Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
Studio album by The Monkees
Released November 6, 1967
Recorded 1967
Genre Pop rock, psychedelic pop
Length 33:00
Label Colgems (original US release)
RCA Victor (original release—rest of the world)
Arista (1980 Japanese LP reissue + 1986 CD reissue)
Rhino (1986 LP reissue + 1995 & 2007 CD reissues)
Sundazed (1996 LP reissue)
Producer Chip Douglas
The Monkees chronology
Headquarters
(1967)
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
(1967)
The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees
(1968)
Singles from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
  1. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" / "Words"
    Released: July 10, 1967
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
MusicHound[2]
Record Collector[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
The Wire(favorable)

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. is the fourth album by the Monkees, released on November 6, 1967, when the Monkees were exerting more control over their music and actually playing many of the instruments themselves, something their record company had previously forbidden.

History

The group did employ studio musicians to a greater extent than their previous album, Headquarters, on which the four musicians played almost entirely on their own. Guitarist Michael Nesmith is heard vocally on this album more than ever before, singing lead on five cuts; conversely, Micky Dolenz sings lead on only three tracks after dominating the group's first three albums. The album's single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday"/"Words", was a double-sided hit.

The album was the earliest to make use of the Moog synthesizer, which Dolenz introduced to the group and played in the studio; he owned one of the first twenty ever sold.[5] Along with the Doors' September 1967 album Strange Days and Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends the following year, Pisces was one of the first commercial recordings featuring the Moog to reach a wide audience. Dolenz plays the synthesizer on "Daily Nightly" and "Love Is Only Sleeping" (as seen in season 2) while electronic musician Paul Beaver plays the Moog on "Star Collector."

Two additional songs, which eventually became the single "Daydream Believer"/"Goin' Down", were recorded during the album sessions. Released in October 1967 as a prelude to the Pisces album, it would be the group's last #1 single.

The album's title stems from each band member's respective astrological sign (Dolenz is Pisces, Peter Tork is Aquarius, and both Nesmith and Davy Jones are Capricorn). However, since Nesmith and Jones share the same sign and birthday (December 30), Jones' last name was placed at the end of the title to avoid confusion. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sold more than three million copies.

The album's cover features a drawing by Bernard Yezsin of the four Monkees, their facial features blank, standing in a field of flowers with the group's guitar logo half-buried. The drawing was based on a photo of the group Yezsin had taken.

In 2007, Rhino issued a two-disc deluxe edition of the album. The CD set featured original album artwork (including replicas of the original Colgems vinyl labels on each disc), as well as a booklet of essays and session information by Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval. The discs contain both the stereo and mono mixes of the album, remastered, as well as alternate mixes and outtakes.

Aborted single

"Love is Only Sleeping" / "Daydream Believer"
The original single to precede the album was canceled due to fears that the title of the A-side might be too risqué. "Daydream Believer" was chosen instead as the A side with "Goin' Down" (which had no risqué connotations in 1967) placed on the B side.

Track listing

Original 1967 Colgems vinyl issue

Side 1
  1. "Salesman" (Craig Vincent Smith) – 2:37
  2. "She Hangs Out" (Jeff Barry) – 2:57
  3. "The Door into Summer" (Chip Douglas, Bill Martin) – 2:49
  4. "Love Is Only Sleeping" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) – 2:31
  5. "Cuddly Toy" (Harry Nilsson) – 2:38
  6. "Words" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) – 2:52
Side 2
  1. "Hard to Believe" (David Jones, Kim Capli, Eddie Brick, Charlie Rockett) – 2:37
  2. "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" (Michael Martin Murphey, Owen Castleman) – 3:09
  3. "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky" (Peter Tork) – 0:27
  4. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 3:15
  5. "Daily Nightly" (Michael Nesmith) – 2:33
  6. "Don't Call on Me" (Nesmith, John London) – 2:51
  7. "Star Collector" (Goffin, King) – 4:28

1995 Rhino CD reissue

Tracks 1–13: Original album in stereo

  1. Special Announcement – 0:36
  2. "Goin' Down" (Micky Dolenz, Jones, Tork, Diane Hilderbrand, Nesmith) (Alternate mix) – 4:46
  3. "Salesman" (Smith) (Alternate mix) – 2:37
  4. "The Door into Summer" (Douglas, Martin) (Alternate mix) – 2:52
  5. "Love Is Only Sleeping" (Mann, Weil) (Alternate mix) – 2:32
  6. "Daily Nightly" (Nesmith) (Alternate mix) – 2:31
  7. "Star Collector" (Goffin, King) (Alternate mix) – 4:52

