being the recipients of hype and exposure, not because of having created a library of great songs and performances, but because they were just part of a show NBC was spending millions to hype.

I've read much of the criticism, and the vast majority were accusing the men of being actors with no musical pedigree, which--in the case of Nesmith, who had been known around the California music scene as a singer/songwriter (and Tork in the club scene on both the east and west coasts) --was, if you pardon my French...bullshit. It was a case of some being bitter, acting as if any band in the same situation would have had the same results, when that's simply nonsensical--cooking up alternate history, while ignoring all of the elements which made one act appealing, while another less so.

Those bands are saying “we MIGHT have made it big with what the M’s got. Most likely they would have, especially if given those same songs.

Again, any band saying that was playing the alternate history / "What if?" game, which was a pointless exercise at best.

As a “ “constructed act,” neither Elvis, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, etc, compares to how “constructed” the M’s were.

Elvis was not an organic event. He was handled, groomed, provided a wealth of stolen style, (inc. or what "controversies" he sparked by swiveling his hips and projecting what white society called "black sexuality"--ohh, the volumes on that..), culture and manner of singing and being white, was granted the kind of publicity and promotion no black artist ever enjoyed during that nascent period of rock music--all echoed by innumerable black artists of the same period (Little Richard and Chuck Berry among them) who were witnessing a slicked up, walking corporation who truly never deserved his success.

My lack of respect for the Monkees has nothing to do with whether of not they had musical talent prior to joining the cast of the show, it is about the fact that collectively, The Monkees, as 4 characters in a TV show, had NO musical background. They didn’t exist before the show. . The 4 were able to take their characters out on the road, during the show’s run and, for a while, after the show ended, , just like The Partridge Family and other Tv feaux bands.

Clarification:

1. Unlike The Monkees, The Partridge Family was never a real group of any kind. While the series was in production, David Cassidy recorded albums and toured as a solo act performing some PF songs, and many of his own, but there was no "Partridge Family" with him, nor was he performing as "Keith Partridge".

2. The Monkees--specifically Nesmith--entered the project producing writing & playing, with Tork playing and aiding in the creation of some songs. That is a stark difference between that and being some face on an album cover. This level of participation only intensified, so after the ouster of Kirshner, they had far greater control over their output and inarguably created/produced the best songs of their catalog in this period.

3. In concert, they were not pretending to be TV series characters. In addition to playing the band songs, they added in their own--some from pre-Monkees days, covering different genres of music they were interested in, which was not going to be seen or promoted on the TV series.

BTW, you can drag Elvis all day long, but do not dismiss my boyhood crush, Shelly Fabres. “Johnny Angel” still brings tears to my eyes.

Not so much a diss against Fabares as an actress, but her musical career, which she never wanted. She has freely admitted she was only an actress, and Screen Gems (with their Colpix record label) wanted to do to The Donna Reed Show what had happened on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with Ricky Nelson. Its a mirror of what would be seen several years in the then-future when The Partridge Family's Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce plainly saying they were only actors, as opposed to actors who had real musical backgrounds like Cassidy and--obviously--Shirley Jones. Bonaduce was a child comedic actor, but would later dip his toes into music with a 1973 album (thanks to the PF's success), but his being cast for TPF was strictly as an actor.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Not the best Bond theme, but a classic.

Bassey's song is the one and only thing of value from Diamonds Are Forever. That film was such a lazy, bloated mess, especially after following the great On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 1)

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Hawaii Five-O
"While You're at It, Bring in the Moon"
Originally aired February 1, 1972

An eccentric billionaire suspected of killing one of his business associates, but who in turn suspects another, is afraid to leave his antiseptic yacht and clear himself of the crime--and he is forced to abduct McGarrett to help him.

McGarrett takes an anonymous call that a man named Felton has been shot dead at the estate of businessman Morgan Hilliard. While Danno and Chin proceed to the scene, Steve, having been delayed by the caller, is accosted in the parking lot by six armed hoods who want him to take a ride...one of them being the caller. He's escorted onto a yacht, where he's sprayed with a decontaminant while entering, and then greeted by Hilliard (Barry Sullivan), who accuses one of three business associates of attempting to frame him for murder...the same three men that the other Five-Oers find at the scene: Byers (Ed Flanders), Mims (H.M. Wynant), and Tabernash (Milton Selzer). They explain how they've been conferencing about deposing Hilliard because he's unstable. As partly related by them with the help of an audio recording, partly by Hilliard to McGarrett in intercutting scenes, he had them at his estate to propose investing in a steam-powered car. Hilliard explains to Steve how his aversion to human contact means that he won't return to the estate, and notes how he once allowed a business to collapse to avoid appearing in court. (Comparing to today's situation, there's no masking involved, though Hilliard does maintain distance from Steve.) The associates describe how Hilliard went into his sauna, after which Felton was killed by gunfire that seemed to come from it; then Hilliard fled the estate by helicopter. They also overheard him giving an order for McGarrett to be picked up.

Hilliard has McGarrett taken back to the mainland via launch, and Steve proceeds to the estate to examine the scene. A deficit of shell casings in the sauna and nobody actually having seen Hilliard with a gun leads McGarrett to believe that several of the shots weren't fired from the sauna. McGarrett casts suspicion on the assembled associates, and outside Mims accuses McGarrett of colluding with Hilliard to the assembled members of the press. Catching a spy of Hilliard's (William Mount) tailing him, McGarrett delivers a message to Hilliard via the spy's tape recorder telling Hilliard that he's getting a warrant for his arrest, so he'll have to face the music and testify in court.

McGarrett tries to get to the truth via polygraphing the associates. Mims reluctantly submits, and proves to be cool under pressure; Byers refuses based on the machine's unreliability; and Tabernash is so wound up that it completely throws the machine off, with McGarrett accusing him of doing it deliberately. McGarrett then demonstrates for the press using blanks how unlikely it was that Hilliard found and picked up five of the casings and broke down and hid his silenced gun in his robe in only seven seconds; nevertheless, he tells Hilliard via phone that he's not convinced that he didn't do it. Hilliard ends up paying a nighttime visit to McGarrett's office, bearing a can of disinfectant spray.

