With four hungry children and a crop in the field

[johncorrigan]

Here's an article about the other JC from yesterday's Guardian - I loved the idea of him just missing sharing a dressing room with Frank Sidebottom.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/apr/28/johnny-cash-indie-1980s-resurrection

...and talking of Men in black I've had Roy orbison in my dreams since watching a rather strange prog about him on Beeb 4 last night - they must have played 'in dreams' three times including the bit from 'Blue Velvet' - creepy - apparently Hopper was supposed to sing it but his brain was too shot to remember the words - but Dean Stockwell mouthed them instead. But everyone said what a nice guy Roy was, how he did Python voices; oh yes and Bono told quite a spooky story about him too. Very unusual altogether.

[Paul Sherratt]

John,

Straying a little - here's that Marc Riley as mentioned in the Cash article ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpQv8r7-AMA

[johncorrigan]

John,

Straying a little - here's that Marc Riley as mentioned in the Cash article ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpQv8r7-AMA

Mark E looks like Gollum from the Rings - not that I'd say it to his face, mind you. Funny to see Riley appearing so lost for words, Paul - looks like there had been a bust up.

[Paul Sherratt]

John,
I believe there had been a slight disagreement between the two, sometime the night before.
The 6music dj was in fact no longer a Fall guy when that curious interview took place !

[Lateralthinking1]

Thanks for these. What do we do? I have a lot of points and questions but no decisions yet. The Rubin/Cash collaboration was, of course, exceptional. So many good ones - I like The Man Comes Around best - but "I Won't Back Down" and "Hurt" are great. I'm feeling that I might put one of the latter on the part 2 list so that we can keep the "one artist one song" thing going for a bit in part 1.

Actually, I was thinking while I watched both the American Recordings clips - why incidentally were they named thus? - how it was that he could seem so consistently cool. Then I read the Guardian article and was reminded just how uncool he seemed for a couple of decades. An interesting interview with MES and MR there - both very unusual people, I've always felt! Incidentally, it was great to read about that tribute album in the eighties - having been in York, I was very familiar with Red Rhino records and was very sorry to see its demise.

I am not sure what to do with the Dean Martin track. Does he qualify as country? The Jeannie C Riley - sorry to show my ignorance, I do know the song, but isn't it almost OTBJ with different words? I don't understand its history. I was about to include the first Buck Owens song - I have been suggesting that he should be included - then I discovered someone called Eileen Sisk and now I'm not so sure!

[Lateralthinking1]

.....I won't half be glad when someone posts something. I feel uncomfortable with having the top four threads assigned to my name.

Thank you to Mr S for three that arrived in the post. I would recommend the voice of Lolita "Nene" Carbon for anyone into Pinoy folk. It was a smashing antidote to the four sets of neighbours around my house - two comprising loud voiced drum n bass yobs and the other two having a fetish for hammers and drills.

Goodness knows how many weeks it takes to remove a garage and disintegrate a footpath. It is like living on a major building site overrun by thirty-something year old kids. Day after day of it and driving me (even more) nuts. Next time I'm coming back to earth as insensitive.

As for the other two goodies, I am going to put them on the country list. The aformentioned Blue Sky Boys with "Somebody Makes Me Think of You" and "Tommy" by the slightly unfeasible sounding Martha Midgett. I'm learning something here - I'm just not sure what it is yet.

[Paul Sherratt]

How Martha Midgett(e)'s song was caught

http://www.ourstate.com/articles/songs-on-the-salt-air

[Rumbaba]

The Image of me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MzSixDlzg

I love this song. I have it on an Memphis compilation album by some really old guys called 'The Country Rockers' who sound barely allive. It doesn't seem to be available on Youtube unfortunately, so here's George Jones.

[johncorrigan]

Just making a call for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and in particular volume 2 of 'May the Circle be unbroken' and a treat of a country song 'Lovin' on the Side" with Paulette Carlson. Here it is on spotty.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0tKDyvV5KljboPT3IEIjQH

There's loads of goodies on this very fine record.

[Eudaimonia]

Anyone seeking an entree into country should probably start with Hank Williams: he was a seriously great songwriter.

Ah yes, but he's quite the controversial figure: there's quite a lot of conflict between the Grand Ole Opry management and the country music traditionalists rallying to "Reinstate Hank", isn't there?

It's a fascinating story: for those of you who don't know, "the Grand Ole Opry" is the oldest continuous radio program in the United States and has been broadcasting since 1925. In 1949, Hank Williams-- a talented star by any standard-- got kicked out for being drunk and unreliable, but the Grand Old Opry has been using his name and likeness to sell tickets and promote the show ever since.

