by Robert Wilkinson
Today we celebrate the birthday of the pioneering genius of country rock who has given us laughs, a lot of truly great songs, and THE original prototypical music video, "Elephant Parts." I've found some really fantastic tunes!
Papa Nez has worn many hats in this life. He was of course the "serious Monkee" who actually played his instrument and wrote a bunch of their better songs, like "Papa Gene's Blues," "Mary Mary," "The Kind of Girl I Could Love," "You Just May Be The One," "You Told Me," "Daily Nightly," "Tapioca Tundra," and the giant hit "Listen to the Band." Before, during, and after the Monkees he also wrote songs that others turned into hits like "Different Drum" (Linda Ronstadt), "Some of Shelly's Blues," (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and "Let It Shine" (co-written with Olivia Newton-John).
When he left the group ("...weren't they good they made me happy, I think I can make it alone...") in 1969 this Texan created the First National Band and became a pioneer in what used to be called "country rock." While Gram Parsons flamed out early, Papa Nez went on to write and perform some amazing tunes over many years, including "Joanne," "Calico Girlfriend," "Silver Moon," "Propinquity," "Roll with the Flow," my personal favorite "Two Different Roads," and "Rio," to name just a few.
In an interesting turn, his main collaborator throughout his long career was Red Rhodes, master of the pedal steel guitar who also was born on December 30, but 12 years earlier than when Nez squirted into the world in 1942. Red was one of the top steel players in the US, laying tracks for the Byrds, James Taylor, John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Delaney and Bonnie, Tom Rush, Spanky and Our Gang, the Carpenters, Carole King, Willis Alan Ramsey (another truly great Texas "progressive country" pioneer!) and many others. Each time you hear a pedal steel today, it's Red.
Papa Nez formed the music/communications label Pacific Arts in 1974, and created a show in 1977 that Warners eventually morphed into MTV. During that era in his career he won the first video Grammy award in 1981 for "Elephant Parts," an hour-long collection of music videos generally considered the prototype for MTV and all that followed. I have a few pieces below. Since then he's recorded more, produced more, and now has the Videoranch 3D, a leading edge internet site featuring music and a lot more.
I had the rare privilege of seeing him perform at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin sometime in the late 70s, and never forgot the experience. He's thoughtful, funny, acerbic, and a master of his craft. If you haven't heard his music, or even if you have, today we have some real treats!
From his days with the Monkees, I found some original Monkees television show clips with studio versions of his songs. From the first album in 1966, here's the Michael Nesmith song "Papa Gene's Blues," and from the second album in 1967, "Mary Mary" (also a hit for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band!) and the very bizarre bar fight of "The Kind of Girl I Could Love"
From the 1967 album Headquarters, two gems by Papa Nez, "You Just May Be the One," the Beatle influenced (what songwriter wasn't?) "You Told Me." From the 1968 album The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees, the bizarre "Tapioca Tundra."
Here's one of my favorite tunes from those days. I found video clips of the Monkees show set to the Papa Nez hit from the 1969 album "The Monkees Present," "Listen to the Band," and another very long, very psychedelic live performance of "Listen to the Band" from "33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee" with a bunch of guests, including Billy Preston, Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Miles, and too many more to list.
"Listen to the Band" was one of the last Monkees singles, and its amalgam of rock, country, and jazz showed the promise of what was to come once Papa Nez launched his solo career as a pioneer in country rock. So let's go to some studio versions of his songs during his years with the First National Band.
From his groundbreaking 1970 album "Magnetic South" we have "Calico Girlfriend," "Beyond the Blue Horizon," and the monster hit "Joanne."
From 1970's "Loose Salute" album, "Silver Moon." Here's another version off the "Live At the Palais" album of "Silver Moon."
Also from "Loose Salute," "Dedicated Friend of Mine," and "Tengo Amore."
Now it's time for some live performances! Papa Nez has given us two of the great "break up" songs of all time which others turned into hits. From the "Live at the Britt" DVD, his performance of "Different Drum," Here's the studio version of "Different Drum" from the album "And the hits Just Keep On Comin'" featuring some of the sweetest pedal steel guitar ever from fellow Capricorn Red Rhodes.
For a bonus, here's Linda Ronstadt doing a live funky version of "Different Drum." (Original 1967 studio version here.)Then we have Nez doing a 1994 solo acoustic performance of another of the great "break up" songs, "Some Of Shelley's Blues" on Later With Greg Kinnear. (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's hit version here.)
Here are Mike, Mickey, and Davey on the Johnny Cash show doing an acoustic medley of Monkee songs, including Mike's very pretty "9 Times Blue" originally written in early 1967.
Here are The Monkees live at Wembley in the UK in 1997 doing
"Listen to the Band" and "Porpoise Song"
While this one says it's from Manchester in 1997, it does look like their Wembley show! Here's Mike's rocker from one of the last Monkees albums, "Circle Sky."
We now move into some live performances by Mike without the Monkees.
