The Monkees discography: History and Key Facts

The Monkees' discography spans over 50 years, from the release of their first single, "Last Train to Clarksville", in August 1966 to their final live album, The Mike and Micky Show, in April 2020. Their discography is complicated due to the large volume of unique releases in many international markets, the release of many recordings not credited to the Monkees for lack of rights to the trademark, and the existence of many bootleg, promotional, and novelty recordings that are beyond the scope of this article.

The Monkees' record releases were originally conceived as tie-ins with their eponymous television series about a fictitious band struggling to make ends meet as rock musicians. Columbia Pictures (the parent company of the series' production company Screen Gems) created Colgems Records in 1966 with a focus on releasing records by the Monkees along with other music connected with the film and television productions of Columbia‒Screen Gems. RCA Victor handled manufacturing and distribution of Colgems records, and released the Monkees' recordings on the RCA label outside the United States. From 1966 to 1971 the Monkees released 12 singles, nine studio albums (including the soundtrack to their film Head), and three compilation albums in the United States..

After the band's initial breakup and the dissolution of Colgems Records in 1971, control of the Monkees' catalogue moved to Bell Records, who issued the single "Do It in the Name of Love" (credited to "Mickey Dolenz & Davy Jones"), a compilation album, and reissues of Colgems-era songs as singles on their Flashback Records imprint.

In 1975 and 1976, band members Dolenz and Jones reunited with longtime Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart to record new music and perform live as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. Capitol Records signed the quartet and released one studio album and two singles in the United States, plus a third single and a live album in Japan. Dolenz and Jones also reunited with fellow Monkee Peter Tork for the 1976 Christmas single "Christmas Is My Time of Year", released on a vanity press by producer Chip Douglas.

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