BUY NOW FROM MONKEES.COM
The Monkees’ fourth album is returning today in two different formats: an audiophile-quality vinyl pressing sourced from the original stereo tapes for the first time and a 4CD/1-7″ super deluxe box set loaded with over 100 tracks, many of which are previously unreleased.
1967’s Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. found Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork taking advantage of the hard-won freedom they’d earned with Headquarters. Sessions began in April 1967, less than two weeks after Headquarters had been completed and the second season of the group’s sitcom had begun filming. The result was one of their most musically varied albums – possibly their most varied – with songs by established songwriters, up-and-comers, and their own Michael Nesmith. Though Chip Douglas and drummer Eddie Hoh did join the group along with various string, wind, and horn players, the four Monkees all played on the LP and selected its songs.
Over four months before the album’s release, it was previewed by “Pleasant Valley Sunday” on 45 RPM. The pulsating Carole King/Gerry Goffin rocker acerbically commented on the suburban setting to which the couple had relocated (on seemingly bucolic Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, New Jersey). Persuasively sung by Micky Dolenz with a killer guitar riff devised by producer Chip Douglas and played by Nesmith, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” was a biting slice of pop bliss. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and set the stage for the full album named for the group members’ astrological signs. (Dolenz is Pisces, Tork was Aquarius, and both Jones and Nesmith were Capricorn.)
Mike Nesmith made the biggest impression on the album, taking the lead on five songs including Craig Smith’s trippy opener “Salesman,” Chip Douglas and Bill Martin’s folk-rock anti-war lament “The Door Into Summer,” Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil’s dreamy “Love Is Only Sleeping,” his own ballad “Don’t Call on Me” (co-written with John London), and Michael Martin Murphey and Boomer Castleman’s surging country rocker, “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round.” Nesmith additionally penned “Daily Nightly,” a Moog-flecked meditation on the Sunset Strip riots, sung by Micky Dolenz. Davy Jones shone on Harry Nilsson’s cheerfully subversive “Cuddly Toy” as well as with Goffin and King’s timely meditation on a Hollywood “Star Collector” and Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller’s bubblegum rocker “She Hangs Out.” His own “Hard to Believe” was a soft pop standout. Stalwarts Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart supplied the group with the garage-style nugget “Words,” featuring another full-throated Dolenz lead.
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. proved innovative, with one of pop’s first ever appearances of the Moog on both “Daily Nightly” and “Star Collector.” (Dolenz played it on the former, while Paul Beaver handled it on the latter.) The country-rock fusion on “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round” (with electric banjo played by Doug Dillard) anticipated Nesmith’s future sojourns into the hybrid genre as well as later such efforts by The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
BUY NOW FROM RHINO.COM
Rhino’s beautiful new audiophile vinyl edition, as part of the label’s Rhino High Fidelity series, has been cut from the original analog tapes – the first such vinyl edition to be sourced, unaltered, from the 1967 stereo master. AAA-cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, it preserves the sound of the original recordings without the additional reverb and compression present on the 1967 Colgems pressings. Rest assured, though, that this isn’t tampering with history. Andrew Sandoval and Kevin Gray have assured that the album’s dynamics and varied sonics are all intact on this quiet pressing which brings out the detail in the band’s increasingly psychedelic oeuvre. It’s limited to 5,000 copies and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, and the heavyweight jacket includes a four-page color insert with Sandoval’s new liner notes which put the music into the full context of the period and The Monkees’ career. For those seeking more of The Monkees (if not More of the Monkees!), the super deluxe edition is sure to set the pulse racing.
This indispensable addition to the band’s catalogue of super deluxe sets follows the 4CD format that is by now familiar to the group’s fans. (The last album to receive this treatment was Headquarters back in late 2022.) The first disc offers the remastered stereo album plus a new 2025 album mix and a couple of bonuses. Disc 2 presents the remastered mono mix (including a unique, slightly different version of “Pleasant Valley Sunday”) and twelve alternative versions including previously unreleased mono mixes and both the TV and single mixes of “Daydream Believer” B-side “Goin’ Down.” The third and fourth CDs take a deep-dive into the sessions with newly-mixed backing tracks and demos plus vintage, new-to-CD TV mixes and session takes, including a couple versions of the Spanish Christmas carol “Riu Chiu” and instrumental demos of Goffin and King’s “A Man Without a Dream.” A bonus single presents previously unissued, alternative mono mixes of “Love Is Only Sleeping” and “Goin’ Down.” A 32-page booklet with Andrew Sandoval’s liner notes is packed with photos and rare memorabilia images; Now Sounds’ Steve Stanley has designed the entire set (including Colgems-style CD labels) with impressive period detail.
Both the High Fidelity LP and 4CD/1-7″ box set are available today from Rhino.com. You’ll find the track listing and order links below!
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (Super Deluxe Edition)Â (Rhino, 2025)
4CD/1-7″: Monkees.com
Rhino High Fidelity LP: Rhino.com
CD 1: The Original Stereo Album…Plus
Salesman
She Hangs Out
The Door Into Summer
Love is Only Sleeping
Cuddly Toy
Words
Hard to Believe
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?