First, I found a bunch of footage from the 1991 "Live At the Britt" DVD. I've put them in the order of the show. If you don't watch any other video today, please enjoy the first tune in the set, since it's truly been my all time favorite song for almost 40 years! The lyrics are profound, all the more so as he wrote it in 1964. For your enjoyment and contemplation, from the album "And the Hits Just Keep On Coming," the amazing "Two Different Roads."
We follow with "Papa Gene's Blues,", and one from his "Nevada Fighter" album, "Propiquity (I've Just Begun to Care)"
From his album "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash," his hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, "Some Of Shelly's Blues, followed by "Joanne."
From "And the Hits Just Keep On Comin'" the incredibly beautiful "Harmony Constant"
And now, 6 great ones from his "Tropical Campfires" album!
Here's his major hit from the 1977 album, "From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing," one we can all dance to, "Rio."
Though I've already given you this link once, I figure since it closes this set, I'll give it again. "Different Drum"
From his 1993 live performance on Austin City Limits, we have three good ones!
If you ever have the chance to see "Elephant Parts," by all means do so. It's pretty funny at times, and some of the bits are really good, as are the tunes. I found a few pieces, not in any particular order. We begin with his spoof of his hit "Joanne"
Here's the funny and ever-popular "Rio." ("Not Reno....")
And from the album "Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma," we finish these "Elephant Parts" segments with "Cruisin'"
What follows are not music pieces, but transitional vignettes in the original video. First, we have Elvis Drugs which is strange enough. Another bit is a spoof on game shows called Name That Drug and in the prescient light of the repeal of DADT, here's Super Marine.
We'll close this birthday celebration with the original studio version of one of his more beautiful compositions from 1972's "And the Hits Just Keep On Comin'," which he claims is the theme for videoranch 3D. The lyrics are amazing, as is Red Rhodes' exquisite playing! It's also one of my favorites, so for your true enjoyment, "Harmony Constant." (You may want to open a new window to keep these lyrics front and center since when you click on the link it will take you over to youtube.)
While lightly perusing my state of affairs
with nothing apparently wrong
A silent and quiet restoration occurs
Of emotions forgotten and gone
Then slowly my eyes start an effortless rise
Exposing the past to view
And the Harmony Constant in all of these things
Is the thought of the future with you.
Unlimited joy, unlimited time
And the beauty of infinite light
Unlimited freedom that's rightfully mine
And is yours is unlimited life
The concept of loving as ultimate might
The power of peace and truth
And the Harmony Constant in all of these things
Is the thought of the future with you.
Unlimited joy, unlimited time
And the beauty of infinite light
Unlimited freedom that's rightfully mine
And is yours is unlimited life
The concept of loving as ultimate might
The power of peace and truth
And the Harmony Constant in all of these things
Is the thought of the future with you.
by Michael Nesmith
Happy 69th and may you have many, many more, Papa Nez. And of course, a huge offering of gratitude to Red Rhodes, who shared your birthday, your songs, your heart, and your life purpose. RIP Red. You were and are one of the best of all time.
© Copyright 2011 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks for this incredible tour down memory lane. You exposed me to the First National Band all those years ago in Austin. I have enjoyed Michael's music ever since then. It amazes me that to this day so many people are not aware of his solo career after the Monkees.
Posted by: dcu | January 03, 2012 at 09:29 PM
Thanks for all the great links! What a wonderful trip down memory lane. I used to own the original Elephant Parts on laser disc and now own it on DVD. Not only was it the template used to create MTV it was the 1st ever video album produced.
My family still quotes lines from it bringing smiles to all our faces! Some bits are great cultural commentaries in their own right - Elvis Drugs was just that, a comment on the drug culture of the 60's and 70's. A personal favorite you didn't mention was the skit on NNS (neighborhood nuclear superiority) demonstrating how entangled we were in the cold war and the nuclear paranoia of the times. And of course there is the bit with nachos; "We don't need no stinking Nachos!" that has been well borrowed by movies and comedians substituting whatever they want for nachos i.e. "We don't need no stinking _fill in the blank_!" Sunset Sam was quite a hit for a while too and takes me back to my days roller skating at the beach in CA. ;)
I will definitely be getting the DVD out and give it a watch this weekend in honor of my fellow Texans birthday; thanks for the reminder!
Posted by: Cinda Pace | January 04, 2012 at 06:07 AM
Hi dcu - Yes, what a long, strange, and wonderful trip it's been! Of course, now that he's presented at SXSW and been given all kinds of awards, he's a "cult figure" of some status.
Hi Cinda - I could only find a few clips via youtube, which is why NNS wasn't in this post. As for the history of the line "I don't need no stinkin' _____," it originally came from the 1949 movie "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" (one of my top 5 movies of all time!) with Bogie, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt. The original line was "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges." It was spoken by the leader of the banditos in response to the miners asking to see their badges when the outlaws claimed to be Federales. And yes, Sunset Sam was a bit over the top, even for those times. But it wears well over the years, and overall Elephant Parts is still pretty innovative and sometimes spectacular. I would've put in the "Magic" sequence if it were readily available on youtube. So many videos that are posted on youtube get dropped or added from one year to another, so maybe next year!! In the meantime, enjoy Papa Nez!
Posted by: Robert | January 04, 2012 at 07:36 AM