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Monkees star Mike Nesmith dead at 78

People will focus on his life in The Monkees, but he also wrote "Different Drum," the debut hit for Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys.

Michael's version was VERY different from the hit.

 
In 1966, as I arrived back in the States from two years in Southeast Asia, I remember one of the first things that let me know I was home was the "Monkeys Guitar" logo on the sides of buses in San Francisco. We hadn't heard about the group while overseas but did hear all about their not being a 'real' band. Nevertheless, I liked most of their music and a lot of it still resides in my personal library.

My generation is leaving a considerable legacy and it is very difficult to believe that time is running out on all those talented people who made it great.

Via Con Dios Michael. Oh, and you can finally get rid of that damn wool cap now.
 
Mickey Dolenz is now the lone survivor. The Monkees were far more legitimate as musicians than they were given credit for. They had many outstanding album tracks in addition to their hits. Dolenz was the superior vocalist, but Nesmith sang lead on many songs. He was a skilled guitarist and songwriter. His solo discography is also very impressive. RIP...

It's impossible not to like the TV show. It was fun 60s stuff in the vein of the Beatles "Hard Days Night" movie.

Side note-- Nesmith's mother invented the Liquid Paper white out product and made millions...
 
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Just a couple years after we lost Peter Tork. May you RIP. Condolences to his family, friends, and to Mickey Dolenz.
 
If you look at the songs, most of the hits were written by the best writers of the day: Carol King & Jerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart. The musicians, for the most part, were known as The Wrecking Crew, and they played on all the big hits of the day, from The Beach Boys to the Fifth Dimension. The songs would have been hits by anyone, but they had the added benefit of a hit TV show for the marketing. That was a key discovery. The music industry found out there was a TV audience for young music. Not just Mitch Miller or Lawrence Welk. That discovery would lead to more TV shows aimed at promoting young music. The Midnight Special. Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. In Concert. All added to the longtime favorite American Bandstand. Kirshner was the music man behind the Monkees, and ten years later he would have success again with the rock band Kansas.
 
The big picture of this is fascinating. Last month I was listening to Monkees music on Qobuz streaming. It is surprisingly well produced and engineered, in the context and technology of the era. The production team made decisions that were rational at that time. On the audio sound side, it is correct that sometimes vinyl mastering engineers made a big contribution to a hit record. Other times the vinyl process was lackluster, and something closer to the original tape is a revelation. Today's high-quality streaming is not necessarily a true audio sound copy of the original mono or stereo master tape, but it is an intriguing revisit.
 
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This article says Michael Nesmeth "invented" country rock. I think Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman would disagree:


Chris Hillman was the bluegrass part of The Byrds. Once David Crosby left the band, Hillman's influence grew. Adding Gram Parsons allowed the band to create "The Sweetheart of the Rodeo." The Byrds performed songs from that album on the Grand Ole Opry. That happened when Nesmeth was still wearing the wool cap on TV. By the time The Eagles had their first hits, country rock was already a big thing.
 
TheBigA said:
This article says Michael Nesmeth "invented" country rock. I think Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman would disagree:


Chris Hillman was the bluegrass part of The Byrds. Once David Crosby left the band, Hillman's influence grew. Adding Gram Parsons allowed the band to create "The Sweetheart of the Rodeo." The Byrds performed songs from that album on the Grand Ole Opry. That happened when Nesmeth was still wearing the wool cap on TV. By the time The Eagles had their first hits, country rock was already a big thing.
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Nesmith may not have invented "Country Rock", but he was a big part of it. He was in the same circles with Stephen Stills, McGuinn, Parsons, etc... Stephen Stills actually auditioned for the Monkees, but Peter Tork got the job.

The Byrds were crucified by Nashville Country Radio. They called their music sacrilege. The Byrds were way ahead of their time. Nesmith had the respect of his musician peers. His work with the Monkees was excellent, but he was much more than that with his solo records...
 
tbolt909 said:
The Byrds were crucified by Nashville Country Radio.
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Because they were commercially successful in the pop world. That was a threat. They were young, had long hair, were politically against the war, and smoked weed. What was there for the country music world to like? Country radio was mainly old southern men. They also crucified Willie Nelson. The Byrds got boo'd off the stage of the Opry. Afterwards, they went over to WSM to ask Ralph Emery to play their latest single from Sweethearts, and he refused. In response, McGuinn wrote "Drug Store Truck Driving Man" about Ralph. Years later, Hillman returned to Nashville as the Desert Rose Band. They had a bunch of hits on country radio. Gram Parsons' girlfriend Emmylou Harris was embraced by Dolly Parton and the rest of Nashville, and she's a member of the Country Hall of Fame.
 
firepoint525 said:
Always wondered if maybe he was trying to cover up a bald spot with that thing!
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It was originally supposed to be a "hook" in his Monkees character but he bitched about it in almost every interview I ever saw. The production company would not let him perform without it though.
 
TheBigA said:
They had a bunch of hits on country radio. Gram Parsons' girlfriend Emmylou Harris was embraced by Dolly Parton and the rest of Nashville, and she's a member of the Country Hall of Fame.
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GAWD I love Emmylou's singing. Next to Judith Durham of the Seekers who I would rate #1.

Of course, being embraced by Dolly might change my mind. ;)
 
landtuna said:
It was originally supposed to be a "hook" in his Monkees character but he bitched about it in almost every interview I ever saw. The production company would not let him perform without it though.
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Apparently he wore it to the audition, and the producers told him to keep it. Once the show was done, so was the cap.
 
TheBigA said:
Apparently he wore it to the audition, and the producers told him to keep it. Once the show was done, so was the cap.
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IIRC, the wool hat went away in Season 2, when the band took control over its own music, and Kirshner was fired.
 
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