| Hybrid fourdoor |
It always amazes me how poeple say I listen to everything except country.
Now I don't listen to country that often, but 90's stuff like Goerge Strait, Clint Black, Reba Mcentire...that is solid music.
It carries a way better tune than most any rap song, and todays country is so close to parrellalling modern rock or pop, or whatever popular music is called now. How can you love one, but hate the other....that new Sheryll Crow/Kid Rock song is played on both country and "mix" stations around here :confused:
Anyways I mostly listen to Enigma, Vangelis, 80's, but I do have a few country CD's (like the artists listed above) that I listen to. Most of the music is about relationships and love and "gasp" good 'ol value.
The "What do you get when you play a country song backwards? Your car, your girl, your dog" joke just isn't true, maybe for some but not as a whole.
I mean one could easily hypothosize that rap is about whores and killaz, and that rock is all about partying and drugs based on a few choice songs.
Anyways I'm not ****ed or anything, I just don't understand the mentality. I even saw a interview with David Bowie, he said he enjoys all kinds of music except country and western, and I'm thinking you can appreciate modern Pop which openly says its artist don't make any of there music, but refuse many talented artists simply because its a ceratin style? And David Bowie is one talented and diverse guy, I would think he could appreciate music in its rawest sense. |
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| SY |
Mrs. Y likes to say that there are two kinds of music, and she likes them both, Country and Western.
For me, it's dull and formulaic, processed and focus-grouped to the consistency of sonic Cheez-Whiz. Don't get me started on rap, one of my drinking buddies is Steve Plotnicki. |
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| grataku |
| I recently rented a car and found a CD in the player, someone had made a mix of pretty good rap/hip-pop and I must say I have enjoyed it driving around NJ. I never heard the songs before and I wouldn't play it at home at my wine and cheese party but it seems to me that rejecting the genre flat out would be a loss and a mistake. Although it didn't make me a better person it gave me a different prospective. |
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| Bill Fitzpatrick |
| quote: | Originally posted by SY
For me, it's dull and formulaic, processed and focus-grouped to the consistency of sonic Cheez-Whiz. |
That and in terms of musical complexity C&W is right there with children's songs. When I listen to music I require the opportunity to become involved - C&W doesn't offer that. |
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| Theli |
| As with any art form...there is good and bad examples. You just gotta weed through the **** to find the gems. |
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| promitheus |
In any kind of music you can find a lot of boring songs and albums.
The music industry makes the same things over and over.
I think its not only country or western.
You just have to search a lot and learn. Buying and listening to music is not so easy as one would think. You have to always keep an eye open (or ear) for the good stuff and not always buy what´s in the tops. |
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| Tim Moorman |
What makes good music?
Kinda like what makes good art?
Eye of the beholder and all, but there should be something of a common thread that appeals to the humanity in us all.
Genre is just a pigeon hole, isn't it? A way to make your musical filing cabinet neat.
Check out the songwriting skills of Lyle Lovett or Lucinda Williams and tell me there isn't something there for everyone. Considered "Country", these are very creative people.
Some of the early bluegrass and "mountain" music I heard as a kid were so raw and intense, so unvarnished, that after the pablum of then popular Perry Como/ Lawrence Welk it snapped my head around. Blues , R & B, the same way. Music from another, more interesting planet. Dylan, the Beatles...
Now, Nashville is fully capable of pumping out pablum with the best. Huge business. Slick productions, great pickers, and very little of that raw energy and creative spark we all enjoy. Formula.
Record companies. Sameness.
Even Rappers offer a glimpse into an world and a culture that can connect up with the nerve endings now and then. Just less frequently for me as other stuff.
Just a minor vent...
Tim Moorman |
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| Da5id4Vz |
Two words:
"Hee Haw"
It went on the air in 1969 and had a monumental 17 year run.
While poking fun at itself and its fans it also gave those who didn’t get it, the opportunity to ignore it for its unsophisticated and common ways.
Along they way the also broadcast some pretty good music too.
Do I listen to country?
Hell No! What kind of a bumpkin do you think I look like!
... and pththtup, I am gone. |
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| mercator |
I guess I am in the 'anything but country' crowd. Mostly listen to blues, rock and jazz.