At the estate, McGarrett has Hilliard do a walk-through of his actions on the day of the shooting, in sync with the tape. Hilliard recalls the first shot, which made a distinctive thump, was louder from where he was. McGarrett finds it in the roof of the bath house. Examining a tree in line of sight, the team finds evidence of a makeshift sniper's nest; but the range is too great for the pistol believed to have been used. Che's description of the trajectory needed to fire that type of bullet such a range even from a rifle--which that type of bullet wasn't made for--causes McGarrett to realize that an engineering background would have been involved. He visits Byers after uncovering evidence that he had a custom rifle made. Byers informs McGarrett that the rifle is now aimed at the back of Steve's head, and shows him the remote that will fire it, trying to use that as leverage to make his getaway. But Five-O and the police are surrounding the place; Byers finds that McGarrett is wired for sound, which has filled them in on Steve's situation; and a distraction allows Steve to tackle Byers so that when the rifle is triggered, it hits the chair instead of them. Afterward, still avoiding contact via a window between them, Hilliard thanks McGarrett for clearing him.

_______

Adam-12
"Adoption"
Originally aired February 2, 1972

Malloy and Reed investigate when a college football locker room is ransacked, and uncover systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs. They also investigate parents who dispute their maid's report that their baby is missing, arrest a prowler who is suspiciously allowed into a home by his female accuser, and get involved in a high-speed chase that resulted from a domestic disturbance. Jackie Coogan guest stars as a football trainer.

After some humor beat business involving Pete having to treat Jim and Jean to dinner because he lost a bet, the officers see a maid about a missing child. Mary (Maidie Norman) reports how the baby went missing, but her boss, Mr. Wilkinson (Tom Drake), contradicts her account, offering an explanation of the baby's whereabouts. Afterward Reed calls in for seven at the station, and we hear a novel line...

Dispatch: One-Adam-12, okay seven.​

This serves a plot purpose, of course, as they use their lunch as an opportunity to consult with a detective, Sgt. Woods (Don Ross). He speculates that maybe the child is missing and the parents are afraid to involve the police.

Back on patrol, the officers respond to an all-units call in their vicinity for a prowler. They find a man (James Lydon, whose character's name is later revealed to be Tyler) working at a window who claims he's just trying to help the woman inside. The young occupant (Jill Banner, whose character is billed as Rita) answers the door holding a baby. The man discourages her from talking to the officers, and she lets him in.

Next is another all-units in their vicinity for a 211 at Alimain College. They find athletic trainer Harry Rustin (Jackie Coogan) nursing his jaw in the locker room after having been slugged, but he doesn't want to involve the police. He claims not to have gotten a good look at his assailant, and when Malloy finds that the medicine cabinet was raided, Rustin claims ignorance to exactly what had been in it, explaining the system by which he distributes the medications, which is based on coded lists provided by the coach and a doctor.

The officers proceed to visit the office of the team's prescribing physician, Dr. Sundstrom. The doctor's not in, but the receptionist assumes that this has to do with halfback Charley Hall having threatened the doctor. At Hall's place, they find Coach Stobie (Russ McCubbin) and Dr. Sundstrom (George Neise) in an argument with Charley (Dennis Rucker). Charley alleges that they're pushing drugs on the players and he wanted to expose them, while the coach and doctor assert that it's all on the up-and-up. Charley offers to share his evidence with the officers. Back at the station, the case is handed off to detectives.

On patrol again, the officers pursue two cars involved in a chase, with shots being fired from the pursuing vehicle. Pete stays hot on their tails and they eventually find themselves cornered and surrounded. The drivers are arrested and it turns out that the motivation was a young woman (Dwan Smith, I assume) voluntarily getting a ride from a man other than her jealous would-be boyfriend, the pursuer.

Finally, the officers are assigned to a family dispute at the same house as the prowler call. Rita now wants to talk, though Tyler and Wilkinson try to reason with her. It comes out that the Wilkinsons bought her baby on the black market through Tyler, and she now wants him back.

_______

The Brady Bunch
"The Power of the Press"
Originally aired February 4, 1972

Peter joins his school newspaper and becomes popular when his classmates see themselves mentioned in print. Peter writes a flattering piece on his officious science teacher Mr. Price (Milton Parsons), hoping it will help him gain a better grade. After the test Peter admits what he has done to Mr. Price, not realizing that he has read the piece – standard procedure when staff are mentioned in the paper. They both learn something from the discussion.

The enthusiastic new columnist takes the pen name Scoop Brady; swipes supplies and a typewriter from the other kids and Dad; and wears one of Mike's old hats with a faux press pass in it. He's initially stuck for what to write about; and once he writes up some school events, Alice and Greg offer feedback that it's too dull, and encourage him to make things more personal and flatter the people he's writing about. The kids he writes about start repaying him with gifts and party invitations. But finals are coming up and Peter, who's been neglecting his studies, gets particularly concerned about Mr. Price's science exam, which he ends up getting a D on.

Peter writes a piece lavishing Mr. Price with praise in hopes of influencing his final grade for the class. Carol finds Peter's graded test and Mike realizes what Peter's trying to do with his article and gives him a little lecture about the responsibility of the press; but Peter's already turned the column in. Peter tries going to school hours early to confess to Mr. Price in advance, but he's already read it. Price not only sees through the snow job, but reads between the lines to realize how the students actually feel about him. Peter resolves afterward not to take any more gifts for what he writes.

_______

The Partridge Family
"My Heart Belongs to a Two-Car Garage"
Originally aired February 4, 1972

A Russian handyman, who claims to be a world-class artist, paints a nude woman on the family's garage that puts the neighborhood in an uproar.

The elder members of the family come downstairs to find Nicholas Minsky Pushkin (Arte Johnson doing his Russian accent) making breakfast, the two youngest having invited him in when he was painting the number on their door. Shirley's a little uncomfortable with it, but lets him stay. He wants to repay the family for their hospitality by doing odd jobs, though they start to get the idea that he's just finding things to do as an excuse to stick around. The family heads off for a weekend gig, with Shirley trying to hint Nicholas on his way, and performs "Last Night":

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When they get home, they find his beat-up old pickup still there, with him staying in a tent on the back. He then reveals what he's been working on...

