I remember when everyone got turned off of the Monkees because they supposedly faked a lot of the singing and instrument playing during their shows. It was a lighthearted show created to depict the lives of 4 band-members! Its like expecting the cast of ER to really perform actual surgeries! To their credit, they were actually pretty talented, musically...

Actually they never lip synced the songs, well they did on the show but that was because it would have been too much trouble to set everthing up to record the song while taping an episode. They did sing on the first two albums, but were not allowed to play any instruments, but by the third album (Headquarters) they did everything they sang, and played all the instruments. I think it was just a lot of spoiled and jealous people who think that The Monkees got famous too easily, and they resented it. So, they cut them down, and blew the fact that they didn't play on the first two albums way out of proportion.

really the monkees as individuals did pay their dues, mike and peter were struggling musicians, davy had been in the business since he was a kid as had mickey. as a band i really don't think they were any good. I am a huge fan dont get me wrong but if you are a musician and listen to headquarters or watch any of their concert appearences you instantly hear their amateur-ness.

The uproar over the Monkees was the biggest bit of musical hypocricy there was.

Ooh.. .they used Studio Musicians!

Yeah, so did the Beach Boys, Byrds, Beatles, and every other major group of the time.

The idiot critics needed something to complain about, so they made a big deal over that one thing. But, when the Monkees played their own music, did the critics acknowledge that?

Nope.

Catch 22.

Critics are idiots.

-and let us give them credit for learning to play instruments well enough to perform reasonably well at their early concerts.Of course,most could play guitars already-and considering who in the series were more actors and less musicians,it's not surprising that Davy leanred the tamborine and Mickey learned the drums.

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Richard Ranke

Ok.....so I'm a little late on this one....but this board needs some shakin' up. What always gets me is that they bring it up EVERY time the Monkees are mentioned, like, HELLO......what do all the no-talent people do? Do they play? No. Most just dance around on stage and sing. And even if the Monkees or whoever did lip-sync on video, what do u think they do on music videos today???

:) look people weather the monkees lip sync or not with at all i think is just plan bull! the monkees were a real band they just had a hard time proveing it to people but either way i really don't care i wouldn't care if they couldn't carry a tune in a bucket (a true fan wouldn't) ;) so before you all go dissing the monkees or whatever think about how great the all were and respect that!