UPDATE HISTORY
2019
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 30:
Added yesterday's Black Friday Record Store Day double single release:
Went back and annotated the Colgems 8-track, reel to reel and cassette sections
adding in the exact weekly issue of Billboard, Cash Box & Record World
where it mentions the release date for each of these.
Also noted if there is no mention at all, and in those cases
I just use the year it was released.
NOVEMBER 26:
Updated my Colgems/RCA 8-track pages with new photos.
I recently acquired the Lear Jet version of their debut album
and "Headquarters" in the hard shell case:
Come to find out the original design of "The Monkees" came with a clear plastic bottom tray.
How did I not know that? Well, I've never really collected or studied them,
just picking some up here and there, but after a few months of research
l created this page with a brief history of the 8-tracks as they evolved from hard shell cases
to eventually paperboard slipcovers.
Integrated the Lear Jet and Twin Pack sections into the two main sections:
Hard Shell Cases and Paperboard Sleeves,
which makes it easier to track the releases over the years.
RCA debuted the 8-track in 1965 so when the Monkees came along in 1966
they got to be a part of the original design and as the cases/cartridges evolved
over the next few years, each release mirrored these changes.
Which makes for many variations...
I count 20 possible (all release combined)
including the RCA Music Club releases.
A list of known variations for all 8-tracks:
The Monkees
clear bottom tray
white bottom tray with label
updated case/cart with Colgems symbol
More of the Monkees
white bottom tray with label
updated case/cart with Colgems symbol
Twin pack (TM & MOTM)
white bottom tray with label
updated case/cart with Colgems symbol
RCA music club paperboard slipcover
Headquarters
hard shell case
paperboard slipcover
(since this paperboard slipcover exists, were the other hard shell cases also reissued with a slipcover?)
Pisces
hard shell case
RCA music club paperboard slipcover
Twin Pack (HQ & Pisces)
hard shell case
(unknown if this was reissued in a paperboard slipcover)
Birds
hard shell case
Head
paperboard slipcover
Instant Replay
paperboard slipcover
Greatest Hits
paperboard slipcover
Present
paperboard slipcover
Changes
paperboard slipcover
Barrel Full of Monkees
paperboard slipcover
NOVEMBER 17:
Created a page for the new release Cosmic Partners: The McCabe's Tapes:
More pictures to follow, as I get them...
NOVEMBER 16:
Promo from Ecuador for "A Little Bit Me..."
Created a new page for the Japanese 3 inch "8 Ban Record" label
and the two releases they had for the Monkees.
NOVEMBER 12:
Just announced a new tour for next April; this time
bringing them back to Texas.
I had planned to see them on the 2018 tour; traveling to New Jersey for the concert,
but it was cancelled and then rescheduled 9 months later
and I couldn't make that date work. So very excited for this new opportunity!
Also just announced "The Mike & Micky Show Live" CD to be released on April 3, 2020.
From the press release:
"The Live CD was produced by Monkees archivist Andrew Sandoval
and mixed by Christian Nesmith. The album includes 24 tracks culled
from performances throughout March 2019 of the previous tour.
Fans who purchase concert tickets will automatically receive the album
either as a digital download or a physical CD."
More Tour coverage:
Monkees Almanac
Rolling Stone
NOVEMBER 9:
Completed the updates for the Rhino reissue series from the 90's.
Today I added the last of the sealed copies with the original hype stickers.
Previously I had added the promo stamps and all the music club pressings.
These were also pressed in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe,
though the Canadian ones may have just been music club only versions.