In celebration of what would have been Mike Nesmith’s 80th birthday, let’s explore some quite surprising lesser-known songs from the Monkees.

‘Super Freak: The Life of Rick James’ offers a glimpse at the human being and musical legacy underneath all the coked-out madness.

The aptly titled ‘Danny Says’ finds the always-quotable Danny Fields discussing his life among the late-20th century’s musical greats and near-greats.

Any fan of melodic rock will appreciate ‘Fallen Angel,’ even if you’re not familiar with Punky Meadows or his ’70s glam band Angel.

Keyboard player Don Randi takes us deeper into the often-overlooked world of those talented sidemen known as the Wrecking Crew.

An affectionate look at a watershed era in comedy, Douglas Tirola’s ‘Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead’ explores the ‘National Lampoon’ empire’s peak.

Frank DiMino’s ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ is a pleasant surprise for Angel fans, or anyone who likes melodic hard rock.

Bobby Hart rose to fame with Tommy Boyce as part of the songwriting team behind the Monkees. But there was more to the story.

‘The Wrecking Crew’ is an intriguing look at the typically anonymous musicians who helped complete so many hits of the Baby Boomer era.

UFO have been so far under the mainstream radar that you need advanced detection equipment from NASA to find them.