 The Monkees' first single, "Last Train to Clarksville" b/w "Take a Giant Step", was released in August 1966, just weeks prior to the TV broadcast debut.In conjunction with the first broadcast of the television show on September 12, 1966, on the NBC television network, NBC and Columbia had a major hit on their hands.The first long-playing album, "The Monkees", was released a month later; it spent 13 weeks at #1 and stayed on the Billboard charts for 78 weeks.