Listen to the Band

About Listen to the Band

"Listen to the Band" is a song by The Monkees that was released on Colgems single #5004 on April 26, 1969. Written by Michael Nesmith, it is the first time Nesmith sang lead vocals on a Monkees A-side single. "Listen to the Band" was first heard on The Monkees television special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee as a live performance with Peter Tork making his last appearance before leaving the Monkees. The one-hour special aired on NBC on April 14, 1969. The song was written during Nesmith's RCA Nashville sessions and was recorded on June 1, 1968. It was completed on December 9, 1968 at RCA studios in Los Angeles with a horn section added to the track (arranged by Shorty Rogers). The revised single went to No. 63 on the Billboard chart. "Listen to the Band" was included on The Monkees record album The Monkees Present, released on Colgems 117 on October 11, 1969. The album version runs 2 minutes and 45 seconds, 15 seconds longer than the single version. The Monkees were by now a trio (Micky Dolenz, Nesmith, and Davy Jones), with Peter Tork having left in December 1968. more »