Country

[Pieface]

I've seen them MA - the lead singer is INTENSE! Very very funny too. Does things with his eyes that should be illegal.

He managed to win over a crowd at a free festival in Newcastle in a carpark - no one knew who they were but the end there were a pair of crutches being waved in the air and they had the crowd eating out their hand

 

[boing!]

What is the difference between country and folk?

Folk is a bit of a catch all term now days and is used to describe just about anyone with an acoustic guitar.

Originally, as I understand it, and in very basic terms, the folk songs of Britain and Northern Europe travelled to America, and became the Appalachian folk songs there, which was really the beginning of Country, along with influences from religious music/ gospel and blues along the way.

Then you had the folk revival in the 60s which is more in common with what a lot of people term ‘folk’ today, ie. beardy man with acoustic guitar. It’s all quite complicated, too complicated for me to explain well on a Monday morning.

 

[matt m]

Seing as we're recommending alt.country stuff I'll have to recommend the band Freakwater, for their album "Old Paint". They were one of the most convincing of the alt crowd for me. Great voices, slow, mournful and quite acidic.

Hey, has anyone mentioned the obvious yet – Dolly Parton. There's a lot more to her than just Jolene. "In My Tenessee Mountain Home" is the most uplifting camp musical propaganda you'll ever here.

 

[embree]

yeah, I'm curious as to how the mainstream is viewed here - Parton, Wynette, Brooks etc

 

[big eejit]

Seing as we're recommending alt.country stuff I'll have to recommend the band Freakwater, for their album "Old Paint". They were one of the most convincing of the alt crowd for me. Great voices, slow, mournful and quite acidic.

I love Catherine Irwin's voice. Her solo album 'Cut yourself a switch' has some achingly beautiful tracks. And she's funny with it!

 

[ouchmonkey]

yeah, I'm curious as to how the mainstream is viewed here - Parton, Wynette, Brooks etc

Dolly is great, she's done some cheese in her time (I really can't stand 9-5 for a start) but even recent bluegrass flavoured albums 'Little Sparrow' and 'The Grass Is Blue' are great.

Tammy Wynette is fantastic too, a bit overlooked somehow. If I remember right she wasn't even in the Country music Hall Of Fame when she died.
Where Dolly is usually bright and 'can-do' in spirit Tammy always seems to be broken and sad. Which is what country does best.

If by 'Brooks' you mean Garth, he has no place here having more in common with Bon Jovi than country music.

In regard to a lot of the stuff mentioned on this thread and more in similar vein you could do worse than keep an eye on Big Rock Candy Mountain about the best country-ish blog about. Another great one Setting The Woods On Fire seems to be having a crisis of confidence or legality or somesuch, but read back through it anyway....

 

[twistedAM]

If by 'Brooks' you mean Garth, he has no place here having more in common with Bon Jovi than country music.

i think The Dance is a remarkable song and Friends in Low Places is fun, but otherwise as you are...

 

[embree]

thanks, kind of ties in with what I thought you'd say about those three!

Two more - any views on Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard?

You can probably guess I'm familiar with names but not the music that's attached to them

 

[ouchmonkey]

thanks, kind of ties in with what I thought you'd say about those three!

Two more - any views on Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard?

You can probably guess I'm familiar with names but not the music that's attached to them

I reckon you might get a split of opinion there, I don't know Kristofferson's stuff all that well but he wrote some great songs. I rate Haggard myself and don't really see why others don't. Taking your final point about unfamiliarity he's in a similar to Cash vein with less religion and man in black style myth making. With most of these guys who've been around for donkeys it ain't all great. I've yet to hear Hag's dodgy records but i'm sure they're out there somewhere if i keep looking.

Freakwater - who've just been mentioned a bit back are a band I always kind of ignored. They seemed like just the sort of thing I'd like but whatever I heard by them didn't grab me. I've just recently seen the light on that one
'Old Paint' is indeed a great thing check 'em out

 

[twistedAM]

Let's give it up for the trailer trash girls esp

LeAnn Rimes

and of course:

MINDY McCREADY

Used to love it in the 90s when CMT was on cable/Sky

 

[MightyAphrodite]

MINDY McCREADY

Used to love it in the 90s when CMT was on cable/Sky

that girl is a trainwreck!