Danny: That's my kinda garage!​

Conveniently, raising the garage door hides the naughty bits. Nicholas, who claims to be a world-famous artist, refuses to paint over his masterpiece. A group of outraged neighbors visits, led by Mr. Phelps (Good morning, David Ketchum) and Mrs. Monahan (Jeff Donnell), and Shirley finds herself torn, wanting to get rid of the painting, but not wanting to give the neighbors the satisfaction of imposing their will on the family. She has the kids take turns guarding the open garage until a painter can be brought in the next day. An underground newspaper reporter who goes by the handle Sioux (Frank Welker) visits--which causes Reuben to drop a reference to a Johnny Cash hit--and mentions that the neighbors are talking of having Pushkin and Partridges arrested, which causes Nicholas to promptly split the scene. The neighbors come back armed with buckets of paint, and as the Partridges block their way to the garage, a police-escorted limo arrives bearing Pushkin and an art museum curator named Hensley (Ivor Barry), who verifies Pushkin's reputation in art circles and insists that the masterpiece can't be destroyed. Ultimately, Shirley accepts compensation for the front of her garage being relocated to Hensley's museum.

_______

Not the best Bond theme, but a classic.

It's very atmospheric, and more substantive than most. The next one, though...that'll be one to

Spoiler

live and let

die for.

Ah, James Brown.

The hobgoblin strikes again.

A nice, and quite unique, song.

Thomas is kinda old to be the song's narrator though...he would've been closer to the mother's age.

Classic Rock.

And needless to say, I wasn't inclined to try to find whatever passes for the single edit in this case.

 

[gblews]

What Makes This Song Great? Rick Beato on Roundabout - YouTube
.

Rick Beato is one of my favorite music channels on YouTube. As vast a knowledge of theory and music history as I’v ever encountered. He LOVES the Beatles.

I read the article; McCartney responded due to the long-held belief that his group did swipe from the work of others and never acknowledged it. then, there's

You really need to define specifically what you mean by “swiped from the work of others.” I really hope you aren’t trying to equate “stylistic influence” with covering a song and not giving the original artist credit. Now, if you’re saying that’s what the Beatles did, then name the song(s).

as this practice infamously moved into the solo years--in the case of Harrison being successfully sued for his "My Sweet Lord" being a rip from The

The judge ruled that George “unconsciously” copied enough of He’s So Fine as to render “Lord,” an infringement of the prior song’s copyright. It’s pop music with songwriters using the same or similar progressions all the time. This could happen to anyone. Indeed, writers get sued all the time for unconscious infringement. It is not proof the band or it’s solo units did wholesale theft of others’ songs.

This is a far cry from an example of conscious theft. Also, it is not unbelievable that George may never have heard He’s So Fine. He was in England listening to, and playin, much different music. Just because the song was big over hear doesn’t mean it was as bug in England.

No TV series matched that kind of exposure, and certainly not The Monkees, a TV show with ratings that never entered the top 25, which means it was seen, but it was not in the majority of homes like Bonanza or Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. by any stretch of the imagination.

It was still national TV and I’d be willing to bet that the show was a top 10 hit in the 18-34 year old demo and even back then, those were the heaviest consumers. Same demo Elvis’ movies hoped to attract. Also,, did I say 30 weeks a year, add about 15 more due to post season reruns. Oh, the Monkees were properly exposed.

I've read much of the criticism, and the vast majority were accusing the men of being actors with no musical pedigree, which--in the case of Nesmith, who had been known around the California music scene as a singer/songwriter (and Tork in the club scene on both the east and west coasts) --was, if you pardon my French...bullshit. It was a case of some being bitter, acting as if any band in the same situation would have had the same results, when that's simply nonsensical--cooking up alternate history, while ignoring all of the elements which made one act appealing, while another less so.

I’m not arguing with you about what you claim you read, all I’m saying is that The Monkees as feaux band had no musical history or background before the TV show. This is an irrefutable fact. But, If you disagree, please explain why.

Elvis was not an organic event. He was handled, groomed, provided a wealth of stolen style, (inc. or what "controversies" he sparked by swiveling his hips and projecting what white society called "black sexuality"--ohh, the volumes on that..), culture and manner of singing and being white, was granted the kind of publicity and promotion no black artist ever enjoyed during that nascent period of rock music--all echoed by innumerable black artists of the same period (Little Richard and Chuck Berry among them) who were witnessing a slicked up, walking corporation who truly never deserved his success.

Elvis was not recruited as an actor to play the part of “Elvis”in a TV show called “Elvis,” as the Monkees were. There is NO comparison between the two. Back in the 60’s every act signed by a major label relieved grooming to various extents, from Elvis to the Jackson 5 and beyond, but none of those acts were created specifically to pretend to be a band on TV, like the M’s.

Even today’s Kpop groups, some of whom were created by management companies, aren’t feaux bands, put together to fool audiences into believing they are real groups.

2. The Monkees--specifically Nesmith--entered the project producing writing & playing, with Tork playing and aiding in the creation of some songs. That is a stark difference between that and being some face on an album cover. This level of participation only intensified, so after the ouster of Kirshner, they had far greater control over their output and inarguably created/produced the best songs of their catalog in this period.

Are you claiming that Nesbit and Tork wrote and produced the Monkees’ big hits during the show’s run? If so, cite please.

Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce plainly saying they were only actors,

1. Unlike The Monkees, The Partridge Family was never a real group of any kind. While the series was in production, David Cassidy recorded albums and toured as a solo act performing some PF songs, and many of his own, but there was no "Partridge Family" with him, nor was he performing as "Keith Partridge".

The only difference between the Partridge Family and the Monkees was…there really was no difference. That TPF Didn’t tour as an act is just incidental and a superficial “difference “ at best.

