Overshadowed by the prolific and somewhat dominant Michael Nesmith ( who just happened to title Peter's signature composition "For Pete's Sake"), some of Peter's quirky, folksy, and bluesy gems were initially left unreleased until The Monkees' incredible resurgence in 1986 that ultimately opened the studio vaults. In his heyday, Tork was an inspired but seemingly frustrated songwriter. With a questionable pitch and a lovable but infrequently utilized voice, Peter became the Ringo Starr of The Monkees, an ace in the hole who was lucky to score a single lead vocal on any given album. Peter's singing and songwriting however, were met with a different response.
His stunning instrumental contributions are undisputed highlights of the Monkees catalog: the beloved piano lick from " Daydream Believer," the ominous organ solo on " Words," the breezy harpsichord on " The Girl I Knew Somewhere," the propulsive banjo on " You Told Me," the aggressive bass on " You Just May Be The One," the majestic piano on " Shades Of Gray," the rolling keyboards on " The Door Into Summer," the tense electric piano solo on " Pleasant Valley Sunday," and the famous guitar-intro to his own composition, " For Pete's Sake," which became the closing theme for The Monkees television series in its second season.
Tork was a multi-instrumentalist who mastered the banjo, guitar, bass, piano, and even the French horn with exuberance. Peter Tork cut his teeth in the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene, gigging with the likes of a then unknown Stephen Stills in The Buffalo Fish and jamming onstage with Mama Cass in her pre-Mamas and Papas project, The Mugwumps. But after the group's triumphant 45th Anniversary Tour in 2011, progressive journalists have reassessed The Monkees' musical catalog and many now choose to celebrate this cast of actors, singers, and musicians and their metamorphosis into an authentic recording and touring project.Īs longtime fans already know, and contrary to urban legend, the individual members of The Monkees all played multiple instruments with varying degrees of skill. Since 1966, the press and purported "serious" music critics have reveled in stories about The Monkees and their musical prowess.
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