Customer Reviews

Listen to the Band

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I have to admit, I was never a Michael Nesmith fan. Not because of his music, but because he was always walking around with that darn Monkee on his back, and I never really thought of him as a serious musical artist. Boy was I wrong wrong wrong! The one song from the 70's that I really missed after all these years was Joanne. I just couldn't remember who did it until recently when I found out it was Michael Nesmith. So I bought this compilation cd just for this one song. I know what your thinkin'. This guy shelled out $14.99 for one lousy song? Well...Yeah. And it was worth every penny. This is one of those rare gems of a song that simply never gets old or sounds dated. The big surprise for me though, was the other 21 tracks on this excellent CD. As great a tune as Joanne is, there are some other ones here that are just as moving. Especially "Some Of Shelly's Blues" which is another one of those songs I recognized, but didn't tie to Nesmith. Also the beautiful "Harmony Constant" and of course "Different Drum", which Linda Ronstadt made famous, or I should say made Ronstadt famous. He also does some fabulous country rock with songs like "Silver Moon", "Nevada Fighter", and the very contagious "Mama Nantucket". He throws in a couple very good covers here too with Harry Nillson's "Rainmaker" and the Patsy Cline weeper "I Fall To Pieces". Folks, I can't even begin to to you how good this music is. Think of it as country music without the twang. And did I mention that this guy can sing? The Monkees should have used Big Mike instead of Little Davey to do their singing for them. I've since become a huge Nez fan since getting this cd, having bought his 2 classic albums "And the hits just keep on coming" and "pretty much your standard ranch stash" on a 2 for 1 cd. This one I also highly recommend because these 2 albums have so many good songs that they almost play like a greatest hits package themselves. Michael Nesmith is one of those guys who deserved to get more recognition than he did. Maybe if the Monkees had been the Fab Four instead of the Prefab Four it would have turned out different for Nesmith. This is one of those rare cd's that I can honestly recommend for fans of all musical tastes. It's just great music... Period

Like the rest of the entertainment industry, country music has been cynical and money-focused since the late 1940s and early 1950s and it is an exceptional man who can successfully parody its flaws at the same time as celebrating it joys - Michael Mesmith's album Listen to the Band contains a number of covers of country classics as well as some stunningly delivered classics of his own. The 22 tracks on the album are a picture of an artist who has always been too honest and humourous an individual to pander to the makers and shakers of the industry and has paid a price in seldom having the support or airplay to develop into a major artist with a string of hit singles or albums of his own, although he has provided classic tracks for others to bring to prominence. In fact, one of the album's flaws is that it fails to include what was finally his most recognised single, Rio, with its off-centre and very early entry into the music video genre. But what it lacks in this single area, it makes up for in hauntingly touching tracks such as Different Drum, Joanne, I Fall to Pieces and Harmony Constant and foot-tapping singalongs like Mama Nantucket, Calico Girlfriend and Little Red Rider. The remainder of the tracks veer from stunningly produced and presented country rock to wry commentaries on the counrty music scene itself to out-and-out respectful covers of songs that are obviously dear to Michael Nesmith's sense of what country music should be, rather than what it has turned into. Michael Nesmith is reported to feel that he is all written out and preferes to concentrate on the visual side of his talen - this is an enormous pity because this album represents a continuous output of top-class material over the course of more than a decade and I, for one, would love to have seen him perform live, having spent ten years trying to track down his back catalogue in the UK without success until Camden Records released this collection in 1997. We can only take comfort in the fact that all of his albums are to be re-released, in one format or another, in the next few years, many of them in a double-format at a reasonable price. Buy them instantly because, once the musicianship and lyrics get into your head, you'll want to play them again and again and again. Mike Nesmith, you are one of my top three recording artists of all time.

Even after some 35 years of records, music/TV production, and so forth, Mike Nesmith is still best known for his superb work with The Monkees. He captures some of the flavor of his Monkees work in this compilation of some of his best songs from his early post-Monkees solo career.

A number of the songs on this CD were also demoed or recorded during The Monkees, notably Listen To The Band, Some Of Shelley's Blues, I've Just Begun To Care - aka Propinquity - Nine Times Blue-Little Red Rider, and Hollywood. Also included is Mike's version of the 1967 hit he penned for Linda Ronstadt, Different Drum. Mike includes some impressive extra verses in his version. Combined with his slower pace, it is a longer song than Ronstadt's take.

At times I got the feeling that you can take Mike Nesmith away from The Monkees, but you can't quite take The Monkees out of Mike. Mike often double-tracks his songs, and the harmony effect often sounds like he's still dueting with Micky Dolenz. This is especially true in Nine Times Blue and the beautifully haunting Lady Of The Valley - the Micky-Dolenz-as-backup-singer illusion adds nicely to the song.