But I was listening to Dwight Yoakam - A Place to Cry yesterday, and Wow, what a great song!
Oh yeah, I also really like Johnny Cash, maybe I'm in the anything but some country crowd :)
/Dave |
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| meat |
| Country to me just seems so same o'l same o'l. Same sound, same lyrics, same twang. I am sure you can say the same about classical, but I just don't like the beat, lyrics or music. |
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| Da5id4Vz |
So what about The Eagles?
They seam to coveted by the classic rock crowd, but whenever I hear them, I hear country.
Is this another example of some country?
(yah, well I guess is is only about 1/3 of the recorded songs)
( I was singing along, poorly, to "already gone" in the car when I thought of this) |
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| Fragen |
Did anyone mention that when a genre of music is labelled as "Country" it is clearly, (most of the time) targeted at a specific audience. Im sure there is a huge amount of relevant and excellent country music around but you'll struggle to find it clearly labelled as country, with a pile of hay and a cowboy in the front.
Take Beck's "Sea Change" last year, clearly it is country if you listen to it, it also happens to be excellent country, however that will be in the Pop or Indie Section of your record store.
Hip-Hop is a much newer genre and there is already a wealth of classic albums (as well as a multitude of really terrible ones.) You'll have to wait another 60 years to be able to compare country and Hip-Hop, Im sure by then you'll find them in the same section of your record store... Still vinyl hopefully.
People who knock country in general are confusing the difference in good and bad music with something as objective as musical genre.
:whazzat: :cool: |
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| MetalDemonics30 |
Older Country is decent, like "the devil went down to georgia"
But my family listens to country 24/7, and I cant take it any longer. I just dont find people singing about redneck-land all the time very appealing. [no offense to anybody] |
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| noodle_snacks |
| I don't know why but I will listen to ANYTHING but country |
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| mercator |
Just reviewing this thread and it looks to me like there are a lot of references to what I would call 'Country-Rock'. This was pretty popular in the 80's with bands like;
The Eagles, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, Commander Cody, Pure Prairie League, etc.
These were definitely not Nashville acts, although a lot of these guys are getting some airplay on the c&w stations now.
One of my favourite groups from that era is Asleep At The Wheel, who did a fantastic version of 'HotRod Lincoln'. I see they are still touring and, hey, they are playing at the Calgary Stampede in a couple of weeks! Guess I'll get out the stetson, boots and big 'ole belt buckle and mosey on down to hear them.
Asleep At The Wheel
Later, pardner. |
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| joensd |
I suppose you are all talking about "hardcore" country so kinda pure style music. Well , I don´t like it too but...
I´d never say that I don´t like country.
I listen to bands like Free, Bad Company, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow did some great stuff, The Eagles were already mentioned, James Taylor and these have all country influence, obviously or not so.
Never deny your favourite bands influences. |
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| benny |
when music is classified into a style, it is baisically because of cliches of that particular style that make it like that...
common rhythmic paterns, instrumentation and arangements, melodic and even more importantly harmonic cliches used and so on...
what apeals to people is all to do with personal taste, and people will grow acustomed to liking/disliking these groups of cliches... it's a psychological thing firstly, influenced by our sociocultural suroundings and what is listened to by who... and the other important part is to do with how our ear matures... the more you listen to something, the more it will sound like the 'right' way for something to be done... go to someone who's only listened to western music all their lives, and then ask them to sing some eastern melodie incorparating 1/4 tones... then ask them what they think of the song... they probably tell you it sounds like **** and how can they call that melody... but ask some indian dude what he thinks, and he might tell you he loves it, especailly the pretty melody...
i personally used to be pretty open to a lot of music, and i still try to keep my ears and mind open, but i have found that since i started playing jazz, my ear has grown more and more used to jazz harmony, so much so, i sometimes find it unbearable to listen to some styles of music... country included, but to avoid the rath of country bumpkins on this country thread, lets pick on blues... especially the real cliche I-IV-V kinda stuff, with the whole 'my baby left me' kind a lyrics... and everyone using the same pentatonic melodie/solo lines... the blues artists put many variations on it, but when you start to develop your ear in a slightly more harmonically complex way, it all starts to sound the same... and it gets to the point where every time i hear another blues song i just wanna smash my head into a brick wall...
strange thing is, i can still listen to things like punk (old school, not any of this new school pop punk and ****, too much faked emotion, and i'll come back to that point), and other more harmonically simple styles of music, and actually enjoy it... it's all got to do with how our ear develops and takes to the cliches in the style of music.
