[morphsci]

In the recent favorite musical genre poll, country western (including bluegrass) received a great big 0. Over the past ten years my musical tastes have expanded to include a good bit of country, bluegrass and folk musicians. I would like to share five of my current favorites for those who may wish to experiment.

1. Johnny Cash at San Quentin
Original Concert; 1969
20 bit digital remaster; 2000

What better way to hear Johnny Cash than in front of an audience of inmates. This version is the first complete and unedited version. This means you get to hear what Johnny thinks of people telling him what he should or should not perform for this concert. Highlights include two back to back performances of San Quentin, the first performance of A Boy Named Sue, Wanted Man (cowritten with Bob Dylan), and my favorite Starkeville City Jail. There's just something special about a person who can sing a song about getting arrested in Starkeville MS for picking flowers in front of an audience of convicts.

2. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (2 CD Set)
Original Production Date; 1972
Remastered; 2002

This is true classic of country and bluegrass. I cannot even pick favorite tracks off of this one. This was actually an attempt to bring together different generations of country/bluegrass artists into a “jam session”. As such it also includes some interesting exchanges between the artists. In addition to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, it includes artists such as Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis and Vassar Clements. Anyone who has any interest in Bluegrass needs this in their collection.

3. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (2 CD Set)
Release Date; 2002

This is a great follow-up to #2 (Better IMO than Vol. II) and is an updated version in the sense of bringing together newer and older artists. A couple of my favorite tracks from this one are Goodnight Irene featuring Willie Nelson and Tom Petty, Tears In The Holston River featuring Johnny Cash, Fishin’ Blues featuring Taj Mahal and Vassar Clements and Will The Circle Be Unbroken featuring Taj Mahal, Alison Krause and Doc Watson. But again all the tracks are good and the interaction between the artists. I was especially intrigued by how old Johnny Cash sounded when speaking and how young he sounded when singing. Interesting.

4. Together At The Blubird Cafe, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark
Original Performance; 1995
Release Date; 2001

If you have any interest in “The Texas Sound” this is a great introduction. It’s a great combination of three talents. The interaction of Townes and the crowd gives you a good feeling of how great a performer he truly was. My favorite tracks from each of them are The Randall Knife, Guy Clark; The Mercenary Song, Steve Earle; Katie Belle and Pancho and Lefty, Townes Van Zandt.

5. The Great Divide, Willie Nelson
Release date; 2002

What can I say, It’s Willie. Although he didn’t write many of the songs, he did write The Great Divide, which is my second favorite song on the album. I also like Maria (Shut Up And Kiss Me) and Mendicino County Line, which is a duet with Lee Ann Womack. However, my favorite song on the album was a huge surprise to me, Last Stand In Open Country. I would of never thought that my favorite song on a Willie Nelson album would be a duet between Willie and Kid Rock. It gives me hope for music in general.

Well there you go, listen to some, listen to all, but if you do post your impressions back here. If someone has other recommendations, bring ‘em on.

 

[LobsterSan]

I will speak up. Though no one will thread crap (hopefully), they will thought crap. But I am making a stand.

Country (and especially bluegrass) is not bad!

I find that there is a style of music for every mood I feel. Country sometimes fits in that little niche where I just need a little pickup, or ... let's see... it's kind of like blues, but not as brooding.

Bluegrass, to me, is a really interesting genre. Banjos, fiddles, and whatnot... it's all pretty fun. Hell, even the edumacated masses can get into it -- as evidenced by how well the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack did with everyone.

And of course, folk as a genre often has some blended lines with country/bluegrass. And most people, last time I checked, usually don't have so much of a problem with folk (at least, people don't trash it quite as much).

So please people, don't hate. Learn to appreciate. [end cheesy saturday morning cartoon shpiel]

morphsci: I'll have to check some of those albums out. I have just recently embraced the outsrtretched arms of country/bluegrass, so I have not heard much. I do like the "Roughguide to bluegrass", which gives a smattering of various bluegrass artists (the roughguide series, though sometimes lame, sometimes can be pretty good). I also like the stylings of Lucinda Williams. And... for the grand finale... the artist that blends country and electronica -- Sue Garner. The premise alone is pretty exciting, and she actually does a pretty good job of combining the two genres somehow.

