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. When he died a year ago I felt like I lost a friend I’ve known for 50 years. Today we have some really fantastic videos for our concert, so let’s begin the party early!
Michael Nesmith (30 December 1942 at 11:59 am, Houston, TX – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, media pioneer, and philanthropist. Yes, Papa Nez wore many hats in his extraordinarily creative life!
He was of course the "serious Monkee" who actually played his instrument (as did Peter Tork) 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, Delaney and Bonnie, John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Tom Rush, Carole King, Spanky and Our Gang, the Carpenters, Willis Alan Ramsey, (another truly great Texas "progressive country" pioneer!) and many others. Almost every time you hear a pedal steel on today's posts, it's Red.
Along with Mike and Red, in a strange twist of fate, December 30 was also the birthday of fellow Monkee Davy Jones (30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012). So I suppose when you're listening to the Monkee tracks, send up a happy to Davy as well.
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 on the Autumn Equinox in 1979, and never forgot the experience. I also got to see him again in Phoenix a few years back kicking off his Movies of the Mind” tour, and he was still a fantastic performer. He was 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!).
Also from the second album, one of Papa Nez’ better songs! First, a lip synched “performance” from the show playing “The Kind of Girl I Could Love.” This year I found the original television episode with the very bizarre bar fight accompanied by “The Kind of Girl I Could Love.” Here’s the studio version of “The Kind of Girl I Could Love.”
From late 1966. here's the original hilarious mangled performance from The Monkees tv show titled "Too Many Girls!" This is worth a minute for the laugh! "Different Drum"
From the 1967 album Headquarters, three gems by Papa Nez, "You Just May Be the One," the Beatle influenced (what songwriter wasn't?) "You Told Me," and the country rag titled "Sunny Girlfriend." Here are the studio versions of You Just May Be The One,” which we’ll follow with “You Told Me,” and "Sunny Girlfriend."
From their second 1967 album, the very psychedelic Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD,, a Papa Nez tune that sounds like something the 13th Floor Elevators would have done! Here's the very strange "Daily Nightly." His other contribution on that album was co-written with 1st National Band bass player John London, a smooth "Buffalo Springfield" style cruise called "Don't Call On Me."
From the 1968 album The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees, Michael's very bizarre hit song with lots of weird effects, "Tapioca Tundra." Also on that album, 3 more! He co-wrote this classic country stomper with guitarist Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders called "Aunties Municipal Court." We now cut to another strange psychedelic offering called "Writing Wrongs," and complete this album with his ragtime toe tapper "Magnolia Simms."
There were other Michael Nesmith tunes not released on the original album, but were released later on. Among them is this classic Nez offering "Carlisle Wheeling," the pop rock of "All the King’s Horses,” the jazzy theatrical "My Share of the Sidewalk," and a tune he put on Magnetic South, "Little Red Rider." We move into the quiet elegance of "While I Cry,” the rave up "Circle Sky," and another classic Nez offering, "St. Matthew." We'll close this section with two more classics he later recorded with the First National Band, "9 Times Blue" (with Red Rhodes on pedal steel!) and "Some of Shelly’s Blues." (with Lloyd Green on pedal steel!)
From the film Head, a great video clip from a performance in SLC in 1968! The screams are real, and this makes it clear they were actually a tight touring band! For your enjoyment, Papa Nez and the boys cranking out "Circle Sky." Great performance and more than a little heavy!
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.
A brief interlude. I found this 90 second clip of Mike being interviewed about his experience of the Monkees tour with the Jimi Hendrix Experience opening for them for the first few shows. Very surrealistic. Mike Nesmith on Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees in 1967. And this 3 minute clip gives us a bit of backstory on how that peculiar pairing happened. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea to someone, but Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees on their 1967 tour? "Purple Haze" countered by "We want Davey, we want Davey." Wow. The Strange Combination of Jimi Hendrix and a Boy Band. Mickey tells the story and acts out what happened in Mickey Dolenz performing "Purple Haze" recounting how they met and what came down.
"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. Here was his first solo effort in 1968, which is described as “If you mixed Stan Kenton with Brian Wilson, Frank Zappa and a Monkee you might have something like this.”
Here’s where it began, with most of the Wrecking Crew on board as well as an orchestra! This year the entire 37 minute instrumental album is gone, but I found a few off of the album for your enjoyment. “Wichita Train Whistle” and “9 Times Blue”
“Tapioca Tundra” “Don’t Cry Now”We now go to some studio versions of his songs during his years with the First National Band.
