Nesmith is a genius.
We all love The Monkees but Nesmith is the only one to have a career outside the Monkees and in a lot of ways (apart from chart wise) he matched his creative period in the Monkees and occasionally he surpassed his work with them.
His Monkees persona really is "Nesmith" and this comes across in his solo work – cerebral, quirky, humorous and so far away from the mainstream he could get lost.
Bio: Wikipedia: "Nesmith was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, Harris County, Texas in 1942. He was an only child; his parents, Warren Audrey Nesmith and Bette Nesmith Graham, divorced when their son was four. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas to be closer to her parents, sister, aunts and grandmother. Bette took temporary jobs ranging from clerical work to graphics design, and developed very good secretarial skills, including shorthand, and, auspiciously, touch typing. When Nesmith was 13 his mother invented a typewriter correction fluid later known commercially as Liquid Paper. Over the next 25 years she and a select group of executives would build the Liquid Paper Corporation into a multimillion dollar international company which she finally sold to Gillette in 1980 for 48 million USD. She died a few months later at age 56"A
Allmusic: "Nesmith's first act independent of the Monkees was the formation of the First National Band, with old friend John London on bass, John Ware on drums, and one of country music's best steel guitarists, Red Rhodes.
The First National Band signed to RCA Victor and released two albums in 1970, Magnetic South and Loose Salute. The single "Joanne" hit the pop Top 25, and "Silver Moon" also charted later in the year. Nesmith added several members for 1971's Nevada Fighter, and credited it to the Second National Band. The title track skirted the bottom of the charts for several weeks, but Nesmith proved his pop savvy yet again by providing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with their hit, "Some of Shelly's Blues." The following year, the National Band released Tantamount to Treason".
Clearly Nesmith likes country and has always leant that way. He was born in Texas after all. You can hear country coming through in the Monkees recordings and when left to his own devices he really took it to the next level. A cynic would say that maybe he could afford to: between Monkees money and liquid paper money. But he had enough talent also. Either way he was not content to make straight country or roots country music.
Many labels have been thrown at his music: singer/songwriter, pop, folk rock but he was very much one of the first country rock, alt country or progressive country artists. He could sit quite easily next to Buffalo Springfield, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band or The Dillards. He was certainly though more quirky and "weird" than any of them.
This "weird" or "weird country" is a term I use where strict country music is joined to other forms of music and filtered through a good dose of humour making for quirky, left of centre listening and is not so much a music genre as it is an outlook wedded to a music genre. Nesmith is not dissimilar to Jerry Jeff Walker or John Hartford, if Walker and Hartford were cowboy astronauts playing beat inspired electronica. He is probably closest to "Cosmic Cowboy" Michael Martin Murphy (solo and formerly of the Lewis & Clark Expedition"). Nesmith had actually played with Murphy in his pre-Monkees career, and they are both Texans, and he is pretty "spacey" himself.
The beauty of course is Nesmith is relatively normal looking – always was and is. That makes his music that much more subversive like a wolf in sheep's clothing …
Despite the fact this album is quite challenging it actually is quite accessible by Nesmith standards. None of his albums I have heard thus far are straight forward. This is country music but it certainly is trippy … hence the "alt country" tag. The first side is originals and the second side is covers, obscure and well known, but all done in Nesmith's style. The music is exceptionally well played by his band (the Second National Band), which like its predecessor, is a loose aggregate of studio musicians though with former First National Bandmates O.J. "Red" Rhodes (pedal steel) and Michael Cohen (keyboards)). Congas are supplied by the legendary Jose Feliciano (apparently). And why cant you have congas by Puerto Rican on a alt country album?
Tracks (best in italics)
- Mama Rocker – Nesmith – 2:58 – not what I'd expect from Nesmith … a chuck a lunk rocker with a 50s Chuck Berry-esque "Johnny B Goode" feel … which actually isn't dissimilar from the Nilsson or Lennon stabs at 50s rock in the mid 70s. After you get over the jarring aspect the rocker is quite palatable.
- Lazy Lady – Nesmith – 2:53 – more the Nesmith I know … and very much in the mood of dreamy tranquil ruminations … excellent.
