Michael Nesmith & the First National Band

[Gary]

Country from an ex Monkee! It's been many many years since I've played an LP though. Not sure how "country" it really is, though.

A better suggestion would be "Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma" by Michael Nesmith (no First Nat Band).

Again, judging by eBay, probably not a big seller :( but that has never stopped me from posting before! ;)

[Dan]

There's a cut of his on the Rhino "Hillbilly Heaven" CD. It has renewed my interest in his post-Monkees work. Good stuff.

[AudioGirl]

That entire first album with "Joanne" on it is great!

[Cousin It]

Those first RCA 's LP are great(Loose Salute,Magnetic South and Nevada Fighter),I'm a big Nezfan !!!

[Gary]

Wow, I'm suprised and glad that there are other Nesmith fans on this board!

Good taste, guys & Lady!

G

[Dave]

Gary,

And you thought love was only true in fairytales.;) :D

[misterbozz]

Can anyone tell me if the CD versions of Nez's albums available through his website:
www.videoranch.com

are better than the recent twofer reissues on BMG...I have these and they sound a bit of a mess to me. Interesting how he keeps al the rights to his stuff...good move...
Interesting we might have a new Nez LP this year too according to the FAQ called 'Rays'.

[txguitar]

I'm glad there are some Nesmith fans out there. He's one of my all
time favorites . Don't know about the cd versions of the Nez titles
on his web site. I would think, since they are sold on his site
they should be pretty good.I also have the BMG reissues, I do
think the remastering could have been better. Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma, is one of the great all-time albums,what a imagination Nexmith has !
txguitar

[GuyDon]

Originally posted by misterbozz
Can anyone tell me if the CD versions of Nez's albums available through his website:
www.videoranch.com

are better than the recent twofer reissues on BMG...I have these and they sound a bit of a mess to me. Interesting how he keeps al the rights to his stuff...good move...
Interesting we might have a new Nez LP this year too according to the FAQ called 'Rays'.


Yes! The Complete First National Band two disc set is far, far superior soundwise to the BMG two-fers. The only downside is that the set does not include the bonus tracks found on the two-fers and the end of side one comment (turn over the record) found on the first album.

[misterbozz]

Thanks for the info GuyDon. I thought that would be the case, and indeed it was the bonus tracks and cheap shipping (to Japan) which drew me to the twofers. But it might be that I pick up the complete and 'And The Hits...' some time...

[stereoptic]

I see that web site offers a make your own CD for $20.00

[audiodrome]

Originally posted by GuyDon



Yes! The Complete First National Band two disc set is far, far superior soundwise to the BMG two-fers. The only downside is that the set does not include the bonus tracks found on the two-fers and the end of side one comment (turn over the record) found on the first album.

In your opinion, what is the sonic improvement? I have the twofers also and the sound is somewhat lacking, especially in the treble department (but alot of his stuff was originally). Is the Video Ranch single CD version of "Tantamount to Treason" better than the BMG twofer version also?

[reechie]

I'm probably the only one, but my favorite of Nez's solo stuff is Tantamount To Treason, Volume 1. The First National Band stuff is probably the most excellent, but you can't go wrong with any of his RCA albums. Especially check out the wonderful And The Hits Just Keep On Coming, featuring just Nez on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Orville J. "Red" Rhodes on pedal steel.

From A Radio Engine To The Photon Wing and Infinite Rider On The Big Dogma aren't bad, but seem a bit too laid back 70's California-Jimmy Buffett-like for my taste. I've never quite been able to figure out where The Prison and its eventual sequel The Garden are coming from.

And don't miss Nesmith's great 90's comeback album, Tropical Campfires. He's said to be working on a new album, to be titled Rays. Here's hoping it'll take the bad taste out of that whole Monkees Justus debacle.

A sound question for the folks who know: My Nez CD's are all the old British Awareness label discs that came out in the early 90's. I recall some folks complaining at the time that they sounded a bit lifeless, but they pretty much sound like flat transfers to me. Has anyone done any better with the Nesmith catalogue since, or am I safe in sticking with what I've got (barring bonus tracks and so forth.)?

[GuyDon]

Originally posted by audiodrome


In your opinion, what is the sonic improvement? I have the twofers also and the sound is somewhat lacking, especially in the treble department (but alot of his stuff was originally). Is the Video Ranch single CD version of "Tantamount to Treason" better than the BMG twofer version also?

I have no info on the Video Ranch Tantamount as I have not heard it. Actually, they may be selling the regular commercially available copy.

As for the sonic improvement on the Complete First National Band set, to me, it sounds like the two-fers use an inferior or higher generation tape.

[misterbozz]

I see also at the videoranch site they have the Live At The Palais first time on CD and an album of pre Monkees stuff.

[GuyDon]

Originally posted by misterbozz
I see also at the videoranch site they have the Live At The Palais first time on CD and an album of pre Monkees stuff.

If you are referring to The Wichita Train Whistle Sings as pre-Monkees, it was actually recorded while the Monkees were together. Be warned, however, that this disc is a needle drop as Mike did not have access to the masters. Interesting but hardly essential as it is all instrumentals.

[jeff e.]

Count me in as another Nez fan! I have all 6 of the original RCA LP's on vinyl, along with the British two-fers. As far as sound quality goes, be aware that these are not sonic masterpieces in any format--even my NM vinyl sounds a little rough, though that could have something to do with the overall lousy quality of the RCA Dynagroove and Dynaflex vinyl of that era. :mad:

Anyway, Nez is without a doubt one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in rock history. There are SO many gems on his solo LP's, not to mention all of the great stuff he did with the Monkees.

