Why The Monkees’ Davy Jones Was There When The Beatles Recorded ‘Revolution 1’

TL;DR:

• The Monkees’ Davy Jones was present during the recording of The Beatles’ “Revolution 1.”
• Peter Tork worked on George Harrison’s first solo album, Wonderwall Music.
• A writer explained why members of the Prefab Four crossed paths with the Fab Four so much.

The Monkees‘ Davy Jones was there during the recording of The Beatles’ “Revolution 1.” During an interview, a writer explained why he was present for the recording. The writer revealed the Fab Four had many connections to the Prefab Four.

The Monkees’ Davy Jones was there when The Beatles recorded ‘Revolution 1’ and Micky Dolenz spent time with Paul McCartney

Andrew Sandoval is the author of The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation. During a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, he revealed The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith spent time at John Lennon’s home while Micky Dolenz spent time at Paul McCartney’s home. “The Beatles had no reason to invite these people into their homes other than they seemed to really like them,” Sandoval said. 

Sandoval discussed other connections between the two bands. “That’s another interesting story,” he said. “Why did George Harrison get Peter Tork to play banjo on his first solo work, Wonderwall [Music]? Why is Davy Jones at the sessions for ‘Revolution 1?’ It wasn’t because The Beatles needed The Monkees. It was because they liked them.” 

Andrew Sandoval discussed how The Beatles and The Byrds reacted to The Monkees

Sandoval said the Prefab Four were received warmly. “They were internally liked by a lot of people,” he said. “It was more accepted than is known.”

While The Beatles and The Monkees were often compared to each other, Sandoval said there was no enmity between the groups. “The hip, outer world thought, ‘The Beatles must hate these guys’ or ‘The Byrds must hate these guys,'” he said. “But Michael Nesmith was onstage with The Byrds in 1968, playing steel guitar.”

How ‘Revolution 1’ and ‘The White Album’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Revolution 1” is not the same song as “Revolution.” The former is a slower non-single that appeared on The White Album while “Revolution” is a hard rock song that became a single. The White Album topped the Billboard 200 for nine weeks, staying on the chart for a total of 215 weeks.

“Revolution 1” was not a single in the United Kingdom either. According to The Official Charts Company, The White Album was a much more modest hit in the U.K. than it was in the U.S. In the former, the album was No. 1 for eight weeks, remaining on the chart for 37 weeks altogether.

“Revolution 1” was not a hit for The Beatles but it has an interesting connection to Jones.