3. In concert, they were not pretending to be TV series characters.

Dude, yeah, they were. You think the Monkees would have drawn as big a crows if they hadn’t appeared as “The Monkees” If they’d shown up and just did material by Nesmith and Tork, you think there would not have been a mass exodus? I’ll bet they even did canned Monkee-eaque bits on stage between songs. I don’t care how good a songwriter or guitarist Nessmith was, if the concert had been billed as “An Evening With Mike Nesmith and Friends,” we’d have seen Mike entertaining family members. ,

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with Ricky Nelson. I

Don’t know why it took you so long to bring up Ricky Nelson as a comp the the Monkees, though in truth, that comparison is a bit insulting to him as well. The difference between the two is that Ricky wasn’t recruited to act on a s.how playing the part of Ricky Nelson, the musician. Ricky, the musician, didn’t appear on the show until it had been on the air several years


Although I was only a casual fan, unlike the Monkees, Ricky had massive charisma and enough musical savvy to stay relevant as strictly a music act long after his show was cancelled.

So, ask yourself why Ricky is a well respected musician and member of the R&R HOF, while the Monkees are generally still considered, at best, a novelty act.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Bassey's song is the one and only thing of value from Diamonds Are Forever. That film was such a lazy, bloated mess, especially after following the great On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Eh, I enjoy all the old Bond movies, up until Man With The Golden Gun. They're just fun High Adventure, so I just kind of accept them as they are.

"While You're at It, Bring in the Moon"

A nice title on its own, but even more amusing when the central character is a billionaire.

He's escorted onto a yacht, where he's sprayed with a decontaminant while entering, and then greeted by Hilliard

Hilliard couldn't have just rung him up and invited him to tea? I wonder if those armed hoods are going to go to jail.

They explain how they've been conferencing about deposing Hilliard because he's unstable.

He probably has them kidnapped whenever he wants to call a meeting.

he had them at his estate to propose investing in a steam-powered car.

He's a visionary. Steampunk wasn't a thing for another ten years or so.

(Comparing to today's situation, there's no masking involved, though Hilliard does maintain distance from Steve.)

He reminds me of Monk. I don't remember if they had wipes in those days.

Byers informs McGarrett that the rifle is now aimed at the back of Steve's head

Steve just smiles and tips his head back.

Afterward, still avoiding contact via a window between them, Hilliard thanks McGarrett for clearing him.

The opening was kind of over the top, but otherwise a good story with an interesting central character.

After some humor beat business involving Pete having to treat Jim and Jean to dinner because he lost a bet

Pete lost a bet to Jim? That's kind of like Caine snatching the pebble from Master Kan.

the officers see a maid about a missing child.

Always listen to the maid, guys.

The young occupant (Jill Banner, whose character is billed as Rita) answers the door holding a baby.

Coincidence? I think not.

Back at the station, the case is handed off to detectives.

What th--?

the motivation was a young woman (Dwan Smith, I assume) voluntarily getting a ride from a man other than her jealous would-be boyfriend, the pursuer.

That's how you impress a girl. Shoot at her.

Rita now wants to talk, though Tyler and Wilkinson try to reason with her. It comes out that the Wilkinsons bought her baby on the black market through Tyler, and she now wants him back.

And everybody goes to jail but the baby.

The enthusiastic new columnist takes the pen name Scoop Brady

He must watch a lot of 1940s movies.

He's initially stuck for what to write about

I hear there's a vampire in Las Vegas.

Mike realizes what Peter's trying to do with his article and gives him a little lecture about the responsibility of the press

"Forget that stuff I said earlier about flattering people."

Price not only sees through the snow job, but reads between the lines to realize how the students actually feel about him.

And Peter gets an F as his final grade.

when he was painting the number on their door.

Now there's a niche service.

Conveniently, raising the garage door hides the naughty bits.

I question your definition of "conveniently."

A group of outraged neighbors visits, led by Mr. Phelps (Good morning, David Ketchum)

"Conventional law enforcement will not be able to deal with this."

Shirley finds herself torn, wanting to get rid of the painting, but not wanting to give the neighbors the satisfaction of imposing their will on the family.

Good for you, Shirley!

The neighbors come back armed with buckets of paint

And torches and pitchforks. Philistines!

who verifies Pushkin's reputation in art circles and insists that the masterpiece can't be destroyed. Ultimately, Shirley accepts compensation for the front of her garage being relocated to Hensley's museum.

Okay, so a famous Russian artist who paints door numbers as a hobby impulsively decided to paint a nude mural randomly on the Partridge's garage. I get that he's supposed to be a humorously eccentric artist, but it's too random-- it would have made more sense if he was compelled to paint Shirley or something. I do like how they defended the mural from the villagers, though.

It's very atmospheric, and more substantive than most. The next one, though...that'll be one to

Spoiler

live and let

die for.

Ah, my favorite.

Thomas is kinda old to be the song's narrator though...he would've been closer to the mother's age.

It seems to me to be the reminiscence of an older guy.

And needless to say, I wasn't inclined to try to find whatever passes for the single edit in this case.

Ugh. That would be like painting over a nude mural.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing (Part 2)

_______

The Odd Couple
"Partner's Investment"
Originally aired February 4, 1972

Felix invests Oscar's gambling money in a Japanese restaurant but soon drives the staff away.

While Oscar's trying to sleep, Felix rifles through his clothes for money. (His room is awfully brightly lit--the window must be part of the fourth wall.) Felix makes light of it to the dazed and confused Oscar, and reveals that he's been doing it for two years, having scrounged up $2,000 over time to put in a bank for him to earn interest. Oscar's first instinct is to blow it all on a horse...which wins, netting him over $4,000, but Felix picks up the money. Oscar wants Murray to arrest Felix, but Felix reveals that he's invested the money in a Japanese restaurant.

Felix takes Oscar to eat at his investment, which is run by Mr. Yamata (Pat Morita, whose character is billed as Mr. Wing), who shows Oscar the improvements he plans to invest the money in. Yamata flashes back to tell Oscar how he met Felix on an island during the war after failing to do his duty as a kamikaze pilot (more confirmation that Felix is about the same age as Tony Randall). Oscar is beginning to warm up to the profit potential of the establishment when Felix makes a fuss about the messy kitchen habits of the elderly cook, Cho San (H.W. Gim). Felix takes over as chef, against Yamata's objections, which includes preparing the food at the table for bewildered customers; while Oscar serves the customers. Murray also pitches in, wearing a kimono. (Al's helping to take over Arnold's restaurant!) The trio's antics result in mishaps that drive the customers away.

