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| 8 NOV 2007 at 4:41am |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5540
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | I'm a country music fan, but I'll agree with you at least regarding what's being produced in country music today. I find about 90% of today's country music generic sounding and boring compared to the "new traditionalists" I grew up with. Not that I'd imagine you would find them any more tolerable, though.
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 5:17am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16552
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | You mean tractors aren't sexy...? Man where are your hormones?
At least you can hear the words to sing along with. 8-)
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 6:07am |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5587
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Tequila (8 NOV 2007 4:11am)
[NOTE: Don't read the followng text if you like country music!]
Seriously, the cowboy hats are just too much.
I dono - it all depends on how you wear it -
[img]http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o92/InlandAZ/nicehat.jpg[/img]
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 12:22pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16552
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By InlandAZ (8 NOV 2007 6:07am)
Originally Posted By Tequila (8 NOV 2007 4:11am)
[NOTE: Don't read the followng text if you like country music!]
Seriously, the cowboy hats are just too much.
I dono - it all depends on how you wear it -
Yeah... I know what you mean....
[img]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/62/3nakedcowboyswithhatsuf8.th.jpg[/img]
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 3:15pm |
TequilaIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 79
Joined: 24 SEP 2007
Status : Online | lol, priceless pictures, those.
I find about 90% of today's country music generic sounding and boring compared to the "new traditionalists" I grew up with. Not that I'd imagine you would find them any more tolerable, though.
Hmm... the only older country song I can think of is "Sixteen Tons", a song which would get stuck in one's head for days.
If I die in a combat zone&&Box me up and ship me home
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 6:31pm |
Lucien21Guild Master
Posts : 4876
Joined: 9 JUL 2003
Location: 0
Status : Offline | I can't see a Hat in InlandAZ's picture
Dear Diary, My teenage angst bullsh*t now has a bodycount.
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 7:05pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6694
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Originally Posted By Lucien21 (8 NOV 2007 6:30pm)
I can't see a Hat in InlandAZ's picture
You know Lucien21, I've seen that very same photo on the Internet several times before and an old friend even sent it to me via e-mail.
No matter how long I stare at it, no matter how much I study it, no matter how hard I concentrate on it, I can not for the life of me find this supposed "hat" either.
Cheers, Terry
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 7:42pm |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4953
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | They may not be brains but they have something in common with them: They gave me some good ideas...
As for the original topic- I disagree. I don't know what you were watching, but painting it all with an 'utter crap' brush seems rather extreme considering that very few of the songs were in the 'She thinks my tractor is sexy' category. I was never a country music fan in the past, but if it weren't for what has developed as country/pop crossover, there wouldn't be nearly as many good songs out there considering all the rap crap etc.
Just a few examples: Carrie Underwood is a real talent and her songs are well-crafted. Martina McBride has also had a string of good songs such as 'Anyway'. Keith Urban has had a string of great singles and is a great live performer (his alcoholism problem notwithstanding). Even little Kellie Pickler's song is very good and underrated I might add. Her emotional breakdown at the end of it last night was very moving- the poor thing still seems to be trying to deal with her mother having walked out on her when Kellie was young (which is what the song is about). And then there was Sugarland and the Eagles.
Also would mention that these were full live performances of the full songs, not chopped off versions that sometimes occur with these shows. There really wasn't a dud performance throughout (ie. lousy singing); most of these performers have incredible pipes, not like some of the nasal, one size fits all, singing that typified country music in the past. It takes a heckuva talent to sing for almost 5 minutes under these circumstances (all your peers down there in front) as Sugarland did without missing a note! Also might add that this year's CMA was one of the most beautifully and professionally produced shows in quite a while. Great sets, well-balanced sound and not a glitch throughout. In past years (such as last year) some of the sound has been lousy with sound levels coming in and out.
I thought last night's CMA was among the better awards shows this year especially because of the new trend towards pop crossover. In fact, IMO, it put the Grammies to shame this year.
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 8:41pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6694
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
I agree with you Dave.
