Michael Nesmith - London 1974

This is Michael Nesmith live at the Roundhouse, London, back on April 28th, 1974. This is a very laid back performance and Michael chats a lot with the audience. The audio quality is a little below par for FM and may be down to a fairly average recording set up used, that said this is a fine record of Michael Nesmith at a time where despite the number of solo records he had already put out, still seemed to be under the shadow of The Monkees in terms of wider audience expectations.

As he prepared for his exit from The Monkees, Mike Nesmith was approached by John Ware of The Corvettes, a band that featured Nesmith's friend John London (who played on some of the earliest pre-Monkees Nesmith 45s as well as numerous Monkees sessions) and had 45s produced by Nesmith for the Dot label in 1969. Ware wanted Nesmith to put together a band. Nesmith said he would be interested only if noted pedal steel player Orville "Red" Rhodes would be a part of the project, and a long musical partnership was born that would continue until Rhodes' untimely death in 1995. The new band was christened Michael Nesmith and the First National Band and went on to record three albums for RCA Records in 1970.

Michael Nesmith has been considered one of the pioneers of country rock and had moderate commercial success with the First National Band. Their second single, Joanne hit number 21 on the Billboard chart & number 17 on Cashbox, with the follow-up "Silver Moon" making number 42 Billboard and number 28 Cashbox. Two more singles charted ("Nevada Fighter" number 70 Billboard - number 73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" number 95 Cashbox) and the first two LP's charted in the lower regions of the Billboard album chart. No clear answer has ever been given for the band's breakup, the albums they recorded remain on par with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco and New Riders of the Purple Sage as some of the best country-rock music.

Michael Nesmith followed up with The Second National Band, a band that besides Nesmith, consisted of Michael Cohen (keyboards and Moog), Johnny Meeks (bass), Jack Panelli (drums) and the always present Orville Rhodes (pedal steel), as well as an appearance by singer, musician, and songwriter José Feliciano (conga drums). The album, Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1, was a commercial and critical disaster. Nesmith then recorded And The Hits Just Keep On Comin', featuring only him on guitar and Red Rhodes on pedal steel.

Michael Nesmith got more heavily involved in producing, and was given a label of his own through Elektra Records, Countryside. It featured a number of artists that were produced by Nesmith, including Garland Frady and Red Rhodes. The staff band at Countryside also helped Nesmith on his next, and last, RCA album, Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash.

Source: Radio broadcast.

Sound Quality: Good mp3@192kbps

Genre: Rock, pop, folk, country.

Set: Full Set.

Set List:

01 Introduction by Mike Nesmith
02 Joanne
03 Some of Shelly's Blues
04 Silver Moon
05 Different Drum
06 Propinquinty [I've Just Begun To Care]
07 Grand Ennui
08 Wax Minute
09 Tomorrow And Me
10 The Upside Of Goodbye
11 Roll With The Flow
12 Monologue
13 Marie's Theme
 
Website: Official HERE.

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