... that's the thing of how our ear matures.
my love of jazz started a couple of years ago when i had to do a solo recital for music at school, and my guitar teacher gave me a solo guitar arangement for 'nuages', a gypsy swing piece by django reihardt... and at first i thought, eh it's kinda dagy, but i'll do it anyway... but the more i played it, the more i started to apreciate it... so i started listening to a bit of jazz, and before long, i found myself obsesssed with it... i started learning to improvise (jazz impro... you don't really have to learn something like blues impro... 'here son, we call this a pentatonic scale... just play a couple of notes from this shape and you'll be famous'... although, don't get me wrong, the pentatonic is a great scale in moderation, especially when substitued well, say a Dmin pentatonic over an Am7... problem (in my opinion) comes when it's all you use)... so anyway i got into jazz impro, and therefore also started really working on training my ear and all that stuff... but i was still listening to other music and apreciating it.
more recently, i have been spending a lot of time around a jazz trumpeter called Gil Askey (anyone heard of him???)... he's old and semi retired now, only playing around clubs here in melbourne where he's come to live, but for years he was touring all around america playing with everyone from, miles davis, john coltrane, ella fitzgerald, oscar peterson, herbie hancock, duke ellington, george benson, joe pass, herb ellis, and probably a great deal of the 'famous' jazz musicians you've heard of... they're just a couple i reeled off the top of my head...obviously, a man who's spread himslef so widely in jazz has been exposed to a lot, and since i've started being around him, i've learnt a hell of a lot, mostly to do with harmonic ideas in jazz... and he get's you doing stuff that is so unconventional that to most people it's verging on sounding ****, but as you're ear develops to it, it starts to sounds good, but without him, i would never have heard anything like it... he shows me ideas he uses, and told me about where he was using some of these ideas... like he said he used to play with a bunch of people, and they were doing stuff where they were going to the extent of making up their own scales and what not, and they were playing it all the time, so to them it sounded good, but they found that not many people were coming to see them because it sounded too weird... all because most people haven't been around people who are playing that type of music...
especailly more recently my ear has become more developed in the area of jazz, and therefore for me, even more easily anoyed by some styles of music... i just started a jazz trio and now i'm actually writing songs and we played for Gil to see what he thought and his sugestions, and he started showing me all these weird places i could take some of the stuff i was doing, and told me what i'm doin is conventional, but if i want, i can try stuff like this... and shows me something... strange thing is, to the average classical/blues/rock/whatever musician, the type of stuff i'm doing is so unconventional it'd be verging on sacrelige for say a classical musician, but to someone like him, who's done far more unconventional stuff, it sounds conventional.
that's just a single observation i;ve made in my own life of how people's tastes develop... and i'm only young....
more broader examples sticking to the jazz thing, why is that so many old people like jazz, but not pop/rock, and so many young people like pop/rock but not jazz??? probably because of what they've been surounded with... if a younger person goes to their friends place, they put on some rock CD for example, because it's not cool to listen to your parents music, or even worse, your grandparents music is it? firstly, you got the thing of what's cool, and on a psychological level, they'll subconciously decide they like a certain type of music because their parents don't like it (and this is a true fact, there's been studies done on it!), and then because this is what they're listening to, their ear grows to like it... if they played their CD's to their parents, they probably not like it because their ear's not used to it.
as far as rap/hiphop or whatever... i think a lot of people are too quick to slag this off as being **** and uncreative and what not... i personally don't like it, but look at it more carefully, and as an artform, which is what music really is, and you will see it is actually a style with some very creative people in it... read some of the lyrics, and you will see some are actually quite clever, and i would even say clever enough to be worthy of being studdied more closely as a piece of literature... even if people go, eh just another song about shootin niggaz, pimpin hoes or whatnot, the way it's written is quite often very clever, and creative... then look at DJ's... not comercial DJ's or ones playing in bands, but look at the underground guys, especially the ones going solo, and they are some of the most creative people out there in the music industry... it seems pretty uncreative just chucking someone elses record on a turntable and flicking it around, but listen more carefully to what's going on, and you hear that it is an art, even if you don't like it...
