The numbers speak for themselves: three No. 1 singles, six Top 10s, 12 Top 40s — 10 of which made it into the Top 20 — and a total of 20 Hot 100 singles. On the album charts, the Monkees were equally impressive, with four No. 1 LPs, including a self-titled debut whose 13 weeks at No. 1 remained a record for first releases until Men at Work’s Business as Usual in 1982. The band’s Billboard numbers compare very favorably to those of the recently inducted Blondie, which scored four No. 1 wins amid its eight Top 40 entries in a similar time span.
Also, consider the time frame of those hits: 1967 is universally considered one of rock’s most vital and inspired years. And competing with such legendary albums as Sgt. Pepper, Surrealistic Pillow, The Doors, The Who Sell Out, Are You Experienced? and Forever Changes, not to mention with singles-oriented artists at their creative peaks like the Turtles and the Four Tops, the Monkees more than held their own.