With the tragic passing of Mike Nesmith, I thought I would share some of my favorite tracks and give some thoughts. I will not duplicate any of the songs I listed on my Best Monkees Songs You've Never Heard post, even though every one of the songs on that list that was either written or sung by Mike deserves to be here.
Different Drum Of course we have to start with this song. There have been several versions, including the first, 1966 folksy dirge version by the Greenbrair Boys, the 1967 pop classic by Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, and Mike's own mostly acoustic 1972 version. However, my favorite version is the earlier, originally unreleased alternate take from 1970, with a Western Swing beat and some great steel guitar work from the amazing Red Rhodes. This is my go-to version by Mike, and it rivals the Stone Poneys' version.
Get Out of My Life Woman A previously unreleased funky, bluesy track from Mike's pre-Monkees "Michael Blessing" Colpix days.
Sunny Girlfriend A Monkees song from the Headquarters album. A fun tune that at first seems like a typical teenage love song about a great girl, but the last line which says "she doesn't really care" changes the whole perspective to unrequited love. This history behind this song is The Monkees, in their earliest concerts, performed She's So Far Out, She's In, with Mike on lead vocals, and it was the first song they attempted at the Headquarters recording sessions. Coming to light recently is that Mike also recorded an unreleased version in 1965/66 as part of his pre-Monkees "Michael Blessing" Colpix deal. At some point, Mike decided to write his own version of the concept, while copying the intro to the Rolling Stones' It's All Over Now, and thus was created Sunny Girlfriend.
You Told Me The lead track to Headquarters with a count in that was meant to parody the Beatles' Tax Man, and has what Peter Tork described as the most Rock 'n Roll use of a banjo.
Good Clean Fun A song Mike wrote when a record exec told him he needs to write more songs that are good clean fun. This song has become something of an anthem for the final years of the Mike and Micky concerts.
Naked Persimmon From The Monkees' 1969 TV Special, this song cleverly recaps the whole situation with Don Kirshner. The accompanying video is also great ("Wanted for Fraud").
Little Red Rider Mike comes into his own post-Monkees with his First National Band.
Propinquity Love song, Nesmith style. Great lyric is "I've seen you make a look of love from just an icy stare".
I Fall To Pieces Mike's cover of a Patsy Cline classic.
Thanx For The Ride Apparently, this song was Mike's formal statement saying goodbye to his band mates in The Monkees. But if you listen to the lyrics, it works just as well as his final goodbye to all of us.
Hollywood Similarly, this song was his lament on the California show biz culture he experienced while being a Monkee.
Some of Shelly's Blues Other than Different Drum, this was perhaps his most covered song, with versions by Linda Ronstadt, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Continental Drifters and Earl Scruggs.
Wax Minute Perhaps my favorite Mike song from his solo years. Although it was written by Richard Stekol, it is very much in a Mike Nesmith style.
Mama Rocker This Chuck Berry influenced song apparently was about Marrianne Faithful.
I'll Go Somewhere and Cry This is perhaps the most obscure song on the list. It is actually the very first song Mike wrote to be professionally recorded and released (1964). The Elvis Presley style vocals are by Denny Ezba, with Mike on guitar and doing the whistling. This catchy tune is highlighted by the contrast of lyrics expressing a heartbroken guy wanting to go somewhere and cry juxtaposed with rather happy whistling. Speaking of Elvis, if there was only one question I could have asked Mike, it would have been "When you were on RCA Records in the early 1970s, being produced by Felton Jarvis, who was also Elvis' producer at the time, were there any efforts made to submit songs to Elvis?" I think an Elvis-Nez collaboration in the '70s would have been amazing.
Rio The song that Mike essentially invented the modern music video for. Perhaps his most famous and popular solo track.
Magic Another early trailblazing music video. The retro 1950s sound makes it a favorite of mine.
Cruisin' The third in the trilogy of groundbreaking music videos. By the way, contrary to popular belief, that is not a young Hulk Hogan in the video, but a different pro-wrestler named Steve Strong.
Yellow Butterfly A kind of dreamy song from his 1992 "comeback" album ...tropical campfires...
Laugh Kills Lonesome A song that celebrates the classic singing cowboys of the golden age of movies.
I Know What I Know From the Monkees album Good Times. The lyrics and melody transcends rock 'n roll or pop music and goes to a whole new level, right up there with Cole Porter or Irving Berlin.
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