 

[Audio Redneck]

Thanks for the list. Am I even a little bit country? Yes

. As a mater of fact, this is at the top of my Christmas list:

Alison Krauss & Union Station - LIVE

I don't have a lot of the classic country re-masters because I have several originals (like JCLASQ), between my dad and me. The only comment about your list I'd like to make is: Guy Clark's Randle Knife has to be one of the best songs/poems ever written!

A personal favorite is
The Best of The Statler Brothers (be sure you are listening to the one with the picture of their wives on the cover). This is a collection of some of the best songs of the original 4, including Bed of Roses, Charlotte's Web, and Flowers on the Wall. If you like quartets, try it.

Reguarding somewhat recent releases, a real sleeper to me was: Sympatico - Suzy Bogguss & Chet Atkins. This is a mix of old and new country and bluegrass songs. The recording is well done, the vocals are smooth, Chet's playing is as good as ever.

 

[Apie]

More bluegrass than country. Checkout Old and in the Way, and Yonder Mountain string band.

 

[mojoman]

I'm not much of a fan of comtemporary country music but I am a HUGE bluegrass music fan. Some of my favorites that I own and would recommend:

Del McCoury - Family; Del and the Boys; Del, Doc and Mac (McCoury, Watson and Wiseman) - Ronnie McCoury is a monster mandolin player.

Ricky Skaggs - Scaggs and Rice; Bluegrass Rules; Country Gentleman - The Best of Ricky Skaggs. Skaggs could be regarded as a country music singer but is at his best playing bluegrass IMO.

The Kentucky Colonels - Appalachian Swing - Clarence White was one of the first to put the guitar front and center as a solo instrument in a bluegrass band in this 1964 instrumental recording. White later went on to fame as the guitarist for the Byrds.

The Seldom Scene - Act 1; Act 2; Act 3; Live at the Cellar Door - When I lived in DC (mid 80s) the Seldom Scene could be seen almost every Thursday at the Birchmire Bar & Grill and they were awesome.

Hot Rize - Radio Boogie - Sort of bluegrass rock and roll.

Chesapeake - Pier Pressure - A bluegrass supergroup featuring Mike Auldridge and T. Michael Coleman. Contemporary bluegrass.

I also have to give a thumbs up to the Together At The Bluebird Cafe morphsci mentioned. Three great songwriters. Well recorded live show.

 

[chadbang]

I'll give you both sides of the coin. When I was younger I was a total rocker and roller. I'm still more in to rock than anything. But if you would have said the word "country" or especially "bluegrass" to my from my teens until my 30s (what a change "Oh Brother" has wrought. I think it's success is a very unusual mixture of good feelings from the movie, a touch of American pride/nationalism and a basic boredom with bad pop/rap acts) you would have gotten a resounding "No!". Admittedly it was blind prejudice, something akin to the great "Disco Sucks!" wars of the 80s. It was only recently that I started listening to country and (gasp) bluegrass, like so many others largely because of "Oh, Brother". Then recently a co-worker from Illinois joined us at my paper. I introduced him to Napster/Kaaza etc and away he went. He downloaded tons of Johnny Cash. My reaction was like: "Wbaa..." what a waste of bandwidth. Then my friend gave he a disc to listen to. It was one of Johnny Cash's "American" series, produced by Rick Rubin. He covered a Nick Cave and the bad Seeds song and a light when on. This quy has a cool voice. Then my friend gave me an mp3 spawned collection he calls "Johnny Quest' basically a mega-greatest hits package. Johnny rocks! Er, well, maybe not rocks... but, yeah, he rocks. So now, yes, I am a little bit country.

 

[Mr.PD]

I have and like a little bit of country. I have Waylon Jennings greatest hits on cd and cassette. I have John Anderson Seminole Wind on cd and I have been trying to find Johnny Paycheck on a cd that has the same songs as my Take This Job and Shove it cassette has. The cd with that title is totally different. I want the song "Barstool Mountain".

The song Seminlole Wind is one of my favorites of all time. I also love the song Paradise by John Prine. I need to double check that song title. It's played during the closing credits of the movie Fire Down Below.