1996 Sundazed vinyl reissue

Bonus tracks at the end of Side 1:
"The Door into Summer" (Alternate mix) (Douglas, Martin)
"Love is Only Sleeping" (Alternate mix) (Mann, Weil)

Bonus tracks at the end of Side 2:
"Daily Nightly" (Alternate mix) (Nesmith)
"Goin' Down" (Alternate mix)[6] (Dolenz, Tork, Hilderbrand, Jones, Nesmith)

2007 Rhino deluxe CD reissue

Disc One

Tracks 1–13: Original Album in Stereo

  1. "Goin' Down" (Stereo Mix) (Dolenz, Tork, Hilderbrand, Jones, Nesmith) – 4:28
  2. "Salesman" (Alternate Stereo Mix) (Smith) – 3:08
  3. "She Hangs Out" (Alternate Stereo Mix) (Barry) – 3:36
  4. "Love is Only Sleeping" (Alternate Mix) (Mann, Weill) – 2:52
  5. "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" (Alternate Mix) (Murphey, Castleman) – 3:21
  6. "Star Collector" (Alternate Stereo Mix) (Goffin, King) – 5:03
  7. "Riu Chiu" (TV Version) (Traditional) – 1:32
Disc Two

Tracks 1–13: Original Album in Mono

  1. Special Announcement – 0:39
  2. "Salesman" (Alternate Mono Mix) (Smith) – 2:35
  3. "Cuddly Toy" (Alternate Mix) (Nilsson) 3:02
  4. "Goin' Down" (Mono Single Version) (Dolenz, Tork, Hilderbrand, Jones, Nesmith) – 4:25
  5. "The Door into Summer" (2007 Remastered Alternate Mix) (Douglas, Martin) – 2:54
  6. "Daily Nightly" (Alternate Mix) (Nesmith) – 2:31
  7. "Star Collector" (Alternate Mix) (Goffin, King) – 4:47

Aborted track listing

The original track lineup for the album, compiled on October 9, 1967, included the following songs:[7]

Side 1
  1. "Special Announcement"
  2. "She Hangs Out"
  3. "Salesman"
  4. "Cuddly Toy"
  5. "Words"
  6. "Don't Call on Me"
  7. "Goin' Down"
Side 2
  1. "The Door Into Summer"
  2. "Hard to Believe"
  3. "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"
  4. "Daily Nightly"
  5. "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky"
  6. "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
  7. "Star Collector"

Session information

"Salesman"

"She Hangs Out"

"The Door into Summer"

"Love Is Only Sleeping"

"Cuddly Toy"

"Words"

"Hard To Believe"

"What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"

"Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky"

"Pleasant Valley Sunday"

"Daily Nightly"

"Don't Call on Me"

"Star Collector"

1994 Bonus tracks

"Special Announcement"

"Goin' Down" (Extended Mono Mix)

Salesman (Alternate Mono Mix)

"The Door Into Summer" (Alternate Mono Mix)

"Love is Only Sleeping" (Early Mix)

"Daily Nightly" (Early Mix)

"Star Collector" (Extended Mix)

Personnel

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Peak
Position
1967 Billboard 200 1[8]
1986 Billboard 200 140[8]

The album also reached #5 in the UK best-sellers, as of 2015 this is their final top ten album there.

Single

Year Single Chart Peak
Position
1967 "Words" Billboard Hot 100 11[8]
1967 "Pleasant Valley Sunday" Billboard Hot 100 3[8]

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[9] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. "The Monkees Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.". AllMusic. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  2. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 774. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  3. "Record Collector | The Monkees – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd | Album Review". Recordcollectormag.com. May 19, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  4. Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 553. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. "Moog Modular Systems". moogarchives.com. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  6. stevehoffman.tv
  7. Monkees, The, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd., Rhino Records, 1995, liner notes
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.- Charts and Awards". Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  9. "American album certifications – The Monkees – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 24, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Preceded by
Diana Ross and The Supremes Greatest Hits
by The Supremes
Billboard 200 number-one album
December 2, 1967 – January 5, 1968
Succeeded by
Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles
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