recorded during the Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sessions. The Monkees, who had been fighting to exert more control over their records, and who had recorded an album, Headquarters, on which more of the instruments were played by themselves, used more session musicians for the album tracks. The basic track for "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was recorded on June 10, 1967 with Michael Nesmith on electric guitar, Peter Tork on piano, Douglas on bass guitar and session musician Eddie Hoh on drums. Micky Dolenz was present at the session and may have played acoustic guitar. The next day, Nesmith overdubbed another electric guitar part, while Hoh recorded percussion (shaker and conga) overdubs and Bill Chadwick, a friend of the Monkees, performed a second acoustic guitar portion. The Monkees (including Davy Jones) recorded their vocals, with the possible participation of Douglas, on June 13. Nesmith played another guitar part, while Hoh overdubbed more percussion. Dolenz sang lead, with Nesmith harmonizing. The distinctive guitar intro (and the main riff) was played by Nesmith on a black Gibson Les Paul guitar through three Vox Super Beatle amplifiers. Douglas wrote the intro based on the riff of the Beatles' "I Want to Tell You." For the song's ending, Douglas and engineer Hank Cicalo tried to "keep pushing everything up," increasingly adding reverberation and echo until the sound became unrecognizable before fading out. Separate mono and stereo versions were mixed for single and album records. Release and reception Billboard described the single as a "strong, easy rocker" that is "excitingly performed." Cash Box said that it's "an up-tempo happy-flavored ditty celebrating summertime activities that are regarded as All-American and quaint." Tork praised the vocal performances of both Dolenz and Nesmith. The single peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and was repeatedly featured in the second season of their television series. The song also appeared on the fourth Monkees album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., in November 1967. While mono copies of the album included the same version heard on the single, stereo copies featured a version with a different take of the first verse and an additional backing vocal during the break. A different stereo mix, more closely replicating the single version, appeared on the 1991 Monkees box set Listen to the Band. In February 1986, MTV aired a marathon of episodes of The Monkees titled Pleasant Valley Sunday, which sparked a