Yamata: So, you finally got even for Pearl Harbor.​

Yamata announces his intent to buy out Felix and Oscar's share of the business, and declares his friendship with Felix to be over. In the coda, Felix is back to collecting Oscar's pocket money, and Oscar makes an early call to his bookie.

The Japanese-associated epithet that begins with N is dropped a couple of times in the episode in a humorous manner, including by Morita.

_______

Love, American Style
"Love and the Plane Truth / Love and the Scroungers / Love and the Small Wedding"
Originally aired February 4, 1972

In "Love and the Plane Truth," Mark (Rich Little) and Jan (Joyce Van Patten), who've been married for twelve years, are headed for a vacation in Hawaii when the passengers are informed that landing gear trouble is forcing the jet to go back to San Francisco for an emergency landing. The couple start getting nervous about the prospect of a crash landing, though the stewardess (Linda Meiklejohn) acts like it's all routine. The couple starts hitting the little drink bottles heavy, and Jan prods Mark about whether he's ever had an affair. He admits to having taken a busty secretary out to dinner a couple of times...and then, with further prodding, to having necked with another woman at a New Year's Eve party; all while she makes a show of being understanding. The plane descends for its attempt to land without the front gear deployed...and Mark further admits to having spent a weekend with a model. The couple exchanges their potential goodbyes, the plane lands successfully, and she then refuses to speak with him over what she's learned.

"Love and the Scroungers" opens with prospective actor Gil (John Davidson) and his pal Zach (Michael Burns) getting on a tour bus at Paramount Studios so they can tell the folks back in Portland that they've been inside a movie studio. After their attractive guide Marty (Karen Valentine) rattles off statistics about the city-scale food and clothing stocked on the premises, Gil decides to have the two of them split from the group and stick around, hiding out on the (also very well-lit) set of an apparently fake TV series called The Sword of Montevado. When Marty notices their absence and finds them, Zach explains how they got kicked out of their hotel and had their luggage confiscated when they couldn't pay the bill. She agrees to help them spend the night there, tipping them off about a Western production they can eat on the set of.

The next day, as she's conducting another tour, Marty finds the two of them hiding out in a stagecoach, and Gil invites her to have dinner with them that night. The guys dress in top hats and tails to dine in the lavish dining room set of Montevado. After dinner, Zach starts to feel left out while Gil and Marty enjoy romantic dancing. Cut to two weeks later, with the guys still wearing set-appropriate costumes to blend in at the studio for meals, and racking up some debt with Marty for things like dry cleaning. Zach seems to have second thoughts as Gil appears to be using Marty. Later Zach and Marty spend some time alone, bond talking about Zach, and end up getting romantic. The next day he hops on her tour bus in a westsuit to discuss with Marty in front of the bus passengers how they plan to break the news to Gil. When they do, they argue that they want to go out and live in the real world. As Gil's guilting them about ruining his big break, they're all caught by a studio guard (George Chandler) and kicked out. While Zach and Marty proceed to go back to Portland, Gil decides to stay in town to continue looking for his break.

"Love and the Small Wedding" has Wendy (Diane Baker) trying to convince her husband Robert (Jim Hutton) to host the wedding of her co-worker Laurie (Cheryl Miller) at their house. He insists on the smallest wedding possible so it doesn't impact how they've been saving up for a trip to Europe. A couple of office pals, Pat (Frances Spanier) and Mary (Lorene Yarnell), invite themselves, and the snowball gets rolling, resulting in the number of guests accumulating to forty-seven. Then Laurie announces that the wedding is off, as her groom got a job in Venezuela and they're going to get married there. Robert is initially overjoyed, but learns that it isn't easy to cancel the flowers, food, and musicians at the last minute...so Robert and Wendy host their own big wedding instead (ministered by Byron Morrow, which is all that we actually see of the event).

_______

All in the Family
"Archie and Edith, Alone"
Originally aired February 5, 1972

With Mike and Gloria out, an argument leads to Edith giving Archie the cold shoulder.

Mike and Gloria are leaving to visit a commune, packed as if they're going camping, and opening the episode with a times-signy argument...

Mike: It's a question of each man doing his own thing! Your thing just happens to be grubbing for a living in this polluted, grime-ridden city...
Archie: And your thing is spongin' offa my thing!​

Once the kids are gone, Edith instantly tries to play up how she and Archie have alone time to spend, but Archie doesn't seem interested in doing anything out of the routine. Edith tries to get him to dance to an old 78--Glenn Miller's 1939 "Moonlight Serenade," a great number for evoking a nostalgic mood about an era before my parents were born:

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But Archie just wants to read the paper. Edith starts to hint about how they're drifting apart, referencing Dr. Joyce Brothers along the way. Archie agrees to play cards, which pleases her, but Edith having forgotten to get beer results in an argument. Edith starts trying to get Archie to apologize, resulting in her feeling sore. Then Archie criticizes how Edith plays her gin rummy hand, and she admits that she let him win, causing him to quit and to attack her for being too saintly. Edith gets upset, but can't bring herself to insult him or break something; instead she breaks into tears at what he's saying to her, and when she insists that he apologize, he storms out.

A week later, we learn from a one-sided call to Maude that Archie's been going out every night, and Edith has been giving him the cold shoulder until he apologizes. He comes home from the bar in a good mood from a winning streak at shuffleboard and serenades her, but she remains closed off. He tries to engage her in conversation, hinting how she's got it good that he's not a wife-beater like a man who got arrested at Kelcy's...! She brings up the apology again, and he gets her guard down by confessing about how he was passed up for a promotion to an office position a few years prior because he'd dropped out of high school to get a job and help out at home. Archie's childhood ambition to be a ball player contrasts with Edith's complete lack of life ambition...though her mother wanted her to be a tap dancer. Archie strains to be polite during her awkward story, then puts on Edith's 78 and asks her to dance...initially making her happy, but he fumbles things by being too open about his motive. Then he gives her a present--a Lady Gilette--and he finally breaks down and half-apologizes, with her finishing it for him. Mike and Gloria walk in to find Archie and Edith smooching--which I saw coming a mile away--and Mike imitates Archie's usual attitude about the younger couple's public displays of affection.