 

[El Jefe]

Freakwater - who've just been mentioned a bit back are a band I always kind of ignored. They seemed like just the sort of thing I'd like but whatever I heard by them didn't grab me. I've just recently seen the light on that one
'Old Paint' is indeed a great thing check 'em out

I did tell you

 

[twistedAM]

that girl is a trainwreck!

I know I shouldn't gawp. She's like Britney and Paris Hilton all rolled into one.

Still missing CMT though.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

I know I shouldn't gawp. She's like Britney and Paris Hilton all rolled into one.

Still missing CMT though.

its ok, everyone gawps at her.


you should check out some of josh turners stuff...

he sings about god a lot, but erm, hes still good...hes just got one of those voices...he has a Carolinian accent is why



try and find the song 'me and god' by him and dr ralph stanley...

dr stanley sings it acapella, but they do a lovely job together.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

and johnny paycheck...

i mean his voice was mint...



(i can talk about this all day ...)

 

[wayward bob]

gillian welch is great.

 

[nino_savatte]

The Pure Prairie League are pretty good.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

blake shelton....



hes a grand ole boy too . ace song ^ ...hes got loads of great tunes.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

I've seen them MA - the lead singer is INTENSE! Very very funny too. Does things with his eyes that should be illegal.

He managed to win over a crowd at a free festival in Newcastle in a carpark - no one knew who they were but the end there were a pair of crutches being waved in the air and they had the crowd eating out their hand

im not surprised ...they are tremendous

i think The Dance is a remarkable song and Friends in Low Places is fun, but otherwise as you are...

agreed, although 'much too young to feel this old' is a GREAT song by brooks, really great....

this thread is like porn to me.

 

[twistedAM]

im not surprised ...they are tremendous


agreed, although 'much too young to feel this old' is a GREAT song by brooks, really great....

this thread is like porn to me.

yeah...someone else who isn't ashamed to admit the Garth can write a great tune. He knows his demographic for sure and therein lies the problem - he just churns them out and after a whle they all sound the same thing though some do stand out as they are just so complete.

While he seems a bit of a twunt, Alan Jackson really pricks my ears up when I hear him randomly. Great interpreter of song. When he gets really old, I mean really old, someone will do a Johnny Cash on him.

Another Nashville meainsteamer I had a lot of time for was Tracy Byrd - great vocalist and he nailed take This Job And Shove It in the 90s.

Of the 90s gals I though Lee Ann Womack was great..

Tim McGraw is a certfied cunt though.

I know I'm guilty of this but so much more fun talking about Nashville than Americana sometimes.

 

[twistedAM]

No one mentioned Dixie Chicks yet?

Secind album, the one with Goddbye Earl was great.

Went see them touring that album and met Natalie at the aftershow
And the other two as well, who were really really nice people, but yeah, anyway ...NATALIE MAINES...and her dad too - one of the finest pedal steel players ever

 

[rekil]

yeah...someone else who isn't ashamed to admit the Garth can write a great tune.

Did he write that one? (much too young to feel this old) I don't think he wrote the dance or friends in low places which you mentioned earlier. Good call on the Old 97's and I'd add Wayne Hancock. Hank III is generally shit but his last album is great.

 

[twistedAM]

Did he write that one? (much too young to feel this old) I don't think he wrote the dance or friends in low places which you mentioned earlier. Good call on the Old 97's and I'd add Wayne Hancock. Hank III is generally shit but his last album is great.

I knew that but yeah it was Tony Arata wasn't it? Still he did it with sincerity. Like Lee Ann Womacks reply song too.

Yeah Wayne The Train...I was playing that last night after a gig along with Lefty Frizzell, Jesse Dayton and a whole heap of good stuff.

 

[big eejit]

Hank III is generally shit but his last album is great.

Have to disagree with that completely. IMO his first two albums (Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' and Risin' Outlaw) are his best by far. A couple of great country albums that his grandaddy would have been proud of.

His last two albums, which include some of his more notorious material, are overdone for me, with some strange effects added in production. Still some great material but most of these tracks work much better live for my money. Don't think he's managed to capture the energy of the songs on these studio albums - Straight to Hell and Damn Right, Rebel Proud.

