A "stream of consciousness" observation on music and how we relate to it. How we purchase, listen to and enjoy music is changing. What does it mean to be a music fan in a world where every song, performance and video is literally at your fingertips? I hope to be a guide to this new world of musical experience. Featuring tunes and comments about artists, old and new in nearly every genre.
Legendary Monkees vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Mike Nesmith visited the Magic Bag in Ferndale last Sunday, April 7. An appearance by the enigmatic Nesmith is about as rare as the return of the Cicadas. I don't know if Mike has ever played the Detroit area on his own. The Monkees did play Detroit 40 years ago so this could have been Mike's first ever appearance as a solo in these parts.
If you know anything about the history of Rock you know that Mike was an accomplished songwriter (under the name "Mike Blessing") before the Monkees were constructed. Mike always fought against the 'hit-machine" aspect of the Monkees, insisting on contributing his own tunes. Though they were not the hit singles, his tunes were very memorable and highlights of the Monkee's catalog. As their career wound down, Mike's Monkee tunes, often featuring the studio pros who would go on to form Mike's first few solo bands, and featuring no other Monkee performing on them, spotlighted his interest in country and folk music. Mike
was there at the start of so-called "Country Rock" and deserves as much credit as the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers in popularizing country music to the rock audience.
Mike opened the show with the only Monkee song he would do in this performance, "Papa Gene's Blues" from the first Monkees album. After all, the Monkees recently concluded tour featured a healthy dose of Nesmith tunes, so perhaps he wanted to feature his extremely under-rated solo catalog. In contrast to the Monkees version, Nesmith's was slower, more reflective. He told stories before each tune, not so much how they were written, but setting the scene for the characters and stories that each song told. The version included here is from his live tour. Below is a version live with the Monkees.
Mike hit most of his catalog highlights chronologically, playing just about every notable Nesmith tune that had got near the charts or had been covered by other artists such as "Silver Moon," "Joanne" and "Different Drum" (a big hit for Linda Rondstadt and the Stone Pony's).
I've posted the setlist from cool website "Setlist.FM." Mike didn't vary the setlist any, at least from what I saw on the setlist site. The actual set list posted is from another night.
Mike's band was great. Of particular note was the presence of Earl Scruggs grandson, Chris, who accompanied Mike on every kinda stringed instrument available. During the encore, "Thanx For The Ride" the pedal steel solo from the late, great Red Rhodes who was a member of Nesmith's First National Band was played at the appropriate point in the song. A great and fitting way to end the show.
For some reason, very recently Spotify has pulled all the solo Nesmith from the website. Don't know why these things happen. Would give you a healthy dose of it through my playlist. I did put the Monkees verson of "Papa Gene's Blues" on though.
I was planning on posting this yesterday, and the day got away from me. Mike Nesmith of the Monkees turned 69 yesterday. Happy Birthday Mike!
Mike left the Monkees in 1970 after he bought out his contract, allegedly with money he received as an inheritance from his mother who was one of the inventors of Liquid Paper. Mike invested well which is a good thing because, have you bought any Liquid Paper recently? He spends his days in comfortable semi-seclusion in Carmel, California. Google him and you will read about him hanging out with conservative humorist PJ O'Rourke (though my politics are progressive I have always loved PJ's writing) and going hunting with Mr. Sarah Palin. I have the feeling that Mike and I would disagree on most things politically. He also is a legendary curmudgeon, something that was not bestowed upon him by age, but seemingly is a lifelong personality trait.
Mike did get out and play one show this past year in Los Angeles and has confessed to getting the performance bug again, though he eschews all offers to join his former bandmates. Davy Jones says that Mike looks like "a German banker" and he can't imagine him being a Monkee again!
Mike was, and is, my favorite Monkee. He was clearly the most talented musician, songwriter and, while you don't hear his lead vocals on the Monkees biggest hits, his Texas twang was a highlight on all the Monkees records. Never a duff track with Mike. After leaving the Monkees he formed the First National Band and in August 1970 released "Magnetic South." When you talk about the first country rock pioneers, Mike usually gets overlooked when names like Gram Parsons and Poco are bandied about. Important figures in country rock but Mike's contributions are criminally ignored. Mike's solo catalog is very strong. Apparently toward the end of the Monkees, Mike saved his songs up for a future solo career.
The pick here is "Little Red Rider" written by Mike, though "Joanne" was the hit. The band swings effortlessly with that old "country-honk" feel. You can see why Mike's contributions to his former band didn't usually sound like the Monkees or fit in very well!