really, no one can say, 'this music is ****' because ___', because it's just what they're hearing... just like everything we make and listen to hear at diyAudio, what we hear is all subjective, and what one person hears might be different to another... no music is '****', but it will sound different for one person that it will for another...
anyway don't forget, THE most important thing in music... that is the emotional content... not how sad the melody can be, but how well the musicians can let go and feel the emotion they want to convey... faked emotion doesn't work, one of the reasons i hate almost all the music in the whole pop/emo punk scene...
anyway, probably a lot of people don't like country because firstly, it's considered dagy, and secondly, and probably even more so, the way certain cliches used in it relate to cliches of most other styles of music people are acustomed to.
| quote: | | and todays country is so close to parrellalling modern rock or pop, or whatever popular music is called now |
i think the other thing is maybe people who say they dont like country are really only refering to hardcore country... like there is a teacher who at my school who is a hardcore country fan, and he says a lot of what people classify as country aint real country, it's comercialised country made to sell... he refers to this sort of style as dixie chick country, but classifies much less comercial artists than the dixie chicks under this label...
anyway, i've said too little with too many words, call it quits here... anyone who's read this far, i apologise for the excessive length.:rolleyes:
later |
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| 5th element |
I like country music, there I said it!
I dont have any country music however cause i dont really know what to buy. I hate badly recorded stuff ie old stuff so wouldnt want any of that. But whenever a country sound comes on the radio or something I really enjoy it. The closest thing to country I have is some LeAnn Rimes which country purists would argue isnt true country haha I dont care.
I cant abide rap its really boring, I dont understand why someone talking into a mic can get paid for it to be music. Now I sometimes like to listen to a rap track but thats not for the talking its for the rest of the track the bass the drums etc, which I get bored of very quickly. I suppose the only rap ive got is lauren hills do wop that thing.
Also you talk abou the lyrics "my grandmas farm was taken of by her ex husbands new wife, i want to kill her" style country music. Lyrics aslong as they are not offensive, dont bother me, if the singers is good and the backing is good they could be singing what they want to. Obviously a Really good soung has the lyrical content to match the rest. But for me it doesnt need good lyrics to be enjoyble. I would not call Sheryl Crow country though its pop. |
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| Ouroboros |
| One of my favourite bands are The Cowboy Junkies. Are they country or not? |
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| leadbelly |
Not a big country fan but I had to point out that it is Stampede over here for those who are:
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| BHD |
| I'm not really a fan of country music, but there are exceptions to just about every genre. Mine are Lyle Lovett, Neko Case and Johnny Cash. I'm sure there's more out there that I'd like, but It's like any style of music in that it's really hard for the beginner to sort out the wheat from the chaff. |
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| Kittle |
I come from the other side of things. People ask me what kind of music I like.. I say "anything but rap". I listened to country non-stop while going to college and quite a bit afterwards
but mabye I need to do like grataku posted on page 1 of this tread and find a rap mix CD & listen for a while.
However I whole heartedly agree there are good songs & bad songs in ANY genre. And I do find myself partial to the older country.. Johny Cash, Alabama and Nitty-gritty dirt Band. Good recordings of which (tometimes ANY recordings) are hard to find. |
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| pinkmouse |
| Perhaps because of these results. ;) |
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| Brushpilot |
Pinkmouse,
Interesting article. While frequently forced to listen to Country music at work ( majority rules ) , I couldn't help but notice that most of the songs dealt with very depressing topics. All day long it's a constant barrage of "my wife ran off", "booze ruined my life", and of course "I'm dirt poor (but happy)".
My breaking point came when a song came on that went something like "The doctor looked at the x-rays and gave me the bad news."
Funny thing is, these musicians are living a fabulous life singing songs about how miserable they are. :) |
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| phn |
Sorry for butting in. But 5th Element threw me with, " hate badly recorded stuff ie old stuff so wouldnt want any of that."
