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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
 Posted - 03/03/2012 : 22:18:37
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I think I would go with Headquarters as their best album - Rhino Handmade released the album as a 3CD set as Headquarters Sessions
The worst? Pool It, I guess, as that has some truly horrendous songs, though I don't like More of the Monkees, with banal tracks like Laugh & The Day We Fall In Love (yikes!)
curiously, I think More of the Monkees was their best selling
Changes is pretty bad too - they were down to Micky and Davy, and the cover is pathetic. When Rhino reissued the album Davy would not be interviewed at first about Changes
There was a joke in the trades around this time that one of them would continue as the Monkee
Its to be seen whether Rhino Handmade will release a 3CD set like they did recently for the Head soundtrack, and the Birds the Bees and the Monkees.
The best single they ever did was probably Daydream Believer, as the B side (Goin Down) was the best song they ever did
complete with Davy going "Sock it to me!" :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDCtBBb0Cx4
Heaven knows what the fans made of Jimi opening for them!! |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 00:08:04
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1-Headquarters
2-HEAD
3-Their first album is a sentimental favorite. "Hey Hey We're The Monkees...n' people say we monkey around!!"
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We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 22:29:10
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I really don't think the first couple albums are really the Monkees at all - later albums are patchy but with great Nesmith tracks like "Good Clean Fun" and well worth investigating
I think my current favorite Davy track is "French Song" off the Monkees Present. After that Nesmith left. Don't know if he went bankrupt like Tork did to buy himself out of his contract
All of the Monkees albums have worthwhile tracks howsoever - even Changes has an excellent bonus track on the Rhino reissue (Time and Time Again) (a Jones co write with Bill Chadwick)
isn't there a video for "Joanne" in the Nesmith film Elephant Parts?
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 00:48:59
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Isn't Elephant Parts what won him a Grammy, & got Nez rich selling the idea to the network to create MTV.
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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underture
Fifth Love
482 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 18:08:47
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Best album: Pisces/Aquarius (Nez was never better than here)
Worst album: More of the Monkees (mainly because of Kirshner's liner notes)
You Set The Scene |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2012 : 01:04:15
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I think Nez got rich on Liquid Paper!
MTV owes a LOT to Elephant Parts - there are videos for Rio
a few other of his songs on there
Worth picking up for Mikes commentary! If I weren't so impoverished I'd send you a dvd burn! |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2012 : 01:04:58
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| might have gotten a grammy for Elephant Parts, probably for some new Video category at the time |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2012 : 01:36:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
might have gotten a grammy for Elephant Parts, probably for some new Video category at the time
It was a new category that year...Nez won the first.
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2012 : 15:54:31
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Damn fine work, though I've never read any of his works (the Prison)
Or was that an album? 
How bad is the version of "Don't call on me" on the Magnetic South release? I think I'll always love the Pisces version, though the early demo (from '65) is also very nice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ifI8zV3wjI
cut as Michael Blessing, apparently? |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2012 : 18:04:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
Damn fine work, though I've never read any of his works (the Prison)
Or was that an album?
How bad is the version of "Don't call on me" on the Magnetic South release? I think I'll always love the Pisces version, though the early demo (from '65) is also very nice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ifI8zV3wjI
cut as Michael Blessing, apparently?
"Don't Call On Me" is on the instrumental album "Wichita Train Whistle Sings". It's good. That is a cool lp to have...I do.
Of course you know that The Prison is an album plus a novella that is meant to be read while listening to the record. I have the promo box vinyl, so it is a coffee table size booklet...12" x 12".
I love "The Prison" lp. Just had it on a couple of days ago.
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Edited by - lemonade kid on 07/03/2012 18:06:07 |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2012 : 20:31:13
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did he ever do the Garden (follow up to The Prison)
I understand the Prison was only available on cd as import; Mojo detested the album
Were you supposed to read the book while listening to the album, like Eskimo by the Residents? |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2012 : 20:56:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
did he ever do the Garden (follow up to The Prison)
I understand the Prison was only available on cd as import; Mojo detested the album
Were you supposed to read the book while listening to the album, like Eskimo by the Residents?
It was a departure for Nez, so Mojo would have been shocked I suppose. I think it has aged well.
The Garden was released in 1994 and is meant to be a companion piece to 1974's The Prison.
The Garden is Michael Nesmith's 11th full studio album and was released in 1994. The Garden is a companion release to Nesmith's 1974 album/book, The Prison. Both The Garden and The Prison are written to have the music complement a novel included in the release (also written by Nesmith). The Prison and The Garden were re-released together on CD in 2004 by Video Ranch.
The idea is for listeners to read the novel while simultaneously listening to the recording. Even though The Garden was released on Nesmith's record company, Rio Records, the novella/album concept was the driving force behind Nesmith's multimedia company Pacific Arts.
