Customer Reviews

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

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

The power of Nesmith's music is translated by a capable assortment of musicians. I'm a big fan of the original stuff, but some of these versions are stronger. Texas Morning is the standout for me, with more raw emotion than Nesmith usually brings to his vocals. Some of Shelley's Blues is close to the excellent Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version, and Papa Gene's Blues is richer than the Monkees original, but keeps in the same spirit. There are a variety of musical styles, but the unique thread of Nesmith's understated, tender and thoughtful lyrics holds it all together very well.

This album is one of the best tribute albums I have ever heard. I think it is important for tribute albums to try and create new and different versions of the originals... but not too different. This tribute album does a great job of offering new interpretations that sound good and interesting to the fans of the original versions of the songs. It is also so rare for a tribute album to be consistently great, fortunately, this one is. Here are three of my favourites:
1) Tom Gillam's "The Girl I Knew Somewhere": it sounds like a cross between Dave Matthews and The Allman Brothers
2) Western Electric's "Sweet Young Thing": it sounds like a missing link between The Sgt. Pepper album and The Byrds' Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album
3) Simon Raymonde's "Here I am": this guy was in the Cocteau Twins and you can tell, this version is beautiful and dreamy

This is not just a solid collection and one of the better tribute albums that I've heard in years, but most importantly, it proves that the work of Nesmith has stood the test of time, and although some of his songs might be a little too pretentious or ambitious for the usual country listener, the excellent performances on this disc are here to make you curious what what the original songs sound like. Read my full review for Papa Nez on Twang!....

One of the best cover albums I've ever heard. Most of the songs are done in country-rock style, and even the Monkees covers are given a slightly country feel. I wasn't sure if I'd like anybody covering some of my favorite Monkees songs, but I found most of them to be just as good as the originals. The best of these are "You Told Me", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" and "St. Matthew". As for the covers of Michael's solo songs, "Joanne" and "Texas Morning" are terrific. Overall, a really great album.

This record is amazing. Makes me wish that word weren't so overused. If you are a Nez fan considering buying this album, please stop wondering right this second and purchase it. The version of Different Drum on here is a revelation.

Some Of these songs I didn't even realize the Nez had written. Grand Job all around...If you dug the Pre-fabricated Four You will love these covers from various stages of Nez's musical pre Monkees to Post MonKees. Well worth the price of admission give
a listen to the sound samples. Try Diffent Drum, Listen To The Band and Sweet Young Thing