Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. is the fourth album by the Monkees. It was released on November 6, 1967, during a period when the band exerted more control over their music and performed many of the instruments themselves (previously forbidden by Colgems). However, although the group had complete artistic control over the proceedings, they invited more outside contributions than on their previous album, Headquarters, and used session musicians to complement their sound. The album also featured one of the first uses of the Moog synthesizer in popular music. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sold over three million copies. It was the band's fourth consecutive album to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
History
The group employed studio musicians to a greater extent than their previous album, Headquarters. The greater reliance on studio musicians resulted from the band's busy filming schedule for their popular sitcom. The album's single, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" b/w "Words", was a hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album was among the earliest to make use of the Moog synthesizer, which Micky Dolenz introduced to the group and played in the studio; he owned one of the first twenty ever sold.[6] Along with the Doors' September 1967 album Strange Days 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 played the synthesizer on "Daily Nightly", while electronic musician Paul Beaver played it on "Star Collector".
Two additional songs, "Daydream Believer" and "Goin' Down", were recorded during the album sessions. Released on 7-inch vinyl in October 1967, it was the group's last No. 1 single.
The album's title stems from each band member's respective astrological sign: Dolenz is Pisces, Peter Tork is Aquarius, and Nesmith is Capricorn. Davy Jones was unsigned because he shared the same birthday and astrological sign as Nesmith.
The album's cover features a drawing of the four Monkees by Bernard Yeszin, their facial features blank, standing in a field of flowers, with the group's guitar logo half-buried.
In 2007, Rhino issued a two-disc deluxe edition of the album. The CD set featured original album artwork, including replicas of the original Colgems vinyl labels on each disc, as well as a booklet of essays and session information by Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval. The discs contain remastered mixes of the album's stereo and mono releases, as well as alternate mixes and outtakes.