Even though my personal taste in music usually leans toward classical and jazz, I've always liked a wide variety of other genres including traditional country and quite a bit of the newer crossover stuff.
In more "recent" years, country singer-songwriters like Garth Brooks, Vince Gill and a host of others have consistently produced a full range of outstanding music. Before them, artists like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and so many others penned and recorded some of the best contemporary songs ever written.
Along the way, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson (yes he's even inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame) and dozens more all added a lot to the mix. I also like most of Alabama's tunes and think that George Straight is the real deal.
On average, the quality of vocal and instrumental talent that country musicians display live on stage and in the recording studio is head and shoulders above rock and pop. (If you ever attended the Bluegrass Festival, Fiddler's Convention or heard a group like the original Country Gentlemen perform live in concert, you'd agree.)
They do tend to rely too much on homespun, cornball pathos and cloying gospel overtones though plus the garish rhinestone costumes are pretty bad. However, those things are no sillier or annoying than the utterly ridiculous fashions, fads, themes and stylings used by most rap, hip hop, R&B, soul, pop, rock and heavy metal artists.
I suppose that's why I was always drawn to simple folksinger-songwriters. They don't wear three dozen gold chains, ten-gallon hats, nine-inch heals or S&M leather get-ups. They also don't bother with elaborate sets, lighting, staging, choreography or any other theatrical trappings that IMO detract from the actual music. Moreover, they mostly use acoustical instruments, can really play them well and don't oveproduce their recordings.
Cheers, Terry
.
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 10:53pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5540
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Great choices of artists, Terry. All favorites of mine as well. Very good point about the instrumental ability of country musicians, and an aspect I've always appreciated about the genre. Not just the great session players like Jerry Douglas or Stuart Duncan, but the surprising amount of stars who can play well like Brad Paisley or Vince Gill.
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| 8 NOV 2007 at 11:36pm |
Lady KestrelGuild Master
Posts : 4047
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, NJ
Status : Offline | I'm not fond of country-Western ballads with lyrics like "You done stomped upon my heart and squashed that sucker flat," but I do love instrumental bluegrass. Years ago, I used to go to the Englishtown Music Hall here in NJ where they served a home-style dinner and had some of the best groups in the country perform. One of the banjo players (can't remember his name for the life of me) I saw later at the Bluegrass Festival in New York City. He had a lovely banjo inlayed with mother-of-pearl, and he combined traditional tunes with both classical and his own pop-rock songs.
"Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?"
-Rabindranath Tagore
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| 9 NOV 2007 at 12:03am |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5540
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | That banjo player was almost certainly Bela Fleck -- one of the most versatile players I've ever seen.
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| 9 NOV 2007 at 12:58am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16552
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Some determined JA-ers get together to track down Béla Fleck and solve the mystery of his missing diamond and mother-of-pearl encrusted banjo, last seen being admired by a very handsome fan....
[img]http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/5056/beverleyhillbilliesxx2.png[/img]
[Dialogue]
Lady Kestrel aka Elly May: 'Make him go faster Pa... this ole' jallopy ain't never gunna catch up wi' tha' there fancy red car...'
SirDave aka Jed Klampett: 'Elly-May. If you knew anything about cars you’d know we’ll never catch that car. Red cars always go faster.'
Chief Balloonbottom aka Brad Pitt driving red Lamborghini Reventón: Mwwhhaah haahhaa hhaaa haaahhaaa……
TerryPenrod aka Jethro: It’s alright Pa. Yesterday while you were out I made a few mod-eee-fications to the engine. See that red button with the word ‘turbo’ on it? You just press it and see what happens next. You better hang onto yer hat Granny…. ‘
oops..... thread crossover alert....
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| 9 NOV 2007 at 3:32am |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5540
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Heh, it's funny you should hit upon the combination of Bela Fleck and the Beverly Hillbillies. He first got interested in bluegrass as a kid on hearing "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" while watching....the Beverly Hillbillies.
