My Record Collection 158

Michael Nesmith – one of The Monkees, and a superb musician, singer and songwriter who sadly passed away a few days ago.  I started listening to his albums in 1970  and have many but not all of them, though a couple are still on order.  Magnetic South was his first post Monkees record and it couldn’t be more different.  It is almost pure country but with a slight pop sensibility and a witty wordplay and a beautiful high ringing voice.   Magnetic South was credited to The First National Band as Nesmith didn’t want to capitalise on his Monkees persona.  I’ve grown to love the record over the years – the songs have a timelessness and seem pristine compared to most of what was recorded in 1970.  ‘Joanne’ was a minor hit but I also love ‘Calico Girlfriend’ and ‘ Beyond The Blue Horizon’.  He followed this the same year with Loose Salute, which fared even less well commercially, which I don’t think bothered the contrary Nesmith at all.  He had money from his time on the show and never seemed to hanker after fame; he was looking for some sort of purity in the songs and the sound, which I think he mostly achieved.   Best on this one are ‘Thanks For the Ride’, ‘I Fall To Pieces’ and ‘Hello Lady’.  Not quite as good in my mind as magnetic South but it still sound good over 50 years later.  1971 saw his third release as The First National Band – Nevada Fighter.  Though this sunk even deeper it was I think the best of his early three.  The songs seem better, even those Michael did not write.  It is again pure country but not really, there is a different vibe going through the songs too.  Top marks for a song entitled ‘Propinquity’ – but I also like ‘Texas Morning’ and ‘Tumbling Tumbleweed’ and Nesmith’s version of ‘Rainmaker’ by Harry Nilsson (see N).  Prolific seems to be an understatement as the first of 2 releases in 1972 was Tantamount To Treason.  Credited to the Second National Band, the album veers into new territory; there is still a country vibe but sound effects and weird instrumentation and almost psychedelic moods pop up here and there.  Not sure is it really works but the 3 new members of the band maybe allowed Mike to experiment a bit.  Best tracks are ‘She Thinks I Still Care’, ‘Rose City Chimes’ and ‘Lazy Lady’.  Not sure where Nesmith was going with this – but he has always forged his own idiosyncratic path, seemingly oblivious to the demands of record company or fans.   Late 1972 saw a more traditional Nesmith offering (and only credited to him this time) – And The Hits Just Keep On Coming – which was a riposte to the record company’s repeatedly ignored demands for a hit.  Apparently these were all songs Mike wrote while in The Monkees but never really recorded until now.  A sparse arrangement and an acoustic feel dominate the record, which allows the haunting melancholy of his voice to permeate.  Some pretty good songs again – ‘Distant Drum’, ‘The Upside of Goodbye’ and ‘Harmony Constant’ are superb.   His last real country album I suppose was his sixth – 1973’s Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash.  And this is almost his best – the songs diverging from pure country into somewhere else where they simply exist.  Best are ‘Winonah’, ‘Some Of Shelley’s Blues’ and ‘Prairie Lullaby’.   Some may say that these albums were pretty indulgent – certainly they sold poorly, which seemed to bother Nesmith not at all.  Michael left his record company and dabbled with writing and film music and got into music videos and related digital music as the years went by.  I lost touch with him in some ways until I caught up with a compilation entitled ‘The Newer Stuff’ but I also have an early compilation of his first 6 albums called The Masters.  No surprises but an excellent overview of these early years.   But The Newer Stuff was a revelation.  He was branching out into a far more modern sound, multi-layered and sometimes complex; the same haunting melodies and humour laden lyrics.  This CD contains a handful of tracks from his later albums and a few unreleased ones.  Best are, of course, the fabulous ‘Rio’ and ‘Carioca’ – but I also love ‘Total Control’ and ‘Formosa Diner’.  In fact, this has grown into my favourite Nesmith record.   I then went back and bought From a Radio Engine To The Photon Wing (1977).  This had ‘Rio on but also ‘Casablanca Moonlight’  and the lovely whimsical ‘Navaho Trail’.  There are still country influences but a wider more modern sound too.  A very nice record.  I followed that with Infinite Rider On The Big Dogma (1979).  All the songs have single word titles – best are ‘Magc’, ‘Cruisin’ and ‘Carioca’.  Again a more modern – almost disco – record.  But likeable too.  Finally I bought Tropical Campfires, a late career release after a 13 year absence.  And a very subtle and quiet record; the vocals are remarkable and the songs haunting and yet at the same time not quite so memorable. Mike also records a couple of Cole Porter songs and a couple of writing collaborations.  Not my very favourite record but still pretty good.  Best songs – ‘Brazil’, ‘Rising In Love’ and ‘Moon Over The Rio Grande’.  Finally we have a live album from 1999 – Live at the Britt Festival.  No surprises, but a pleasant career-spanning look back on some lovely tunes.  Sadly Michael passed away a few days ago. 

Musician Mike Nesmith of American rock and pop band The Monkees holds a press conference at the Royal Garden Hotel in London, to publicise the...