completely agree with smokeyJ628 here.
 
Listen to the music for what it's worth today, regardless of past associations with "studio trickery" or even past success.
 
If their new album sounds good...listen to it.  
 
I have absolutely no enmity towards any musician who wants to create music and get it out to others.  why would any of us harbor animosity toward musicians trying to continue "being musicians?"

I like monkeys

I was of age when the Monkees came out. Not necessarily a fan. I knew what they were and accepted it and actually appreciated it. Probably my fondest memory of them is for their song hit "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone". I recall this because my brother (keyboards) and myself (guitar) got hooked up with some other bandmates, and this song was the first one where I felt we actually sounded pretty okay for a young garage band. Yes, the song is simple, but that was just what we needed at the time. I still can remember playing it (actually in front of the garage) for a free neighborhood concert, of which my mother received anonymous phone calls to turn it off. Oh well. I still think it sounded pretty good.

ampfixer
And if you watch the vid, what DAW are they using? It's all kind of grey.

SONAR on Mac?

Beagle
completely agree with smokeyJ628 here.
 
Listen to the music for what it's worth today, regardless of past associations with "studio trickery" or even past success.
 
If their new album sounds good...listen to it.  
 
I have absolutely no enmity towards any musician who wants to create music and get it out to others.  why would any of us harbor animosity toward musicians trying to continue "being musicians?"

Well said.
 
I too watched the show as a kid with my sisters. I also remember the backlash. Either way, there were some good songs regardless of the source and staged performances.
 
Perhaps The Monkees would have had less problems if they had been on TV after The Archies... ;)

Shoot, i can still play of few of their tunes......once I dig them out of mothballs....
 

Beagle
Listen to the music for what it's worth today, regardless of past associations with "studio trickery" or even past success.
 
If their new album sounds good...listen to it.  
 
I have absolutely no enmity towards any musician who wants to create music and get it out to others.  why would any of us harbor animosity toward musicians trying to continue "being musicians?"

I can't disagree with that, and I am not in any way criticizing old people who are making new and interesting music, even those who have lost some of their original sharpness. Willie Nelson, BB King, Aretha Franklin, Cher and the late David Bowie  are favorites of mine who all produced high quality work well past their physical prime. But I have to disagree about the tribute bands and Elvis impersonators. If doing covers of dead musicians has to involve mimicking the style and appearance of the departed in order to get a gig, it says something sad about the paying audience, if not the musicians. Sure, its all just show business. Sure a guy's got to make a living. Sure every circus needs a clown. But the old musicians who I admire are not playing that role. We would have better support for inventive musicians if we had fewer resources going to the resurrection section on memory lane. 
 
My view is probably highly colored by the fact that I do not like concerts, the natural habitat of the tribute groups, anywhere near as much as I like music. I would far rather hear a recording, with good sound and studio musicians subbing for the guitar smashers, than join the expectant throng for a sweaty live venue ear pounding. I am a genetically hobbled introvert, who finds the spectacle distracting and the elbow rubbing with my fellow primates unappealing. Color me curmudgeon, and let's leave it at that. 

slartabartfast, we're just talking here. I don't think anyone was wielding a dead fish - at least I wasn't. Just saying...
 
As an old roadie, for the most part I love concerts. Yes, the sound is not always great and it is a hassle with parking and dealing with some of the crowd but there are rare times when a live performance is incredible. Times when a synergy develops between the band and the crowd which electrifies the place.
 
On a few occasions there were 10k people singing along to the songs. Kinda like the beginning of We Will Rock You by Queen. Even when played as pre-show music, the buildings would be shaking like in a small earthquake.
 
With all that said, I won't go to a bar to see a tribute band let alone pay ticketmaster prices. I guess it really depends on the band though. If, say, The (Dixie) Dregs were to get back together and toured I would be there in a second!

When I was young I was much more like Slart, I would save my money and buy the records instead of going to concerts (therefore I didn't go to that many).  I think it was the better choice because I don't remember much from a couple of the concerts! LOL.
 
That said, I've actually done a little roadie-ing for a couple of tribute bands and it was a lot of fun.  The crowd realizes they aren't the real thing, but they look good, sound good and, for some, it gets close to what they missed while, for others, it reminds them of what they saw.  Plus live gigs can generally be much louder than what you can get away with at home! 

The worlds best Beatles cover band is The Fab Faux. They are about the only live act I'm willing to go out and see once a year.
 
They are NOT a tribute band. They don't look like them. They don't dress like them. But, damn... close your eyes and you'd swear it was them.
 
One year they did the entire White Album. Yes they had to do some sample playing (esp in Revolution, but even then a lot of live playing too) it was still an incredible re-creation.