If That Ain't Country...

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cortez the killer
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If That Ain't Country...

Post by cortez the killer »

The previous board had a fantastic thread dedicated to country music. I was searching for a similar thread to post these here, but it doesn't exist. No better time than now I suppose.

The website, Saving Country Music, has posted a list of the Greatest Country Music Songs of All-Time & the Greatest Country Albums of All-Time.
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Cole Younger
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

I love country. It bothers me to see what younger people think is country. And I saw some clip of Blake Shelton defending the Nashville cheese and saying that whoever wasn't into it had some kind of problem.

Been listening to a lot of Don Williams lately.

Was over at my parents' house earlier and my dad was had Web Pierce and Ernest Tubb playing while he worked on cooking a Boston Butt.

Great list but what jumped out at me at just a glance was; A. Aint no way that Folsom Prison Blues is the best country song of all time and B. Waylon did a lot of things that were better than Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.
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Smitty
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Smitty »

Decent list. I'd have "Pancho & Lefty" higher, and either "Your Cheatin' Heart" or "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in the top spot (with "Mama Tried" a close second).
edit: No "She's Acting Single (and I'm Drinking Doubles)", "Mr. Bojangles", "Midnight", "Wreck on the Highway", "I See the Want To in Your Eyes", "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", "Guitar Town" or "Green, Green Grass of Home"? " And "Friend of the Devil" and Kacey Musgraves? WTF? I change my mind. The list is shit.
I'm not surprised Cash is number one, I don't agree with it but it seems to be the general consensus nowadays that he is the quintessential country singer.
"Saving Country Music" is pretty good site even if I don't agree with them half the time.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

Yeah and I looked on down the list and saw Brooks and Dunn on there? There's no way any Brooks and Dunn song belongs on that list.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

Just recently went to a Jamey Johnson concert down in Biloxi.. It was my first country concert ever outside of seeing Shooter Jennings, I felt totally out of place amongst the rednecks/cowboys the MS Gulf Coast has to offer.. It was rowdy, and the crowd was looking for him to play his hits.. He appeased them with one song, and the rest was covers and non singles..

I had a lot of fun that night. Jamey Johnson is probably the best thing country has going for it right now. I love listening to Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson so much much more and can't bring myself to listen to the radio country, its embarrassingly bad. Luckily through sites like SavingCountryMusic and artist like Shooter Jennings and HANK III there has been a resurgence in the Underground Outlaw country.

But you always have folks like Eric Church or Jason Aldean who will give it a bad name by name dropping Johnny Cash or Hank Williams..

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cortez the killer
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by cortez the killer »

Smitty wrote:Decent list. I'd have "Pancho & Lefty" higher, and either "Your Cheatin' Heart" or "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in the top spot (with "Mama Tried" a close second).
edit: No "She's Acting Single (and I'm Drinking Doubles)", "Mr. Bojangles", "Midnight", "Wreck on the Highway", "I See the Want To in Your Eyes", "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", "Guitar Town" or "Green, Green Grass of Home"? " And "Friend of the Devil" and Kacey Musgraves? WTF? I change my mind. The list is shit.
I'm not surprised Cash is number one, I don't agree with it but it seems to be the general consensus nowadays that he is the quintessential country singer.
"Saving Country Music" is pretty good site even if I don't agree with them half the time.

The comments are the best part of the list. Many of your gripes are addressed there, Smitty.
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cortez the killer
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by cortez the killer »

BiloxiParish wrote:Jamey Johnson is probably the best thing country has going for it right now.

I can get on board with this sentiment.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

cortez the killer wrote:
BiloxiParish wrote:Jamey Johnson is probably the best thing country has going for it right now.

I can get on board with this sentiment.


Yep.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

cortez the killer wrote:
Smitty wrote:Decent list. I'd have "Pancho & Lefty" higher, and either "Your Cheatin' Heart" or "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in the top spot (with "Mama Tried" a close second).
edit: No "She's Acting Single (and I'm Drinking Doubles)", "Mr. Bojangles", "Midnight", "Wreck on the Highway", "I See the Want To in Your Eyes", "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", "Guitar Town" or "Green, Green Grass of Home"? " And "Friend of the Devil" and Kacey Musgraves? WTF? I change my mind. The list is shit.
I'm not surprised Cash is number one, I don't agree with it but it seems to be the general consensus nowadays that he is the quintessential country singer.
"Saving Country Music" is pretty good site even if I don't agree with them half the time.

