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May 20, 2016 The Monkees By Christopher Roberts

The Monkees are releasing a new album, Good Times! on May 27 via Rhino. What makes it noteworthy is that the lyrics have been written by Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, and Rogue Wave’s Zach Rogue, among others. Now the band have shared “Me & Magdalena,” which was written by Gibbard and features lead vocals by The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith. NPR premiered the ballad, which definitely sounds like a Gibbard composition and can be streamed below.

NPR also spoke to Gibbard about working with The Monkees and here’s what he had to say: “Before The Beatles, before The Velvet Underground and before punk and/or indie rock, The Monkees were the first band I truly loved. Their albums were always on in our home when I was a kid (especially Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.), and I learned to sing alongside them. I spent countless hours in front of the TV in the ‘80s watching Monkees reruns wishing I could climb through the screen and be in the show with them. They made being in a band seem so fun - and goddammit, it should be! For these reasons and a million others, I can say with absolutely zero hyperbole that contributing ‘Me & Magdalena’ to this album has been the greatest honor of my career.”

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne produced the album. Davy Jones died of a heart attack in 2012, but the album features contributions from surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork. The album also includes some songs previously written for The Monkees in the 1960s, but never released. One of those songs is the title track, which was written by Harry Nilsson and also features vocals by the late singer in what will be a duet with Dolenz. Then there’s Neil Diamond‘s “Love to Love,” which was recorded in the 1960s and features the vocals of Jones. Also included is Boyce and Hart’s “Whatever’s Right,” Carole King’s “Wasn’t Born to Follow,” and a new song by Nesmith, “I Know What I Know.” Good Times! is timed to the band’s 50th anniversary.

Previously the band had shared a comic book-inspired lyric video for Rivers Cuomo’s contribution, “She Makes Me Laugh,” and you can watch that here.

The Monkees Tour Dates:

May 20 - Tampa, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
May 21 - Atlanta, GA @ Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater
May 24 - Charlotte, NC @ Blumenthal PAC - Belk Theater
May 26 - Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
May 27 - Boston, MA @ The Wilbur Theatre
May 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theatre
May 29 - Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theatre
June 1 - New York, NY @ The Town Hall
June 3 - Toronto, ON @ Casino Rama
June 4 - Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
June 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Hard Rock Live Northfield Park
June 7 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Foellinger Theatre
June 10 - Louisville, KY @ Louisville Palace Theatre
June 11 - Hammond, IN @ The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
June 12 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
June 14 - Dayton, OH @ Rose Music Center at The Heights
June 28 - Dallas, TX @ AT&T PAC - Winspear Opera House
June 30 - Tulsa, OK @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
July 1 - Mayetta, KS @ Prairie Band Casino & Resort
July 16 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
July 22 - Hot Springs, AR @ Oaklawn Racing and Gaming
September 14 - Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theater
September 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center
September 16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Pantages Theatre
September 17 - Las Vegas, NV @ Primm Valley Casino Resorts
September 20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
September 21 - Modesto, CA @ Gallo Center For The Arts
September 23 & 24 - Lincoln City, OR @ Chinook Winds Casino Resort
September 25 - Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre
October 1 - Biloxi, MS @ Hard Rock Live
October 22 - Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
October 29 - Shippensburg, PA @ H. Ric Luhrs PAC