Records, CDs and Music:

Let me take you back to the dark ages.  An age before cell phones, the Internet, Google and most especially an age before social media.

I know it may be hard to imagine now but once upon a time we old folks had to rely on the post office and physical media such as mail to get news of well practically anything. 

In my last post I took a brief look at The Monkees comeback in 1986 and inferred that it was a much different time to be a Monkees fan before 1986. The years from 1976 to 1986 specifically were what I would now call the dark ages in comparison to the instant world of communication we have in the modern world.

After my last blog post I stumbled upon a box of old fan club letters from the late 1970s/early ’80s and thought it might be fun to see what it was like to be a Monkees fan back then and how hard it was to get information about the group and its members without the media exposure after the 1986 Monkees resurgence.

During those Monkees desert years, as I like to call them, I was a member of three Monkees or Monkees related fan clubs:

The David Jones Fan Club

The Monkee, Boyce & Hart Action Club

The Monkees Unofficial Fan Club

When I first started writing to these clubs I was ten years old and I was a member of them probably until I was in early high school. Not only did you get the most current news on the by then solo Monkees activities but one also got to order older memorabilia cheaply as well as various photos, books and any other current solo group material.

I remember ordering Davy Jones 1978 UK single on Warner Bros. Records called “(Hey Ra Ra Ra) Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse”, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz “The Point” MCA UK album also from 1978 (see both below) as well as Micky Dolenz’ 1979 UK single “Love Light/Alicia” on Chrysalis Records.

(Note: the “Love Light/Alicia” came cracked in half so I never actually heard these songs until the 7a Records CD issue of Micky Dolenz’ “The MGM Singles Collection”)

I even managed to get some audience live recordings on cassette from a complete Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz appearance at Rum Point from July 1977. While very lo-fi I have transferred this show to CD and it sounds pretty decent actually. Micky Dolenz sister Coco also appears with them and it’s a fun listen.

(Note 2: see my earlier blog post called “Monkees in the ‘7o’s – Solo Monkees/Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart – Artifacts, Music ands Rarities” for photos I purchased from these fan clubs)

At that time is was also pretty difficult to track down Monkees records as well as they were out of print by then (barring the 1976 release of “The Monkees Greatest Hits” on Arista Records) and used copies were hard to locate as I didn’t drive at that time and my local record stores didn’t have much Monkees recordings to chose from as well.

The main thing I remember about these fan club newsletters is that they did a very nice job of keeping you up on Monkees activities new and old and I absolutely loved getting them. Back then there was really no other outlet for Monkees news as the teen magazines had long past left The Monkees behind and Rolling Stone type magazines ignored the group as they were seen as completely uncool.

It’s amazing to me how much the Monkee revival of 1986 changed not only The Monkees media profile but it cemented their stature in pop culture. They were no longer seen as untalented has-beens but a very talented group of performers who produced some of the best pop music of the 1960s.

Anyway, this blog was just a brief reminder of how much the Internet has changed the way people find information and how much of a lifeline these fan clubs were to Monkees fans of the late 1970s/early ’80s.

Take a look at the photos above and below to see some of the newsletters as well as some of the vinyl I got that was advertised for sale in these letters.

That’s all for now. 

I hope your happy, well and healthy. See you soon and I hope you’re enjoying the pre-summer sun!