This, as well as the creeping commercialization and "watering down" of the genre into what the traditionalists call "pop country" has angered a lot of people, who are staging a bit of a backlash. A few years ago Hank Williams III, Williams' grandson, started the "Reinstate Hank" movement--complete with petition-- to call attention to their complaints.

Their rhetoric might sound a wee bit familiar to you...

"In Tassin and Henderson’s "Fifty Years at the Grand Ole Opry", they talk about the glory the historically popular institution of American music was; this glory is now something of a bad joke, with their policies as the punch line. The Opry must reinstate Hank Williams and thus be held accountable for past and current wrongs, as well, The Opry needs to completely revise their policies and make them work for the performer, not for the ultimate profit of the Opry’s business.

This commoditization can be seen even in the essence of Music City (now called “Titan Town”). Where once all of Music Row was made up of Honky Tonks and other institutions of music, now it is made up of corporations and big businesses (Joe Buck, Trashville, Documentary). As Creech Holler says in the documentary on Nashville’s current state, Trashville: this does not represent the country, this does not represent country people.

For his contributions to a distinctly American music genre, Hank Williams deserves to be reinstated to the Grand Ole Opry, to the stage he loved so much. The Grand Ole Opry needs to answer several fundamental questions about their treatment of current and past members, and this is the first step to their being made accountable. The fact that one of America’s greatest music institutions exploits the image of one of their past greatest stars is sickening, and with the grassroots support of fans, musicians, current Opry stars, and even some of the personnel of the Opry, hopefully this sin can be atoned for."

And finally, here's a rousing Hank Williams III song that sums it all up...if excessive profanity bothers you, you'll definitely want to skip this one:

THE GRAND OLE OPRY (AIN'T SO GRAND ANYMORE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfBAk5E-IJ4

The lyrics at 1.09 made me a) think of you people and b) laugh out loud.

[johncorrigan]

Thanks Eudaimonia - and of course so much of the good stuff never goes near Nashville - great track! Lat will need to make a decision on this one.

[johncorrigan]

Here's a bit of C & Far Northern about Thomas Fraser - I came across his CD in a drawer today and found this nice bit of film with our old pal Verity on Youtube - Fraser was a very fine Country singer who never seems to have left Shetland and learned most of his songs off the radio and some old 78s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQksRs1GZtI

Does he get in Lat?:cool2:

[Lateralthinking1]

A fascinating story Eudaimonia. I will listen to the track and John's one from Shetland shortly. As we are in all senses casting the net widely, is there any decent country music - and I do mean proper country music - from Africa, Scandinavia, Australasia etc? I'm not necessarily expecting a yes!

[Lateralthinking1]

Riley Puckett - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brhuSHhFVwA

Crystal Gayle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POzXY...eature=related

[Eudaimonia]

Well, enough about country--how about a little WESTERN? Here's a little playlist I put together of fun, uptempo western songs with clever lyrics.

I'm not saying these are "historically significant" or anything...just an oddball assortment of swinging good tunes that somehow stuck with me over the years. Originally, I discovered most of these while listening through mountains of jumbled-up 78s and 45s, where you never know what you'll come across. (Who knew 1950 was such a good year for this kind of thing? ha!) Anyway, hope you like them...enjoy!


I'm a Cake Eating Man -- Jimmie Revard and his Oklahoma Playboys (1922)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOxxZywX4b4

Wah Hoo! -- Bill Boyd & his Cowboy Ramblers (1936)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0AFeFE0D1k

Pistol Packin' Mama -- Al Dexter (1943)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XImCsj3cOgI

Sioux City Sue -- Dick Thomas (1945)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwm-CCFUaM0

Loaded Pistol, Loaded Dice -- Rex Allen (1948)

http://www.we7.com/#/song/Rex-Allen/Loaded-Pistol-Loaded-Dice

Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own -- Kay Starr & Tennessee Ernie Ford (1950)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k54pOUtYLZw

Shotgun Boogie -- Tennessee Ernie Ford (1950)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IGhyPB0NAw&feature=related

Don't Even Change A Picture On the Wall -- Lee Morse & Her Blue Grass Boys (1950)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY5487NUe3k

Walkin' After Midnight -- Patsy Cline (1957)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoFAZSrbu3Y

Ballad of Thunder Road -- Robert Mitchum (1958)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2KLIO7WRm0