Just Another Nesmith Rant

In July I ordered the complete works of the First National Band and Michael Nesmith. Three records all put onto 2 CDs. Well, I just got it in a couple days ago (long story.) I knew I would love it, but man! It's the BEST music in the world. (I'm stealing that quote from some other reviewer whom I can't recall.) I'm a huge Gram Parsons fan, but this might even be better. Close race. See, Gram and Michael are both credited with "creating" Country Rock, but after listening to Nesmith's stuff, I have to say I think his is more integrated than Gram's and he probably holds the lion's share of the credit. Wow. It's rare to hear the origins of a whole new genre. Like Sugar Hill Gang, or Haley and the Comets. If you listen to Rock Around the Clock you can hear the big band style AND the new rock style, so usually that's classified as the first rock song ever. (These things are always disputed however.) Well, listening to Nesmith is a bit like that. He'll be crooning and yodeling (yes, yodeling) and singing about the "range" and "tumbleweeds," then BAM! All of a sudden here comes an electric guitar with some sort of distortion, and he's screaming with echo in the backround. It gets pretty trippy at times. The lyrics are odd too--random and enigmatic like a lot of 70s rock was. <>I just can't believe my ears. It's country...wait it's rock...wait it's this new thing called Country Rock! Mike Nesmith is incredible. His mom invents liquid paper, then he invents a whole new genre of music, then he creates a whole new medium of music (the music video and MTV). I mean, who is this guy!? Also he *might* have turned over a general's air plane once while he was in the AirForce, but this is still up in the air. :-D The world may never know....