What the Beatles and Beach Boys did is as well recorded as anything today. Perhaps better. And I don't even like those bands. Listen to an early Stones album on a Thorens TD-150 with original arm (not some Rega junk) and it makes just about anything today sound dead. The music sounds like something humans would do. Come to think of it, everything today sounds dead. It's something seriously wrong when people praise the sterile and completely lifeless sound of Naim or Mark Levinson. Music lovers the world over lost big time to "hi-fi."
As for country, there's virtually none today. CMT and the "country music" establishment, who tried to burry Johnny Cash long before he was dead, made sure of that.
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| RJ |
I quess I'm a very lucky person. I like all genres. If it's good music, it's good music.
I'm like a horse without blinders on. I get to see (hear) everything that's going on and free to obtain it.
Don't pigeonhole me!!!! |
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| kelticwizard |
I'm not a big country fan. City boy, you know.
But I would say that it would be hard to imagine anyone sitting down and listening to the best of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline and then saying that country did not produce at least two outstanding talents. |
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| sweet |
I guess I'm one of the strange ones in music.
I enjoy older country music about 1980 and older the Hershaw Hawkins, George Jones ect...todays country all sound alike. No Heart, No Soul. I also like Classic Rock..Deep Purple, Led Zepplin,
The Who..once again the new stuff has no Soul...I like older Blues..Jimmi Hendrix, Robin Trower. I also like the Physcodelics Electric Prunes, Strawberry Alarmclock and of course Rock and Roll
Chuck Berry, Jan and Dean, The Cadilacs....
I have a hard time believing or hearing any Heart and Soul in todays music. Most move from Genre to Genre following Money.
....Or maybe I'm just getting OLD. |
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| Brett |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tim Moorman
What makes good music?
Kinda like what makes good art?
Eye of the beholder and all, but there should be something of a common thread that appeals to the humanity in us all.
Genre is just a pigeon hole, isn't it? A way to make your musical filing cabinet neat.
Check out the songwriting skills of Lyle Lovett or Lucinda Williams and tell me there isn't something there for everyone. Considered "Country", these are very creative people. |
Agreed. Huge +1 for Lucinda| quote: | Some of the early bluegrass and "mountain" music I heard as a kid were so raw and intense, so unvarnished, that after the pablum of then popular Perry Como/ Lawrence Welk it snapped my head around. Blues , R & B, the same way. Music from another, more interesting planet. Dylan, the Beatles...
Now, Nashville is fully capable of pumping out pablum with the best. Huge business. Slick productions, great pickers, and very little of that raw energy and creative spark we all enjoy. Formula.
Record companies. Sameness. |
Raw can't be controlled, so the edges that make it interesting are eroded away for a variety of reasons.| quote: | | Even Rappers offer a glimpse into an world and a culture that can connect up with the nerve endings now and then. Just less frequently for me as other stuff. |
Sometimes. I have to watch a lot of the 'mainstream' rap, especially in music videos, and it's the most formulaic c*rap I've ever seen or heard.| quote: | Originally posted by sweet
I have a hard time believing or hearing any Heart and Soul in todays music. Most move from Genre to Genre following Money.
....Or maybe I'm just getting OLD. |
Maybe just more realistic, but you also have to dig for the truffles. I agree BTW. |
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| vpharris |
| quote: | | Maybe just more realistic, but you also have to dig for the truffles. |
I have often wondered: is it the great filter of time that makes it seem as though the good (or well recorded) music is all in the past? When we think that things used to be better in the past, we're able to look back on 50-60 years of recordings (since it was possible to capture fidelity) and pick the gems. And we're comparing that to 'today.' That's a tough comparison. Maybe 10 or 20 years out we will think that the music being made in the mid 0's (is that what we will call today?) was pretty good, who knows?
I admit I'm wondering and a bit skeptical.
