Nesmith

In the early 70's, three albums were released to little note but excellent acclaim, all three of which have pretty much completely disappeared into musical history. Few people today remember even the songs that charted from the first two of these albums; fewer still remember any of the songs on the third, or the even more obscure music which never did chart off all three. However, these three little albums contained some of the finest, and earliest, country rock ever produced; and, contrary to Don Henley's opinion, he wasn't the first to make that combination. These three albums were later hailed by the Rolling Stone as The Greatest Music Never Heard, and pre-dated the Eagles' peak by several years.

This trio of albums was "Magnetic South," "Loose Salute," and "Nevada Fighter," by Michael Nesmith and the First National Band. Yes, Michael Nesmith - of the Monkees. The "one with the hat."

Michael Nesmith wasn't new to country-flavored music; as a Texas native (born in Farmer's Branch, raised in San Antonio), he developed his folksy, down-to-earth style in local joints, inspired by the country greats, including Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and Jerry Lee Lewis (whom he refers to as the "musical triumvirate" which gave him so much inspiration). He worked in clubs around town, building a small but loyal audience, until the urge took him west, to Hollywood.

Back in 1966, it was absolutely unheard of to create a rock band by casting a television show, although the practice is not only accepted but pretty widespread today. Rock music wasn't then created by marketing analysts and idea men, it was done by the artist. So understandably, most of the rock and roll community was up in arms that this group of actors were portraying a "real" band and not just playing them on TV, but also selling records; selling BIG. They were making the charts, and then they were touring. In other words, competing.

But right from the start, Michael Nesmith didn't exactly fit neatly into the smooth pop marketing niche music mogul Don Kirschner wanted. Kirschner produced a slick, marketable sound that appealed to the demographic he wanted to sell to (something we're achingly familiar with today). Mike Nesmith, on the other hand, made music. With sheer Texan stubbornness and his own no-nonsense attitude, Nesmith fought for control of his music, managing to produce a few tracks on the early Kirschner products, and then helped spearhead the effort that gave the Monkees creative freedom. It didn't help sales any, but the music was sure a lot better.

Once his stint with the Monkees was over, Nesmith set out on a new path. Armed with his television/Monkees popularity, he was signed to RCA Records and "Magnetic South" was released in 1970. It managed to chart one fairly major hit, "Joanne." In addition, it contained a number of sharp, classy numbers which Nesmith had written during his Monkees stint but had never been released prior, such as "Calico Girlfriend," "Nine Times Blue," "The Crippled Lion," and "Hollywood." Most of the songs on "Magnetic South" bear Nesmith's intellectually-minded songwriting stamp with only two covers ("One Rose" and "Beyond the Blue Horizon"), and a short instrumental penned by steel guitarist "Red" Rhodes; all were played with gusto by the First National Band - consisting of Nesmith's sharp, sardonic mid-range Texas tenor on vocals (lead and harmonies) and his surprisingly excellent licks on rhythm guitar; John London on bass; John Ware on drums; and the magnificent, late, great O.J. "Red" Rhodes on pedal steel guitar; the featured pianist was Earl P. Ball. The album was produced by the incomparable Felton Jarvis.

The second album in the trilogy, "Loose Salute," came along later that same year and produced the single "Silver Moon." Nesmith's introspective, intellectual lyrics wove lofty images in down-to-earth phrases: "See the lazy windmill slowly turning/ cutting up the marble canyon of the sky/ See the dust around my feet go churning/ moving with the winds down the highway of goodbye. Standing in the lonely light of the silver moon/ Looking over maps of memories for the road/ Standing in the lonely light of the silver moon/ With the unexpected destination of my home." The band remained the same, although Glen D. Hardin replaced Earl P. Ball on piano. More of Nesmith's superior original songs, "Thanx for the Ride," "Tengo Amore," "Bye, Bye, Bye," "Lady of the Valley," and "Dedicated Friend," were highlighted by a cover of his own Monkees' hit "Listen to the Band," done up in a fast honky-tonk style, and the Harlan Howard/Hank Cochran classic "I Fall To Pieces" (Nesmith's arrangement is an extremely pleasant one, a two-steppin' swing number, and is in fact my favorite version of the song). Nesmith himself produced.

The third album, "Nevada Fighter," didn't make a blip, sales-wise or chart-wise, when it appeared in 1971; it also contained the fewest number of Nesmith originals, with side two containing entirely covers, including Michael Martin Murphy's "Texas Morning," classic western tune "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," Harry Nilsson's tongue-in-cheek "Rainmaker," and Eric Clapton's "I Looked Away," as well as another Rhodes' original instrumental, "René." Nesmith's own songs are strong, though, with the contemplative swing tune "Grand Ennui," the classic beauty of "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" (which had also been covered by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and "Here I Am." The players on "Nevada Fighter" alters greatly, as well, with the original members of the First National Band (Rhodes, Ware, and London) being augmented by Joe Osborn and Max Bennet on bass, Glen D. Hardin and Michael Cohen on keyboards, Ron Tutt on drums, and James Burton and Al Casey on guitars. Nesmith produced.