[reechie]

Originally posted by GuyDon
If you are referring to The Wichita Train Whistle Sings as pre-Monkees, it was actually recorded while the Monkees were together. Be warned, however, that this disc is a needle drop as Mike did not have access to the masters. Interesting but hardly essential as it is all instruments.

It really doesn't sound all that bad, actually. I picked it up more as a curio, and to complete my Nez collection.

Live At The Palais has some extra tracks thrown in as well, including a killer take of "Listen To The Band" recorded in the 90's. Otherwise, it's kind of a mediocre live album. Nesmith re-arranged all the songs (ala Dylan) with more rock arrangements, and most of the time, it didn't work all that well. A couple of exceptions are the "punk rhumba" version of "Calico Girlfriend," which actually swings pretty well, and the rocked up version of "Roll With The Flow." Apparently it took a lot of persuading to get Nesmith to release it, he doesn't think too much of it.

Live At The Britt Festival might be a better live choice, though the CD sounds like a straight transfer of the soundtrack from the video version (including the end credits studio version of "I Am Not That") You're probably best off just getting the DVD version, which is gorgeous. I saw Nesmith live around this time ('92-'93), and he put on a wonderful show.

[misterbozz]

Originally posted by jeff e.

Anyway, Nez is without a doubt one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in rock history. There are SO many gems on his solo LP's, not to mention all of the great stuff he did with the Monkees.


I was struck by the stuff on one of the Monkees Box Sets by Rhino how great his outtakes from that period were, probably along with the late Gene Clark one of my favourite underrated artists...

I think I'll skip the Whistlestop and have a gamble on the complete 1st National..my main beef is with those transfers.
'And The Hits...' seems to be OK on the twofer though if someone has compared this with the 'official' Nesmith version and the latter came out on top, I'd be very interested to hear....

[reechie]

Originally posted by misterbozz
'And The Hits...' seems to be OK on the twofer though if someone has compared this with the 'official' Nesmith version and the latter came out on top, I'd be very interested to hear....

Well, I'm kind of backwards, in that I've never heard the "twofers" or the First National Band Complete set (which I never got because it omits the side ending "First National Rag" from Magnetic South), but for what it's worth, the Awareness discs (which I'm assuming are the ones Nesmith sells as single CD's) sounded fine to me, like I said, pretty much flat transfers. Nesmith himself approved the mastering, and the story I heard was, when Bill Inglot criticized them, Nesmith forbid him from touching those masters, or anything else in his catalogue, when Rhino put together their The Older Stuff compilation.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the Rhino comp used the same tapes as the Awareness discs. There's a tape dropout during the song "Continuing" that occurs on both The Older Stuff, and the Awareness Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash. Therefore, I can kind of conclude that if you like the sound on the Rhino compilation, you'll like the sound on the Awareness discs.

[David Powell]

Always been a fan of Michael Nesmith. Back when he first went solo, a buddy & me went to see him at a small club in Atlanta. We had both just turned 18, which was the legal drinking age at the time. He played without a band, just him & an old Gibson acoustic and was fabulous. We yelled out at one point, "Where's Red?" (meaning Red Rhodes, the pedal steel guitarist in the First National Band). He explained that he was doing a low-budget tour without a band, which was a refreshing change from his days in the Monkee machine. After his first set, he graciously came by our table. We bought a pitcher of beer and he sat down & joined us. He seemed very friendly & didn't seem to be on any "star trip". It was like talking to just another country boy from Texas. As I recall, he explained why he was glad to get out of the Monkees to play the kind of music he loved, rather than being just another part of a money-making machine, forced into playing a pre-conceived formula. During the second set, he repeated "Joanne" at our request, playing it a second time, with added gusto.

[GuyDon]

Originally posted by David Powell
Always been a fan of Michael Nesmith. Back when he first went solo, a buddy & me went to see him at a small club in Atlanta. We had both just turned 18, which was the legal drinking age at the time. He played without a band, just him & an old Gibson acoustic and was fabulous. We yelled out at one point, "Where's Red?" (meaning Red Rhodes, the pedal steel guitarist in the First National Band). He explained that he was doing a low-budget tour without a band, which was a refreshing change from his days in the Monkee machine. After his first set, he graciously came by our table. We bought a pitcher of beer and he sat down & joined us. He seemed very friendly & didn't seem to be on any "star trip". It was like talking to just another country boy from Texas. As I recall, he explained why he was glad to get out of the Monkees to play the kind of music he loved, rather than being just another part of a money-making machine, forced into playing a pre-conceived formula. During the second set, he repeated "Joanne" at our request, playing it a second time, with added gusto.

Great story David! Thanks for sharing.

[Mark]

Michael Nesmith's vastly underrated contribution to the genre of "country rock" is detailed extremely well in John Einarson's book "Desperados," which is a fine history of that kind of music.

[Ere]

I'm happy to say that my very first cassette mix tape, made when I was 11 in 1971, featured 'Joanne' as the lead track. I still have it:)

Ere

[audiodrome]

With "Tantamount To Treason" as my main reference, I always considered Nesmith as kind of a "psychedelic country Zappa" - which is a VERY GOOD THING! I can't think of anyone else who fits that description...