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From the Vault...
07/08/2001
#741 |
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info
Michael Nesmith
"And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'"
© Awareness Records
Rating:
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track listing
Tomorrow And Me
The Upside
Of Good-bye
Lady Love
Listening
Two Different Roads
The Candidate
Different Drum
Harmony Constant
Keep On
Roll With The Flow
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Michael Nesmith
"And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'"
Michael Nesmith's solo career has always been interesting. He was an
experienced musician who auditioned for a TV show in the 1960s, called The
Monkees. And even though the final four applicants didn't play instruments
at first, Michael Nesmith knew he would not have any trouble in attempting to
place his musical skills to work. Michael Nesmith's solo career in 1968,
where he would focus his musical style towards country, as in typical country
and/or California rock country, as in such acts as The Eagles and Jackson Browne.
He would later become famous with video production, and in the 1980s he was the
only member who did not join The Monkees' reunion tour. Years later, the
original 4 Monkees recorded new songs for their album Justus.
This week we take a look at Michael Nesmith's solo release from 1972, an album
that was listed as one of Rock Critics' Choice: The Top 200 Albums,
by Paul Gambaccini, © 1978.
"Tomorrow And Me" features the slide steel guitar heard in many of The
Eagles and Jackson Browne tunes. If you're familar with The Eagles' "Peaceful
Easy Feeling," it has that kind of style, being a medium-tempo song, where
the melody and harmonies on "Tomorrow And Me" is just plain beautiful,
and can be a regular album cut favorite on internet and/or regular radio stations.
Like "Tomorrow And Me," "The Upside Of Good-bye" is another peaceful
song, but it doesn't feature the steel guitar as much, yet it's another
off-country tune. "Lady Love" has a more Jackson Browne style, ballad
style, as heard on Browne's Late For The Sky release. "Listening,"
"Two Different Roads" and "Keep On" identifies Nesmith's own sound,
having the steel and accoustic guitars, off-country/folk music styles.
"The Candidate" has a different sound, having a more pop accoustic
sound. Towards the end, it has a slight psychedelic touch; much different than
the country/folk sound throughout this entire album.
Linda Ronstadt had her first hit, "Different Drum," a Michael Nesmith
composition. Nesmith's version is here, and it is much different than Ronstadt's,
having a more folkish country style, as compared to Rondstadt's pop/off-country
sound. The steel guitar returns with "Harmony Constant," as it is another
Jackson Browne-type ballad song, yet it's Michael Nesmith's own "sound," being
country/folk, with some beautiful harmony vocalizing. The album's closing song,
"Roll With The Flow" features more of the incredible steel guitar, an
instrument that is not used as much as it was, in today's Country music.
For fans of country and folk, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' is a
very relaxing "country" album to listen to. Many popular music performers can
be compared here: The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Gram Parsons, and Poco. The
California sound of off-country and folk music is definitely heard in Michael
Nesmith's early solo career, and Nesmith's solo recording career is always
interesting, as he always had an interest in country and folk music.
Old-fashioned country can also be identified here, and his music is definitely
different than that of The Monkees. The Monkees never did any off-country/folk
songs, but if you're familiar with The Monkees' "What Am I Doing Hanging
Round" and the nostalgic "Magnolia Sims," these two songs can give
you some indication of how Michael Nesmith's solo career is all about. Very
different than The Monkees, Country music is brought back as it used to be,
decades ago, where today's Country has a more pop/rock sound. Oh, it's
Country music (today's Country), but Michael Nesmith's solo career brings
back old-fashioned country; traditional country with a folk music quality.
Country & Western fans will definitely enjoy this album.
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