33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee

33.3 Revolutions Per Monkey was the last project by The Monkees in their original incarnation, a television special intended as the first of a series. Here the plot line is a bizarre self-satire on the group's "pre-fab" formation as told by a maniacal overlord billed as Charles Darwin. The special certainly suffers from its overdose of self-aware psychedelia and its savage self-mockery, but its basic plot is hardly obsolete - fans of the feature film Josie & The Pussycats should recognize The Monkees' plot line quite quickly.

The special features a number of musical pieces, and among the highlights are Micky Dolenz and Julie Driscoll's soulful rendition of "I'm A Believer" (when the two harmonize their voices blend so well it becomes hard to decifier which one belongs to which singer), Mike Nesmith's bifurcated country-rocker "Naked Persimmons," the group's faux-1956 TV special with reallife 50s legends such as Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, and Peter Tork's instrumental on electric organ "Bach's Toccata In D."

Some have attacked the use of 1950s rock legends as second fiddle to Monkees, a grossly unfair attack as The Monkees show a genuine respect for the '50s rock genre in the special that was largely lost in the psychedelia and self-important breast-beating about '60s rock through the latter portion of the decade. That The Monkees have remained as fresh and engaging today as the '50s rock legends who appeared on the special speaks volumes about how wrong-headed Monkey-bashing was and is.

The strengths and weaknesses of the special converge in the group's final 1960s performance as a quartet, Mike Nesmith's country-rock classic "Listen To The Band." The number begins with just The Monkees, with numerous young people entering the area to dance. But other musicians enter in as well and the song degenerates into an ill-advised mishmash; Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll's intervention ruins the piece almost single-handedly. Thus does the old cliché of too many cooks prove itself in what should have been a showcase for The Monkees but instead became a major disappointment that nonetheless was no total loss.

I would have given this a 1, but the most of the Monkees' performances saved it.

What they did with "33 1/3 Revolutions" was done better in "Head". While "33 1/3 Revolutions" had some great music (most notably Peter's keyboard solo and "Listen to the Band"), the story was muddled and less comprehensible. I fast-forwarded through much of this, usually whenever "the wizard" came on and started babbling about whatever. Even the 50's medley was a bit painful to watch.

I understood what they were trying to get at but it just felt like it had "contractual obligation" written all over it, nobody really putting in any effort to make it a better program. Considering the Monkees' history, however, they were probably glad when the entire ordeal was over.

This is the TV special which was the final nail in the coffin for the Prefab Four. Its like the little brother of Head, full-on psychedelia, with great guest appearances from Fats Domino, Jerry Lewis, Little Richard and Clara Wood. A disaster for their career. I liked it quite a bit.

I love 33 1/3, not just because I'm a Monkees fan, but the fact that it is an incredibly thought-worthy show. The Monkees take us through the history of music, as they have lost their identities, becoming Monkees number 1, 2, 3, and 4. Beautiful...marks the departure of Peter Tork from the group, leaving shortly after this was shot. Wonderful music and a blast-out end...I love it!!

One of my biggest regrets is that I'll never get back the 55 minutes I spent watching this. The network was right to run it against the Oscars. It spared most people the excruciation. And I'm normally a Monkees fan. This was their "Magical Mystery Tour".