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| 10 NOV 2007 at 11:31pm |
TequilaIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 79
Joined: 24 SEP 2007
Status : Online | Originally Posted By SirDave (8 NOV 2007 7:42pm)
They may not be brains but they have something in common with them: They gave me some good ideas...
As for the original topic- I disagree. I don't know what you were watching, but painting it all with an 'utter crap' brush seems rather extreme considering that very few of the songs were in the 'She thinks my tractor is sexy' category. I was never a country music fan in the past, but if it weren't for what has developed as country/pop crossover, there wouldn't be nearly as many good songs out there considering all the rap crap etc.
Just a few examples: Carrie Underwood is a real talent and her songs are well-crafted. Martina McBride has also had a string of good songs such as 'Anyway'. Keith Urban has had a string of great singles and is a great live performer (his alcoholism problem notwithstanding). Even little Kellie Pickler's song is very good and underrated I might add. Her emotional breakdown at the end of it last night was very moving- the poor thing still seems to be trying to deal with her mother having walked out on her when Kellie was young (which is what the song is about). And then there was Sugarland and the Eagles.
Also would mention that these were full live performances of the full songs, not chopped off versions that sometimes occur with these shows. There really wasn't a dud performance throughout (ie. lousy singing); most of these performers have incredible pipes, not like some of the nasal, one size fits all, singing that typified country music in the past. It takes a heckuva talent to sing for almost 5 minutes under these circumstances (all your peers down there in front) as Sugarland did without missing a note! Also might add that this year's CMA was one of the most beautifully and professionally produced shows in quite a while. Great sets, well-balanced sound and not a glitch throughout. In past years (such as last year) some of the sound has been lousy with sound levels coming in and out.
I thought last night's CMA was among the better awards shows this year especially because of the new trend towards pop crossover. In fact, IMO, it put the Grammies to shame this year.
I'm guilty of taking the genre at face value, and probably generalizing. I've heard some music by Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood, and they're both excellent singers. Ultimately, perhaps it's a matter of taste over general quality, in the case of the finer country artists. It's more of the genre's (apparent) embrace of the "simple southerner" attitude that irks me.
If I die in a combat zone&&Box me up and ship me home
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 12:47am |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Tequila (8 NOV 2007 4:11am)
[NOTE: Don't read the followng text if you like country music!]
Wow, (I watched some of the Country Music Awards) this stuff is utter crap, with all due respect to fans of the genre. It all sounds the same, and most of it is laughable. Case in point: Kenny Chesney's breakout hit, "She thinks my tractor is sexy". Um, what? : Seriously, the cowboy hats are just too much.
Has this genre gained popularity outside American shores, or is it still quarantined?
I´m an american-folk, bluegrass and country&western fan. I am living in Venezuela, but I was born in Argentina. I can´t understand you dude. You were born with the gift of living somewhere where it´s not impossible to get this music and also you can hear it anytime in the radio... and you say you hate it. Oh god! ... If you think carefully, all genres´songs sound the same... (just mentioning rap, dance, reggae, classic rock and roll...) ... try listening carefully to the lyrics. Some are unbelievably great. And, yes, some are crap - LIKE IN EVERY GENRE. Maybe the reason is it´s not encouraged financially. It´s not commercial music. But you can´t blame COUNTRY MUSIC for a bad song or a bad artist.
Britney Spears, Beyonce, Shakira .. they sound different, they are pop, they sell a lot.... but damn they suck dude! So what do you expect from country music itself? to be made only by artist the size of Dylan, Lennon, Jagger... ?
Open your mind. Open your ears. You´ll see.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 1:07am |
TaioPrivate Detective
Posts : 557
Joined: 3 FEB 2007
Status : Offline | Luigi, if you tell him "Open your mind" you cannot say "Britney Spears, Beyonce, Shakira .. they sound different, they are pop, they sell a lot.... but damn they suck dude!".
