Rant #1,476: Easy On You

Nearly 50 years after the fact, Micky Dolenz has another No. 1 record in his arsenal.

Forever known as the Monkees' drummer and lead singer, Dolenz recently scored a No. 1 record in England with the recent release of his "Micky Dolenz--The MGM Singles Collection" vinyl-only album.

Released by 7A Records (more about them later), Dolenz recorded his latest No. 1 offering, topping Florence+the Machine as the top-selling vinyl album on amazon.com/U.K.

Look, this isn't like topping the Billboard charts, which Dolenz did three times with the Monkees--two as lead vocalist on "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer"--but it still is something amazing in and of itself.

An artist whose heyday was nearly 50 years ago topping one of the hottest of the current acts on any chart? This just doesn't happen too often, but it happened this time.

One of the reasons it probably happened was because a few weeks ago, the only place you could get Dolenz's vinyl release was on amazon.com/U.K., and probably a lot of Americans--like myself--ordered it through that outlet, one which they never would have visited if the record was available through regular music outlets or via amazon.com/U.S.

Whatever the case, 7A Records--a British outfit named after the immortal words that precede Davy Jones' singing on the Monkees' other No. 1 hit, "Daydream Believer"--has jumped on an idea that has pretty much taken off with this record.

The Monkees have been an on again, off again, act since 1966. Yes, they were created by TV executives to act on a show, but later morphed into the most popular band on the planet, topping both the Beatles and Rolling Stones in sales during 1967.

Their TV show has kept the interest alive for several generations now, and their music pretty much is timeless, written by both themselves and the likes of Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, John Stewart, and others.

They continue to be one of the most popular pop/rock acts ever, and their legion of fans is as dedicated to this act as any I have ever seen.

There have been dozens of Monkees reissues, compilations, and even new material released through the ages, but 7A Records took the ball and ran with it.

So, 7A Records postulated, why not do something completely different with the Monkees? Rather then release more compilations, dissect them granually; take a look at them a step away from the Monkees, and see what you can come up with.

This is what they did with this Dolenz release. They took 10 of his recordings away from the Monkees--recorded a few years after the Monkees broke up for the first time--and put them together on a single LP. The tracks aren't really very difficult to find, but 7A Records found the best recordings they could, and they are on this LP.

No, this isn't groundbreaking--heck, I am sure few were clamoring for such an album to happen, as the tracks are available all over, including on YouTube--but for Monkees fans and the curious, this really is a fantastic collection.

Also included is an interview with Dolenz that is on the inside of the LP's gatefold sleeve, where he talks about a period in his musical life that isn't very well know to anyone but real Monkees fans.

7A Records vows other such releases, and there is a treasure trove of stuff out there on the pre- and post-Monkees careers of Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and yes, even Dolenz hasn't been used up yet.

What made this release even more exciting to wait for is that 7A Records used social media to keep everyone up to date on its progression--and they actively kept us up to date, as they answered any and all questions about the release on Facebook.

Looking at the music, it is light, airy, nothing to write home about, but interesting nonetheless because just a few years earlier, Dolenz was one of the most famous musicians on the planet. Here, he really is a struggling musician trying to carve out a solo career that nobody was truly ready for then.

It was fun anticipating this release, and a lot of hard work to put this thing together, but now, having it in my hand, it was all worth it.

Fans of the record have put up selfies profiling the record, and while I won't do that, I will give it a thumb's up as the retro release of the year thus far.

7A Records is looking into making it available on CD, and a digital release, with extra tracks, is expected.

But right now, I am as pleased as I could be to have this LP in my collection, and if interested, check it out on amazon.com, both U.K.and U.S. sites.

You won't be sorry, and yes, as Micky sings on one of the songs included in this LP, it really is "Easy On You."

And it also is the surprise of the year in pop music, as far as I am concerned.