I would agree that it generally seems that today's recorded music doesn't have much spark or passion, and that may be because of the productiion techniques. When you had 2 tracks to record to, like in the early sixties, you had to perform for the recording. Now, it's possible (and often the case) that different parts of one song were recorded in different studios at different times by different engineers and pasted together. No wonder it doesn't sound quite like real people performing music! |
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| Brett |
| quote: | Originally posted by vpharris
I would agree that it generally seems that today's recorded music doesn't have much spark or passion, and that may be because of the productiion techniques. When you had 2 tracks to record to, like in the early sixties, you had to perform for the recording. Now, it's possible (and often the case) that different parts of one song were recorded in different studios at different times by different engineers and pasted together. No wonder it doesn't sound quite like real people performing music! |
I think that has a great deal to do with it (but far from the complete picture), except for when you get a great production team and/or a live recording in concert with good musicians performing good music, and enjoying themselves. |
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| Jimmy154 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Hybrid fourdoor
It always amazes me how poeple say I listen to everything except country. |
Really?! What I often don't like about country or hip hop, is the obsurdity and fakeness of the lyrics. I'm sure there's hip hop artists that want to wrap about things other than killing and *****es, but it's not fesiable for the big stars now is it. Same thing with country music, singing about their dumbass Ford F150 and how hard they work or how they love jesus. Basically they're lyrics are really really simplistic and unthoughtful. I do like the song "I got friends in low places" though :D I do also like some Bonnie Rate (spelling?) songs I've heard.
I somewhat dislike the sound of most of country music. Along with rock music. The worst thing in rock music is the electric guitar, esspecially guitar solos. They're too high and whinny; they almost hurt my ears. Like a dry marker on paper, or for most it would be chaulk scraping along the chaulkboard, which never bothered me. Also lyrics in rock songs are dumb. I like tool animea album and maybe some rocking stones, can't think of others. I guess I like a lot of the "soft" rock that's for old people.
| quote: | Originally posted by Hybrid fourdoor
It carries a way better tune than most any rap song, and todays country is so close to parrellalling modern rock or pop, or whatever popular music is called now. How can you love one, but hate the other....that new Sheryll Crow/Kid Rock song is played on both country and "mix" stations around here :confused: |
Really I always found the beat of rap much more captivating then the same standard instruments playing together. Although I don't like rap too much I do like the innovative sounds/beats. Missy Elliot does this well or is it Timblerland I'm not sure. And I was really impressed by the fresh new sound in the Alchemist, 1st Infantry. He also critises the music industry in a few paridies in the album. I never heard anyone speaking there own individual mind like that in country music. Although of course I'm not exposed to it that much.
Also country music is not bad to listen to if you're in the country maybe. I noticed hip hop sounds better in the city.
| quote: | Originally posted by Hybrid fourdoor
I mean one could easily hypothosize that rap is about whores and killaz, and that rock is all about partying and drugs based on a few choice songs. |
Yes this hypothesis is genreally true. That's why it generally sucks. There's a few more things you left out though.
| quote: | | Anyways I'm not ****ed or anything, I just don't understand the mentality. I even saw a interview with David Bowie, he said he enjoys all kinds of music [i]except country and western, and I'm thinking you can appreciate modern Pop which openly says its artist don't make any of there music, but refuse many talented artists simply because its a ceratin style? [/B] |
The thing is I've heard Hip Hop artists and rock artisits songs with interesting lyrics. All I heard from country music is songs about " relationships and love and "gasp" good 'ol value." It has no thought behind it. It's all simplistic irrational beliefs; and if I want to listen to that I'll go to church. Although, I reckon first I'd have to start believing in God, like an emotionally scared doofiss. I actually like countries laid back style more than the aweful electric guitars of rock music, except for bass electric guitar which I like a lot.
Generally I do listen to everything though. Like I said I just haven't been exposed to much country music. I usually like between 2-5 songs from about 80% of the albums I hear. I usually just listen to what people around me listen to. |
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| Jimmy154 |
| quote: | Originally posted by vpharris
I have often wondered: is it the great filter of time that makes it seem as though the good (or well recorded) music is all in the past? When we think that things used to be better in the past, we're able to look back on 50-60 years of recordings (since it was possible to capture fidelity) and pick the gems. And we're comparing that to 'today.' That's a tough comparison. Maybe 10 or 20 years out we will think that the music being made in the mid 0's (is that what we will call today?) was pretty good, who knows?
I admit I'm wondering and a bit skeptical.
