Customer Reviews

Silver Moon

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

 

 

... be aware, you then already have 22 of the 25 tracks on this CD. Just so you know. However, if you DON'T have "Listen to the Band," by all means get this CD. It is an excellent compilation, and shows how much more Mike Nesmith did than just be a Monkee (although that would have been enough). He is one of our most under-rated and under-appreciated singer/songwriters. He paved the way for supergroups like the Eagles with a similar country/folk/rock sound.

Basically an expanded version of the Listen To The Band greatest hits compilation, Silver Moon, complete with an exquisite cover shot of Mike with his trademark woolhat, compiles 25 of his finest post-Monkees tracks.

Silver Moon kicks things off in Mike's trademark fusion of blues with country-western, his double-tracking of vocals as always bringing out the nice illusion of Micky Dolenz being there in harmony (which may have been the subtle point of the Monkees-era cover shot) and ably backed by John London's bass, Johnny Ware's drumming, and the spine-tingling plucking of Orville "Red" Rhodes' pedal steel.

The bulk of tracks are from Magnetic South, Loose Salute, Nevada Fighter, and And The Hits Keep On Coming. Mike infuses all of them with his ever-superb vocals - of all the vocals of the muscially opulent era from which Mike came, his and Micky Dolenz' have to rank in the top three or four harmony tandems of all, in that era or any other; offhand only Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, and Dave Clark, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Martina McBride and Carolyn Dawn Johnson form vocal tandems as strong as Micky and Mike.

If there are flaws in the album, they are that the tracks are not presented chronologically, and also that some tracks - such as Hits Keep On Coming's entire lineup, First National Dance from the South/Salute reissue tandem, Here I Am from Nevada Fighter, and Rose City Chimes, Mama Rocker, You Are My One, and She Thinks I Still Care from the Nevada Fighter/Tantamount To Treason reissue tandem - are mysteriously not included.

Nonetheless, Silver Moon is a great place to begin appreciation of Michael Nesmith, both with The Monkees and as a solo artist in his own right.

This cd features just some of the wonderful song that Michael Nesmith has written. He has such and amazing talent and is one of the best songwritters of all time. His way with music can turn anyone onto country. With a super voice and beats this cd will keep anyones foot taping and asking for more!!!

However Mike Nesmith is the acception to the rule. He really has a great voice and in my opinion, very uncharectaristic of a "country" singer. Besides that, this set really features some great song writting by Mr. Nez. If you like folkish pop-country give this a try, even if you don't try it, you'll be suprised.

I love this CD! Nesmith as everyone knows was the reason the monkees were great. I like his solo stuff better. I can only take the monkees in small doses (except the porpoise song album). This does have a very heavy country influence but avoids all the crappy country cliché's.

Silver moon is my fav song and I never tire of it. You get a lot of songs on this CD and they work well mixed up in playlists.

easily worth 15 bucks. Get it!

In my opinion, "Joanne" and "Different Drum" are two of the finest songs written and recorded in the past 50 years. Listen to them and you might agree that I'm not exaggerating. Mike has written many great songs but those two are stand outs.