I used to listen to a lot of country music in the early to mid 80's. That was when I practically lived in the local bars, and the only music on the jukebox was country. Remember Swingin' by John Anderson? That's a song I can live without.

I'll think of some more country songs I like later.

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally posted by chadbang Admittedly it was blind prejudice, something akin to the great "Disco Sucks!" wars of the 80s.

It was not "blind prejudice" we heard the crap they called Disco and rebelled. It was a dark time in music.

 

[chadbang]

Opps. Sorry. I hear you about a lot of disco. Travares, anyone? Disco Inferno. Ugh, no Thanks. But it was fun to dance. too. Maybe you had to be out there. Sometimes you need some stimulation (drunken or otherwise) a few strobes and loud music to "take you there". (Hey, it also worked in the 60s). And, admittedly, sometimes it DOESN"T work off the dance floor. I remember going through a house/techo period back in the 80s when listening to the record recalled those sublime moments from the weekend before. A few years later, I couldn't even listen to the discs. Crappy music when those connections to etherial NYC dance floor revelries had faded.

 

[pigmode]

but I'm real selective.

Hank Williams Sr., Lucinda Williams, and a couple of others.

Bluegrass:
Some Ricky Scaggs, definitely Alison Krauss, and Tony Rice.

 

[john_jcb]

I too like Lucinda Williams and from the past Patsy Cline.

 

[Mr.PD]

Oaky, it is Paradise by John Prine. Bluegrass music. I find I get very emotional with some bluegrass.

How about Asleep At The Wheel? I think this can be considered country. I also like Hank Williams Jr. and I have fond memories of Hank Williams Sr. from listening to him with my grandmother.

I must agree with chadbang, Johnny Cash has a very good voice. I would listen to more of him but I don't care for his subject matter most of the time. That ring of fire song is the one exception, I like that song despite it's subject.

What about Willie Nelson? I do like a few of his songs. Don't forget Glen Cambell. Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman are always good to hear.

This new country that I hear every once in a while sounds more like old rock n roll to me.

 

[balcar]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr.PD This new country that I hear every once in a while sounds more like old rock n roll to me.

I've been seriously into country and bluegrass music for most of my somewhat longish life

. I totally agree with Mr. PD, but then "new country" has always been a dumping place for "popular" music that cannot find a home in another genre. New country music today -- by the "hats" is overproduced, top-40 garbage.

The country music I prefer is the old, traditional, stuff: the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Ray Price (prior to Danny Boy), Loretta Lynn, the Louvin Brothers -- the Grand Ol' Opry types (including Johnny Cash, of course). Even Elvis' early music was country.

Bluegrass is the best, though. I prefer the professional bands, like Bill Monroe, Stanley Brothers (as well as Ralph alone), the late Bad Livers, a group I recently heard called The Lonesome River String Band, New Grass Revival, Larry Stephenson, Del McCoury.

Singer/songwriters on my list include Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Guy Clark, Iris Dement, Gillian Welch, Billy Joe Shaver, Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

mojoman: your list includes some of the greats.

Audio Redneck: Don't overlook Guy Clark's The Cape

I also like many other music genres--jazz, electronic, blues, classical ...

BTW, good bluegrass bands sound great on headphones, especially those with good mids and highs and a good soundstage.

 

[Mr.PD]

Quote:

Originally posted by balcar I've been seriously into country and bluegrass music for most of my somewhat longish life . I totally agree with Mr. PD, but then "new country" has always been a dumping place for "popular" music that cannot find a home in another genre. New country music today -- by the "hats" is overproduced, top-40 garbage.

2 things to reply to this. First my wife says that country music was never meant to be a crossover into the pop culture. The new "artists" are not true musicians they are just in it for the money and fame. She says the stuff now is garbage. Putting on a Stetson and a pair of cowboy boots does not make one country, it makes some of them ready for halloween.
Secondly, I like how you put that, the "hats". In the 80's we had hair bands now we have hat bands.

 

[john_jcb]

For those that have an interest in Folk, early Jazz and Blues take a look at the following link.

http://www.folkways.si.edu/

Folkways Records now part of the Smithsonian was an avenue for new performers and those at the end of a long career. The history of this label is very interesting and worth the read.

Artists include Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Mary Lou Williams, Pete Seeger, Lucinda Williams and scores more.