Peter Percival Patterson’s Pet Pig Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daily Nightly
Don’t Call on Me
Star Collector
Special Announcement *
Goin’ Down
Salesman (2025 Stereo Remix) *
She Hangs Out (2025 Stereo Remix) *
The Door Into Summer (Alternate Version) *
Love is Only Sleeping (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Cuddly Toy (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Words (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Hard to Believe (2025 Stereo Remix) *
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round? (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Pleasant Valley Sunday (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Daily Nightly (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Don’t Call on Me (2025 Stereo Remix) *
Star Collector (Alternate 1967 Stereo Mix)
Riu Chiu (Alternate Version) *
CD 2: The Original Mono Album…Plus
Salesman
She Hangs Out
The Door Into Summer
Love is Only Sleeping
Cuddly Toy
Words
Hard to Believe
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?
Peter Percival Patterson’s Pet Pig Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Daily Nightly
Don’t Call on Me
Star Collector
Special Announcement
Salesman (Alternate Mono Mix)
Cuddly Toy (Alternate Mono Mix)
Don’t Call on Me (Alternate Mono Mix) *
Goin’ Down (Alternate Mono Mix)
Star Collector (Alternate Mono Mix) *
The Door Into Summer (Alternate Vocal)
Daily Nightly (Alternate Mono Mix)
Goin’ Down (Unedited TV Mix) *
Love is Only Sleeping (Alternate Mono Mix)
The Door Into Summer (Alternate Mono Mix) *
Goin’ Down (Mono Single Mix)
Star Collector (Alternate Mono Mix) *
CD 3: Sessions…Plus
The Story of Rock and Roll (Version 3 Backing Track) *
I Don’t Know Yet (Backing Track) *
Cuddly Toy (Backing Track) *
Come On In (Version 1 Backing Track) *
Come On In (Version 2 Backing Track) *
The Door Into Summer (Early Version Backing Track) *
Pleasant Valley Sunday (Backing Track) *
Words (LP Version Backing Track) *
Daydream Believer (Backing Track) *
Salesman (Backing Track with Backing Vocals) *
Jam #1 (Backing Track) *
Words (Vocal Session) *
Dailey Nightly (Backing Track) *
Love is Only Sleeping (Backing Track) *
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round? (Backing Track) *
Don’t Call On Me (Backing Track) *
She Hangs Out (Backing Track) *
Goin’ Down (Backing Track) *
Yours Until Tomorrow (Backing Track) *
The Door Into Summer (Alternate Version Backing Track) *
Can You Dig It “Tentatively” (Instrumental Acoustic Demo)
Tear the Top Right Off of My Head (Instrumental Acoustic Demo) *
Untitled (Instrumental Acoustic Demo) *
A Man Without a Dream (Instrumental Acoustic Demo) *
CD 4: Sessions…Plus Alternate Mixes
Pleasant Valley Sunday (2025 Alternate Vocal Mix)
Words (Instrumental with Backing Vocals) *
Star Collector (Alternate Mix) *
Jam #2 (Backing Track) *
She Hangs Out (Alternate Mix) *
Daydream Believer (2025 Stereo Remix) *
A Man Without a Dream (Instrumental Piano Demo) *
Hard to Believe (Backing Track) *
Cuddly Toy (TV Mix) *
Love is Only Sleeping (TV Mix) *
Goin’ Down (TV Version)
Star Collector (TV Mix)
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round? (TV Mix) *
Daydream Believer (TV Mix) *
She Hangs Out (TV Mix) *
Riu Chiu (TV Version)
Salesman (2025 Stereo Remix with Sales Rap) *
Riu Chiu (Alternate Version) *
Daily Nightly (Alternate Stereo Mix)
Riu Chiu (Session *
Riu Chiu (Alternate Take)
Don’t Call on Me (Chatter Session) *
Special Announcement (Session) *
Star Collector (Alternate 1967 Stereo Mix)
7″ Single:Â “Love is Only Sleeping” (Alternate 9/5/1967 Mono Mix) * b/w “Goin’ Down” (Alternate 9/28/1967 Mono Mix) *
Disc 1, Tracks 1-13 released as Colgems LP COS-104, 1967
Disc 1, Track 15; Disc 2, Track 18; and Disc 4, Track 24 released on Monkee Business – Rhino RNLP 701 RE-1, 1986
Disc 1, Track 27; Disc 2, Track 14-15, 18, 20 and 23; and Disc 4, Track 19 released on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. CD reissue – Rhino R2 71793, 1995
Disc 2, Tracks 1-13 released as Colgems LP COM-104, 1967
Disc 2, Track 16 and 21 and Disc 4, Track 16 released on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (Deluxe Edition) – Rhino R2 77767, 2007
Disc 2, Track 23 released on Monkee Flips – Rhino RNLP 113 RE-1, 1986
Disc 2, Track 25 released on “Daydream Believer” single – Colgems 66-1012, 1967
Joe Marchese
JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.
Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat “King” Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.
Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.
Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.