Way back when I first heard "Joanne" by Michael Nesmith and the First National Band [mumble-mumble] years ago, it was on AM radio. It slowly climbed the charts and became a top 40 hit, the only one by an ex-Monkee. It was nothing like the Monkees. It was country, pedal steel, the whole shooting match. Because it was an excellent song, though not at all my type of music, I made a mental note to check out his new band. It only took decades to do it.
Aquarium Drunkard recently posted a twenty one song mix of Nesmith's stuff with the First National Band and his later Second National Band, so now I have a general idea of what he was doing from 1970-1975. It's pretty much country stuff, predating the whole country rock hyphenated crap. Let's just say that if you like pedal steel, you won't be disappointed. Orville “Red” Rhodes is the pedal steel player and he is hot shit, duly added to the list, and I didn't have to wait for decades to hear more of his stuff. At the bottom of the post there's a link to a mix of stuff Rhodes played on, some semi-big hitters among them. Brewer and Shipley, the Everly Brothers, Hoyt Axton, Cass Eklliot. Rick Nelson, the Lovin' Spoonful, Delaney and Bonnie. Okay, okay, I get it.
Aquarium Drunkard recently posted a twenty one song mix of Nesmith's stuff with the First National Band and his later Second National Band, so now I have a general idea of what he was doing from 1970-1975. It's pretty much country stuff, predating the whole country rock hyphenated crap. Let's just say that if you like pedal steel, you won't be disappointed. Orville “Red” Rhodes is the pedal steel player and he is hot shit, duly added to the list, and I didn't have to wait for decades to hear more of his stuff. At the bottom of the post there's a link to a mix of stuff Rhodes played on, some semi-big hitters among them. Brewer and Shipley, the Everly Brothers, Hoyt Axton, Cass Eklliot. Rick Nelson, the Lovin' Spoonful, Delaney and Bonnie. Okay, okay, I get it.
Michael Nesmith, country, pedal steel, yeah, yeah, that's all well and good. We cannot mention Nesmith without a bow to his nasty ass guitar playing as his earlier alter ego, Michael Blessing, on the B-side of a pre-Monkees 45. The song is "A Journey With Michael Blessing" and it is all-time. A budget casserole of Davie Allan and Link Wray. That two minutes of understated badassness rules tonight.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Michael Blessing - A Journey With Michael Blessing mp3 at Probe Is Turning-On the People Scroll down to "Session 180"
Michael Nesmith and the First National Band - Joanne mp3 at When You Awake
The mixes:
The Grand Ennui: Michael Nesmith 1970-1975 at Aquarium Drunkard 21 songs
All Roads Lead To Red: A Pedal Steel Mixtape / Tribute at Aquarium Drunkard 21 songs
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