The Monkees Get Rivers Cuomo, Ben Gibbard, Noel Gallagher for 'Good Times!'

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Feb 5, 2016

Here they come, again: '60s pop-rock players the Monkees have announced a new album, their first in 20 years. Titled Good Times!, the set has the surviving members tackling new compositions from the likes of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Noel Gallagher of Oasis, as well as utilizing previously unissued recordings of the late Davy Jones. On top of that, the band will be heading out on a North American tour.

As Rolling Stone reports, Rhino will issue the album as part of the Monkees' 50th anniversary celebrations, marking the band's first album of original material since 1996's Justus.

Though a tracklisting has yet to be revealed, the record apparently features new tunes written by the aforementioned artists, as well as XTC's Andy Partridge, Rogue Wave member Zach Rogue and more.

Toque-lovin' Monkees guitarist Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork have also written songs for the release, as well as album producer Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne).

The record has yet to be completed, with the Monkees' Micky Dolenz telling Rolling Stone that Cuomo's contribution, in particular, has to be reworked a smidge, so as to not sound creepy.

"We all agree that the lyrics in the Rivers Cuomo song needed to be aged up a little but," Dolenz explained. "It sounds like it's about a little girl and I'm 70 years old, so Rivers is rewriting the lyrics."

Additionally, the album is said to include a couple cuts that the band begun working on in the late '60s, though hadn't completed until now.

This includes a Carole King-written piece called "Wasn't Born to Follow" and a Neil Diamond-penned number called "Love to Love," which features a vocal track from late Monkees singer Jones. Diamond had also written signature Monkees cut "I'm a Believer."

The title track had been written by late singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, who tracked the piece with Nesmith in 1968. Nilsson's guide-track vocals have been preserved for the completed version, with drummer Mickey Dolenz now transforming the tune into a duet. They had previously been heard singing together on Nilsson's 1973 single "Daybreak."

A demo of "Good Times" had previously surfaced unofficially, and you can stream that version down below ahead of redo. There, you'll also find a number of upcoming dates from the group, who will tour without Nesmith. The rest of the Monkees are due to hit Toronto and Windsor, ON, in June.

Good Times is the first album release from the Monkees since the 2012 death of singer Davy Jones, who passed away after suffering a heart attack in 2012. He was 66 years old.

Tour dates:

05/18 Fort Myers, FL - Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
05/19 Melbourne, FL - King Center for the Performing Arts
05/20 Tampa, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
05/21 Atlanta, GA - Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater
05/24 Charlotte, NC - Blumenthal PAC - Belk Theater
05/26 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
05/27 Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre
05/28 Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theatre
05/29 Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
06/01 New York, NY - The Town Hall
06/03 Toronto, ON - Casino Rama
06/04 Windsor, ON - The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
06/05 Cleveland, OH - Hard Rock Live Northfield Park
06/07 Fort Wayne, IN - Foellinger Theatre
06/10 Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace Theatre
06/12 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
06/14 Dayton, OH - Rose Music Center at The Heights
06/28 Dallas, TX - AT&T PAC – Winspear Opera House
06/30 Tulsa, OK - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
07/01 Mayetta, KS - Prairie Band Casino & Resort
07/16 Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
07/22 Hot Springs, AR - Oaklawn Racing and Gaming
09/15 Phoenix, AZ - Mesa Arts Center
09/16 Los Angeles, CA - Pantages Theatre
09/17 Las Vegas, NV - Primm Valley Casino Resorts
09/20 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
09/21 Modesto, CA - Gallo Center For The Arts
09/25 Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre
10/01 Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Live
10/22 Paso Robles, CA - Vina Robles Amphitheatre
10/29 Shippensburg, PA - H. Ric Luhrs PAC

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