3 Heroes: Joe South, Michael Nesmith and John Stewart

[Carlisle Wheeling]

After nearly 12 months I got around to fitting a new power unit in my pc and relieved to be off the iPad I've digitized and uploaded a few tapes I've been meaning to do for years.

The Joe South recording was taken from the Andy Kershaw Radio One show. The John Stewart set was recorded from Radio Merseyside and the Michael Nesmith set with the Watkins Family Hour was put out via his Videoranch site.

There's no video content, just audio but i think they may be of interest to a few

[Tom Waits For No One]

Great stuff, thanks for putting these up.

The John Stewart set was recorded from Radio Merseyside

Introduction by Spencer Leigh

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Great stuff, thanks for putting these up.

The John Stewart set was recorded from Radio Merseyside

Introduction by Spencer Leigh

yeah, he is a big John Stewart fan. That voice / intro reminds me it was a long time ago (1984) but not as long time ago as it sounds!

[C]

Excellent - thanks Dave




.

[Six String]

Coincidently I listened to Nesmith's Live At the Palais last night.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

Good stuff. Listened to the Joe South set which has set me off on a JS career skim

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Good stuff. Listened to the Joe South set which has set me off on a JS career skim

The albums from Introspect to Midnight Rainbows are are all worthy of attention.

A Look Inside is pretty dark. Recorded after his brothers suicide. It is very much his Tonight's The Night.

I recently got hold of Joe South - Golden Records: The Early Songwriting Genius, 1961-1966 It's great and the sound is superb. There's a lot on there I hadn't heard before.

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Coincidently I listened to Nesmith's Live At the Palais last night.

Yeah, I like it a lot. I would have liked to have seen that tour / band.

I asked Al Perkins about it when I caught him touring with Kevin Montgomery and his face lit up. He said he really enjoyed it.

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Papa Nes today... The Monkees have never sounded so good, although voices are not quite what they were. This brought a tear to my eyes.

[Muskrat]

You know this, right?

Omnivore is thrilled to present Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos. Four tunes found here wound up on The Kingston Trio’s Children Of The Morning album released in 1966 with one of them, “The Spinnin’ Of The World,” getting a second airing on 1979s hit album, Bombs Away Dream Babies which yielded the aforementionaed charting single, “Gold,” with two other songs, “Midnight Wind” and “Lost Her In The Sun” also making the Top 40. Three duets with Buffy Ford Stewart foreshadow Signals Through The Glass album which the singing partners, and later husband and wife team, would release on Capitol Records in 1968. This collection also features five tracks that would form nearly half of Stewart’s classic California Bloodlines album released in 1969. Of particular note, “July, You’re A Woman” makes its first recorded appearance here alongside demos for “Mother Country” and “The Pirates Of Stone County Road.”

[toomanyhatz]

I would think Tony Joe White could be comfortably added to that group (he would for me), but yes - I hold them in very high regard.

Stewart's stuff I know less well, though I do enjoy California Bloodlines, which I think is the only thing of his I have. I'd welcome other recommendations.

[Rorschach]

I don't really know the other two but I love Michael Nesmith more and more each year. Thanks for posting this.

[`]

Cheers for those, CW.

Will give the Papa New and TJW ones a whirl.

Saw Nes a couple of times in the 70s - once at Victoria Theatre at some Zig Zag anniversary show in - I think 75. Met him after the show and got all my albums up to Standard Ranch stash autographed (still have them to this day!). Later saw him solo on The Prison tour at Sheffield Uni in - the following year, iirc.

As for Tony Joe White, he was in Dublin about three years back playing Whelans - a brilliant little club whose reputation vastly exceeds its 300(?) pax capacity. Must have been going to a lot of gigs around then because I thought I'd leave it and catch him next time. Except of course there was to be no next time.

[Carlisle Wheeling]

You know this, right?

Omnivore is thrilled to present Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos. Four tunes found here wound up on The Kingston Trio’s Children Of The Morning album released in 1966 with one of them, “The Spinnin’ Of The World,” getting a second airing on 1979s hit album, Bombs Away Dream Babies which yielded the aforementionaed charting single, “Gold,” with two other songs, “Midnight Wind” and “Lost Her In The Sun” also making the Top 40. Three duets with Buffy Ford Stewart foreshadow Signals Through The Glass album which the singing partners, and later husband and wife team, would release on Capitol Records in 1968. This collection also features five tracks that would form nearly half of Stewart’s classic California Bloodlines album released in 1969. Of particular note, “July, You’re A Woman” makes its first recorded appearance here alongside demos for “Mother Country” and “The Pirates Of Stone County Road.”

Nope. Thanks for that. I'm on the case!


I'm a big fan of that era. Signals Thru The Glass is something of a hidden gem from that period for anyone interested.

[Carlisle Wheeling]

I would think Tony Joe White could be comfortably added to that group (he would for me), but yes - I hold them in very high regard.

Stewart's stuff I know less well, though I do enjoy California Bloodlines, which I think is the only thing of his I have. I'd welcome other recommendations.

Yeah, I agree. I lost touch with TJW after the first five, then reconnected after buying The Path Of A Decent Groove. It's a real regret that I never got to see him live.

With Joe South (and I guess even more so, Mike Nesmith) there was something about the philosophical bent of the lyrics that really got to me. And then there's the sound!


John Stewart: Personally, after California Bloodlines, there's more of that rustic Americana to be found on Signals Through The Glass and Willard (recorded in California with Peter Asher producing).

Cannons In The Rain, his RCA debut, is a very strong album and many fans favourite.

The Phoenix Concerts is a powerful live album

Blondes is in my top 5. It features his first teaming up with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. In part a homage to California, it's one of his best sounding albums.



Punch The Big Guy, Trancas, Sunstorm, The Lonesome Picker Rides Again and The Last Campaign...I wouldn't want to be without any of them. I'm not a fan of his two hit "Dream Babies" albums; too glossy for my tastes. Trancas came as a shock at the time with the electric keys but it's a real grower.




Later albums had lower production values but there are gems scattered amongst them. I'm partial to this..



And I should have given credit to Wingless Angels & Fire In The Wind. What can I Say? I'm a fan.

[Carlisle Wheeling]

Cheers for those, CW.


Saw Nes a couple of times in the 70s - once at Victoria Theatre at some Zig Zag anniversary show in - I think 75. Met him after the show and got all my albums up to Standard Ranch stash autographed (still have them to this day!). Later saw him solo on The Prison tour at Sheffield Uni in - the following year, iirc.

I was there, too! ZigZag and the Victoria Palace (as well as Trent Poly and the Theatre Royal. I was at the stage door around 2pm at the Victoria Palace and met him then. He was very obliging and answered a few questions and he asked me let him know what I thought after the show. He was in and out of a recording truck at the time. As you probably know the show was professionally recorded. It is still my favourite gig of all time.

On a very wet night in Nottingham I got in early and bumped into him again. He was just strolling round the building have a look. (Fan note: I'd swear he was wearing the jacket from And The Hits! Not really suitable for the English weather that day.) He told me a couple of interesting things: He'd gone up to Nottingham on his own by train and, sadly, that there were too many bum notes in the Victoria Palace recording. As the NME pointed out, an album of him just sat there talking would be well worth listening too. I still hope that maybe 7A will get hold of the tapes if they still exist!

It's a small world.

[toomanyhatz]

Just discovered that I have a CD of Rough Sketches From Route 66. Listening now and quite enjoying it.

That's the only thing I have other than California Bloodlines (at least that I'm aware of), but I'll probably do a thorough Amazon Music listen shortly.

Thanks, and good to see you again, CW!