Things are back to normal in the coda, with Mike and Gloria going out to give the parents some alone time and Archie objecting to Edith's hint at how they might spend it.

_______

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"The Care and Feeding of Parents"
Originally aired February 5, 1972

Pressured by Phyllis, Mary reluctantly agrees to ask the publishing company in her office building to consider Bess's school composition for "Teen Topics" magazine.

The episode title is also that of Bess's A-graded composition, which Phyllis is so overbearing about that Mary barely has a chance to read it for herself. Phyllis wants Mary to submit it to Snyder Publishing, who own WJM's building. Mary tries calling Snyder's secretary, who's in Ted's little black book, but his involvement causes her to hang up. This leaves Mary with no choice but to try to get Lou involved, as he knows Snyder personally, but he has no intention of using up a personal favor that he's saving for a novel that he's been working on for years. When Mary tries to explain this, a misunderstanding has Phyllis telling Bess that Mary thinks she can get a book-length version of the two-paragraph essay published.

Mary ends up having to take work home because Phyllis is constantly badgering her about the book on the phone. Mary's attempt to stand up to her results in her going down to Phyllis's place--I think this is the first we see of it, though it's only Bess's room--where we see that Phyllis is basically cracking the whip and Bess clearly isn't happy. Bess drops by the station to see Mary, asking Murray about being a writer while she waits. Mary exhibits episodic amnesia about the hazards of using Lou's office, and Lou has to see a couple of bigwigs about an advertising deal out in the newsroom. Bess tells Mary that she's only working on the book to make Phyllis happy, and Mary agrees to go with her to help her tell Phyllis that she doesn't want to do it...which ultimately falls on Mary's shoulders alone. Phyllis--who's been working on the book alone--takes this surprisingly well, but quickly finds a new obsession over a painting that Bess did at school.

In the coda, Lou proudly shows Mary his book manuscript, which the circumstances inspired him to finish.

_______

Hilliard couldn't have just rung him up and invited him to tea? I wonder if those armed hoods are going to go to jail.

Hilliard was probably doing it to avoid potential arrest, ironically. As far as Steve was concerned, Hilliard was responsible for the abduction.

He reminds me of Monk. I don't remember if they had wipes in those days.

Probably not, hence his aerosol can.

Steve just smiles and tips his head back.

I'd been thinking of putting a joke in there along those lines...you came through.

What th--?

SOP.

And everybody goes to jail but the baby.

I could see them being lenient with the girl.

"Forget that stuff I said earlier about flattering people."

Mike didn't say that, Greg and Alice did.

I question your definition of "conveniently."

For family-friendly TV.

I neglected to mention how, when it was his turn to guard the garage, Danny was offering neighborhood kids to lower the door for 50 cents.

"Conventional law enforcement will not be able to deal with this."

"Should you or any of your garage-painting mob be caught or killed, the PTA secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

Okay, so a famous Russian artist who paints door numbers as a hobby impulsively decided to paint a nude mural randomly on the Partridge's garage. I get that he's supposed to be a humorously eccentric artist, but it's too random-- it would have made more sense if he was compelled to paint Shirley or something.

I get the impression he was actually down on his luck and doing the itinerant work for a living, though there is a disconnect between that and his art being worth so much. Of course, it's quite possible that we missed some explanation in the lousy Antenna edit.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

The judge ruled that George “unconsciously” copied enough of He’s So Fine as to render “Lord,” an infringement of the prior song’s copyright. It’s pop music with songwriters using the same or similar progressions all the time. This could happen to anyone. Indeed, writers get sued all the time for unconscious infringement. It is not proof the band or it’s solo units did wholesale theft of others’ songs.

This is a far cry from an example of conscious theft. Also, it is not unbelievable that George may never have heard He’s So Fine. He was in England listening to, and playin, much different music. Just because the song was big over hear doesn’t mean it was as bug in England.

First a little context.

George Harrison joined the Delany and Bonnie and Friends tour in Copenhagen, Denmark as a way to escape the growing pressure from Apple Corp and The Beatles. One evening after the tour, Delany Bramlett, George Harrison and Billy Preston were backstage

The following comes from 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Music of George Harrison' Chapter 3 page 67.

With the tour reaching its climax in Copenhagen, George's attention was turning to Gospel music. He was in good hands - Billy Preston was on the tour - and Bramlett had deep roots in gospel; he'd started out playing and singing in Pentecostal churches down South. It was in his blood. "George loved gospel music so much, we spent more time talking about gospel music than playing the slide. One time he asked me, 'Where do you get those thoughts when you play those gospel songs?' The template for "My Sweet Lord" came with a simple inquiry: "He said, 'Say you were going to write a gospel song, how would you start it?'" Delany started scatting on "Oh My Lord," Bonnie and Rita Coolidge chorusing "alleluia." Harrison had his song.

A few weeks later, George was producing Billy Preston's second album 'Encouraging Words' for Apple records.

'While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Music of George Harrison' Chapter 3 page 71.

The other was "My Sweet Lord," written during the Delany and Bonnie jaunt. As if to emphasize the song's genesis, the visiting Edwin Hawkins Singers were enlisted to add the backup vocals to what was the definitive "roots" take of "My Sweet Lord," especially as Harrison had just about coaxed the gospelers into intoning the Krishna mantra. Edwin would certainly have recognized the chord changes on this new song from "Oh Happy Day" - the dominant-seventh chord that shifts the tension of the song on the line "but it takes so long" was straight out of the Hawkins single. Here was George Harrison's dream realized - a gospel incantation mixed with a Vedic chant in a musical setting that was drawn from the gospel-soul heritage.

Here's the Edwin Hawkins song 'Oh Happy Day'

Oh Happy Day - The Edwin Hawkins Singers - YouTube

Here's Billy Preston's version of 'My Sweet Lord'

Billy Preston - My Sweet Lord - YouTube

Here's George Harrison's demo of 'My Sweet Lord'

My Sweet Lord (Day 1 Demo / Take 1) - YouTube

Nowhere in the book does anyone mention the similarity between 'My Sweet Lord' and 'He's So Fine'.