The comments are the best part of the list. Many of your gripes are addressed there, Smitty.


My only problem with that blog is Trigger, that guy seems way to self absorbed and full of himself half the time, but he has done a lot of good but putting Glossary, and Jason Isbell on the map. You would think Jason Isbell is bigger than DBT by the way he writes about him.

I grew up on all those tracks in the list but "I'm so lonesome I could cry" to me is the quintessential country song and should be number one.. I am a huge Cash fan but topping the list is cliche and almost juvenile in my opinion. Folsom Prison and I Walk The Line are the 2 Cash songs any Non Country fan can get on board with almost instantly, but those are also Memphis sounds, they probably owe more to blues and that Sun Records sound than to country..

BiloxiParish

Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

Cole Younger wrote:
cortez the killer wrote:
BiloxiParish wrote:Jamey Johnson is probably the best thing country has going for it right now.

I can get on board with this sentiment.


Yep.


His album The Guitar Song made me fall in love with country music all over again and the best part is he is no frills, writes great music but isn't afraid to pay homage to his elders like just releasing a record of Hank Cochran covers as a tribute. He is in the wrong era of country music and Nashville doesn't really no what to do with him which is evident in his battles with record companies. I am not sure how much radio play he gets everybody at the Biloxi show just wanted him to play In Color the whole time. And he hails from Lower Alabama..

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dime in the gutter
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by dime in the gutter »

bully on the thread, cortez.

posting the lp list. something to shoot at.

why the fuck is george jones so low? but they do dig in the dry gulch.

willie-nelson-red-headed-strangerWillie Nelson- Red Headed Stranger
Johnny Cash – Live At Folsom Prison
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Waylon Jennings – Honky Tonk Heroes
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds of Country & Western Music
The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Johnny Cash – American Recordings (Take Your Pick)
Patsy Cline – Showcase
Johnny Cash – Live at San Quentin
Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball
emmylou-harris-wrecking-ballGram Parsons – Grievous Angel
Kris Kristofferson – Kristofferson (later Me & Bobby McGee)
John Hartford – Aereo-Plain
The Grateful Dead- Workingman’s Dead/American Beauty
Garth Brooks – No Fences
Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors
Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner’s Daughter
Merle Haggard – Mama Tried
Roger Miller – The Return of Roger Miller
Bill Monroe - Bean Blossom
The Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real
bill-monroe-bean-blossomJerry Jeff Walker – Viva Terlingua
Hank Williams III – Straight to Hell
Dwight Yoakam – Guitars, Cadillacs, etc. etc.
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
Bobby Bare – Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends, & Lies
Uncle Tupelo – No Depression
Townes Van Zandt – Live at the Old Quarter
Lyle Lovett – Pontiac
Marty Robbins – Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
The Dixie Chicks – Home
Willie Nelson – Shotgun Willie
willie_nelson_shotgun_willieWaylon Jennings – The Ramblin’ Man
Merle Haggard – Swinging Doors
Wayne “The Train” Hancock – Thunderstorms & Neon Signs
Steve Earle – Guitar Town
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Dolly Parton – The Grass Is Blue
Waylon Jennings – Dreaming My Dreams
George Jones – I Am What I Am
Hank Williams Jr. – The Pressure Is On
Johnny Paycheck – Take This Job and Shove It
johnny-paycheck-take-this-job-and-shove-itJunior Brown – Guit With It
Roger Miller – Roger and Out
Waylon Jennings – Ol’ Waylon
Willie Nelson – Phases and Stages
Kellie Picker – 100 Proof
Garth Brooks – Ropin’ the Wind
Emmylou Harris- Roses in the Snow
Randy Travis – Storms of Life
Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose
The Highwaymen – Highwaymen
the-highwaymenMerle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee (live)
Tammy Wynette – Stand By Your Man
Dale Watson - Live in London…England
David Allan Coe -Rides Again
Jamey Johnson – That Lonesome Song
Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
George Strait – Blue Clear Sky
Guy Clark – Old No. 1
Willis Alan Ramsey – Willis Alan Ramsey
Ween – 12 Golden Country Classics
ween-12-golden-country-greatsDavid Allan Coe – Penitentiary Blues
The Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces
Clint Black – Killin’ Time
Hank Snow – The Southern Cannonball
Tammy Wynette – D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Alan Jackson – A Lot About Livin’
Dwight Yoakam – Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Billy Joe Shaver – Old Five & Dimers Like Me
Hank Williams III - Lovesick, Broke & Driftin’
Ray Price – Night Life
hellbound-glory-old-highs-new-lowsJohnny Paycheck – 11 Months, 29 Days
Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys – For The Last Time
Garth Brooks – In Pieces
LeAnn Rimes - Blue
Miranda Lambert – Revolution
Brooks & Dunn – Brand New Man
Kris Kristofferson – The Silver Tongued Devil And I
Hank Williams Jr. – Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
Flying Burrito Brothers – Gilded Palace of Sin
Terry Allen – Lubbock
Son Volt – Trace
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt – Trio
Hellbound Glory – Old Highs and New Lows
Vern Gosdin – Chiseled in Stone
Keith Whitley – Don’t Close Your Eyes
Buck Owens – Live At Carnegie Hall
Patty Loveless – Mountain Soul
Robert Earl Keen – West Textures
357 String Band – Fire & Hail
James Hand – The Truth Will Set You Free
Randy Travis – 8 x 10
Jerry Reed – When You’re Hot You’re Hot
Unknown Hinson – The Future Is Unknown
Hayes Carll – Trouble In Mind
Jason Boland & The Stragglers – Comal County Blue
Marty Stuart – The Ghost Train Studio ‘B’ Sessions

