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TL;DR:

  • Peter Tork said The Monkees never heard their second album before it was released.
  • He said the back cover of the album was “infuriating.”
  • One of the songs from the album hit No. 1. in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz at a piano
The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Peter Tork had issues with The Monkees‘ second album, More of the Monkees. He said the back cover of the album was “infuriating.” Despite this, the album became a chart juggernaut and spawned two popular singles.

The Monkees wore J.C. Penney on 1 of their album covers

During a 2016 interview with Las Vegas Weekly, Tork discussed the album More of the Monkees. “We were on the road, and somebody bought a copy of the second album and brought it across the street to the hotel where we were,” he recalled.

“There we were, looking at this album, and we had never heard it through,” he added. “I’d never heard some of the cuts. And they used a cover shot where we were posing for a commercial tie-in for J.C. Penney.”

Peter Tork said The Monkees’ music supervisor ‘had no idea what he was doing’

Tork was upset that Don Kirshner, The Monkees’ music supervisor, appeared on the album’s back cover. “On the back is Don Kirshner, congratulating himself for spotting good talent in songwriting,” Tork said. “It was just infuriating. Don had no idea what he was doing.”

Tork and Mike Nesmith were upset. “Micky and Davy didn’t care as much, because they grew up in the tradition of actors,” he recalled. “They’d get records made for them, and they’d stand behind the mic and sing. But Michael and I were into The Beatles, where the idea was that you create your own songs and you thrash out the songs in the studio.”

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How the album and its singles performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

More of the Monkees became a massive hit. It topped the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks, staying on the chart for 96 weeks. Two tracks from the album became hits. “I’m a Believer” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, staying on the chart for 15 weeks altogether. Meanwhile, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” reached No. 20 and lasted eight weeks on the chart.

The Official Charts Company reports More of the Monkees became a hit in the United Kingdom as well. The album topped the U.K. chart for two weeks, remaining on the chart for 25 weeks altogether. Meanwhile, “I’m a Believer” topped the chart in the U.K., becoming the group’s only chart-topper there.

Tork and Nesmith had issues with More of the Monkees — but the album became a huge success.

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