Everyone interviewed in the book, Billy Preston, Delany Bramlett, John Barham (who wrote the orchestral parts) or archival material from George Harrison say the inspiration was the Edwin Hawkins Singers 'Oh Happy Day.'

 

[The Old Mixer]

"He walked right into it. He knew what he was doing. He must have known, you know. He’s smarter than that...George could have changed a few bars in that song and nobody could have ever touched him, but he just let it go and paid the price. Maybe he thought God would just sort of let him off."

--John Lennon, 1980​

 

[DarrenTR1970]

The thing is, in my opinion, no song is created in a vacuum. If pressed, I'm sure most musicians will admit to playing around on the guitar or piano trying to work out a chord progression on a song they may have heard and creating something new out of it. I don't think that's really plagiarism.

Without going to my musical history books, I can think of a couple of examples off the top of my head.

Eric Carmen of The Raspberries heard a Todd Rundgren song on the radio, went into the studio and wrote a song based around the the chord progression.

A short while later when Todd opened for The Raspberries, Eric met Todd backstage and told him he'd lifted the riff for the song. Todd smiled and said, 'Yeah, it figures.' Todd eventually got back at Eric by writing a song around a Raspberries riff.

Robert Palmer, in the liner notes to his 'Addictions Volume One', admits to being in the studio recording an album and in the studio next door was Rod Stewart recording his own album. Robert poked his head through the door, listened to the song Rod was recording, liked what he heard, went and nicked the title and chords for his own song, 'Some Guys Have All The Luck'.

Heck, I just learned this morning in another forum that one of my favorite songs, 'Life Begins at the Hop' by the band XTC, gets its chord progression from 'It's The Same Old Song' by The Four Seasons.

 

[gblews]

"He walked right into it. He knew what he was doing. He must have known, you know. He’s smarter than that...George could have changed a few bars in that song and nobody could have ever touched him, but he just let it go and paid the price. Maybe he thought God would just sort of let him off."

--John Lennon, 1980​

OMG. anyone but John. First of all, this statement furthers my belief that John did not respect George as songwriter. Second, how would John know this unless George told him, and I doubt that happened. Thirdly,, when I wrote this:

But, I have seen a couple of YouTube vids that reported the Beatles had some issues with unknowing and even a few knowing, copyright infringements late in the band’s career. But, as I said, they never did a full cover of a song without giving proper credit.

…I was referring specifically, to John. I didn’t say it though,, because my memory of the vid may be shakey. But, I do recall that the Beatles,were,sued for copyright infringement based on a riff in one of their songs. One of the group admitted to knowingly using the offending riff.
The band paid the guy. Pretty sure the Beatle who admitted the theft wasn't’ Paul.

John should not have been the one to make this .

 

[gblews]

The thing is, in my opinion, no song is created in a vacuum. If pressed, I'm sure most musicians will admit to playing around on the guitar or piano trying to work out a chord progression on a song they may have heard and creating something new out of it. I don't think that's really plagiaris

Agree. In pop music, there is truly very little new under the sun. I’m reminded of that Coldplay song a few years ago that had 3 other musicians claiming Coldplay stole the songs melody from their respective songs. As I recall, all of the songs did seem to have the same or very similar melodies.


I think all these guys had been re-writing the same song over and over. It’s a solid tune so count on someone else to eventually “write” it again.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Second, how would John know this unless George told him

George had been successfully sued in court about it years before. Everybody knew about it. That was John's opinion of the matter when asked by an interviewer.

But, I do recall that the Beatles,were,sued for copyright infringement based on a riff in one of their songs. One of the group admitted to knowingly using the offending riff.

John deliberately and knowlingly homaged the Chuck Berry song "You Can't Catch Me" in "Come Together"--"Here come ol' flattop, he come groovin' up slowly". Somehow, he was successfully sued on the basis that the entire song was too close to "You Can't Catch Me," which wasn't John's intent and which I don't hear myself.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Felix makes light of it to the dazed and confused Oscar, and reveals that he's been doing it for two years, having scrounged up $2,000 over time to put in a bank for him to earn interest.

Well, there's a moral gray area.

Felix reveals that he's invested the money in a Japanese restaurant.

That's random. Felix has never heard of the stock market?

Yamata flashes back to tell Oscar how he met Felix on an island during the war after failing to do his duty as a kamikaze pilot

Man, that should have been a whole episode.

(Al's helping to take over Arnold's restaurant!)

Mind blown. The Multiverse is a strange and wondrous place.

Yamata: So, you finally got even for Pearl Harbor.

Wow.

The couple exchanges their potential goodbyes, the plane lands successfully, and she then refuses to speak with him over what she's learned.

Well, that's not a happy ending at all.

Marty (Karen Valentine)

Room 222.

Cut to two weeks later, with the guys still wearing set-appropriate costumes to blend in at the studio for meals, and racking up some debt with Marty for things like dry cleaning.

This should have been a backdoor pilot. It's kind of a cool idea, living on a different set every week.

While Zach and Marty proceed to go back to Portland, Gil decides to stay in town to continue looking for his break.

They sure squeezed a lot into this story. And the melancholic parting of the ways feels like a movie ending.

Robert and Wendy host their own big wedding instead (ministered by Byron Morrow, which is all that we actually see of the event).

Not a great one, but at least we got a happy ending.

Mike and Gloria are leaving to visit a commune

As a prospective new living place?

Edith tries to get him to dance to an old 78--Glenn Miller's 1939 "Moonlight Serenade," a great number for evoking a nostalgic mood about an era before my parents were born:

Before my parents were born, too-- barely.

causing him to quit and to attack her for being too saintly.

If she wasn't so saintly, he'd have been living alone in a tenement years ago.

He tries to engage her in conversation, hinting how she's got it good that he's not a wife-beater like a man who got arrested at Kelcy's...!

That's setting the bar high.

Things are back to normal in the coda, with Mike and Gloria going out to give the parents some alone time and Archie objecting to Edith's hint at how they might spend it.

I'm thinking they should never be left alone again.