I would agree that it generally seems that today's recorded music doesn't have much spark or passion, and that may be because of the productiion techniques. When you had 2 tracks to record to, like in the early sixties, you had to perform for the recording. Now, it's possible (and often the case) that different parts of one song were recorded in different studios at different times by different engineers and pasted together. No wonder it doesn't sound quite like real people performing music! |
I never thought of that. There is a lot of good music in the past. Sometimes I think I'm the only person my age that listens to the oldies station. Although I've noticed that they play newer and newer songs (from 70's), which I don't like, probably cause all they're listens are dying :geezer:.
Also what's interesting is that a lot (maybe 30%, I never forget a tune) of the songs on the radio are remakes; as I'm always pointing out to my friend (he always seems to like the remakes), who is always spectical. Were remakes popular in the 50's or 60's? |
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| mateo88 |
| Have any of you ever heard Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger album? I don't really like country too much, but this album is awesome! It's very simple, but it tells a good story. |
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| blip |
Never really been able to get much from country. The themes don't connect with me (without being so different that they are interesting in the disconnection from me) and the music is often pedantic (without attaining any sort of pure minimalism). Most importantly I can't stand the twang sound (if that is what you call it) in a persons voice... its just an aesthetic thing but I can't take it.
But hey, that's me. Some independent / old country (Woody Guthrie kind of stuff) is kind of cool in a working-class expression kind of way but beyond that it just doesn't do much for me.
That said Johnny Cash has recorded some good stuff, Seachange was decent (though over hyped & praised, IMHO) and every once in a while something else will pop out of country that I like or even admire. (Like I just heard a Lambchop track that sounded kind of cool)
Rap has always seemed a bit more diverse to me than country. I can understand why some folks dislike it... the themes can be challenging or, just as often, stupid and a lot of the music is rather pedantic but I think there are a lot of gems out there. Also, there is some horrible rap with good/interesting production that I find enjoyable.
If you want to blow your mind, pick-up a copy of Deltron 2020. You'll never think about rap the same way again. (I mean when was the last time you heard someone rap about proton-accelerators?) |
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| bear |
What I would call "standard pure bred" country music is essentially a formula music.
Just so you know... the lyric is typically "image; image; image; emotion" and the beat is universally 4/4, the key is either simple major or simple minor.
As with everything there is shading and variation, but the mainstream of "country music" pretty much out through the 80s was pretty much like "communist propaganda" of the cold war - predictable and always the same.
Ya gotta realize that Cash was an "outlaw" by country standards.
So was Willie Nelson.
Come "modern times" the country old-timers passed away and the newer people started to incorporate elements of "pop rock" and rock stage production, so that what we have today is the above mentioned formula presented like "stadium rock".
Ok if you like that sort of thing.
Given all of this, and the advent of "country artists" who took serious music theory in school, newer bands and artists have broken away from the old forumula and have incorporated more complex elements into the music.
But, even so ya gotta wear the "right stuff" and look the right way, and pretty much sing about "country stuff"... to qualify for a place in the mainstream country - don't confuse "alt country" people for country. Don't confuse "bluegrass" or "new-grass" for country either.
To me it's mostly for people who appreciate simple thoughts, presented in a simple and easy-to-digest musical form, taken as a whole. Oh, and it's mostly a lyric/singing oriented music form (as is folk, btw).
Individually there are some great songs, great performers and interesting things to be found in the genre...
Put it this way, if you listen to Thelonius Monk and Miles you probably are not a big Country fan... etc... Well, you might, but the average country fan would get that deer in headlights look if you played them Monk on your system, eh?
... it's just my point of view folks...
_-_-bear :Pawprint: |
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| mercator |
Bear,
You obviously have some experience in the biz - excellent summary.
I'm only posting cause I am listening to Thelonius right now.
... but I still love Asleep at the Wheel.
/Dave |
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| homer09 |
First of all, all you "i love everything except country music" are just full of ****. I just see it as such an arogant comment. Im sure there are tons of styles of music out there you've never even heard of (native indian music, death metal, funk etc) that you would also hate. what you should really say is "i listen to everything ON POP RADIO except country".