If you really are open-minded you should understand that not everyone thinks and likes the same music as you
www.youtube.com/user/Taioo
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 1:14am |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Taio (13 NOV 2007 1:06am)
Luigi, if you tell him "Open your mind" you cannot say "Britney Spears, Beyonce, Shakira .. they sound different, they are pop, they sell a lot.... but damn they suck dude!".
If you really are open-minded you should understand that not everyone thinks and likes the same music as you
Sister Taio, I think that "opening your mind" is different from saying "Hey any $h&t sounds good" - A part of it consists in becoming aware of the difference between art and strategic marketing products.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 1:16am |
| Deleted User | Oh sorry, I called you "sister", I didn´t see your "male" mark on your avatar... I thought you were a woman because Taio sounded like that.
However Santiago, your opinions are less valid than everybody else´s. "Sax" and "Sucks" are pronounced the same way.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 2:13am |
TaioPrivate Detective
Posts : 557
Joined: 3 FEB 2007
Status : Offline | Everyone likes different kinds of music, and your opinion is not the only valid one, in case you don't know it. If you don't like Britney Spears, for example, that's no reason to say her music is "$h&t". That is YOUR opinion. Your definition of art may be different from mine or others, don't you think?
www.youtube.com/user/Taioo
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 2:19am |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Taio (13 NOV 2007 2:12am)
Everyone likes different kinds of music, and your opinion is not the only valid one, in case you don't know it. If you don't like Britney Spears, for example, that's no reason to say her music is "$h&t". That is YOUR opinion. Your definition of art may be different from mine or others, don't you think?
No, I don´t. Some things aren´t meant to be art. Britney isn´t. Its a product, like a fork, a spoon, a gun, bubblegum, whatever. Britney was meant to be an item in a supermarket, and so were the others I mentioned. She doesn´t pretend to make any art (in fact, she doesn´t do anything - the people who make her songs doesn´t pretend to make any art form), they make something based on marketing studies and strategies to sell. If people would buy sounds of Britney farting, they´d make her fart. It´s like that y´all.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 2:30am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16552
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | What is and what isn't Art is a huge question..... and it's not just music that has this debate. rama, Film, Literature, Painting, Sculpture....
My own opinion is that anything creative can be termed Art but that there are levels of artistic ability. Sheer market saturation does not mean a product is art or that it isn't.
Is the Mona Lisa worthy of the special fame and status it enjoys? Is Harry Potter really the best written book ever - going on popularity and money earned and world fame it would appear to be be so.
We should be grateful that we live in a society that produces art to suit everyone. This is why censorship of the Arts is something that needs to be resisted.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 2:34am |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Caroline (13 NOV 2007 2:30am)
What is and what isn't Art is a huge question..... and it's not just music that has this debate. Drama, Film, Literature, Painting, Sculpture....
My own opinion is that anything creative can be termed Art but that there are levels of artistic ability. Sheer market saturation does not mean a product is art or that it isn't.
Is the Mona Lisa worthy of the special fame and status it enjoys? Is Harry Potter really the best written book ever - going on popularity and money earned and world fame it would appear to be be so.
We should be grateful that we live in a society that produces art to suit everyone. This is why censorship of the Arts is something that needs to be resisted.
You´re right. But the Britney case is an exception. Although she has fans like our fellow Taio, her music shouldn´t suit anyone,... and it certainly won´t in the future, as this things get left behind with fashion evolution.
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| 13 NOV 2007 at 2:40am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16552
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Even pop music fills a market niche. If it didn't it wouldn't sell. Obviously there is a need for it. I'm not a fan of Brittany but she isn't the only talentless pop artist on the market. However, the product that the client base buys obviously entertains them and serves their purposes. I will confess to having some LPs in my cupboard that haven't seen the light of day since the 1970s and probably never will again. But back then, such music was entertainment for me.
You know, some people swear that only 'good' Art is worth hanging, only 'good' Literature (as opposed to books) is worth reading, etc etc. Intellectual snobbery is a dangerous chair to sit on. It predisposes us to seeing value only where we expect it to be and it encourages us to be dismissive of others who have broader tastes (and better eyesight).
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