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cortez the killer
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by cortez the killer »

The Guitar Song is a brilliant record. I didn't want to like it and I wound up loving it.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Smitty »

Here's a couple gripes with the album list (many more go unspoken)
They took the hip route and picked Satan is Real to represent the Louvin Bros, which is a extremely good album but wouldn't even be on anyone's radar if not for the cover. Tragic Songs of Life is the superior of the two and the definitive Louvin Bros record.
The only Haggard album they have is Mama Tried? I'm surprised they didn't just put his "Greatest Hits". Someone should also tell them Cash put out more albums that weren't with Rick Rubin or live.
I assume they must've put out some glowing reviews of the Kellie Pickler, Hayes Carll, Hank 3, Unknown Hinson, Miranda Lambert, Jason Boland, Leann Rimes, 357 String Band and Hellbound Glory records cuz there's no other justification for them being on any "all-time" list, especially at the expense of folks like Porter Wagoner (which if he had made the list, I'm sure they'd have went for The Rubber Room since it's the hip Porter album to mention in spite of the fact it isn't in his top ten best albums).
Neither is really all that good, but the Dolly/Loretta/Tammy record beats the shit out of the Dolly/Emmylou/Linda album.
Didn't see any Everly or Statler Bros anywhere in sight... I wasn't even gonna bring up the lack of Gary Stewart (any of the 70's Decca records are better than 3/4's of this list) or any George/Tammy records, particularly We're Gonna Hold On or Golden Ring.
Although I'm a fan, you can't put Ween on a serious all-time greatest country album list with a straight face. If you do, you're kinda missing the point.
I get it; noone will ever agree on a list of this sort - but if you can't do any better than that, then sit your ass at home.
Last edited by Smitty on Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

BiloxiParish I agree 100% on I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. If you are gonna name an all time best country song, that's as good a place to start as any. And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

Never seen Jamey Johnson live but would love to. I hate to hear that people at his shows are there to hear In Color. That's too bad. He's got way more and way better than that.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

I'm a big fan of old Hank and Hank Jr. I used to own one of Hank III's albums and once I got over the feeling that he was just trying to sound as much like as grandpa as he could and started to just listen to the songs for what they were, I grew to like it.

He lost me with some of the other stuff. The whole Super Joint Ritual thing put me off for a number of reasons. The music was awful for starters. And association with Phil Anselmo was a turn off. Plus, he got to where he seemed like he just wanted to see how weird he could be which I never particularly like. Gratuitous shock value just seems dumb.

It's a shame becaue I think he's capable of making some real good music.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by dime in the gutter »

Cole Younger wrote:And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

i don't think i can stand for any johnny cash hating in the country thread. put em up!

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Cole Younger »

dime in the gutter wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

i don't think i can stand for any johnny cash hating in the country thread. put em up!