In the liner notes, Nesmith states The Garden is not a sequel in the strictest sense of the term — meaning that there isn't a true continuation of the narrative which began in The Prison. Instead, they are correlated thematically and stylistically as both are presented in a linear and consecutive approach. Each of The Garden's seven chapters are also visually enhanced, if not somewhat inspired by a series of Claude Monet paintings. There is a much more subtle connection between the prose and these unqualified masterworks, yet he is able to relate them in a contextual sense.
REVIEWS
Allmusic writes "the music retains Nesmith's inimitable and signature sound, yet compared to his most concurrent effort, Tropical Campfires (1992), The Garden is exceedingly ethereal and more often than not instrumental. There are vocals that feature not only the artist, but also his children Jason — who is likewise the central character in the short story — Christian, and Jessica. The backing band also includes Christian Nesmith as well as most of the musicians the senior Nez had collaborated with on the aforementioned Tropical Campfires, most notably Desert Rose Band string man John Jorgenson (guitar/sax/bassoon/mandolin/oboe/bandurila/mandocello), Joe Chemay (bass), and John Hobbs (keyboards), as well as studio maven Sid Page (violin)"[3].
PRODUCTION
According to the liner notes, the album was recorded at various times between October 1991 and September 1993 at Footprint Studios and Trax in Los Angeles. Additionally, The Garden is the first studio album Nesmith does not use a steel pedal guitar on any track.
The Garden novella features seven paintings of Claude Monet at the beginning of each chapter.
1. "Garden's Glow" – 7:29
2. "Ficus Carica" – 5:10
3. "City" – 10:06
4. "Hills of Time" – 7:38
5. "Flowers Dancing" – 6:36
6. "Wisteria" – 11:28
7. "Life Becoming" – 7:
* Michael Nesmith – 12-string acoustic guitar, vocals
* Christian Nesmith – 6-string acoustic guitar
* John Jorgenson – 6-string acoustic and electric guitars, soprano sax, bassoon, mandolin, mandocello, oboe
* John Hobbs – keyboards
* Joe Chemay – bass
* Joe Romano - Trumpet
* John Yoakum - oboe, english horn
* Sid Page - violin
* Curt McGetrick - bass clarinet
Better received by this release and much anticipated....
City....quite a beautiful & intricate 10+ minute composition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBS7tN_tRP4
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2012 : 02:45:31
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gotta say I like a lot of Nesmith's songs with the Monkees - "Writing Wrongs" sucks, but thats unusual. I don't think he got an A-Side though until "Good clean fun" and by that time noone was caring
Well, not Screen Gems at least - the last season was up, and Peter had left to do a band called Release
Propinquity, Some of Shellys blues, Little Red rider turned up on the last (3rd) volume of Missing Links, which is worth getting just for the Nesmith songs!
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2012 : 15:56:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
gotta say I like a lot of Nesmith's songs with the Monkees - "Writing Wrongs" sucks, but thats unusual. I don't think he got an A-Side though until "Good clean fun" and by that time noone was caring
Well, not Screen Gems at least - the last season was up, and Peter had left to do a band called Release
Propinquity, Some of Shellys blues, Little Red rider turned up on the last (3rd) volume of Missing Links, which is worth getting just for the Nesmith songs!
And Nez recorded most of those beautifully again on various solo albums.
Did Nez record Different Drum for an album...? What's this from?
Different Drum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SHHZ8xpV0
well he did perform it...HA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDgF-A_kGVg
Stone Ponies recorded a rather perfect cover!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Nq48sHF8M
But Michael is so good, play it again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SHHZ8xpV0
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Edited by - lemonade kid on 08/03/2012 16:00:20 |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2012 : 21:55:00
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damn straight Nes did those Monkees trax solo! I've got the Older Stuff (Rhino Records)!
don't so much like the yodelling on the odd track (Tumbling Tumbleweeds?)but thats probably just me
Magnetic South was undoubtedly funded by the money he was making with the Monkees (& Kirshner LOL!)
(Before threatening to punch Don of course!) |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2012 : 22:05:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Morris
damn straight Nes did those Monkees trax solo! I've got the Older Stuff (Rhino Records)!
don't so much like the yodelling on the odd track (Tumbling Tumbleweeds?)but thats probably just me
Magnetic South was undoubtedly funded by the money he was making with the Monkees (& Kirshner LOL!)
(Before threatening to punch Don of course!)
You mean "Wichita Train Whistle Sings", maybe?..it was recorded as a tax write off. Extravagant catering and a host of musicians....
Paid for it all himself- $50,000 - and got to write it off as a business expense. It was going to go to Uncle Sam in taxes so Nez thought, why not, a little music please!
"Magnetic South" 1970 was Nez' first solo release with The First National Band...containing his first & only big hit: "Joanne".
A brilliant debut from Papa Nez...reminds me a bit of George Harrison bursting with creativity & a large catalog of self-penned tunes as he exited the Beatles.
________________________________________________
We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers & discoverers-
-thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses.
Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.
-Peter S. Beagle 1973
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Best Monkees album vs Worse