If you want to hear these songs at their best (and you can't get along to a live show) the wonderful archive.org has some great live recordings of his shows:

http://www.archive.org/details/HankWilliamsIII

Generally shit indeed!

 

[danny la rouge]

Other country threads are available.

Anyway, here's a playlist from my iTunes for your edification:

1.How Much I've Lied - Gram Parsons
2. All the Same to You - Laura Cantrell
3. Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn
4. Do Right Woman - The Flying Burrito Brothers
5. Snake Oil - Steve Earle
6. Time Of The Preacher - Willie Nelson
7. Big Big Love - k.d. lang
8. Sister's Coming Home - Emmylou Harris
9. Hot Burrito #1 - The Flying Burrito Brothers
10. A Picture Of Me (Without You) - George Jones
11. I Am A Lonesome Fugitive - Roy Buchanan
12. Worried Man Blues - The Original Carter Family
13. Hickory Wind - Emmylou Harris
14. San Quentin - Johnny Cash
15. The True One - Gene Clark
16. Lost Highway- Hank Williams
17. I Am A Pilgrim - The Byrds
18. She - Gram Parsons
19. Sad Songs And Waltzes - Willie Nelson
20. Personal Jesus - Johnny Cash
21. Indoor Fireworks - Laura Cantrell
22. Nothing Was Delivered - The Byrds
23. Van Lear Rose - Loretta Lynn
24. Weary Blues From Waitin' - Hank Williams
25. Kiss Of Death - Split Lip Rayfield
26. Ramblin' Man - Isobel Campbell,/Mark Lanegan
27. Tecumseh Valley - Townes Van Zandt
28. Sheldon Church Yard - Larry Jon Wilson
29. A Song For You - Hazeldine
30. Standing On A Snake - NoahJohn
31. Alone And Forsaken - Hank Williams
32. Selfishness In Man - Freakwater
33. Beneath The Rose - Micah P Hinson
34. That's The Way Love Goes - Willie Nelson

 

[ouchmonkey]

gillian welch is great.

She's fucking fantastic.

have we really got to page 4 before anyone thought to mention her?

for shame.

 

[rekil]

Have to disagree with that completely. IMO his first two albums (Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' and Risin' Outlaw) are his best by far. A couple of great country albums that his grandaddy would have been proud of.

His last two albums, which include some of his more notorious material, are overdone for me, with some strange effects added in production. Still some great material but most of these tracks work much better live for my money. Don't think he's managed to capture the energy of the songs on these studio albums - Straight to Hell and Damn Right, Rebel Proud.

If you want to hear these songs at their best (and you can't get along to a live show) the wonderful archive.org has some great live recordings of his shows:

http://www.archive.org/details/HankWilliamsIII

Generally shit indeed!

I saw him about 6 years ago and it was "ok". I might give the earlier stuff another listen actually.

 

[twistedAM]

I saw him about 6 years ago and it was "ok". I might give the earlier stuff another listen actually.

Saw him the first time he came over and interviewed him and then went to the Jazz cafe gig. Was quite sweet in that they did a country set and then took a break to sign some autographs (in true Nashville tradition) before getting doing some "real loud rock n roll which I can appreciate some fans may not like". That was a fun set but then a few months later they played Reading and tried to go kinda country metal and it flopped.

Another famous Nashville offspring who I actually have more time for is Bobby Bare Jr.

 

[matt m]

She's fucking fantastic.

have we really got to page 4 before anyone thought to mention her?

for shame.

well yeah, she is indeed fantastic, but the stuff she does that leans closest toward country (as opposed to bluegrass, Appalachian, old-timey) is among her weaker stuff IMO. For me, her last album was the first one where I cherry-picked the good tracks off it, rather than it being uniformly great. And mainly cos it was just too darn close to mainstream country rock. Not the freezing backwoods spookery of old.

(Though that said I do like her version of "Paper Moon", which does Patsy Cline better than Patsy Cline)

 

[rhod]

Rural TV (Sky channel 279) have a couple of interesting country music programmes in their line up, including the Porter Wagonner Show, the Wilburn Brothers Show, Country Family Reunion, Marty Stuart Show etc. - some pretty hardcore stuff in there

http://www.ruraltv.tv/