'The Monkees', as you've never heard them

[left-of-center2012]

‘The Monkees’ (of TV and music ‘fame’) were mentioned recently in a thread on ‘Canine movie stars’.

Looking up some of their songs, I was surprised to see they had recorded an old gospel tune, ‘Angel Band’ on the album ‘Missing Links, Volume 3‘. It is a dirge, a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral.

It has been recorded by many artists, probably most famously by the Stanley Brothers of bluegrass fame, Emmylou Harris, and by the Monkees. The Stanley Brothers version is included on the ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ movie soundtrack album (2000).

The lyrics were first set in J. W. Dadmun's tunebook ‘The Melodeon’ in 1860. Michael Nesmith sings lead on this version:

[luvs2sing]

1. Interesting..

But nobody does it like Ralph and Carter Stanley.

[msongs]

2. sounds to me like they are making fun of it. like dead flowers and country music nt

[left-of-center2012]

3. "dead flowers and country music"

Maybe you missed that it is a funeral song,
made famous by country and bluegrass musicians?

[msongs]

6. dead flowers is a reference to another song nt

[CaptYossarian]

4. Very different from when he sang One-Ton Tomato on his TV special.

[Beausoleil]

5. Good find!

Nesmith is a pretty good country songwriter himself.

[TomSlick]

7. Thanks. I was a fan of the Monkeys back in the day. I had never heard this.

I guess we should have known that Nesmith was really a country musician at heart.

[left-of-center2012]

8. Born in Texas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Nesmith#Early_life

[TomSlick]

9. But this is the only Monkeys recording I've hear in which he sounds like he's from Texas.

He bends notes like the country musician he really always was at heart.