Poem: Theres Not Much to Country

Started by Cyber-Angel, May 19, 2008, 12:48:10 PM

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Cyber-Angel

There is not much to country, at least not the kind you find today
Much closer to Rock N Roll in the way it plays.
You won't find it at the Opry or in the country music hall of fame;
They say it comes form Nashville, yet it doesn't play the same.

Wheres all the cheating songs, the songs about the broken hearts? The songs about the good time, and
the ones that rip out your heart?
Where are the songs about cowboys and the woman left alone, the songs that you can relate to when you put
them on?

Todays country music is not the same at all as the Wildwood Flower or the Wabash Cannonball,
There is no Bass, no Fiddle, no Five Sting Banjo or Steel Guitar that makes you cry;
Todays country has lost its soul, its identity.

What happed to the soul of country music, when was it aloud to die? Will we see it again in the By and By?
Theres some thing in the soul of country music, some thing so deep its out of my control
some thing that takes hold of me and over floods my soul.

Theres not much to true country music except four part harmony and story's about life
and all its realities.
All of life is within those songs, those songs form times gone by, the feelings that in all
of us resides and the way things should be.
__________________________________________________________________

I have listened to country music all my life and am unable to listen to what is presented as country music nowadays, which to be true sounds more like rock then country now any way I like mine form the era 1927 (Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family [Original Carter Family Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter his then wife Sara Dougherty Carter and his Sister-In-Law Maybelle Addington {Latter Maybelle Carter, better know as Mother Maybelle}) to around 1963 after this point you started getting the pop element mixed in which I my self am not to keen.

In the post war (World War II) era and into the Fifty's (This is know as the Golden Age of Country) the world and thus the music of the era was different; the world was moving from a radio only world into the age of Television also the world of the time was far more conservative then it is to day with stricter standards of conduct that where expected and the music of the time reflected this.

If one listens to country singers of this time Goldie Hill been an example and away form country Connie Francis been another, sound like the style of singing found on swing and jazz recordings of the war years and even back as far as the early swing recordings of the late Twenties, a product of both sing style popular with both male and female recording artists of the time and microphone technology of the era.

Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly which started to emerge in the Fifty's where an attempt by young people of the era to break free of the many social restrictions in place at that time by way of contrast.

Regards to you. 

Cyber-Angel                 

             
               

cyphyr

I can only reply with my favorites quote from the Blues Brothers:

Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here?
Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western.

Richard
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Arandil

Have you heard any Patty Griffin?  Seriously, if you haven't heard 'Children Running Through', it's pretty old-school (without the '50's recording budget and equipment, anyway).  I hated country, but that's because all I heard growing up was the disco/pop country.  I had the good fortune to be related to a music store owner who catered to country music for over 50 years, great exposure that I'm grateful for. 

She's post-golden age, but Emmy-Lou Harris' 'Wrecking Ball' album is a gem (if you can take some stuff mixed up with the slide guitar, beautiful slide playing, anway, Daniel Lanois on it, sweet).

Cheers!

Cyber-Angel

Quote from: Arandil on May 19, 2008, 01:39:52 PM
Have you heard any Patty Griffin?  Seriously, if you haven't heard 'Children Running Through', it's pretty old-school (without the '50's recording budget and equipment, anyway).  I hated country, but that's because all I heard growing up was the disco/pop country.  I had the good fortune to be related to a music store owner who catered to country music for over 50 years, great exposure that I'm grateful for. 

She's post-golden age, but Emmy-Lou Harris' 'Wrecking Ball' album is a gem (if you can take some stuff mixed up with the slide guitar, beautiful slide playing, anway, Daniel Lanois on it, sweet).

Cheers!


To be honest the two artists you mentioned and the rest of people like them are a product of what happened to country in the early to mid Eighty's, if you grow up with it then thats fine I did not: I am the product of growing up with the likes of Ernest Tub, Jim Reeves, Tex Ritter, Hank Williams Sr, Garndpara Jones and yes even Stringbean among many others in other words the so called "Honky Tonk" era.

