pisces, aquarius, capricorn & jones ltd.

The Monkees found increased artistic and commercial credibility on the pioneering sound of this diverse blend of psychedelic pop and country rock. Having successfully rid themselves of overbearing producer Don Kirschner, they had proved they could write and record their own songs with their previous album 'Headquarters'.  The band decided to stick with their new producer Chip Douglas, who had been the bassist for the Turtles; and recorded 'Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.' at different studios around the US while they were on tour. Douglas said:   "It took a while to get used to each studio, maybe a couple of hours more than usual. For the most part they were on tour and doing a lot of singing, so the vocals came off pretty good. We only recorded vocals on the road and they came out a lot better because the boys were doing a lot of singing and their voices were used to it, so they could hit a lot higher notes."

The sessions featured Micky Dolenz on vocals, drums, guitars, and Moog synthesizer; Davy Jones on vocals and percussion; Mike Nesmith on vocals and guitars; and Peter Tork on vocals, guitars, piano, organ, clavinet, and bass. Chip Douglas also played piano, organ, clavinet, and bass; Eddie Hoh and Kim Capli played drums; Bill Chadwick played guitar; Larry Taylor played bass; Bill Martin played piano, organ, clavinet, and percussion; Douglas Dillard played banjo; Paul Beaver played Moog synthesizer; and Harry Nilsson and Bob Rafelson played piano, organ, and clavinet.

Jones looked back: “I was so busy then doing what I was told to do. I worked five days a week filming the TV show, and doing concerts on the weekends.”

Dolenz reflects on his being one of the the first rock musicians to use the Moog synthesizer on a record:   "I’d heard about it, and I was fascinated. Because I’m kind of a science geek. I had my first computer in 1979. So I was always on the watch. Even back then I was reading all of the science magazines. I don’t remember exactly where I heard about it, but I did, and I thought, 'Wow, this sounds very cool.' And so I chased it down, basically. I found out the guy in L.A. who was representing the company, and I said, 'I want one.' And he said, 'OK'. I had him make me one, actually in traveling cases. I was going to take it on the road. But I kept it and used it and worked with it, and played around with it for years and years. It was a very complicated, involved instrument to program, but I’m glad I did, and I used it on a couple of tunes there, a couple of Monkees tunes."

Tork considers: "I don't think the 'Pisces' album was as groovy to listen to as 'Headquarters'. Technically it was much better, but I think it suffers for that reason."

Nesmith remembers: "Everybody in the press and in the hippie movement had got us into their target window as being illegitimate and not worthy of consideration as a musical force - certainly any kind of cultural force. We were under siege; wherever we went there was such resentment for us. We were constantly mocked and humiliated by the press. We were really gettin' beat up pretty good. We all knew what was going on inside. Kirshner had been purged. We'd gone to try to make 'Headquarters' and found out that it was only marginally okay and that our better move was to just go back to the original songwriting and song-making strategy of the first albums except with a clear indication of how it came to be...The rabid element and the hatred that was engendered is almost impossible to describe. It lingers to this day among people my own age."

'Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.' went to number five in the UK, four in Norway, and became the Monkees' fourth consecutive number one album in the US.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muYvFw28kQw



Salesman- 0:00
She Hangs Out- 2:36
The Door Into Summer- 5:35
Love Is Only Sleeping- 8:26
Cuddly Toy- 10:55
Words- 13:36
Hard To Believe- 16:33
What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?- 19:09
Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky- 22:20
Pleasant Valley Sunday- 22:47
Daily Nightly- 26:03
Don't Call On Me- 28:36
Star Collector- 31:29