I found it again! Here’s the entire groundbreaking 1970 album Magnetic South! The tracks are in order, along with some bonus tracks not on the original vinyl. For your enjoyment, Magnetic South.
From that album, his monster hit "Joanne," which we’ll follow with “The Crippled Lion,” and “Nine Times Blue.”
I also found this 2014 live performance of 3 from that album! "Calico Girlfriend," “Nine Times Blue,” and “Little Red Rider,” and from another gig, live in 1975, “Mama Nantucket.”
I found this again as well! It’s his follow-up 1970 album Loose Salute! From that album, the amazing pedal steel work of Red Rhodes on "I Fall To Pieces,” with the upbeat "Listen to the Band” and "Silver Moon." Here's another version off the Live At the Palais album of "Silver Moon."
We also found the great third album Nevada Fighter,! From that album, here’s his beautiful cover of a Derek and the Dominos tune “I Looked Away” and the equally beautiful “Propinquity (I’ve Just Begun to Care)”
Thank you Papa Nez for allowing this one to be up on the web, since it’s my personal favorite! The entire album is a masterpiece, and features some of the sweetest pedal steel guitar ever played by his fellow Capricorn, the incomparable Red Rhodes. The run of tunes beginning with “Two Different Roads” through “Roll With the Flow” is amazing, both in terms of songwriting AND performance!! For your enjoyment, the utterly fantastic And the Hits Just Keep On Comin’
This has been my favorite tune for over 40 years. He wrote it in 1964, which is remarkable in itself! From that album, "Two Different Roads."
This year they’re back up! For your enjoyment, the studio versions of “Keep On” and “Roll With the Flow.”
Because the last song is one of my faves, we’ll extend the close of this album with alternate versions of this tune showcasing his extremely dry, wry wit. This acoustic version from the 1974 Zigzag concert is closer to the album arrangement, making the lyrics clearer! Red sounds great on pedal steel! “Roll With the Flow,” while this one is a gritty rock and roll version of “Roll With the Flow.”
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. Here’s a great 2013 Movies of the Mind performance in Chicago of “Different Drum,” For a bonus, here's an early clip of Linda Ronstadt and her original band the Stone Poneys doing a live funky version of "Different Drum." (Remember that she turned this song into a huge hit, launching her career! Last year I had a clip of her lip synching to the original 1967 studio version of ”Different Drum” but this year it’s disappeared.)
I gave this to you earlier, and it’s so funny I’ll offer it again. This is a very funny 45 second clip of the Monkees tv episode when “Billy Roy Hodstetter” mangles the tune. "Different Drum."
From 1971, live on American Bandstand, an early audio clip of his first big solo hit, "Joanne."
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.
Monkees Reunion tour! Here are The Monkees live at Wembley in the UK in 1997 performing
"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."
Here’s the entire 1 hour 40 minute Wembley “Justus” show! The Monkees – Justus at Wembley 1997
We now move into some live performances by Mike without the Monkees.
First, I found two great clips from 1963 of a concert he did in San Antonio! For your enjoyment, before he joined the Monkees, here’s a 20 year old Michael Nesmith live at the beginning of his career!
Michael Nesmith Live in San Antonio pt 1 – 14 minutes
Michael Nesmith Live in San Antonio pt 2 – 9 minutes
This year a classic television performance turned up. This is said to be his first tv performance, back when he was known as “Michael Blessing.” He’s got a good voice, but this is clearly not his style, as it’s a Buffy Sainte-Marie reworking of a French tune. From The Lloyd Thaxton Show in 1965, a VERY young Michael Nesmith singing “his new Colpix single” “Until It’s Time For You To Go”
It’s disappeared again. Every so often the legendary audio-only 55 minute Live at the Roundhouse 1974 Zigzag concert by Papa Nez and Red Rhodes shows us. Done in April 1974 in London, it’s considered an important musical event as the Roundhouse featured pretty much ALL the top musical acts between 1966 and 1975. Jimi Hendrix, the Stones, the Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, the Clash and more played there, including this classic show. While the whole show has disappeared, I found this tune. For your enjoyment, Live at the Roundhouse 1974 Zigzag concert – “Wax Minute”
London loved Mike! I found both audio sets of this November 1975 fantastic show. The first set is 56 minutes, while the second set is 58 minutes.
Michael Nesmith Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, 1975. Set 1.