I will look into the artists you mentioned if only from a music history point of view and as someone with an interest in musicology that is important, also important to say that the tonal range of modern (1989 onward) country music doesn't sit vary well on listening; as it did in the past. As I said before the post war years where the transition to Television form radio and it was radio where many of the country stars of the past got their training; remember this was the era after the war when there was a great deal of uncertainty in the world with the start of the Cold War and the Perceived threat (Real or Imagined) form the Soviet Union. This era was ultra-conservative in what was considered socially acceptable in all walks of life, ballroom dancing was still quite common (As was so called Tea Room Dancing) , it was accepted that if a teenage girl wanted to go out in the evening she was only permitted to do so with a chaperon and babes where still been born with Rickets .

All in all we like what we like and don't what we don't, what makes me sad is that young people are not been introduced to the music of the past and it is all to easy for it to be lost to the next generation. Case in point a recent study of Primary School (K-12 in the US) showed that a 65% of those surveyed believed that Winston  Churchill (British Wartime Prime Minister) was the first man to walk on the moon, and about 70-75% of the survey group had never heard of Elvis.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel

End of Line.                   

Inscrutable

Sorry, I'm just not a big fan of country music in general.  That's with the exception of REM when they're in a more "country-esque" mode.  I love REM but I'm fairly certain they fall into the category of "new country" you've defined.

I should say that for me, the problem with country is the general "sound" of it - although I have to admit, I'm not that familiar with much of it, especially the old stuff.  Lyrics are the most important thing to me in a song, so I'm not going to write off country music out of hand as I appreciate that it's strength is in the words, and the meaning behind those words.  But in all honesty, those words have to be backed up with a tune that also grabs me, and I simply haven't heard a country song yet that appeals on that level.

As an aside, it's the lyrics thing that keeps me coming back to REM time and time again (even through "Up" and "Around the Sun" which were not up to their usual standards for albums)  - I firmly believe that Michael Stipe is one of the best lyracists of this generation.

Inscrutable

Cyber-Angel

Quote from: Inscrutable on May 20, 2008, 03:36:41 AM
Sorry, I'm just not a big fan of country music in general.  That's with the exception of REM when they're in a more "country-esque" mode.  I love REM but I'm fairly certain they fall into the category of "new country" you've defined.

I should say that for me, the problem with country is the general "sound" of it - although I have to admit, I'm not that familiar with much of it, especially the old stuff.  Lyrics are the most important thing to me in a song, so I'm not going to write off country music out of hand as I appreciate that it's strength is in the words, and the meaning behind those words.  But in all honesty, those words have to be backed up with a tune that also grabs me, and I simply haven't heard a country song yet that appeals on that level.

As an aside, it's the lyrics thing that keeps me coming back to REM time and time again (even through "Up" and "Around the Sun" which were not up to their usual standards for albums)  - I firmly believe that Michael Stipe is one of the best lyracists of this generation.

Inscrutable

May I ask to whom you've listened to in country music, I maybe able to point you to some artists to better your experience of it? As I said we like what we like, I thought REM where a Rock Group in the strictest meaning of the word, rather then New Country there maybe some cross over but I don't know much about that group nor there music so I cannot comment on that.

To me the lyrics of a good country song you must (IMHO) be able to sing harmony to it but more than that it must touch some thing inside of you, in fact any song weather country or not should do that if not then it fails. When you hear a great song you feel it in a spot just above the left eye, I have a test and that is if the tune dose not affect me within the first 10-15 seconds from the start of the instrumental then I have to stop listening to that track, I have listened to far to much music in my life to not know when a peace of music dose not work for me.

I care about music to much to have my enjoyment of music in general spoiled by a bad tune, also if some banana republic decided that music in all forms including performing was to be banned then I would be on a fight ASAP to help them change their minds, if that means direct action is required such as a revolution or even civil war then thats what it takes.