Second of all, to answer the question of the initial post, people say that, because country just isnt COOL to most groups of people. If i went around (20 year old) at school telling people i listen to country, they would mock me. If i did the same with hip-hop they would praise me. Music today is no longer about music, ITS ABOUT WHAT IS POPULAR AND COOL AT THE MOMENT AND LOCATION. I really despise that and is why i can't stand those pop stations, its all garbage formula music designed for your liking, to play on the radio 20 times a day and become the new "image" instead of the new "sound".
The music i listened to, almost exclusively, is made by bands/artists that make music THEY like, and want to make. They are not trying to please fans or sell more albums. This, is music. The rest is just an industry trying to make profit on the popular song of the day (which hasnt been country for a long time). |
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| noodle_snacks |
| quote: | | First of all, all you "i love everything except country music" are just full of **** |
:whazzat:
Well personally I can't stand country, not because of what others think but to my ears it sounds like ****.
My list of music types that I listen to is more quickly defined by what I hate than what I like, saying "i will listen to anything but x, x and x" is much easier than saying "i listen to x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x etc..."
I think that country music is definately an aquired taste, like Olives or Anchovies. |
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| SY |
| Just a dumb taxonomic question- is kd lang Country Music? |
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| jacco vermeulen |
| quote: | Originally posted by mateo88
Have any of you ever heard Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger album? |
Willie Nelson is an icon........and scary !
I loved all of his movie performances, anyone remember the Billy Idol clip ? |
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| mercator |
SY inquired:| quote: | | is kd lang Country Music? |
I would say that anyone who rose to fame on the basis of having a voice like Patsy Cline would have to be considered country.
She would have to be considered an outlaw, though, since she has made a successful career in spite of alienating many of her hometown fans.
/Dave |
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| ocool_15 |
For music I guess i would have to say that country typically talks about uninteresting things and younger generations(I'm 21 btw:confused:) have a harder time connecting to the music. Also it would be considered uncool I would think.I would say that my normal music would be rap(Lil jon alot) but for sonic performance my favorite CD as of yet is Leann Rimes-I need you.
When I have a stereo and i want to hear the performance of it I use this CD as a whole instead of selected tracks from a variety of artists. I found her self titled album to have too much of a country sound and not as much to my interests. |
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| sweet |
| quote: | Originally posted by homer09
First of all, all you "i love everything except country music" are just full of ****. I just see it as such an arogant comment. Im sure there are tons of styles of music out there you've never even heard of (native indian music, death metal, funk etc) that you would also hate. what you should really say is "i listen to everything ON POP RADIO except country".
Second of all, to answer the question of the initial post, people say that, because country just isnt COOL to most groups of people. If i went around (20 year old) at school telling people i listen to country, they would mock me. If i did the same with hip-hop they would praise me. Music today is no longer about music, ITS ABOUT WHAT IS POPULAR AND COOL AT THE MOMENT AND LOCATION. I really despise that and is why i can't stand those pop stations, its all garbage formula music designed for your liking, to play on the radio 20 times a day and become the new "image" instead of the new "sound".
The music i listened to, almost exclusively, is made by bands/artists that make music THEY like, and want to make. They are not trying to please fans or sell more albums. This, is music. The rest is just an industry trying to make profit on the popular song of the day (which hasnt been country for a long time). |
I couldn't have said it better
| quote: | Originally posted by SY
Just a dumb taxonomic question- is kd lang Country Music? |
Yes KD Lang is Country but she was shunned by Nashville for two reasons.
1) She is a Lesbian
2) She played her own style and would not conform to what they wanted her to play. |
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| timsch75 |
Willie Nelson's "Red-headed Stranger" was mentioned. For anyone who says they can't stand country should listen to the forementioned album, and any other album willie put out in the 70's. Other artists from the same era such as Merle Haggard, Leon Russel, etc. should be listened to also. If you still think country music as a genre sucks, is formulaic, and/or has no emotion then so be it. Until then, it's probable that you've just heard the commercial puke that passes for country on the radio these days. Those albums from Willie in the '70's are some of the greatest music ever recorded. Also, there is alot of alt.country that will make your head spin. The Bad Livers play (actuallly past tense, since they've disbanded) "country" if they play anything, but I guarantee you it won't be like anything you've ever heard before. They're simply amazing musicians.
Definitely don't judge country music by the radio. |
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