| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jimmy |
Posted - 04/15/2006 : 07:43:18
If I'm just on the computer I'll turn the tv to GAC, the country music video station. I don't like country except for some of the old songs. From watching GAC I like it even less. Here's what's on:
Craig Morgan "What I Love About Sunday" This song is as corny as it could be- singing about church, fishing, and reading the Sunday paper, "35 cents off a ground round/ baby, cut that coupon out"
Trace Adkins "Honkeytonk Bodonkadonk" This song has everything that's wrong with country right now. It's all a mix of watered-down pop culture references with either the word "redneck" or "honkeytonk" slapped on ( "Redneck Yacht Club", "Redneck Woman").
Toby Keith "American Soldier" It goes without saying that TK is a tool, but this song just goes over the line. Pandering. Shameless. And the video, along with his video for "Honkeytonk U" make use of that tired video techniche where the picture flashes brightly for extra emotional effect ( I may not be describing it well enough, I hope you know what I mean )
( I have to admit, I downloaded his song "The Angry American (Courtesy of the Red White and Blue)- it's so gay that I can't help playing it when there's no one else around.)
There are a couple songs that I do like though:
"Long Time Gone" Dixie Chicks
"Mud On The Tires" Brad Paisly- he's ok, but he's not as funny as he thinks he is w/ songs like "Celebrity" and "Alcohol", this one is a good song though.
"The Talking Repair Shop Song" Alan Jackson- it's corny, yes, the video with the guys from the show "Yes Dear" is corny too, but it's very, very catchy and I always stop what I'm doing and watch when it comes on.
can you think of any more good songs?
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." JOHN 15:14 |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| jimmy |
Posted - 06/13/2006 : 19:39:27
I wish Elvis Costello would make another country covers album, "Almost Blue" was too bland. It had some good songs ( "How Much I Lied", and from the bonus tracks, "Psycho" & "He's Got You" ), but "I'm Your Toy" (Hot Burrito #1) was a big disappointment.
It probably won't happen, so I'm just waiting for the next "Kojak Variety". |
| ScottP |
Posted - 06/13/2006 : 18:34:26
Country music is cool when some one cool does it. I believed every word Johnny, Lorretta, Willie and Hank Sr. ever sang. But these "new country", or "young country" dip fucks are making some of the worst music we have EVER had to endure. Have you ever watched CMT(country music MTV)? It's impossible to tell the difference between the videos and the commercials. It's so damn fake it makes "christian metal" sound believable. Go away Tubby Keith and Co., you bunch of zeros. |
| edbanky |
Posted - 06/13/2006 : 11:22:45
John Prine (also a folkie, depending) was hemorrhaging good country back in the day. Some notable examples to check out (from his first couple years on the scene):
Illegal Smile
Spanish Pipedream
Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Paradise
Angel From Montgomery
Please Don't Bury Me
Christmas in Prison
Grandpa Was A Carpenter
Souvenirs
The Late John Garfield Blues
The Frying Pan
Take the Star Out of The Window
The Great Compromise
Clocks and Spoons
Here's a lyric from "Pretty Good" off "The Hay Album" (his eponymous):
"I heard Allah and Buddha were singing at the Savior's feast,
And up the sky and Arabian rabbi fed Quaker oats to a priest."
Anyway, JP is about as atypical a country guy, lyrical content wise, as there is.
Oh, and this guy named Neil Young is extremely country quite often.
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"Clinton is a shithead." Ray Bradbury |
| Erebus |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 16:36:44
OK, brief emergence from batcave to report on Richmond hellbilly/metal sets. Suffice to say I feel cheated by my local venue, The New Oasis. I quite like Hank III, despite my report above. What a great recording from Richmond, clocking in at 2h6m, almost making up for my disappointing experience here. Imagine Fugazi meets vintage Sabbath. The guy’s got the goods, from ‘billy to stomping hardcore. We get “They Call Me White Trash, Part 2” and “Living in Goddam Gravel Pit”. At one point I was thinking of the Beastie Boys. What a character, with brief ‘tween song screams of “Smoke that ganja motherfucker” and “We are the disease!” Great speed metal drummer. If this tour comes to your town, recommended. Richmond recording link here:
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=95333
dime also has torrents for this year’s Atlanta and Chicago shows, which I’m presently downloading. Hank’s sorta an asshole but I like ‘im anyway.
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| speedy_m |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 10:39:37
I don't know if it qualifies as country per se, but the Kinks "Muswell Hillbillies" is just amazing. 60s Brit-country maybe? Country and (old)Western? Town and Western? I don't know. But it's great.
he's back jack smoking crack find him if you want to get found
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| Erebus |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 10:30:57
In honor of jimmy and his struggle, I resurrect this topic. Saturday night I went to see Hank Williams III, or “Hank III”, his stage handle. The “Straight to Hell” tour, and that captures it pretty well. It wasn’t easy to witness, least ways not as easy as I’d a thunk. Though I’d read a couple three reviews, I somehow I arrived unprepared for a show that was only marginally country. He’s a VERY strong personality in his own right and fronts a great band. They play three sets: first “country”, which is really mostly manic hoedown; then what he calls “hellbilly; and finally death metal ("Assjack" he calls it). Most of the “country” set is hard-driving fusion hillbilly. Pretty good, or at least it could have been had it not been so damn loud. Think Charlie Daniels on steroids. The band is a five piece with a true wizard on fiddle, a “standup steel guitar”, standup bass, and drums, with Hank on hollow body rhythm guitar. Mix was good but, again, unnecessarily loud. Pity. Felt sorry for the little childrens’ ears, and my own. The bass player was a sight: skinny guy with a magenta-pinkish mohawk about eight inches long, flopping all over the place, mostly sporting odd, quizzical facial expressions, plucking away on a hot pinkish standup bass. Reminded me of Rocky Horror’s Riff Raff. After about an hour of the hillbilly they transition into the hellbilly without leaving the stage, just a change of hats and off we go. Unfortunately this was so loud I had to leave after about three songs. First time I’ve ever left a show early. Too bad, because I really would have liked to hear the harder stuff. Despite everything, the band and performance were quite professional. No delays, no tech problems, just a seamless show.
Most of Hank’s country material is about getting loaded, on almost everything: alcohol, pot, cocaine, pills, acid. No opiates mentioned. His hatred of traditional Nashville is pretty evident too, and no doubt reciprocated: “God Country Fucking Sucks!” Never heard anybody curse so much so loudly for so long. The audience was a trip too. Lots of hellraising rednecks; tons of pierced and tattooed punks; little kids; confused onlookers like me; grandmas and grandpas. Felt sorry for the grandmas.
Funny thing is, I had recently downloaded a complete Hank III Richmond, Virginia show from Apr 6, just over two months ago, and the country portion is a completely different beast. Much more like real country, less intense and driving. Great recording and a good listen. I listened to the country set yesterday, for the first time, to recapture some of what I had experienced, but instead found quite a different act. Perhaps because Virginia is not Nevada, the setlist includes more straight country. Still lots of yelling and cursing, and songs about getting way fucked up. Haven’t listened to the hellbilly and death metal sets but I’m going to, to hear something like what I missed. The band I heard Saturday night was so different from the one captured in Richmond that it really makes me wonder. Is Hank III in transition to a much harder act? Or is this simply a band that is feeling its oats from frequent playing? Does he always vary things this way to cater to regional differences? Was I just seeing the west coast version of Hank? He was in LA last week. I would think Richmond and that whole area are pretty savvy and in important respects deeper into the punk ethos than is Reno, but then again I was surprised to see what crawled out of the Reno woodwork two nights ago. Overall, a shocking evening. Ears were numb yesterday but they seem to be recovering. Haven’t suffered hearing loss from a show in years. Pretty stupid. If they’d only reduced it by 20-30 decibels, it would have been fun, even for the heads.
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| Carl |
Posted - 04/24/2006 : 12:01:18
Is'nt country music all about killing a man, hidind from the law down in Mexico, then crying in a bar because your sweetheart has left you? To the accompaniment of pedal-steal?
 |
| VoVat |
Posted - 04/23/2006 : 14:18:17
I used to think I didn't like country music, but now I'm pretty cool with it. It probably helps that I think instruments like steel guitars, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins can produce some great sounds. I should probably check out more classic country. As far as modern artists go, Neko Case is quite possibly my favorite female musician, and her compatriots Carolyn Mark and Kelly Hogan are also definitely worth listening to. And then there's Laura Cantrell. I can't really think of any modern male country artists that I like that much, but that doesn't mean there aren't any good ones.
"If you doze much longer, then life turns to dreaming. If you doze much longer, then dreams turn to nightmares." |
| El Loco |
Posted - 04/20/2006 : 16:06:21
David Allen Coe |
| chickenwithtwoheads |
Posted - 04/20/2006 : 15:13:58
quote:
Originally posted by mostasteless
quote:
Originally posted by chickenwithtwoheads
Too bad Johnny Horton's most melodic songs are racist ('I hate niggers' and 'Some niggers never die'), I never feel very comfortable listening to these songs.
...
Johnny Horton did not write those songs. I'm pretty sure it was some guy named Johnny Rebel, but I can't be sure about that. But Horton is an innocent man I tells ya!
I'm glad you're right. After some googling I found this:
http://www.spasticmonkeys.com/blog/lileks-blew-it/
"The person singing the song was not Johnny Horton, and the song was not recorded by a popular artist for a wide audience.
It turns out that the song was actually recorded by a guy going by the name of Johnny Rebel"
I probably downloaded the songs using Limewire. Not the first time a song I tried to download wasn't what it seemed to be.
... |
| jimmy |
Posted - 04/20/2006 : 14:59:56
It's funny, sometimes on GAC they'll interveiw some of the big country stars of today, and they all mention what an inspiration Johnny Cash was for them- but you'd never guess that when you hear the shit records they put out.
There are so many good old country songs- plain and mostly undecorated ( I can't think of the right word ) that you'd think they would have a real influence. Plus so many of these people are already rich- couldn't they take a chance and make a record that is really excellent instead of worrying about sales and chart positions.
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." JOHN 15:14 |
| mostasteless |
Posted - 04/20/2006 : 12:25:44
quote:
Originally posted by chickenwithtwoheads
Too bad Johnny Horton's most melodic songs are racist ('I hate niggers' and 'Some niggers never die'), I never feel very comfortable listening to these songs.
...
Johnny Horton did not write those songs. I'm pretty sure it was some guy named Johnny Rebel, but I can't be sure about that. But Horton is an innocent man I tells ya! |
| benji |
Posted - 04/20/2006 : 01:41:05
i know nothing about country music, but over the last couple of years i've become a huge fan of johnny cash. not much needs to be said about him, but he is truly a legend.
actually just saw the movie a week or so ago, and i really enjoyed that too. i thought that joaquin and reese did excellent jobs with the singing. but nothing beats the real thing tho.
and surely neko case must count as country-ish.
and i second the murder, misery and then goodnight record mentioned by jedi. |
| El Loco |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 19:24:20
oh my, i have the first three
http://www.timelife.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=198 |
| mrgrieves1971 |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 18:15:12
Check out Robert Earl Keen. You won't be disappointed. |
| Cheeseman1000 |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 14:54:29
Amen the Jedi.
I've heard good things about the Rough Trade country compilations as well. I'm not going to go searching at the moment as the computer is pretty fragile, but go investigate.
 I have joined the Cult Of Frank/And I have dearly paid |
| jediroller |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 04:32:24
Yes, or something from the "Murder, Misery and Then Goodnight" album. (A follow-up is on the way, yay!)
But I guess they didn't want to push the "country twang" thing too far... Dunno.
Any Kristin is good in any case.
The experts they file in by the roomful / Watching him dying young
free music |
| jimmy |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 02:43:50
wow, jediroller, that's kind of disappointing- there are such better songs they could've used.
Janis: Easy Rider
Dear Landlord
Kristin: Sinkhole
Amazing Grace
Cowbirds
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." JOHN 15:14 |
| starmekitten |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 02:39:55
quote:
Originally posted by darwin
If we're being liberal with the meaning of country, one of my favorite country albums is REM's Fables of the Reconstruction.
That would mean I like country and I'm not sure that's right...
Kidding. I had some pretty common misconceptions about what country music is and this thread has helped set a lot of them right. It's all very interesting. I've made notes.
forum  ebook |
| darwin |
Posted - 04/19/2006 : 00:56:18
If we're being liberal with the meaning of country, one of my favorite country albums is REM's Fables of the Reconstruction.
Polka touchstone artists? The Shmenges!
 |
| Broken Face |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 20:11:33
quote:
Originally posted by darwin
What's wrong with polka?