But even without the accolades of the public backing him, even with RCA pressuring him for more marketable, sure-fire hits, Nesmith remained true to his own vision. As a result, these three albums continue to stand today as an impressive and still extraordinary example of country music as it moved into the 70's. Nesmith had, in fact, been introducing country into rock as far back as 1967, when he used the pedal steel on his songs for the all-Monkees (they played all their own instruments) album, "Headquarters." Some of his songs released on later Monkees' work, including songs "Don't Wait For Me" and "Good Clean Fun," were pure Texas country. His songs tend to contain a trace of the rocker he is; and they are more country to today's ears, perhaps, than they were then, so in a way, they are a tremendous example of Nesmith's normal farsightedness. He tried to introduce country rock a full decade before it achieved popularity, just as, a decade LATER, he would attempt to introduce VHS-format news magazines in 1982... about ten years before people were ready for them.

By the mid-80's, these albums were long out of print and long gone from most folks' memories. Some people still had the vinyls, and they were passed through collectors' hands like gold, largely to either Nesmith fans who discovered him through his early 80's rock albums and his short-lived but award-winning television show, "Television Parts" (a spin on his Grammy-award-winning "video record," "Elephant Parts"); or to Monkees fans, who bought and traded unreleased Monkees tracks and out-of-print vinyl in a thriving underground and bootleg business. Myself, I dug them up wherever I could, as I was a fan of both. But fortunately for today's music fans, our modern technology has finally made the days of scrounging in bargain bins and antique stores and used record stores a thing of the past.

All three of Nesmith's classic albums are available in several different ways on his own state-of-the-art website, www.videoranch.com - there you can buy all three CDs individually (enjoy the "First National Rag" in the middle of "Magnetic South," which has the archaic line, "Well, we're gonna take a short intermission, my friend. We'll be back right after you turn the record over"); or you can get them on a 2-CD set (Nesmith always wanted them played as a complete single entity); or you can order them in import sets, "Magnetic South" and "Loose Salute" on one CD, and "Nevada Fighter" teamed with the later release, "Tantamount to Treason," which is Michael Nesmith & the Second National Band. "Tantamount to Treason" is, perhaps, only for the most hardcore Nesmith fans, as it is of an extreme "experimental bent," but it does contain some treats, including "Mama Rocker," "Wax Minute," the touchingly eerie "Talking to the Wall," as well as Nesmith's covers of "Bonaparte's Retreat" and "She Thinks I Still Care." The import sets also include a couple of unreleased tracks: "1st National Dance" on volume one, and "Cantata & Fugue in C&W," "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke," and "Rose City Chimes" on volume two.

Also available on Nesmith's website is the rest of his solo catalog; and if you enjoy the trilogy, then treat yourself to the sardonically titled "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'," which is another far-sighted project for Nesmith, a near-acoustic country masterpiece with only Nesmith on guitar and vocals and Red Rhodes on pedal steel, featuring some of Nesmith's finest songs, including his own recording of the hit, "Different Drum." (And is, in fact, probably my all-time favorite album.)

Worthwhile, too, is "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash," which is short on songs, but long on sound, although Nesmith's laid-back take on "Uncle Penn" is startling, to say the least.

It's also more than worth your time to pick up the DVD of the award-winning "Elephant Parts." If you've never seen it, you're in for a fun treat. (If you're really finding yourself enjoying Nesmith and his songs, you may want to track down Rhino Records' catalog of Monkees' CDs, including ALL the "Missing Links" series. A good 80% of Nesmith's recorded, previously unreleased music was finally released in the late 80's and throughout the 90's, and a lot of it is REALLY excellent, including songs like "St. Matthew," "Carlisle Wheeling," "Michigan Blackhawk," and a number of earlier recordings of songs he released later, such as "Hollywood," "The Crippled Lion," "Propinquity," and "Nine Times Blue.")

Michael Nesmith stopped recording any kind of strictly genre piece long ago, and his work since 1979's release of "Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma" has been a wide variety of interesting projects, including movie production (cult favorites "Time Rider," "Repo Man," "Tapeheads"); video production; the occasional album, such as the country/big band release, "...tropical campfire's..." in 1992, and "The Garden" in 1994 (which was actually nominated for a "Best New Age" Grammy); and a novel, "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora." Nesmith is also credited with coming up with the idea that led to M-TV; he's a staunch advocate of independent and internet radio; he is President and trustee of the Gihon Foundation; he is a trustee and vice-chair of the American Film Institute; and yes, his mother did invent Liquid Paper.

Michael Nesmith remains now, as he was then, a farsighted Renaissance man; introspective, talented, intelligent, humorous. But no matter how many years have passed, and what other things he's taken up, his music with the First National Band remains, as Rolling Stone called it then, "The Greatest Music Never Heard." Do yourself a favor, and make sure it is heard.

Kathy Coleman Take Country Back February 2003