I have decided to research (And its research only at this juncture) getting my self a Pedal Steel Guitar (When played properly the closest thing to the sound of crying there is) and then learning to play after hearing Don Helms play Mansion On The Hill on Youtube.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel                           

Arandil

Right, I wasn't certain which variety of "new" country you'd been exposed to.  There's a great deal I wouldn't listen to, the '80's in particular, but I'm glad you're open to examining those two recordings as I think they're exceptional.  But honestly, yeah, they're only marginally associated with your OP, and I think I see where you're coming from.  But I don't know if you're looking for something recorded in the era that you hadn't heard before, or something recorded more recently that cleaves closely to that time or its musical sensibilities.  Both?

Yeah, I've shuddered a bit at what the younger folk know and understand.  The United States of Amnesia after all?  I seem to recall my own elders bemoaning the same of me.  It may be a subjective phenomena of growing older, the young are always, seemingly, ignorant of so much the elders knew or experienced, but then they get older themselves ..   ;)  .. I've learned a lot of things, past and present, as I've grown older, and wondered myself what people in older times thought or experienced.  The sheer mass of lost, personal/experiential, knowledge over the last whatever-thousand years would is certainly staggering.  Some things get re-learned or re-forgotten.  Oh blah di!

Cheers




Cyber-Angel

The kind of new country I was talking about is the likes of Garth Brooks and his ilk that sound has more to do with rock then country; the way I look at it is this way a wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf no matter what its dressed up as.  Ever thing man dose is finite, then it is gone, what bothers me and has done for years is that people don't really talk to each other any more and if they do talk then they don't here what the person talking is trying to say and there is a vast difference between listening to some thing and truly hearing it this is true for conversation and more so for music.

Music speaks of the times and social attitudes of when it was created; just because time brings new advances that are meant to make life easier do they? I can think of three inventions right now that only partly for filled that promise these are the Vacuum Cleaner, The Microwave Oven and Home Shopping over the Internet: in the end dose a new way of doing things mean a better society or a new devision to drive people further apart? 

There seems little grace today and little social civility and even less formality then in the past, I mean there is not so much as "By your leave" any more and as a formalist that is hard to live with.

I love many kinds of music, in fact I'd say that music is part of my soul and I connect with it on a deeper level then many do; if you are looking for one song that defines how I feel about country music then search on Youtube for a Song sung by Gorge Jones called Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes that says more then I ever could.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel                     




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Arandil

*wince*  OK, well, my two suggestions (and in fact, other performers like Lori McKenna and Wilco) are pretty distinct from Garth Brooks, entirely.

Hope you get a chance to check them out, I'd like to see your top 10 short list of must hear country musicians, albums, etc.

Cheers!

Cyber-Angel

Quote from: Arandil on May 20, 2008, 11:35:47 PM
*wince*  OK, well, my two suggestions (and in fact, other performers like Lori McKenna and Wilco) are pretty distinct from Garth Brooks, entirely.

Hope you get a chance to check them out, I'd like to see your top 10 short list of must hear country musicians, albums, etc.

Cheers!

I'll Try and put some thing together, though that may take a while.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel 

Kevin F

Hi CA,
I'm sure you'll have seen these but if not have a look at these old Carter Family films (more on same page) - classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oUEqIMY8BM&feature=related

Cyber-Angel

Hi Kevin,

Yes I am familiar with those videos of the Carter Family on Youtube and I think I have seen all of them now, if one gets posted that I've not seen before then I normally play it there and then so I thank you for your efforts. I have spent the last six months some time several times a day on Youtube going through all the Carter Family postings I can find there, It is for good reason they are called the first family of country music, June Carter (Later June Carter Cash) once said that she was on of few people in country music who could say that had an aunt (Sara Carter) their mother (Maybelle Carter) and their husband (Johnny Cash) where all inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

It is interesting to note that Maybelle Carter Played the same guitar (Gibson L5 1928 Archtop) her whole recording career and is preserved in the Instrument Section of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sweet Fern is a classic song which is not cluttered in any way two vocalists, a guitar and auto harp and theres not much to say other then that.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel