Customer Reviews

And the Hits... / Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch

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After three terrific albums with the First National Band and the lackluster (by comparison) Tantamount to Treason, Michael Nesmith returned with his two best albums of the Seventies: And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' (1972) and Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (1973). Available now as a two-fer, this is a re-release that Nesmith fans can't afford to pass up.

On "The Hits" you have to keep reminding yourself that the only performers on this recording are Nesmith (guitar and vocals) and Orville "Red" Rhodes (pedal steel guitar). The singing is first rate and includes some of Nesmith's best songwriting. His own version of "Different Drum" makes you forget the hit version Linda Ronstadt had in 1967. My personal favorites include "Harmony Constant" and "Roll with the Flow," but every song is a gem. [Note: The album obviously meant a lot to Nesmith who chose five of these songs to include on his Live at the Britt release.]

"Ranch Stash" was a full band effort--including Rhodes--and featured continued strong songwriting efforts from Nesmith. "Continuing" and the oft-covered "Some of Shelly's Blues" being the best. Although my favorite recording of the album is the 8-minute "The Back Porch and a Fruit Jar Full of Iced Tea" which is a coupling of the spoken-word "The F.F.V." with a slowed down rendition of Bill Monroe's bluegrass classic "Uncle Pen," which lopes along until about the six-minute mark when the banjo kicks the song into high gear and then heads for the hills with the musicians hanging on for dear life. The album closes with the gorgeous "Prairie Lullaby." All told, this is a very satisfying album, and any country-rock fan who does not already have this in his collection is missing out on some fine music. [To repeat the words Nesmith included on the cover of the original vinyl release of this album: "Buy this Record." You won't be disappointed.]

While Nesmith would continue to release new albums sporadically over the next two decades with occasional splashes of brilliance, he never again put out such a satisfying collection of songs on a single disc (although Tropical Campfires came very close). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

--that Michael Nesmith's work has been called "The Greatest Music Never Heard" by Rolling Stone.

Included on this compilation are two of Michael's solo works, the first of which, "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" is argueably his best work (and my very favorite of his albums). If you have a passion for real country music, then you need to check this out. If you adore the cry of a steel guitar, then you absolutely must buy it. Spotlighted on this album is Michael with his acoustic rhythm guitar and the legendary O.J. "Red" Rhodes on the pedal steel. Rhodes may have been the greatest pedal steel player of all time, and here he's playing some of the best material from one of the finest songwriters of all time. (To my mind, the only steel player who comes close today is Gary "Truckstop" Morse, currently playing with Dwight Yoakam's band.)

"And the Hits..." is a solid body of work, breathtakingly beautiful in its simplistic presentation. It opens with the tear-soaked "Tomorrow & Me" and closes with the upbeat, optimistic "Roll with the Flow," which features a seemingly endless fade-out of steel and acoustic. For me, as a stand-alone CD, "And the Hits Just Keep On Comin'" can be played on continuous repeat for hours without getting old.

However, here it is backed up with another of Michael's solo works, "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash."

"Ranch Stash" is a fairly straightforward country-rock album, much more country than most of what radio calls country music today. There are only seven tracks on the single album "Ranch Stash," but between Michael's own mournful "Continuing" to the sweet and gentle "Prairie Lullaby" (written by Billy Hill), there is enough music to more than make up for a seemly small number of songs for an album. His own version of "Some of Shelley's Blues" may not be quite as bluegrass in flavor as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's more popular cover, but on the whole, I prefer Michael's more solid take on the tune.

Michael Nesmith is undoubtedly one of the fathers of today's pioneering country-rock, and I can't help but think if more so-called "country" singers today would find and listen to his early 70's work they might understand why country fans are so disillusioned with what "country" radio is feeding them.

Michael has stopped making music for various reasons, and it's a tremendous loss -- but every so often he takes up his pen and writes again. In this age of cookie-cutter pop-fluff, some of Michael's introspective, thoughtful lyrics and heart-touching, always original melodies would be a welcome change.

If you only ever buy one Nesmith CD, this should be it. This was Michael Nesmith at his peak in the 70's, when he put together two of the finest country/rock discs ever. The first was And the Hits Just Keep On Comin', a jibe at his record company who complained that he didn't write enough hit songs. Nesmith scoffed at that idea; all he wanted to do was to lay down good music, and if folks liked it, they would come to it, not the other way around.
And the Hits... features Nesmith alone on guitar with longtime sidekick pedal steel virtuoso Red Rhodes. The result is a sublime experience, full of heartfelt singing and pensive lyrics. Highlights include The Upside Of Good-Bye, Two Different Roads, Harmony Constant, and the song that gave Linda Ronstadt a hit in '69, Different Drum (this version is the best).
Nesmith progressed to his next album naturally by filling out the sound he and Rhodes crafted on And the Hits... with a host of top studio musicians. The result was Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash, the crowning achievement for Nez, although he only wrote about half of the songs himself here. Some Of Shelley's Blues (an old unreleased tune he wrote from his Monkees' days and a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Release, Winonah, and Back Porch and A Fruit Jar of Iced Tea make this a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Once you hear Papa Nez, you won't need another country album. He has it down pat. So get this disc, and you will find yourself wanting all of his early work, which is inventive, energetic, and thoughtful.

