| ...you may not have heard the recent news; Nez has finished his album “Rays,” and it will become available after the first of the year (this time it’s really true!). Nez has been working on this album for years and we are all so excited that it is now complete! It will be available for download at all the download stores (iTunes, iTunes UK, Rhapsody, Napster, MSN, etc.) as well as on CD. That’s all the information we have right now but we will certainly let you know as we hear more.
Now for my hairbrained, I-was-never-any-good-at-science explanation:
Let's see, his last solo album came out when I was a freshman at UMass--early 1992.
Lately he's been donating a lot of his money to scientists and physicists.
So, seeing as he put out SIX solo albums between 1970-1973, my theory is that his solo career is mirroring the theory of space and time and the law of diminishing returns--floating further and further away, returning with less and less frequency.
Anyone? Do I have anything resembling a hypothesis here?
I am a little better at being a music critic, so I'll say this:
Whereas, in the Monkee years, and until the mid-70's, Nez could musically do no wrong in my book, I must say that I've been less than totally impressed with most of the stuff since.
The final straw COULD have been when, in 1997 he produced both a Monkees reunion album and a one-off update of the Monkees TV show with all 4 guys. And both projects pretty much were, um, weak. Whereas, they could have been totally awesome.
But then I said, "he's just doing what Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson tried to do with HEAD in 1968--i.e. finally KILL the Monkees.". And, he pretty much did.
Who knows where he's at musically nowadays? I'm not holding out for much. Gimme Nesmith on acoustic guitar and the late Red Rhodes on pedal steel and I'm in heaven.
Though maybe, like McCartney, he'll say "I actually tried this time to make a GOOD album"--breaking out of billionaire ennui to commune with the muse.
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