"The Monkees 搗蛋一族"
1962年, 電影監製 Bob Rafelson 計劃拍製一齣年青人的電視片集 "The Monkees 搗蛋一族", 但不被 "Universal Pictures 環球電影" 接納作旗下 "Revue TV" 的電視節目。1964年 "The Beatles" 的電影, 港譯: "一夜狂歡 A Hard Day's Night" 瘋魔了歐美流行樂壇之後, 令致 Bob Rafelson 把兩年前的大計重新燃點起來。
1965年四月, 這次他把片集的製作計劃, 賣了給 "Columbia Pictures 哥倫比亞電影公司" 屬下的 "Screen Gems TV", 並推薦一隊跟他簽有唱片合約的樂隊 "The Lovin' Spoonful" 由他們幾位年輕成員主演, 但他們之前所簽下的唱片合約不能取消, 與 "Screen Gems TV" 又無法妥協, 唯有先把片集製作擱置下來。及後, Bob Rafelson 心目中另有一位來自英國的年青人, 有意把他成為明日之星, 同時要實現 "Screen Gems TV" 的計劃, 他是 ....
Davy Jones 一位來自英國, 倫敦 West End 西區和百老匯舞台劇的演員, 1964年二月九日與 "The Beatles" 首次同出現 "The Ed Sullivan Show" 電視節目之後, 九月被星探 Bert Schneider 和監製 Bob Rafelson 發掘, 與他簽下一紙經理人旗下的歌影視長期合約, 包括 "Columbia Pictures 哥倫比亞影片公司" 拍攝電影, 和旗下的 "Screen Gems TV" 電視節目演出, 唱片品牌 "Colpix" 的唱片錄音工作。
Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz
1965 年九月八日, "Daily Variety" 和 "The Hollywood Reporter" 兩本娛樂雜誌同刊登廣告, 徵求年青樂隊或成員演出電視節目。四百多位應徵人當中, 選出了三位同是能奏多種樂器和表演經驗的青年 Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz; 他們同是來自不同的演藝工作如歌曲創作、錄音、樂手、舞台和電視演員; 而有份參予選角的 "Screen Gems TV" 音樂總監 Don Kirshner, 心目中要把他們三人與早已簽下的 Davy Jones, 創造成樂迷偶像的青年樂隊。
"The Monkees 搗蛋一族" 1966年九月十二日, 電視片集面世, 內容是圍繞四個青年, 令人發笑的日常生活趣事, 包括當年的樂隊熱潮, 吸引大量青年和家庭觀眾。在電視劇中的 "The Monkees" 四人樂隊, 衹是電視台預製模式的樂隊形像而已, 為了與現實接軌, 以青春偶像出現之外, 當然要有他們樂隊的歌曲唱片錄音, 來迎合市場。
電視片集播出第一季, 亦開始唱片錄音工作, 樂隊的名字理所當然是 "The Monkees"; 1966年第一首錄音歌曲是 "Last Train To Clarksville", 第二首就是六十年代的經典 "I'm A Believer"。
"I'M A BELIEVER" 1966
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
I thought love was more or less a givin' thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in trying?
All you get is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Love was out to get me
Now that's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
Oh then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Yes I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
Said I'm a believer, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(I'm a believer) (I'm a believer)
Said I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)
Said I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
I thought love was more or less a givin' thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in trying?
All you get is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Love was out to get me
Now that's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
Oh then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Yes I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
Said I'm a believer, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(I'm a believer) (I'm a believer)
Said I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)
Said I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)