Bess drops by the station to see Mary, asking Murray about being a writer while she waits.

You'd think Murray would be the one working on a novel. And they might have actually said that at some point.

In the coda, Lou proudly shows Mary his book manuscript, which the circumstances inspired him to finish.

And I don't think we heard anything about that ever again.

I'd been thinking of putting a joke in there along those lines...you came through.

SOP.

Not for these guys. They're always doing detective work, or muscling in on the SWAT team, or going undercover, or toppling foreign dictators....

I could see them being lenient with the girl.

Yeah, jail would only make things worse for her.

Mike didn't say that, Greg and Alice did.

Oops, right.

I neglected to mention how, when it was his turn to guard the garage, Danny was offering neighborhood kids to lower the door for 50 cents.

Nice.

"Should you or any of your garage-painting mob be caught or killed, the PTA secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

"Willy, you carry the paint. Barney, I want you hiding in the garage. Rollin, get to work on that Reuben Kincaid mask. Cinnamon, you distract Pushkin by offering to model for him."

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's random. Felix has never heard of the stock market?

It was his old friend's business.

This should have been a backdoor pilot. It's kind of a cool idea, living on a different set every week.

Earlier in the segment, it also came off as a clever bit of self-promotion on Paramount's part.

They sure squeezed a lot into this story.

It was a half-episode segment (full episode in half-hour syndication).

As a prospective new living place?

Just visiting hippie friends and enjoying the lifestyle.

You'd think Murray would be the one working on a novel. And they might have actually said that at some point.

Actually, I think they'd established in an earlier episode that Lou was working on one...but I don't remember if the details otherwise line up.

"Willy, you carry the paint. Barney, I want you hiding in the garage. Rollin, get to work on that Reuben Kincaid mask. Cinnamon, you distract Pushkin by offering to model for him."

Rollin? Cinnamon? Were they on the show back when the Beatles were making those old records?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The judge ruled that George “unconsciously” copied enough of He’s So Fine as to render “Lord,” an infringement of the prior song’s copyright. It’s pop music with songwriters using the same or similar progressions all the time. This could happen to anyone. Indeed, writers get sued all the time for unconscious infringement. It is not proof the band or it’s solo units did wholesale theft of others’ songs.

The ruling still had Harrison swiping far too much of "He's So Fine"; the song was far too recognizable for anyone in the same business to claim they never heard it at all, and the swiping was so glaring, one cannot listen to "My Sweet Lord" without thinking of "He's So Fine". It was not some fly-by-night song that sputtered out at #95 on the charts. Its one of the standout hits of that decade, making Harrison's "I've never heard it" claim about as believable as someone saying they transform into Godzilla when exposed to sunlight. As noted the other day, its a line of behavior that had its origins when he was with the group, and supported by McCartney's own statement. Adding Lennon's opinion (quoted by The Old Mixer) and Harrison was not just some innocent guy who stumbled into swiping from an enormously famous song..

It was still national TV and I’d be willing to bet that the show was a top 10 hit in the 18-34 year old demo and even back then, those were the heaviest consumers. Same demo Elvis’ movies hoped to attract. Also,, did I say 30 weeks a year, add about 15 more due to post season reruns. Oh, the Monkees were properly exposed.

The top 25 rated TV series was the golden zone--meaning a series with those ratings were truly reaching the majority of U.S. TV viewers, and The Monkees as a TV series simply never captured those numbers. Again, numbers and level of exposure / promotion are irrefutably in favor of Elvis who was such a dominant media presence that he had double-digit films produced across the entire decade, which translated as being highly exposed as opposed to a modestly-rated TV series that quickly dropped off in its second and final year.

[quote[I’m not arguing with you about what you claim you read, all I’m saying is that The Monkees as feaux band had no musical history or background before the TV show. [/quote]

You are conflating an impression of the group's value with the historically false notion that they were the equivalent of The Partridge Family or Hanna-Barbera's The Impossibles. The salient point is that each were musicians pre-Monkees, who brought their abilities into the project, and to varying degrees, playing, writing and producing at the start of the 1st album. That is the polar opposite of being a so-called "faux" act like the aforementioned creations.

Elvis was not...

I'm describing Elvis--his entire act and that which brought him to prominence (riding in on the free pass of being white) was the result of stolen singing style, dancing, specific approach to music, certain songs--everything. He did not come out of a hovel in Tupelo and just organically transform into that act. All that made him famous was a conscious construction and one of the most blatant, undeniable acts of aggressive cultural appropriation (in numerous categories) ever seen in commercial entertainment. If he--and his handlers--did not steal and fly-machine his act in the manner seen, history would have never known of one Elvis Presley.

Are you claiming that Nesbit and Tork wrote and produced the Monkees’ big hits during the show’s run? If so, cite please.

You are moving the goal posts by arguing "big hits" when the point is that Nesmith was writing and producing from the start, with the others playing. Nesmith's songs were featured on the series, as they were seen as viable to stand right alongside anything Boyce and Hart wrote. There was a reason for that, and if one acknowledges that, then a certain argument begins to dissolve. Further, early on, Tork had written parts of iongs such as "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" at the exact time certain critics claim he--and the rest--were doing nothing. But its easy for some to push certain lies when that is what is fueling the agenda.

The only difference between the Partridge Family and the Monkees was…there really was no difference. That TPF Didn’t tour as an act is just incidental and a superficial “difference “ at best.

Nonsense. One was an act of musicians who wrote, recorded and toured. The other was a TV series with no intention of its participants being a real, functioning band. You can hate the Monkees all you like, but hate is not supported by history.

Don’t know why it took you so long to bring up Ricky Nelson as a comp the the Monkees, though in truth, that comparison is a bit insulting to him as well.

Did you read that paragraph?

She has freely admitted she was only an actress, and Screen Gems (with their Colpix record label) wanted to do to The Donna Reed Show what had happened on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with Ricky Nelson

The too-clear-to-miss comparison was to the intent of Screen Gems to use Fabares for The Donna Reed Show to achieve the same effect as Nelson on his family's series. Period. There was no Monkees comparison in that point, but you allowed the obsessive hate to lead you into believing there had been.