Papa Nez: A Loose Salute to the Work of Michael Nesmith

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: April 24, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Midwest Artists Dist.
• ASIN: B00005K8SL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,757 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Pop

Editorial Reviews

Ben Fong-Torres of Rolling Stone

Michael Nesmith ain’t some Monkee. Well, he was, but he’s also a pioneer of country rock

Product Description

A tribute album that recognizes the songwriting and arranging of Michael Nesmith's career as both a solo artist and as a member of The Monkees. Stylistically, the album's foundations are in alt-country, power pop, and that early seventies southern California sound.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NESMITH meets Alternate Country!, March 2, 2004

By 

Henry R. Kujawa ("The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Papa Nez: A Loose Salute to the Work of Michael Nesmith (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of Mike Nesmith's music (with The Monkees and on his own) most of my life, so naturally hearing other artists do his songs would grab my attention. I've enjoyed a certain amount of "Alternate Country" (that odd cross of country-rock & punk) in recent years, although it's not as high a priority for me as "garage" and "surf". Still, I looked forward to giving this a spin. SEVERAL spins. In the first 4 days I must have played it 6 times!

The first surprise for me was Buddy Woodward's "You Told Me", the banjo bits and general arrangement are very faithful to the HEADQUARTERS original. I couldn't place his name, but recognized the voice-- sure enough, I had 2 CDs by his band, The Ghost Rockets, who themselves list The Monkees AND Buck Owens among their influences. Sixty Acres' "Nine Times Blue" is a good example of how classic and timeless some of Nesmith's songs are, despite being "obscure" to the general public! Frog Holler's "Different Drum" is far moodier & depressing than Linda Ronstadt's upbeat poppy version, but then, it IS a break-up song! I can see the Allman Bros. reference other reviewers made about Tom Gilliam's "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", both in the singing and guitar work. Last Train Home's "Good Clean Fun" is every bit as joyous and uplifting as the original by Nesmith & Area Code 615 (who supplied backup for Nesmith's 1968 Nashville recordings). In some ways, The Heavy Blinkers' "Magic", seems more natural with Ruth Minnikin's vocals than Nesmith did when he sang falsetto back in '79! John Beland (the man who got Rick Nelson back into doing his oldies in the early 80's) does a fine version of "Some Of Shelly's Blues", that wonderful "almost-break-up" song.

Some of the rest tends to blend together, some of it's too generally downbeat, but only a few really rub me the wrong way. Let's face it, SOME songs are so intrinsically tied to their original arrangements, it's just SACRELIGE for anyone else to do 'em-- like The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night". In this case, it's "Sweet Young Thing" and "Listen To The Band".

For anyone who really gets into this, I'd also reccomend anything you can find by Kevin Johnson & The Linemen (especially MEMPHIS FOR BREAKFAST), Lonesome Bob (esp. THINGS FALL APART), Star City, or the amazing comp, AMERICANA MOTEL, which features some of the same bands heard here!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Tribute, June 7, 2001

By 

"scotthall" (Bloomington, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papa Nez: A Loose Salute to the Work of Michael Nesmith (Audio CD)

Papa Nez is packed with respectful but distinctive readings of strong material. Many tribute albums feature better-known musicians performing better-known songs, but in terms of overall listening experience, few work as well as this collection of alternative country and power pop. Tom Gillam gives a tasteful, Allman Brothers slide-guitar treatment to "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." A band called Frog Holler plays a low-key acoustic rendition of "Different Drum" that makes the hit version by Linda Ronstadt's Stone Poneys sound silly and overblown. (Also, a male vocalist makes more sense of the line "I ain't sayin' you ain't pretty.") Closing the 19-song set is "Prairie Lullaby," performed by Bloomington's own Mary Janes. The sparse arrangement with acoustic guitar and violin is very much like a lullaby, though an eerie one. Vocalist Janas Hoyt manages to make even the yodeling sound gentle and musical.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just Monkee business., March 4, 2004

By 

G. Sawaged - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Papa Nez: A Loose Salute to the Work of Michael Nesmith (Audio CD)

This is truly an awesome cd of Michael Nesmith's songs performed by an eclectic group of artists. A couple of the songs came as a surprise as they were very familiar to me but I had no idea that Michael Nesmith wrote them. These songs are very enjoyable to listen to. It proves that really, really good music stands the test of time no matter who performs it. If you are a fan of Michael Nesmith, or a fan of country-rock, then give this album a listen. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.