Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart was a supergroup, consisting of songwriting/performing duo Boyce and Hart and two members of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones. Boyce and Hart had written many of the Monkees' biggest hits, such as "Last Train to Clarksville" and "(Theme From) The Monkees". The group existed only for a short time in 1976, recording one eponymous album.
Background The group was called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart because they were legally prohibited from using the name "The Monkees". Former Monkees members Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork—both of whom had left the Monkees before their final album, Changes (1970)—were also invited to join the supergroup, but both declined.
Dolenz and Jones had been the only two members of the Monkees to contribute to Changes. As such, and because of Boyce and Hart's close songwriting ties to the Monkees, several publications, such as Allmusic, consider Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart to be a de facto Monkees reunion album, without the rights to the Monkees name. Most of the musicians that appear on the album were featured on Monkees albums in the past. A majority of the vocals are performed by Dolenz and Jones, with Boyce and Hart contributing backing vocals and the occasional lead vocal, such as Hart on "I Love You (And I'm Glad That I Said It)". Although the album failed to make much of an impact when originally released, renewal of interest in the Monkees led to its reissue on compact disc in 2005.[ Allmusic entry for Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.] Retrieved January 2010.
During their concert tour promoting the album, Tork joined Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart onstage for a guest appearance at Disneyland on July 4, 1976. Later that year, Tork reunited with Jones and Dolenz in the studio for the recording of the single "Christmas Is My Time of the Year" b/w "White Christmas", which saw a limited release for fan club members that holiday season. A promotional live album, Concert in Japan, was released in 1981.
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart
Track listing
Personnel
Micky Dolenz – vocals, guitar, percussion, drums, keyboards Davy Jones – vocals Tommy Boyce – vocals, guitar Bobby Hart – vocals, keyboards
Additional musicians Henry Diltz – banjo Skip Edwards – keyboards Joey Carbone – keyboards Neil Norman – guitar, Moog synthesizer Chip Douglas – guitar Cyrus Faryar – guitar Jerry Yester – guitar Louie Shelton – guitar Jeffrey Staton – guitar Michael Staton – guitar Keith Allison – bass Jerry Summers – drums Jim Helmer – drums Emil Richards – percussion Daniel Catherine – effects
Technical Tommy Boyce – producer Bobby Hart – producer Jimmie Haskell – string arrangements David Hassinger – engineer Sergio Reye – engineer Ron Hicklin – vocal director Larry Michael White – photography
Concert in Japan
Track listing
Personnel Micky Dolenz – vocals, guitar Davy Jones – vocals Tommy Boyce – vocals, guitar Bobby Hart – vocals
Additional musicians Keith Allison – guitar, vocals (lead on "Action") Steve Johnson – keyboards Rick Tierny – bass Jerry Summers – drums
Technical Micky Dolenz – producer Davy Jones – producer Tommy Boyce – producer Bobby Hart – producer John Palladino – executive producer
References