Of course Mike puts his own stamp down as well, in such numbers as Nevada Fighter and Joanne, and his cover of Patsy Cline's classic I Fall To Pieces.

Mike's music is often referred to as the genesis of later country-rock, some critics saying Mike covers territory later mined by such groups as The Eagles and managing to outdo them. It stands in glaring contrast to the more insipid country-rock of such modern day stars as Shania Twain. Nesmith shows greater maturity and conveys emotion at the time of his latter-20s far better than most contemporary Nashville stars.

Nashville ought to Listen To The Band, for Michael Nesmith still shows them all.

What can I say. I didn't know what to expect when I bought this disc. I haven't listened to Nez solo vinyl albums in about 10 years, and I had become unfamiliar with the material because of such a long absence. But, this was a real treat! Each song is top rate, the lyrics are thoughtful and meaningful, and the arrangements are top notch. Perhaps most interesting is the reworking of the songs he recorded while in the Monkees...songs like "Nine Times Blue," "Listen to the Band," "Some of Shelly's Blues," and "Little Red Rider." Why Nesmith was not the overall producer throughout the entire Monkees career is beyond me. This fantastic collection also highlights the error of not including enough Nez tunes on the 1996 Monkees album "Justus." Would have been nice to hear "Silver Moon" or "Joanne" re-done for that album (with Micky Dolenz on harmonies). I can honestly say this Nez-style country rock beats anything the commercialized Eagles ever released. (In fact, a lot of Nez' material was released before the Eagles.) If you can't decide which of the many Nez solo CDs to buy, start with this one.

I bought this CD because I've always remembered Nesmith's very pretty song, "Joanne," which got a little radio airtime decades ago. I took a chance buying this CD because I'm not a country music fan. This album is, as far as I can tell, real country music but I really like it. Nesmith's version of "Different Drum," I think, is much more charming than Linda Ronstadt's, and all the other songs are really enjoyable. I love music but don't understand the technical aspects of it, so I can't really describe the songs, but if you, like me, remember and miss "Joanne" and Nesmith's other songs on old Monkees albums, buy this one, you won't be disappointed.

These tracks include all of Michael Nesmith's classics and is a perfect introduction to those who don't know his music or perhaps just remember some hits like Joanne or Silver Moon. His style is quite distinctive with his knack for catchy hooks and memorable arrangements, plus excellent poetic lyrics. My favourites include Silver Moon, Nevada Fighter, Different Drum, I've Just Begun To Care, Joanne and last but not least, Harmony Constant, a beautiful spiritual song that has me humming along every time. If you like intelligent country, country-pop or country-rock, you'll love this great album.

These 22 tracks from 6 albums contain all of Michael Nesmith's classics and is a perfect introduction to those who don't know his music or perhaps just remember some hits like Joanne or Silver Moon. His style is quite distinctive with his knack for catchy hooks and memorable arrangements, plus excellent poetic lyrics. My favourites include Silver Moon, Nevada Fighter, Different Drum, I've Just Begun To Care, Joanne and last but not least, Harmony Constant, a beautiful spiritual song that has me humming along every time. If you like intelligent country, country-pop or country-rock, you'll love this great album. One of my best investments of year 2000.

I keep listening to this album over and over. I'm a true country music fan, and I'm impressed with Nesmith's commitment to a traditional sound. I'm also impressed with his songwriting and singing abilities. If you thought Michael Nesmith was just the goofy-hat-wearing guy from the Monkees, think again: this is a really talented guy! I would highly recommend this album.

Having always been a fan of Michael Nesmith, I can highly recommend this cd if you're looking for one to purchase. You won't go wrong with any of them, but this one in particular is excellent. The packaging is attractive with a brief "bio" of Mr. Nesmith and the First National Band. Excellent song selection, and if you're looking for prime cuts, may I suggest "I've Just Begun to Care (Propinquity", the classic "Joanne", and "Grand Ennui." The musicianship is terrific with the late Red Rhodes on steel guitar as well as Nesmith's guitar. You will not be disappointed in this disc.

Forget the Eagles, this is the real thing, a fusion of country and rock that is timeless. A contemporary of the BYRDS and the Burrito Brothers, Nesmith was as influential in creating this genre as anyone. This compilation disc of Nesmith's early solo work is a must have for fans of country/rock. Classics like "Joanne", "Listen to the Band" and "Silver Moon" are well known, but underated gems like "Bonapartes Retreat" "I"ve just Begun to Care" and Conversations" are well worth the cost. Listen to the Band indeed