Exotic Animals & Beaches of Pennsylvania with Davy Jones (Monkees)
Saturday Matinee Music Video
SATURDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: EXOTIC ANIMALS & BEACHES OF PENNSYLVANIA featuring Davy Jones (Monkees).
In 1965, young Jones was fresh from Broadway and had a deal with Colpix Records as a solo act (“The Monkees” were not yet birthed). That same year, in an interview on a Los Angeles radio show, he predicted there’d be “Broadway rock” and that Spoken Word records would find a niche in pop culture. The radio host argued “not,” but within a few years rock musicals were huge (HAIR, GODSPELL, etc.) and artists such as Donovan and Velvet Underground did Spoken Word recordings.
Fast forward to 2001: “Exotic Animals…” follows this stream as David laid zany narration over prog-rockers jamming with Moscow’s Felix String Quartet. It imagines a "spy movie soundtrack” in the land of The Amish—which David (referencing Central PA) called “God’s Country.” On a cosmic jukebox this would play next to Kronos Quartet, The Monkees HEAD album, New York Rock Ensemble, and “Theme One” by Van Der Graaf Generator. The “Exotic…” music (rhythm section and string quartet) began in Stockholm (Sweden) with my old pal, drummer-percussionist-tech wiz Bil Bryant.
American parts were added in Kentucky and the recording was finished in Williamsport PA (mixed by Tim Breon).
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