It is the one genre where i really can't find a touchstone artist to really get me into it. It all sounds so similar to me.
-Brian
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| therewererumours |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 14:14:40
What Brian said about Gram Parsons/Burriot Brothers/Bryds, I have a Frank like obession about him. Will Oldam's, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music, is an excellent country album, as is anything by The Knitters. Beechwood Sparks, Make the Robot Cowboys Cry, is a great pseudo country album. I'm in the process of listening to Son Volt, some Creedence and Lucinda Williams, and of course theres Ween's 12 Golden Country Greats. Jimmy I know that spot in the West your talking about, I've got relations there, and it's where I'm going to build my underground bunker.
 black, it was always black...... |
| El Loco |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 10:06:08
El Fartbone does country too.
My collection is 99% primarily music pre 80's (I was a fool for Urban Cowboy so some tunes crossed over into the 80's realm)
The time life early country comp that spans from the 50's to the early 70's is a good bet for someone who just needs the essentials.
I mainly listen to old faves like patsy cline, hank williams, tex ritter, johnny dinero etc.
I've even gone as far as having a collection of 20's and 30's tunes that are so damn good.
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| BLT |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 09:36:13
I picked this up a few months ago and have slowly been immersing myself in it:
http://www.oldhatrecords.com/Releases.html#1005
I wouldn't call the music "country" -- most of it's more like primitive bluegrass or blues. Some of it's a bit amateurish and poorly recorded, but who cares? |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 09:20:12
This is a great thread, and Apesy hit the nail on the head back there.
I've been meaning to check out some older country for a while.
 "If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 08:54:33
I'm still trying to like Corb Lund just because he was in the Smalls.
But I suppose he did win a Juno...
__________
Don't believe the hype. |
| cassandra is |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 06:06:52
You also gotta check out this god of folk and country music: Townes Van Zandt (my favourite albums from the man are: "Our Mother The Mountain", "For The Sake Of The Song", and "High, Low And In Between"... all awesome).
pas de bras pas de chocolat |
| jediroller |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 04:01:39
Janis: Me and Bobby McGee
Kristin: Sundrops
The experts they file in by the roomful / Watching him dying young
free music |
| jimmy |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 02:51:57
jediroller, I was wondering what songs by Janis and Kristin hersh were on that Beyond Nashville album?
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." JOHN 15:14 |
| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 02:25:29
How could I forget to mention this one??? A classic.
-----
"The following tale of me is true. And by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is: No." (The Simpson Files)
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| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 01:59:00
This one's great too.
-----
"The following tale of me is true. And by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is: No." (The Simpson Files)
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| jediroller |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 01:27:34
Not only "country" in there - heck, it's got Kristin Hersh, Dylan and Joplin - but a good variety of styles and some really great classics (how can you not love "Act Naturally"!). It's never been too far from the CD player since I bought it a couple of years ago.
The experts they file in by the roomful / Watching him dying young
free music |
| darwin |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 01:15:20
What's wrong with polka?
I grew up in Texas absolutely hating country. It was a matter of survival. I was surrounded by dumbfucks in pickups. At the time it was the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama and the urban cowboy Texas oil money boom. In hindsight even the mainstream country was better then than it is now. Now that I'm not surrounded by top 40 country I can appreciate the good stuff. I don't know much beyond the legends, but there aren't many musicians that respect more than Willie Nelson. That man can write, sing, and play with the best.
I was recently driving in Houston when I found for the first time a country oldies station. I enjoyed that. |
| Broken Face |
Posted - 04/17/2006 : 22:57:02
Ryan Adams' HEARTBREAKER is a fantastic country-ish album (good call Simon), as is anything by his old band, Whiskeytown.
I highly recommend Cracker's COUNTRYSIDES as a cool place to look. They take some country songs and make them their own. There may be a track from this on my new CD Swap/Podcast.
I also love Gram Parsons, whether with the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds (on their SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO album), or especially solo.
I think that knee-jerk reactions to country music can be blamed on people like Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and the general 'pop-country' movement of Nashville. But like all genres ('cept, for me, polka) there are artists that transcend that and make good music within the confines of the shitty genre.
-Brian
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| Domestiques |
Posted - 04/17/2006 : 22:13:07
lambchop, the man who loved beer, thats country!
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All I know there was humous. |
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