Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
| Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. | ||||
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| Studio album by The Monkees | ||||
| Released | November 6, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:00 | |||
| Label | Colgems | |||
| Producer | Chip Douglas | |||
| The Monkees chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| MusicHound |  |
| Record Collector | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| 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 had started to play many of the instruments themselves, something their record company had previously forbidden.
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 among 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. Along with the Doors' September 1967 album Strange Days, Their Satanic Majesties Request by the Rolling Stones in December, and the Byrds' January 1968 album The Notorious Byrd Brothers, 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.
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Wikipedia