Search - Michael Nesmith :: And the Hits... / Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch

Buy This Record

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 10/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After three terrific albums with the First National Band and the lackluster (by comparison) Tantamount to Treason, Michael Nesmith returned with his two best albums of the Seventies: And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' (1972) and Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (1973). Available now as a two-fer, this is a re-release that Nesmith fans can't afford to pass up.On "The Hits" you have to keep reminding yourself that the only performers on this recording are Nesmith (guitar and vocals) and Orville "Red" Rhodes (pedal steel guitar). The singing is first rate and includes some of Nesmith's best songwriting. His own version of "Different Drum" makes you forget the hit version Linda Ronstadt had in 1967. My personal favorites include "Harmony Constant" and "Roll with the Flow," but every song is a gem. [Note: The album obviously meant a lot to Nesmith who chose five of these songs to include on his Live at the Britt release.]"Ranch Stash" was a full band effort--including Rhodes--and featured continued strong songwriting efforts from Nesmith. "Continuing" and the oft-covered "Some of Shelly's Blues" being the best. Although my favorite recording of the album is the 8-minute "The Back Porch and a Fruit Jar Full of Iced Tea" which is a coupling of the spoken-word "The F.F.V." with a slowed down rendition of Bill Monroe's bluegrass classic "Uncle Pen," which lopes along until about the six-minute mark when the banjo kicks the song into high gear and then heads for the hills with the musicians hanging on for dear life. The album closes with the gorgeous "Prairie Lullaby." All told, this is a very satisfying album, and any country-rock fan who does not already have this in his collection is missing out on some fine music. [To repeat the words Nesmith included on the cover of the original vinyl release of this album: "Buy this Record." You won't be disappointed.] While Nesmith would continue to release new albums sporadically over the next two decades with occasional splashes of brilliance, he never again put out such a satisfying collection of songs on a single disc (although Tropical Campfires came very close). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

It's Not For Nothing--

K. Coleman | Phoenix, AZ United States | 05/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"--that Michael Nesmith's work has been called "The Greatest Music Never Heard" by Rolling Stone. Included on this compilation are two of Michael's solo works, the first of which, "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" is argueably his best work (and my very favorite of his albums). If you have a passion for real country music, then you need to check this out. If you adore the cry of a steel guitar, then you absolutely must buy it. Spotlighted on this album is Michael with his acoustic rhythm guitar and the legendary O.J. "Red" Rhodes on the pedal steel. Rhodes may have been the greatest pedal steel player of all time, and here he's playing some of the best material from one of the finest songwriters of all time. (To my mind, the only steel player who comes close today is Gary "Truckstop" Morse, currently playing with Dwight Yoakam's band.)"And the Hits..." is a solid body of work, breathtakingly beautiful in its simplistic presentation. It opens with the tear-soaked "Tomorrow & Me" and closes with the upbeat, optimistic "Roll with the Flow," which features a seemingly endless fade-out of steel and acoustic. For me, as a stand-alone CD, "And the Hits Just Keep On Comin'" can be played on continuous repeat for hours without getting old.However, here it is backed up with another of Michael's solo works, "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash." "Ranch Stash" is a fairly straightforward country-rock album, much more country than most of what radio calls country music today. There are only seven tracks on the single album "Ranch Stash," but between Michael's own mournful "Continuing" to the sweet and gentle "Prairie Lullaby" (written by Billy Hill), there is enough music to more than make up for a seemly small number of songs for an album. His own version of "Some of Shelley's Blues" may not be quite as bluegrass in flavor as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's more popular cover, but on the whole, I prefer Michael's more solid take on the tune. Michael Nesmith is undoubtedly one of the fathers of today's pioneering country-rock, and I can't help but think if more so-called "country" singers today would find and listen to his early 70's work they might understand why country fans are so disillusioned with what "country" radio is feeding them. Michael has stopped making music for various reasons, and it's a tremendous loss -- but every so often he takes up his pen and writes again. In this age of cookie-cutter pop-fluff, some of Michael's introspective, thoughtful lyrics and heart-touching, always original melodies would be a welcome change."

Nesmith At His Peak

Wil | AL | 08/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you only ever buy one Nesmith CD, this should be it. This was Michael Nesmith at his peak in the 70's, when he put together two of the finest country/rock discs ever. The first was And the Hits Just Keep On Comin', a jibe at his record company who complained that he didn't write enough hit songs. Nesmith scoffed at that idea; all he wanted to do was to lay down good music, and if folks liked it, they would come to it, not the other way around.
And the Hits... features Nesmith alone on guitar with longtime sidekick pedal steel virtuoso Red Rhodes. The result is a sublime experience, full of heartfelt singing and pensive lyrics. Highlights include The Upside Of Good-Bye, Two Different Roads, Harmony Constant, and the song that gave Linda Ronstadt a hit in '69, Different Drum (this version is the best).
Nesmith progressed to his next album naturally by filling out the sound he and Rhodes crafted on And the Hits... with a host of top studio musicians. The result was Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash, the crowning achievement for Nez, although he only wrote about half of the songs himself here. Some Of Shelley's Blues (an old unreleased tune he wrote from his Monkees' days and a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Release, Winonah, and Back Porch and A Fruit Jar of Iced Tea make this a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Once you hear Papa Nez, you won't need another country album. He has it down pat. So get this disc, and you will find yourself wanting all of his early work, which is inventive, energetic, and thoughtful."