Archived The Stone Poneys (Linda Ronstadt) - Different Drum (1970) (hooktube.com)
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Archived The Stone Poneys (Linda Ronstadt) - Different Drum (1970) (hooktube.com)
submitted ago by cynicaloldfart
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[–] cynicaloldfart [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
"Different Drum" is a song written by Mike Nesmith (Monkees) in 1965 and originally recorded by the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys. The made-for-TV group The Monkees were given very little control of their musical output, which didn't sit well with their guitarist Mike Nesmith, who found out after he joined the ensemble that session musicians would be playing on their albums and hired guns would write their songs. Nesmith was a talented performer and songwriter, and he proved it with this tune, which he wrote before he joined The Monkees. He explained in 1971: "Most of the songs I did write, they didn't want, so on the last few albums I didn't contribute much in the way of material. I took them 'Different Drum' and they said all it needed was a hook. They asked me to change it and told me it was a stiff. I couldn't change it, and took it to Linda Ronstadt, who recorded it two weeks later, and it became number one."
Ronstadt's version flips the gender references in Nesmith's original lyrics, replacing "girl" with "boy" when describing her lover, but still referring to him being "pretty". The Stone Poneys had initially intended to record an "acoustic ballad version" of the song, but producer Nick Venet opted for a more complex instrumental approach, using an arrangement by Jimmy Bond (who also played bass), guitarist Al Viola, drummer Jim Gordon, strings led by Sid Sharp, and harpsichord played in baroque style (and largely improvised during the recording) by Don Randi. As a result, Ronstadt was the only member of the Stone Poneys who actually performed on the record. The album rendition offers a different stereo mix than the hit single, including a longer harpsichord bridge. Ronstadt later commented that she had been surprised and "completely confused" by the changed approach to the song, and that even years later she perceived "fear and a lack of confidence" in her performance. Nesmith, on the other hand, said that Ronstadt's performance of his song "infused it with a new level of passion and sensuality". In later live performances of the song, Nesmith would often sing the closing verse in the same singing style as the Ronstadt version.