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Monkees Authors New Book On The Turtles.
January 22, 2024 by fred.velez
Filed under blogs, Fred Velez, music, news, news feed
“NOT JUST HAPPY TOGETHER: THE TURTLES FROM A – Z (AM RADIO TO ZAPPA)”
NEW BOOK BY MONKEES AUTHORS COMPREHENSIVELY CHRONICLES THE HISTORY & MUSIC OF ANOTHER 60s BAND
Monkees Author Mark Arnold and Monkee Mania Radio air personality Charles F Rosenay!!! have combined forces to co-author a new book on another sixties band, The Turtles. Rock & roll, genre, pop-culture, and music fans worldwide will be able to obtain this comprehensive and chronicled history of the band in “Not Just Happy Together: The Turtles A-Z (AM Radio To Zappa),” as published by Genius Book Publishing (2024).
The Turtles incorporated strong doses of humor and personality, as did The Monkees, with a similar hybrid mix of pop, country, and rock. Unlike Colgems, The Turtles’ inept record company, White Whale, promoted the band’s singles, but dropped the ball when it came to album sales and continued recording successes. Turtles’ album sales figures are sketchy, as were their record label’s accounting practices, but their best-selling album, “Golden Hits,” sold over 500,000 copies. It was unquestionably a gold record supported by 5 Turtles’ studio and 20 compilation albums.
“Not Just Happy Together…” is co-written by veteran author Mark Arnold (“Long Title: Looking for the Good Times” and “Headquartered: A Timeline of The Monkees Solo Years”) and Charles F. Rosenay!!!, who Monkee fans will know from his many years of promoting and co-producing Monkees Conventions. Their 466-page deluxe book chronicles everything you wanted to know about The Turtles and more – yesterday, today, and tomorrow – with plenty of Monkees references.
The Turtles were a colorful hit/fun band and an in-demand sensation from 1963 – 1969, an era when AM Radio and 45 rpm singles ruled. Live footage is readily available on YouTube: network performances on: “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “Shindig,” “Hullabaloo,” “Where the Action Is,” “The Clay Cole Show,” “The Smothers Brothers Show,” are stand-outs.
According to authors Mark Arnold and Charles F. Rosenay!!!, “The Beatles gave us ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ and The Turtles gave us ‘No No No’.” The authors also note that “comedy and rock and roll” is risky and often does not mix well. It worked with The Beatles, The Monkees, and also The Turtles. Founding Turtles member Mark Volman, who is still touring, jokes that, “The Turtles missed being The Beatles by only 4 letters and some 7 billion dollars.”
“Not Just Happy Together…” covers the ongoing adventures and mis-adventures of The Turtles including every band member 1963-1969, their recordings in a comprehensive A – Z(appa) catalog, discography, session details, songwriters such as musician Harry Nilsson, record label lawsuits and counter lawsuits, live events, promotions on AM Radio, comparisons to The Beatles and The Monkees, the 1960s touring life, being confused with Liverpool’s British Invasion hit-makers, Gerry And The Pacemakers, their ill-fated Ray Davies (of The Kinks)-produced album, and the infamous Tricia Nixon White House party incident in May of 1970.
There is a frequent misconception that The Turtles were “one hit wonders” because “Happy Together” went #1 (1967) and was a huge hit, and is still part of the musical landscape. However, there are at least six other Turtles’ well-known chart-topping hits like: “She’d Rather Be with Me” (which many people mistakenly call “Some Girls”),” “Elenore” (which they wrote as a response to “Happy Together”), “You Showed Me,” “It Ain’t Me Babe” (written by Bob Dylan) and “You Baby.” The Turtles’ chart success is complemented by such lesser-known achievements as them singing “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show Theme” or performing the title song to the Robert Morse starring “Guide For A Married Man” (which occasionally airs on TMC), and then becoming Flo & Eddie (aka Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) on their own, and later lending their amazing vocals on such classics as T. Rex’s “Bang-A-Gong,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” and actually becoming members of Frank Zappa’s The Mothers.
Authors Mark Arnold and Charles F. Rosenay!!! have joined efforts to cover the entire careers of The Turtles from their early days as The Crossfires, through their hit-filled years, into their break-up that led to most of The Turtles’ members joining forces with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, to Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan’s years as solo artists under the guise of Flo & Eddie, and even their forays into children’s records.
Arnold and Rosenay!!! have reviewed every song and album, and interviewed many of The Turtles’ friends and associates along with most of The Turtles themselves, who have given startling new revelations that will surprise even the most hardcore fan. This hard cover edition includes 466 pages with images, interviews, and insights into the world of The Turtles, The Crossfires, The Mothers (of Invention), Frank Zappa, Flo & Eddie, and more. There is even an interview with original Beatlemania member Mitch Weissman, who played in The Turtles’ band for a while.
“Not Just Happy Together…” is sincerely dedicated to past and present members of The Turtles. There are Turtles “in-stories,” guest interviews, actual accounts, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman’s antics, cover photos by rock photographer and Monkees friend Henry Diltz, and a Foreword from their buddy and musical contemporary, Gary Puckett (of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap).
Additionally, the authors contend that The Turtles are one of two bands that are neglectfully missing from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with The Monkees.
“Not Just Happy Together: The Turtles A-Z (AM Radio To Zappa),” is the definitive Turtles compendium is as unique as The Turtles themselves. Open the doors to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and to every music library.
Genius Books Link: https://geniusbookpublishing.com/products/not-just-happy-together