And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' is a beautiful and simple album from Mike Nesmith. The songs feature just Mr. Nesmith on guitar and his longtime sidekick Red Rhodes on steel guitar and they are beautiful in their simplicity. "The Candidate" is a superb song as is "Tomorrow & Me". He finally recorded a version of his song that made Linda Ronstadt a star, "Different Drum". The album was not a hit, but it should have been. For Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash, he is again backed by a full band and although it is a different sound, it is still a great record. Again he does a version of a song that Linda Ronstadt recorded (but was a country hit for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), the stellar "Some Of Shelly's Blues". "Back Porch & A Fruit Jar Of Ice Tea" is a great song as "Winonah". Mike Nesmith showed on these two albums that he was an unique and great musician.

I can not think of a better gift for yourself than discovering Michael Nesmith, his music, lyrics, innovations, and determinations.

I remember Mike Nesmith as the guitarist of the Monkees but the Mike Nesmith here has clearly grown-up and become a brilliant songwriter and musician. Since this is a double album on one disc, let me break it down by album:

And the hits keep coming: This has some of the best songwriting I've ever heard period. It's basically folk-rock at it's finest with a hint of country in the steel guitar that's found in all the songs. There are even some psychadelic elements sprinkled over the foundation. The lyrics and music are extremely good and have the best elements of the genres I mentioned. I can't believe this was recorded in just a week; that shows how much talent is here. This is truly a classic that deserved more attention from the mainstream.

Pretty much your standard ranch: This album has the folk-rock element too but the country takes on a bigger part in the sound. There's also some standard rock elements found in some songs. It's hands down the weaker of the albums because as this one progresses, it feels more like Nesmith is just fooling around and jamming. Nevertheless, this has some amazing music on it as well (with great lyrics to go with it).

If you've never heard Mike Nesmith, start here and be amazed like I was.

If you don't like country, banjo, or steel guitar whatsoever then you shouldn't waste your time because that vibe is here but it only makes the album work better.

That's what "Rolling Stone" says about Michael Nesmith's solo career. After The Monkees went off the air, he created some very fine country rock. He sang his own hit, "Joanne", and Linda Ronstadt sang "Different Drum", and then, well, there was a series of albums that didn't have any hit songs as such. Hence the title of the first album on this 2-album CD. I think. Geddit? Cause the hits weren't. Ha ha. What a guy. This is where RCA and his backing band laughed so hard they both told him to get lost.

That is absolutely no reason for you to ignore this album. If you like Poco, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and/or The Byrds in their country-influenced period, check this out. If you like traditional C & W, there is a kick-ass version of Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen" here. You can also hear Nesmith's own take on "Different Drum".There is a great song about the hard-drinking Winonah, and a couple that you'll find on the "best of" collections (they do exist), "Some of Shelly's Blues" and "Harmony Constant", which you may want to check out eventually. This Nesmith dude knows some good words (stick around, he wrote a song called "Propinquity") and sings as if he cares.

He had a hit in the UK with "Rio" and I guess that's why his early 70's music has come out in these double sets, 2 albums per CD, as imports. The other two are "Nevada Fighter/Tantamount to Treason" and "Magnetic South/ Loose Salute". Collect 'em all! These are in heavy rotation on my CD player.

He went on to make different music, be a novelist, and pretty much invent M-TV. But that's another story.

Michael Nesmith is one of the most underrated and over looked singer/songwriters I can think of. These are two of my favorite Nesmith albums, although, unlike all his others, I've never owned either on vinyl. I had an 8 track of AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN', but I was never able to find a copy of PRETTY YOUR STANDARD RANCH STASH. I've only heard it from listening to a copy a friend owned. I'm so happy to find they have both been released on one cd. In fact, just before I wrote this review, I placed my order. I highly recommend you buy it.

Absolutely sublime album. The first album on this double disc is just guitar, pedal steel guitar, and vocal. It's the most full bodied performance that I have ever heard using such sparse instrumentation! Song, after song, have beautifully dense lyrics and engaging melodies. "Red" Rhodes pedal steel playing is amazing, and different on each track, filling in whatever space is left by the guitar and vocal. You can not go wrong with this album, it may just become one of your all time favorites like it is for me!

I pretty enjoy this CD, and I think it is one of the best works of Michael Nesmith, who brings out as a great music compositor. He, and all of the musicians that play together with him, make this CD a true musical jewel, that you can listen, once, once again, again, and again,... without getting tired ,and enjoying of such excellent music.
Compilating these two cds was a really very good idea.