The Monkees are coming back to vinyl with the next release from Run Out Groove!  Today, the label announced that its next fan-voted title will be the 1966 debut of Micky, Davy, Michael, and Peter.  It will arrive as a deluxe 2-LP set featuring an entire disc of new-to-vinyl bonus tracks (including two previously unissued tracks and four previously unissued mixes).  Kevin Gray and Andrew Sandoval have cut the lacquers directly from the original analog master tapes.

Though The Monkees didn’t organically come together as a band, they ended up as one – a triumphant rock-and-roll story. While The Monkees features Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith, and Tork primarily as vocalists, the LP boasts songs written and produced by Nesmith, plus instrumental contributions from Tork. Producers Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and entrepreneur/mastermind Don Kirshner, weren’t yet ready to hand over creative freedom to their charges, but they certainly surrounded The Monkees with the best. Boyce provided seven compositions – six with Bobby Hart and one with Steve Venet, including “(Theme from) The Monkees,” “I Wanna Be Free” and the No. 1 smash “Last Train to Clarksville.” The album also has tunes from Nesmith (“Papa Gene’s Blues”) David Gates (“Saturday’s Child”), Carole King and Gerry Goffin (“Take a Giant Step,” “Sweet Young Thing,” co-written with Nesmith) and Goffin and Russ Titelman (“I’ll Be True to You”). The cream of the crop from the L.A. Wrecking Crew brought their considerable skills to the album, too, including Glen Campbell, James Burton, Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, Jim Gordon, Al Casey and Mike Deasy. Upon its release, The Monkees spent 78 weeks on the Billboard chart – thirteen of those at No. 1. It’s still one hell of a record.

The first disc of ROG’s upcoming edition features the original stereo album.  The second disc has 14 additional tracks including a never-before-released radio spot and the Take 5 demo of “I Wanna Be Free” plus previously unreleased mixes of “(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love,” “So Goes Love,” “I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind,” and “I Don’t Think You Know Me.”  A number of TV versions from The Monkees’ acclaimed sitcom make their debut on vinyl here including “(Theme From) The Monkees,” “You Just May Be the One,” “Take a Giant Step,” and “Saturday’s Child.”

The Monkees will be pressed on two 180-gram vinyl LPs and housed in a tip-on-style gatefold jacket with new liner notes from band historian and manager Andrew Sandoval as well as never-before-published photos.  Pre-orders are open now, and will be accepted through November 9 only.

It’s also time to vote for the next ROG release.  Three new titles are up for the vote here (with descriptions provided by ROG):

Belly – Bees: Vote for alternative rockers led by former Throwing Muses/Breeders member Tanya Donelly and ROG will create a new 2LP collection of rare B-sides, most of which have never been collected on wax before.

Sinéad O’Connor – Faith And Courage: Vote for Ms. O’Connor’s Atlantic debut and ROG will issue this album on vinyl for the first time and press on colored vinyl.

Marvelous 3 – Hey! Album: Vote for ’90s rock band fronted by Butch Walker and ROG will issue this album on vinyl for the first time and add non-LP bonus tracks.

You’ll find the track listing and pre-order link for The Monkees below.  The first 1,000 orders will be pressed on limited translucent yellow vinyl.

The Monkees, The Monkees (Colgems COS-101, 1966 – reissued Run Out Groove, 2020)

Side A

1. (Theme From) The Monkees (stereo mix) 2:20
2. Saturday’s Child (stereo mix) 2:44
3. I Wanna Be Free (stereo mix) 2:25
4. Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day (stereo mix) 2:41
5. Papa Gene’s Blues (stereo mix) 2:01
6. Take A Giant Step (stereo mix) 2:37

Side B

1. Last Train To Clarksville (stereo mix) 2:47
2. This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day (stereo mix) 2:08
3. Let’s Dance On (stereo mix) 2:30
4. I’ll Be True To You (stereo mix) 2:49
5. Sweet Young Thing (stereo mix) 1:56
6. Gonna Buy Me A Dog (stereo mix) 2:39

Side C

1. The Monkees (radio spot) (previously unissued) 2:12
2. (Theme From) The Monkees (TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 0:50
3. This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day (mono TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 2:14
4. All The King’s Horses (mono TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 2:12
5. I Wanna Be Free (fast version – mono TV mix) (unissued on vinyl) 2:38
6. You Just May Be The One (mono TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 1:54
7. Take A Giant Step (mono TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 2:29

Side D

1. (Theme From) The Monkees (second version) (unissued on vinyl) 0:50
2. Saturday’s Child (mono TV version) (unissued on vinyl) 2:26
3. I Don’t Think You know Me (2014 remix) (previously unissued) 2:29
4. So Goes Love (2020 remix) (previously unissued) 3:26
5. I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind (2014 remix) (previously unissued) 2:50
6. (I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love (2020 remix) (previously unissued) 2:58
7. I Wanna Be Free (demo – take 5) (previously unissued) 1:00​