An album of “lost” songs by Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz has been released after fans discovered down the master tapes.

The songs were recorded just after the Monkees split up in 1970. The master tapes were believed to have been lost long ago, but the persistence of TV presenter Iain Lee led to them being uncovered via an online campaign.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, Iain Lee explained: “It’s been a five-year project to make this happen. And it’s finally here. It’s a proper record. A lot of this stuff came out as singles after the Monkees split up and they sold about seven copies.”

The Monkees were one of the most successful groups of the 1960s, with singles including I’m a Believer, Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You. The Monkees back catalogue has truly stood the test of time, although in the 1960s and early 1970s the band was discredited and dismissed as “bubblegum pop” due their artificial formation ( the Monkees were assembled for a TV show and prevented from playing on their early singles ).

Although the Monkees railed at their manufactured image, it haunted them even after the group disbanded. Iain Lee explains: “The thing with the Monkees when they split up is they had no respect. No-one knew how to categorise them. Even Micky Dolenz didn’t know what he was. Was he an actor? Was he a drummer? He auditioned for the part of the Fonz in Happy Days but came second because they thought, ‘well, he’s a drummer.’ Frank Zappa wanted him to join his band and play drums, but the rest of the band said, ‘we don’t want an actor in there.’ ”

Iain Lee has formed his own record company to issue the recordings, which went on sale last week as Micky Dolenz: The MGM Singles Collection. It features a track, called Daybreak, which was written and produced by Harry Nilsson, best known for hits Everybody’s Talkin’ and Without You. Another track, called Easy On You, was recorded in Micky Dolenz’s home studio and features one of the first ever Moog synthesizers.

It remains to be seen whether Micky Dolenz’s “new” songs have the longevity and generate the same affection, but they will have to go a long way to compete with this Top 5 Best Monkees Songs –

Top 5 Best Monkees Songs

1) Daydream Believer ( No5 1967 )

2) Alternate Title ( No2 1967 )

3) A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You ( No3 1967 )

4) I’m A Believer ( No1 1967 )

5) Pleasant Valley Sunday ( No11 1967 )

Which is your favourite Monkees song and why? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

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