After leaving the Monkees following the tepid reception afforded 1969s The Monkees Present, Michael Nesmith struck out on his own and signed with RCA Victor, where he indulged his passion for country music and gentle psychedelia while maintaining a hectic release schedule, issuing no fewer than six albums between 1970 and 1973. Despite the fact that Nesmiths RCA albums never connected with the mass audience the way his work with the Pre-Fab Four did, theyve deservedly won a cult following for his smart, elliptical songwriting, the graceful but insistent twang of his melodies, and the superb picking of his accompanists, especially pedal steel player O.J. Red Rhodes, bassist John London, and drummer John Ware, who were the core of his First National Band. When Nesmiths RCA Victor albums were released to streaming services, they were enhanced with a number of unreleased bonus tracks, and 2021s Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings collects the bulk of that bonus material in one place, giving the songs a physical release for the first time. As is often the case when digging through the archives of an artist of note, this set features a number of recordings that will delight fans and clearly deserve public exposure, while others remained in the vault for obvious reasons. The first half of this collection is strong, filled with alternate takes and unreleased performances that more than live up to Nesmiths quality standards, including a sweetly twangy reworking of Different Drum (an early Nez composition that became a hit for the Stone Poneys, featuring a young Linda Ronstadt), beefed-up remakes of the Monkees gems Circle Sky and Listen to the Band, the lively tale of life on the road American Airman, a funky cover of Dave Dudleys Six Days on the Road, and different recordings of Dedicated Friend and Texas Morning. However, the second half of the album is dominated by instrumental takes and backing tracks that show off the estimable skills of the musicians but are significantly less interesting than the stuff that preceded it, though hardcore fans will certainly want to hear them. (The set also includes a pair of fascinating oddities -- two radio spots Nesmith recorded to promote 1970s Loose Salute that find him instead advising listeners to check out Derek & the Dominos and Morton Subotnick!) Paring down Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings to 15 tracks instead of 22 would probably have made it a more consistently enjoyable experience, but even with the unnecessary padding, theres plenty of great music here that attests to the strength of Nesmiths country rock period; fans will be delighted, and more casual observers may enjoy this more than theyd expect. ~ Mark Deming

Rovi