Blog - Monkees Live Almanac

The Bitter Southerner speaks with Michael Nesmith

9/20/2019

The Southern Monkee

"Micky Dolenz: The MGM Singles Collection" on compact disc

1/11/2019

Micky's early 1970s singles, originally released on the MGM label, were collected for the first time ever in 2015 courtesy of Iain Lee and Glenn Gretlund of 7a Records, both longtime Monkees fans and co-producers of Micky Dolenz - The MGM Singles Collection.

The set, originally available as a gatefold vinyl and digital download but later released on compact disc, featured the A and B-sides of Micky's tenure at MGM as well as his collaboration with Michael Lloyd (Starship) that yielded the 1972 single "Johnny B. Goode"/"It's Amazing to Me." The CD version contained a plethora of bonus tracks, including Micky's late '70s/early '80s singles and collaborations with Christian Nesmith and Circe Link.

Micky placed his stamp of approval on the project, and conducted several interviews in support of it. "It's really a great package," Dolenz told Examiner.com. "Over the years, I've had versions of those songs, one on a tape here, on a disc here, on a demo here," he said. "It's nice to have them all in one package."

The MGM Singles Collection is a stellar release that is highly recommended by the Live Almanac. Bolstered by the photography of Henry Diltz and superb liner notes (by Mark Kleiner Biggar) and mastering, the set is available on Amazon US and Amazon UK and is also downloadable on iTunes. You can take a look inside the compact disc package below, thanks to Ben Belmares, and read more about Micky's career at MGM in the archives of the Live Almanac.

Gatefold Sleeve

Liner Notes by Mark Kleiner Biggar

(Click on liner notes to enlarge)

Updated Liner Notes for Compact Disc Release by 7a co-owner Glenn Gretlund

The Compact Disc

Micky and Davy in the 1970s

9/9/2018

Thanks to Written In Our Hearts on Facebook for sharing this photo of Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones taken circa 1976 or 1977:

The First National Band live in 1970

8/5/2018

Sing with Micky and Coco Dolenz for charity

7/13/2018

Dates, Venues, and Ticket Information at Jodi Ritzen's Monkees Meet & Greets

Micky Coco Dolenz

(From the program for Micky's 1982 tour of Japan)

Nez with The First National Band

5/12/2018

Michael Nesmith First National Band

L to R: John London, Red Rhodes, Michael Nesmith, and John Ware in 1970 (Photo courtesy of Ultimate Classic Rock)

Nesmith First National Band

(L to R: John Ware, John London, Red Rhodes, and Michael Nesmith in 1970)

Michael Nesmith & The First National Band: "Nevada Fighter"/"Tantamount To Treason" compact disc

3/23/2018

In 2000, after issuing Michael Nesmith & The First National Band's first two RCA albums on compact disc, BMG/Camden continued to highlight Michael's solo career when they released both Nevada Fighter and Tantamount To Treason as a two-in-one CD package:

Michael Nesmith Nevada Fighter Tantamount CD

(Front cover of booklet)

Liner notes (Click each image to enlarge)

Nesmith First National Band

Michael Nesmith 1970 First National Band

(Back cover of the CD booklet)

(Back of the compact disc)

The BMG/Camden reissues of Michael's RCA albums are readily available on Amazon:

Magnetic South / Loose Salute

Nevada Fighter / Tantamount to Treason

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' / Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash

Michael Nesmith & The First National Band: "Magnetic South"/"Loose Salute" compact disc

2/17/2018

Ever since Michael Nesmith reconstituted the First National Band for a series of exclusive concerts last month, I have received many inquiries asking where to find the music of the First National Band, and in particular, which releases were best to seek out. For my money, the late 1990s/early 2000s compact discs by BMG/Camden are the superior representations of Michael's RCA work. The label released the albums as two-in-one reissues. Below are scans of the Magnetic South/Loose Salute CD from 1999.

Michael Nesmith First National Band Nudie

(Front cover of booklet)

Liner notes (Click each image to enlarge)

(Back cover of the CD booklet)

Michael Nesmith Camden CD

(Back of the compact disc)

The BMG/Camden reissues of Michael's RCA albums are readily available on Amazon:

Magnetic South / Loose Salute

Nevada Fighter / Tantamount to Treason

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' / Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash

Peter Tork at New York City's CBGB in 1977

2/17/2018

CBGB Peter TOrk

(Ad from Village Voice, August 1, 1977 issue)

On July 31, 1977, Peter Tork played a show at CBGB, the legendary Manhattan music club that featured rising stars of the punk and new wave genres in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Lester Bangs, who wrote for both Rolling Stone and Creem, delivered a wholly negative review of the show for the Village Voice:

Peter Tork CBGB

(Click to enlarge)

Rolling Stone, of all publications, reported about Peter's appearance at CBGB in its September 22, 1977 issue:

Peter Tork CBGB Rolling Stone

Audio from the show has been bootlegged over the years:

The reviews and pieces above are courtesy of Dangerous Minds, which published an article about Peter's appearance at CBGB in 2016.

Michael Nesmith & The First National Band

1/19/2018

Michael Nesmith readying debut of revamped First National Band

Nesmith First National Band

Spotlighting the music of the First National Band

1/19/2018

The Grand Ennui: Michael Nesmith 1970-1975 (A Mixtape)

Michael Nesmith Nudie suit

Davy, Tommy, Micky, and Bobby

1/12/2018

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart in the 1970s

Dolenz Jones Boyce Hart

(Photo courtesy of Written In Our Hearts on Facebook)

Riding bumper cars for "Kool-Aid"

12/10/2017

Micky, Mike, and Davy filmed a Kool-Aid commercial in February 1970 at a San Diego amusement park. Photos of Micky and Davy driving bumper cars will later appear on the back cover of Changes.

(Photo by Henry Diltz)

Davy in the early 1970s

9/24/2017

Here's a photo of Davy Jones from my collection that is dated 1973. I'm not sure of the location or the event. Anyone have any clues?

Davy Jones heart 1973

The Monkees in early 1970

8/3/2017

This photo is making the rounds, and it's currently being auctioned on eBay. I've never seen this one before!

Monkees 1970

(Photo courtesy of eBay)

Michael Nesmith in 1970

7/14/2017

(Photo by Henry Diltz)

Davy Jones in San Francisco in the early 1970s

7/9/2017

Davy appears to be wearing the jacket he donned in his 1971 guest appearance on The Brady Bunch:

(From the collection of Judith Supple Hadlock)

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart advertisement

4/21/2017

This appears to be an advertisement for the July 20, 1976 Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart concert at Yubin Chokin Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo show was recorded and released as a vinyl LP set in Japan in 1981. The live album was never given a formal release in the United States or elsewhere until 1996, when it was issued on compact disc by Varese Vintage.

Can any of our Japanese friends help with a translation?

Dolenz Jones Boyce Hart

(Courtesy of Written In Our Hearts on Facebook)

Spotlight on Nesmith the solo artist

4/13/2017

Michael Nesmith Solo Revisited

Micky, Davy, and Coco onstage in 1977

3/25/2017

(Courtesy of Written in our Hearts on Facebook)