It Crawled From The Crawlspace Dept. - Return Of The Nez

I used this image before it appeared on the official "Different Drum" comp. Just sayin'.

In 1968, Michael Nesmith went to Nashville and recorded an album's worth of songs, mostly his own, with Nashville's own "Wrecking Crew", the studio musicians who constituted Area Code 615. There were no better musicians on the planet. John Sebastian wrote Nashville Cats about them. And Nesmith was an accomplished songwriter with a  bunch of tunes that deserved the best. The resulting solo album, spectacularly lovely as it was, never materialised. Because Music Business.

Some of the songs drifted onto Monkees albums, others waited decades before Rhino anthologised them. Nesmith has denied (in his splendid autobiography) ever thinking he was inventing, or even playing, country rock. "I was playing country music," he says. But here, on several cuts, his pop smarts show through just as strongly as his country roots. Nesmith sings bang in the middle of the note, in the tensile tone so many Texans have, like stretched barbed wire, and the band plays with that country-sprung back-porch beat that never gets old.

So here it is, hi-fi enthusiasts! The best album he never made. That's okay. Don't thank me or nuthin'. I'm having more fun than you are.

 

Always a pleasure to re-up th' Nez, this time in response to a request from Dr. Fu Man Chu.

 

Whatever Happened To Judy Mayhan? Dept.

Judy Mayhan has one of the greatest country/rock/blue-eyed soul voices I ever heard. She has that heartbreak catch, that undersung shiver, like it's all about to fall apart. She has restraint and power, and when she hits the high notes the top of your head lifts off.

She also has the most astonishing lineup of backing musicians on this, her second [sophomore - Ed.] album. Duane Allman, playing with exquisite taste, all over it. Lowell George (rhythm guitar and flute!), and the godlike Richie Hayward. Warren Klein (Fraternity Of Man) on sitar (!), Arif Mardin on string arrangements. The Muscle Shoals mafia on everything else. But this is absolutely Judy's show, she's not drowned out but lifted up by the session talent.

Did I mention the songs? They're terrific, and she wrote 6/10ths of them. The album plays out with versions of You Are My Sunshine and I Shall Be Released that evoke Joe Cocker at his finest.

Oh - nice sleeve, too!

This post made possible by reading about the album in Ben Fong-Torres' book about Little Feat, Willin'. He doesn't mention how great it is, though. Psychfan provides links to two other albums [below - Ed.] in the comments.

 

The Spirit Is Willing Dept.

Lovingly color-corrected from original source. You don't care.

All albums enhanced from raw FLAC files to @193©, using IoF©'s patented Human Ear™ process. You'll discover a new world of sound excitement listening to these swell LP recordings, pre-adjusted for RIAA curve!

Tweaked so subtly [above - Ed.] you didn't notice!

 

Copyright© law makes this [above - Ed.] impossible in the real world, but th' IoF© ain't that.

Tweaked so subtly you didn't notice!

 

This crappy quality [above - Ed.] is the best available. Gee whiz. So much for th' internet.

 

 

A change of pace for a while. Spirit have been guests on th' IoF© intermittently, but they deserve their own dedicated timeshare accommodation. They're just a magical magic band I've loved forever, always found time to listen.

Thirty Minutes Dept. - On Abbey Road

Th' IoF© has played host to many glamorously international stars, but a visit from all four surviving Beatles yesterday came as a surprise! They waxed loquacious anent their controversial last long-playing record album, Thirty Minutes On Abbey Road whilst Kreemé [eighteen my ass - Ed.] served signature dumpster run-off and turtle-dick smoothies, poolside!

FT3 Well, it's fab gear to have you here, lads! Swingin'! Tell us about this new album!

JL Our last album [Aloha, left - Ed.] was meant to be our blaze of glory.

PM Our best-selling album since Pepper.

GH Our only album since Pepper.

PM But anyway, I thought -

GH We all thought, actually.

JL You know, let's get together as a band one last time.

PM Make a proper new studio album.A Beatles album.

FT3 But there were problems with the material?

GH Paul forgot how to write songs, basically.

PM Hey, just fuck off, George, alright?

JL Maxwell's Silver Hammer? Worst. Song. Ever.

RS I liked it.

GH Playing that gave me sciatica.

PM John's love song to heroin had to go, like, first.

JL It was about Yoko.

PM Heroin, Yoko ... same thing.

GH And that fake 'fifties thing, whatever that was. A parody or something?

JL Oh! Darling? Oh shit, more like.

PM And Ringo's song, because if Maxwell's Silver Hammer was cut, well, no disrespect Ringo, but you should have kept that one aside. For kids' parties.

RS I liked it.

JL Nobody else feckin' did.

FT3 So that was like, half the album got voted out?

GH The only reason Old Brown Shoe isn't on it is because it would have made the album look like a George Harrison album.

JL Apart from Come Together, it's just bits and pieces. 

PM It's a suite. A suite. It works really, really, well. So shut up.

JL You feckin' shut yer gob yer feckin' gobshite.

RS Guys! Guys!

[sounds of scuffling, breaking glass etc.]

 

Recreate this classic iconic albumen at home! No irksome download required:

 

 

 

... and here's "anonymous'" prize for getting the right answer:

 

Zed Zed Taupe Dept.