Michael Nesmith Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, 1975. Set 2.
This year this 38 minute radio broadcast from the Paris Theater in London in 1975 popped up. For your enjoyment, Michael Nesmith Live At the Paris Theater in London - 1975 (A great set! “Silver Moon,” “Some of Shelly’s Blues” “Joanne,” “Dance Between the Raindrops,” “Marie’s Theme,” and “Lampost.”)
Here’s an amazing hour and 24 video show! Welcome to 1992’s Live at the Britt!
Mike did a 26 minute set in January 1993 on Austin City Limits! “Joanne,” “Laugh Kills Lonesome,” “Yellow Butterfly,” “Twilight on the Trail,” and “Rio.”
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’s a rare find! It’s an entire one hour concert live in 1994! Michael Nesmith Live in 1994
I found a great clip of a recent show! Here’s the entire 1 hour 50 minute concert from his 2012 UK tour!! Michael Nesmith Live in Union Chapel in London 2012
From March 2013, here’s Papa Nez live performing the beautiful “Some of Shelley’s Blues”
From April 2013 in Chicago, “Papa Gene’s Blues” and “Propinquity” and a very different and beautiful arrangement of “Different Drum”
Here he is about a week after I saw him. Live from Pennsylvania in November 2013, featuring his Movies of the Mind storytelling mastery, here's "Joanne" and "Silver Moon." Then we sail through "The Grand Ennui," and "Some of Shelley's Blues," which we'll follow with "Crusin'," "Dance," and "Tonite."
From here we move into "Calico Girlfriend," "Nine Times Blue," and "Little Red Rider," and finish this section with a tune from "Tropical Campfires," "Yellow Butterfly."
From the same show, the beautiful "Light" and "Rays." We'll close this abbreviated set with the two that closed the show, "Rising in Love" and "Listen to the Band."
Also from November 2013 in Chicago, a great 23 minute clip of Michael cranking out ""Dance," "Tonight," "Grand Ennui," "Rising in Love," and "Listen to the Band."
We now give a nod to an amazing pioneering video. Welcome to Elephant Parts, one of the truly great shows ever done! 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, "Cruisin'"
Last year I had the clips of “Light,” “Magic,” and “Tonight” but they’ve all disappeared this year.
What follows are not music pieces, but transitional vignettes in the original video. First, we have We move into his spoor of noir with Wrong Apartment Bogart and then Super Marine, and we’ll close these strange bits with one of my favorites, Neighborhood Nuclear Superiority. (Last year I had a very funny spoof on game shows called “Name that Drug,” the very strange “Elvis Drugs,” and “Rock and Roll Hospital” which have all disappeared this year.)
It’s back! Have fun with the entire one hour show! For your enjoyment, Elephant Parts
It’s really worth buying on his site, where it’s for sale at a very good price, and I recommend you get a copy! It’s really very funny at times, and captivating at others. This was the first of its kind, and the prototype for MTV. To find out more about this interesting part of music television history, please check out this Wikipedia entry on Pop Clips and MTV, Elephant Parts and Television Parts.
From Television Parts, a 39 minute episode titled Home Companion, and here he makes a gag out of his mom inventing Liquid Paper in a segment called “Liquid Paper.” From the final show, a strange video called “Chow Mein and Bowling”
From Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma, an interesting music video for “Capsule”
From December 1982, here’s Mike discussing winning the Grammy for Elephant Parts and his movie Timerider. Michael Nesmith on Letterman. (Papa Nez looking and sounding sharp!)
We'll close this birthday celebration with an amazingly beautiful composition 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, the original studio version of "Harmony Constant." Here’s his Live at Drury Lane live performance of "Harmony Constant." (You may want to open a new window to keep these lyrics front and center since as with the others, 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 81st. We all wish you had many more, Papa Nez, and thank you for all you gave us through the year. Loved seeing you in Phoenix and joining you for Movies of the Mind! You were an amazing story teller. And of course, a huge offering of gratitude to Red Rhodes (December 30, 1930 - August 20, 1995) 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.
While I was never a Monkees fan, I did like his tunes when they played on that show. And I became a huge fan in the early 70s, and never stopped wanting to hear more. I feel like I’ve lost someone I’ve known for most of my life, since his music is truly part of my soundtrack these past 50+ years.
Papa Nez, you were an incredibly talented performer, songwriter, and storyteller who fulfilled your Dharma is a most exquisite way. Thanks for the memories, both near and distant. You were one of the best.
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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