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Following last year’s deluxe box of The Monkees’ Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd., Rhino has announced its first release from the band in 2026. The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees, at long last, brings together on 2 CDs all of the band’s commercial singles originally released between 1966 and 1970, from “Last Train to Clarksville” b/w “Take a Giant Step” through “Oh My My” b/w “I Love You Better.” The set is due from Rhino on January 30. (Some copies ordered directly from Rhino are already shipping.)
The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees is arranged with its 15 A-sides on Disc One and 15 B-sides on Side Two. The As from Messrs. Jones, Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork include songs from Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Neil Diamond, John Stewart, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: the chart-topping “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Daydream Believer,” along with the hits “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” (No. 2), “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (No. 3), “Valleri” (No. 3), and “D.W. Washburn” (No. 19).
The Bs are no less filled with fan favorites, with more compositions from Goffin and King (“Take a Giant Step”), Boyce and Hart (“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “I Wanna Be Free,” “Words”), Mike Nesmith (“The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” “Tapioca Tundra”), and Paul Williams and Roger Nichols (“Someday Man”). The latter features here as the B-side of Nesmith’s charting single “Listen to the Band,” though early pressings have “Someday Man” as the A-side and “Listen” as the flipside. Note that the 1971 Bell single “Do It in the Name of Love” b/w “Lady Jane,” credited to Mickey [sic] Dolenz and Davy Jones, is not included here.
All tracks are heard in their original single mixes, with audio supervised by Bill Inglot and sourced from tape. Longtime Monkees historian (and co-author of the forthcoming The Kinks – All Day and All of the Night: The Day-by-Day Story Part I: 1940-1971 from Beatland Books) Andrew Sandoval has penned comprehensive new liner notes for The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees which appear in the package designed by Steve Stanley. A vinyl edition is also available as part of Rhino’s Start Your Ear Off Right campaign. You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
The Monkees, The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees (Rhino R2 728467, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Disc 1: A-Sides
Last Train to Clarksville
I’m a Believer
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daydream Believer
Valleri
D.W. Washburn
Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)
Tear Drop City
Listen to the Band
Good Clean Fun
Oh My My
Disc 2: B-Sides
Take a Giant Step
(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
The Girl I Knew Somewhere
Words
Goin’ Down
Tapioca Tundra
It’s Nice to Be with You
As We Go Along
A Man Without a Dream
Someday Man
Mommy and Daddy
I Love You Better
Disc 1, Track 1 and Disc 2, Track 1 released as Colgems single 66-1001, 1966. Original versions from The Monkees – Colgems COM/S-101, 1966
Disc 1, Track 2 and Disc 2, Track 2 released as Colgems single 66-1002, 1966. Original versions from More of The Monkees – Colgems COM/S-102, 1967
Disc 1, Track 3 and Disc 2, Track 3 released as Colgems single 66-1004, 1967
Disc 1, Track 4 and Disc 2, Track 4 released as Colgems single 66-1007, 1967. Original versions from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. – Colgems COM/S-104, 1967
Disc 1, Track 5 and Disc 2, Track 5 released as Colgems single 66-1012, 1967. Original version of Disc 1, Track 5 from The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees – Colgems COM/S-109, 1968
Disc 1, Track 6 and Disc 2, Track 6 released as Colgems single 66-1019, 1968. Original versions from The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees
Disc 1, Track 7 and Disc 2, Track 7 released as Colgems single 66-1023, 1968
Disc 1, Track 8 and Disc 2, Track 8 released as Colgems single 66-1031, 1968. Original versions from Head – Colgems COSO-5008, 1968
Disc 1, Track 9 and Disc 2, Track 9 released as Colgems single 66-5000, 1969. Original versions from Instant Replay – Colgems COS-113, 1969
Disc 1, Track 10 and Disc 2, Track 10 released as Colgems single 66-5004, 1969. Original version of Disc 1, Track 10 from The Monkees Present – Colgems COS-117, 1969
Disc 1, Track 11 and Disc 2, Track 11 released as Colgems single 66-5005, 1969. Original versions from The Monkees Present
Disc 1, Track 12 and Disc 2, Track 12 released as Colgems single 66-5011, 1970. Original versions from Changes – Colgems COS-119, 1970