There were so many things that I should have said
When I finally said good-bye,
But the gist of things to come
Showed me nothing could be done
To save a love that already died
When I finally said good-bye,
But the gist of things to come
Showed me nothing could be done
To save a love that already died
And, yet, still it breaks my heart to have to walk away
In the middle of such staggering pain,
I would like to press you close
And offer you my coat
As shelter from the gathering rain
In the middle of such staggering pain,
I would like to press you close
And offer you my coat
As shelter from the gathering rain
But that would just compound the hurt
That comes with such moments
And make it all more difficult to bear
That comes with such moments
And make it all more difficult to bear
And so I'll walk away and leave you alone
To seek comfort from the things you know are real,
But don't let my silence hide
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
To seek comfort from the things you know are real,
But don't let my silence hide
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
And so I'll walk away and leave you alone
To seek comfort from the things you know are real,
But don't let my silence hide
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
To seek comfort from the things you know are real,
But don't let my silence hide
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
Please don't let my silence hide
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
The tenderness inside
That memories of you will make me feel
- You Are My One – Nesmith – 4:09 – this is one long aural trip … very spacey … not all that successful but it serves as a fine bridge between the last song and the next …
- In the Afternoon – Nesmith – 5:54 – gently spacey …
- Highway 99 With Melange – Cohen – 5:01 – wtf … more obscure than Dylan at his most obscure … but strangely listenable.
- Wax Minute – Stekol – 4:34 – beautiful … written by the vastly underrated Richard Stekol …
As you complicate things greatly
Since you came into my life
Old veneers and stately postures
Wax minute within your sigh
Since you came into my life
Old veneers and stately postures
Wax minute within your sigh
And the taxing way of adjusting
To all the thoughts which you reveal
Only incites me to motion
While that's the crux of your appeal
To all the thoughts which you reveal
Only incites me to motion
While that's the crux of your appeal
Just the thought of how
It's always been concealed,
Where's my heart, love?
As only you can heal
It's always been concealed,
Where's my heart, love?
As only you can heal
And his humble plans just don't seem
To inspire me to heights
As they did or as seeing you,
Or as touching you might
To inspire me to heights
As they did or as seeing you,
Or as touching you might
And the card that I should have sent days ago
Falls short of reaching you
Memories speak kindly now
But what can I do?
Falls short of reaching you
Memories speak kindly now
But what can I do?
Just be thankful
For an insight granted to few,
And don't linger
On what it might have meant to you
For an insight granted to few,
And don't linger
On what it might have meant to you
The distance which I keep
Has entered into play,
Miles which make me say
I won't be seeing you
Has entered into play,
Miles which make me say
I won't be seeing you
- Bonaparte's Retreat – King, Stewart – 4:35 – a cover. Famously done by Glen Campbell. It sure isn't a straight here.
- Talking to the Wall – Chadwick – 2:54 – a slow ballad type number, beautifully played.
- She Thinks I Still Care – Duffy, Lipscomb – 4:04 – the George Jones classic done by everyone including Elvis . This version is very Nesmith.
And…
A great album … like one long tone poem … put it on late one night whilst drinking a cocktail.
Yup, I'm keeping this.
Chart Action
you kidding … nothing no where
Sounds
Lazy Lady
attached
Wax Minute
live
Bonaparte's Retreat
Talking to the Wall
attached
She Thinks I Still Care
attached
attached
Others
Nesmith's great hit, "Rio" (#1 in Australia, #28 England, no chart in the USA)
Reno? No silly, Rio de Genero
Review
Bio
Website
Trivia
- The albums full title is Tantamount To Treason Volume One. I do not know if there ever was a Volume 2 in the works?
- Allmusic: "In 1977, Nesmith furthered his efforts in the field of music video by creating a TV chart show called Popclips. When Warner bought the idea from him several years later, the company then developed it into MTV. A stop-gap live album (Live at the Palais) appeared in 1978, while Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma, Nesmith's last solo album for 13 years, was released the following year. During the '80s, Pacific Arts became the most important video publishing company in America, and Nesmith moved into film and TV production as well, winning the first video Grammy award in 1981 for Elephant Parts".
Other Comments
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Picture
A picture of Michael Nesmith and he still puts out music, though infrequently: you don't have to have dreadlocks and act all crazy to be off kilter …
(originally posted: 21/11/2010)
what Frank is listening to #184 – MICHAEL NESMITH – Tantamount to Treason – (RCA) – 1972
