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When the Beatles met the Monkees

2/23/2016

In 1967, The Monkees were at the height of their fame. They were selling millions of records, had a hit TV series and were the idols of millions across the globe. They were naturally keen to meet the group that had made the 60's start swinging.

Monday 6th February: Micky meets Paul McCartney at a London disco and is invited back to McCartney's house in St John's Wood. Paul treats Micky to previews of 'Penny Lane' and Strawberry Fields Forever'. He also entertains Micky by playing a left-handed sitar. They later travel to Brian Epstein's flat to watch films of the Spencer Davis group and Cream. Later in the month (21st), Micky will attend sessions for Paul's "Fixing A Hole" at the Abbey Road Studios.

“I got dressed up like I was going to a major party — a Beatlemania funfest, freak-out psycho Jell-O thing,” saying he wore “paisley bell-bottoms, tie-dyed underwear, and my hair up in beads and the Lennon glasses. I looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and Charlie Manson. I show up and there’s nobody there except the four guys. The place looks like my high school gymnasium, with fluorescent lighting. And there’s just the four guys, sitting there playing. I was so wiped out. I was, like, ‘Where are the girls?!'” John Lennon greets him with the words, "Hey Monkee Man. Want to hear what we are working on?" Micky also gets to hear a playback of "Good Morning, Good Morning". He later gets permission to use the track on the Dolenz directed episode 'The Frodis Caper', the very last episode of the Monkees TV show - broadcast on March 25th 1968.

Friday 10th February: Mike attends a five-hour recording session at Abbey Road Studio 1 for the Beatles' song 'A Day In The Life'. One take features Mike singing the notes A and E. A short clip of the Monkee sitting with John is later used in the promo for the song. Mike is later invited back to John Lennon's house to listen to acetates from the forthcoming Sgt Pepper album. Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife, later recalled that Mike's wife irritated her by criticising the food she'd prepared for them.