RIP to Mike Nesmith of The Monkees, who wrote this song. Mike always travelled to the beat of a different drum.

Love Linda Ronstadt's version, and really love Mike Nesmith's. Looked this up on You Tube, because in her memoir, Linda said that this was the recording where she first heard this song.

There is a KZfaq video I saw earlier that interviews Bobby Kimmel from The Stone Poneys. It was interesting. He knew Linda Ronstadt from Tucson Arizona. He used to sing with Linda & her brother when they were young way before the Stone Poneys. He explains about how the Stone Poneys knew John Herald (singer on this video) and that is how they got connected with the song Different Drum. It's cool to hear how this song morphed from Michael Nesmith to Greenbriar Boys (which I like) to Linda Ronstadt (to me the best version).

Came here after seeing the new Linda Ronstadt documentary. Very lucky to have heard Mike Nesmith open his concert in Boston with this song several years ago (the day before the Boston Marathon bombing). The Stone Poneys' version is also lovely. This is great!

I don't understand why none of the comments highlight the fact that the group is the Greenbriar Boys and that the singer is the late John Herald. Wish that he had gotten more recognition for this, and in general.

This version is amazng! Thanks for the upload

Did not know this exist. I grew up loving this song by my all time favorite female singer, Linda Ronstadt, thinking she sang the original version. Also did not know that Michael Nesmith wrote it before he was a Monkee!! Thanks for sharing this song!

In my Ronstadt playlist with her version and the songwriter's. Thanks for the upload!

HAD NO IDEA about this...thank you for posting it (and such great sound as well!!!).

Thanks so much for this !!! its great

Glad to hear the original version by the Greenbriar Boys, but to be perfectly honest it doesn't hold much against Linda Rondstat's version who really kills it. She had such a beautiful voice. Too bad she can't sing anymore.

Really nice. Thanks!

Great stuff. Cheers.

Linda said this is the version she heard and wanted to record it. There's a rather cynical verse from Nesmith's original that all subsequent versions leave out.

Love this.

Love John Herald; grat voice and guitar player.

Thanks.

i had this record. big john herald fan (w/Ian & Sylvia).

Well, at least I can understand the words on THIS version!

This version was recorded prior to the Stone Poneys version and mirrored the demo Mike Nesmith recorded. He couldn't get the Monkees to do his songs (several demos from 67 have since been issued on Monkees' rarities discs) which must have been very frustrating...but clearly this was not the Monkees' style back then.

@3Pitous You are very welcome.

Mike Nesmith offered a bunch of his songs to the producers of the Monkees TV show and they seemed not to like any of them. The band muddled through a couple (issued only much later on "rarities" collections) but this one didn't even make it that far. It was sot of a joke then when Mike sang it in a "talent show" segment on the program which he later said he did as a bit of a slap.

Thanks for posting this! The Greenbriar Boys recorded another version of this same song that was maybe a bit faster. I had it on vinyl. Anyone know anything about it?

Linda R. recorded High Muddy Water which was written by the Greenbriar Boys (J. Herald) and they also recorded it. But it's NOT on KZfaq by either. Could someone please correct that short sightedness?

Can't find this version anywhere could someone please, please email it to me

This is 1966? Sounds great man

pastels different drum

its not you its me

Imaginary Channel

Written by Mike Nesmith first recorded by the greenbriar boys, recorded 2 years later by Linda Ronstadt ( the stone poneys). She knocked it out of the park, and ever since.. her version is the one that gets covered.... Susanna Hoffs and Mathew Sweet did a wonderful Accoustic version. Nesmith's version is better than this one but still true to it's roots

Thank God that Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Ponys made this wonderful story and song a hit. This is terrible in too many ways to mention. The song was stolen from me and someone else said that they wrote it, but when I hear this version, I do not even care that it was stolen from me. I am proud of the Stone Ponys version and their introduction of Linda great voice to the world audience.

Doesn't have the passion of Ronstadt's version.

Imaginary Channel