YM 211227 Michael Nesmith

Cover (front)

Best known as one of the members of the made-for-tv fictional band, "The Monkees", Michael Nesmith was a fine and talented musician and humorist before the TV show and after. He was one of only two members of The Monkees that were established musicians, and, after a time, he an fellow band member Peter Tork rebelled against the TV network to demand creative independence for the band. The self-re-invented Monkees, whose earlier recordings were all performed by studio musicians, released two additional albums featuring their authentic voices and briefly toured. Nesmith and Tork each had independent careers afterward, but Nesmith was a prolific composer and released several albums on his own, of music that far exceeded anything produced by/for The Monkees in its soulfulness and imagination. In today's show we hear two live-recorded performances of Michael Nesmith in his post-Monkees hayday.