Michael Nesmith - Listen to the Band (1968) (A GUEST POST BY MIKE SOLOF)

Recently, I came across a music blog called "Talk from the Rock Room." It discussed a non-existent "album that should exist" by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees. But the blog had no actual album to download and listen to. I think the idea was a good one, so I asked my musical friend Mike Solof if he could put something together. He's a big Monkees fan, so he agreed. This is the result. It follows the track list of the "Rock Room" music blog, but has some extra songs at the end.

Most of these songs were recorded in 1968. Even though Nesmith was a member of the Monkees at the time, he was backed by studio musicians in Nashville, Tennessee who specialized in country music. No other members of the Monkees were involved I believe, so this should be considered a Nesmith solo album, even though most of the songs eventually came out on Monkees albums, especially archival releases.

Keep in mind that "country rock" was just coming into being in 1968. "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," an album released by the Byrds in August 1968, is widely considered the first country rock album. But all but one of the songs here were recorded before that album was released. Had these songs been released in late 1968, as they should have been, Nesmith would have rightly been considered one of the founders of country rock. Instead, most of these stayed in the vaults, though a couple came out on Monkees albums, with "Listen to the Band" in particular being a minor hit in 1969 after extra horns were added.

As usual, Mike has written more extensive notes in a PDF, and in this case it includes notes taken from the "Rock Room" essay about this imagined album. But I just want to further note that the only song here not recorded by mid-1968 is "Down the Highway." We thought it was, but shortly before posting this, I found out it was actually recorded in 1969. However, it fits with the rest musical, so we've kept it. Also note that the last three songs are acoustic demos of songs earlier in the album, so one might consider them bonus tracks.

This album is 41 minutes long. If you don't include the last four songs ("Down the Highway" and the acoustic demos), the core of this album, all but one song recorded in Nashville, is 32 minutes long.

Finally, thanks to the "Talk from the Rock Room" blog for allowing us to use their idea and much of their text about it.

01 Listen to the Band (Michael Nesmith)
02 Propinquity [I've Just Begun to Care] (Michael Nesmith)
03 St. Matthew (Michael Nesmith)
04 The Crippled Lion (Michael Nesmith)
05 Good Clean Fun (Michael Nesmith)
06 Don't Wait for Me (Michael Nesmith)
07 Some of Shelley's Blues (Michael Nesmith)
08 How Insensitive [Insensatez] (Michael Nesmith)
09 Hollywood (Michael Nesmith)
10 Carlisle Wheeling (Michael Nesmith)
11 Nine Times Blue (Michael Nesmith)
12 If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again (Michael Nesmith)
13 Down the Highway (Michael Nesmith)
14 Propinquity [I've Just Begun to Care] [Demo] (Michael Nesmith)
15 St. Matthew [Demo] (Michael Nesmith)
16 Nine Times Blue [Demo] (Michael Nesmith)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16072728/MchaelNsmth_1968_ListntotheBnd_atse.zip.html

For the cover photo, I found some screenshots taken from the Monkees TV show in which the characters dressed up in cowboy outfits. I used one of Nesmith.