:D Not so much Cash hating as I like Cash quite a lot. I'm hating on the stupid hipster cult that formed around him.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Smitty »

I'm surprised they didn't atleast include Joe Ely's Honky Tonk Masquerade.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by dime in the gutter »

Cole Younger wrote:
dime in the gutter wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

i don't think i can stand for any johnny cash hating in the country thread. put em up!


:D Not so much Cash hating as I like Cash quite a lot. I'm hating on the stupid hipster cult that formed around him.

i don't think i'm smart enough to fully understand your reasoning here, but folsom prison is not silly as a choice (number 1 or otherwise) for any list of any kind, ever.

just talking shit about music.

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Iowan »

I don't feel I can accurately pontificate on country music, and I know that there are artists I can blather on about that are country. Will flesh out at full computer.


Great thread, and lots of opportunity here.

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Iowan »

Cole Younger wrote:
dime in the gutter wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

i don't think i can stand for any johnny cash hating in the country thread. put em up!


:D Not so much Cash hating as I like Cash quite a lot. I'm hating on the stupid hipster cult that formed around him.


Understand that sentiment, but that hipster cult formed for a reason.

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by dime in the gutter »

Image
a perfect pic with regard to content.

rafters
stand up base with newsboy cap
hank wearing white suit, hat and boots....all ghost like
plugged in wide body and amp (picker dude is blinged up)
old glory with only 48 stars
wooden folding chair
sunlight beaming thru from god
bull horns

rock star.

BiloxiParish

Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

dime in the gutter wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:And I agree with what you said about the choice of Folsom Prison Blues. It seems almost silly. I've come to the point where I almost don't even like the Cash songs that "everybody" likes. It almost ruined him for me all together.

i don't think i can stand for any johnny cash hating in the country thread. put em up!



I'm a huge Cash fan here. I don't know how you can grow up in the South and not be..

BiloxiParish

Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

I'm surprised so much Garth Brooks made the list. I get he transformed country and took the place of Springsteen for working class America when Springsteen's star faded in the late 80's and 90's and I know all his songs by heart, but I really can't stomach to listen to those songs 15 and 20 years later. They haven't stood the test of time to me..

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by dime in the gutter »

Image

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by olwiggum »

I've only recently started really going back and listening to older country music. I've had a couple of Johnny Cash records for a while and loved the occasional Willie Nelson or Hank Williams songs, but I've never gone out of my way to listen to anything other than that.

I've realized that I really love George Jones' voice for some reason. I can't get enough of "He stopped loving her today" and "If Drinking don't kill me" lately.

And I can't really stand new country at all, but something about "In Color" by Jamey Johnson gets me every time. Reminds me of my pawpaw or something, I guess.

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by Clams »

dime in the gutter wrote:Image
a perfect pic with regard to content.

rafters
stand up base with newsboy cap
hank wearing white suit, hat and boots....all ghost like
plugged in wide body and amp (picker dude is blinged up)
old glory with only 48 stars
wooden folding chair
sunlight beaming thru from god
bull horns

rock star.

good stuff, great pic


I'm with Iowan. I listen to a lot of the artists and songs mentioned. But even still, there isn't much of substance that I can contribute here. For me, this is a learning and inspiration thread. Carry on.
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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by StormandStatic »

Minor thing, but in terms of TVZ live albums I've always preferred Rear View Mirror to Live at the Old Quarter. It's got some of my all-time renditions of "Pancho & Lefty" and "Lungs," and the addition of extra guitar and fiddle really puts it above Old Quarter, in my opinion.
Smart on them choosing a live album, though, because while I love TVZ, none of his albums captures individually what I love so much about him. They all seem to fit into a larger puzzle.

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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by BiloxiParish »

StormandStatic wrote:Minor thing, but in terms of TVZ live albums I've always preferred Rear View Mirror to Live at the Old Quarter. It's got some of my all-time renditions of "Pancho & Lefty" and "Lungs," and the addition of extra guitar and fiddle really puts it above Old Quarter, in my opinion.
Smart on them choosing a live album, though, because while I love TVZ, none of his albums captures individually what I love so much about him. They all seem to fit into a larger puzzle.



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Re: If That Ain't Country...

Post by 4sooner »

2glaring omissions from the album list.

Hank Thompson-A Six Pack To Go
Waylon-Deaming My dreams

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