THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Einherjar on 03 Apr 2005, 21:18
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My parents wonder why I don't like country. As I see it, a given song falls into one of these categories, and none of them do anything to make me like them:
1. Bush propaganda
Sure, Freedom of Speech is all well and good, but don't try to make excuses for Iraq. The government was wrong. Get over it.
2. Getting drunk and partying
Right. Everyone who is cool does these two things, of course. However, it contradicts number
3. Overly-religious
All well and good, except it contradicts numbers 2 and 4 as to what country is "all-about."
4. Old men in seedy bars trying to seduce (much) younger women.
'Nuff said.
5. "Women rule the world" feminist bullshit
Does anyone else think feminism is full of shit? Songs like "Girls Lie Too" in which all men are liars and women "learn from them." Don't lump me in with all the other men, bitch (my opinions on feminism are another story for another day).
6. Men trying to explain themselves to women
Sort of like number 5, but it's a man trying to explain to women how men are all [stereotype] [stereotype] [sports-related stereotype]. Don't lump me in with you, you jackass. Songs like "Work in Progress" where the man is singing his confession to his apparently disgusted wife.
7. Sappy inspirational feel-good trash
Songs usually sung by some woman (Martina McBride, for example) where she calls teen girls angels with broken wings or whatever. Barf! That skydiving song by that one guy is another example.
8. Hyper-romantic balladry
Music for hopless romantic chick-flick watchers.
9. "Intimate" songs about a couple and their sex life
I don't want to hear how you had nothing on but the radio, you tool.
10. Sex sex sex.
That "Stays in Mexico" song. Please. If I wanted it, I could go on the internet and download Spring Break movies.
11. Redneck pride
What are rednecks good for, anyway? Well, job security, high government positions, and for laughing at when they wave their Stars n Bars around. Speaking of rebs, why do they still have so much pride for the Confederacy? Didn't they have concentration camps for Union prisoners?
The only two country songs I like are that Gambler song (I like Westerns, and the "The Gambler" series were good movies) and "Friends in Low Places" (it's a fun song, damn it). I guess if you want to be really successful in music without annoying people with your "message," then you just don't sing at all; this is why jazz is my favorite genre: mostly music, and the lyrics are never politically charged or full of Lifetime crap.
My point? You're not selling your country to me. Oh, and I felt I just needed to rant about country music since Sven is a country writer, and there would probably be a lot of anti-country in the days ahead (at least in the forums). Besides, I was just trying to make conversation.
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My recent post in this mode got locked, but I have to say that A) we don't get hardly any Country at all over here in the UK and B) Johnny Cash was DA MAN.
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I'm not so sure what exactly you're trying to say with number 5, and I suspect that I strongly disagree. But, that notwithstanding, great list! I'm not a fan of country either, heh.
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Oh good god, somebody's opened a Pandora's box here . . .
Firstly, you have to realise the difference between country and Nash-trash. The (s)hit-machine music of mainstream Nashville is not country music, any more than contemporary R & B has anything to do with the rhythm & blues genre created 50-odd years ago by Louis Jordan.
Secondly, if you're willing to be challenged in your opinions, then here are a few listening suggestions for some REAL country music (apologies for this list leaning towards bluegrass over other styles):
- Dolly Parton: "The Grass is Blue" (yes, I realise that anyone who has a prejudice against country probably has an enormous problem with the concept of buying a Dolly Parton record - just grit your teeth and buy it, dammit);
- Iris DeMent: "Infamous Angel" (fans of Northern Exposure may recall her song "Our Town", which featured in the final epsiode of that show);
- Alison Krauss: "I've Got That Old Feeling"
- Johnny Cash: "At San Quentin" (the second of his famous '60s prison recordings - "At Folsom Prison" is only slightly lower down the ladder of greatness);
- Bill Monroe: "Bean Blossom".
Alternatively, if you're not ready to launch into the full-on country just yet, try out Uncle Tupelo's "No Depression" - rock with a very healthy dose of country, and one of the best albums of the last 15-20 years. But go on, challenge your prejudices, I dare you!
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Hey inlander,
I can safely say that I've listened to two of those albums (Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton), and I hated them both with a fiery passion. Yes, there might be a difference between Nash-trash and country, but the sound of both of them is quite (and this is only my opinion) lame. The closest I come to country nowadays is Iron and Wine, and that's not exactly the closest you get. And I'm not even a big fan of Iron and Wine.
The sound of country simply doesn't please me, and the fact that the message of at least a lot of country is crap is just icing on an already sour cake.
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Fair enough, at least you've tried!
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The country that gets played in Southeastern Connecticut is universally crap, but the same can be said of pretty much any genre. There's plenty of good country out there; you just have to seek it out. Inlander's suggestions are good, particularly At San Quentin and the Uncle Tupelo.
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My recent post in this mode got locked, but I have to say that A) we don't get hardly any Country at all over here in the UK and B) Johnny Cash was DA MAN.
Jonnie Cash indeed was the man and I am a proud owner of his best of album. Other then that country is barely tolerable and the only reason I even listened to it for a while is because I was dating a girl from Montana and I had to keep her happy. I was slowly able to move her listening tastes towards better music over time though.
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The country that gets played in Southeastern Connecticut is universally crap, but the same can be said of pretty much any genre. There's plenty of good country out there; you just have to seek it out. Inlander's suggestions are good, particularly At San Quentin and the Uncle Tupelo.
Don't get me wrong, but all the stations in southeastern connecticut are crap. Radio is crap. And still, when I drive, I have 97.7 on for some reason.
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Yeah...I generally don't really have that much objection to Countries sound, as I'm a big fan of all sorts of Folk music. I can deal with any wierd-ass instrument as long as it sounds good. The problem is often the lyrics, which for many of the resons intimated in post 1 don't do much for me. This is why, in my limited experience, I pick out Cash, as his song's tend to pick much more esoteric and interesting subjects. He was also like, my first 'favourite artist' (When I was seven). Ring of Fire, Man in Black and a Boy Named Sue all stand out particularly in my mind, not to mention his covers of songs written by artists like Danzig and Trent Reznor. They made me re-discover him recently.
Man, his version of 'Hurt' is beautiful.
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Ooh! Ooh! I just thought of another one! "The Mountain" by Steve Earle. If you don't like the title track from that album, then there's a good chance that country's just not for you.
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new country is crap-tastic. johnny has been mentioned several times already, so some others to check out:
willie nelson
merle haggard
patsy cline
the carter family (with or without johnny)
carl perkins
marty robbins
etc..
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Right, going back to 5, the girl sat next to me is going to beat me up but, feminism is bullshit
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The problem with feminism is it falls into the trap of every other absolutist philosophy in that it want's to make absolutely everything about itself. This is especially pronounced in feminist criticism, which can reach the same level of absurdity as marxist criticism: Not every book is about male oppression and the female struggle to escape it. Just the same as every book is not about class struggle, or racial war.
Anyway, country!
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Inlander, I like all of your suggestions, but I must point out that you are blending genres a bit: that particular Dolly Parton album, Allison Krauss and Bill Monroe are all "bluegrass." I personally <3 bluegrass and despise most of what is being produced in Nashville currently. Also, props to you for knowing who Iris Dement is. Steve Earle is known as a badass of southern rock more than country really. And for the person that likes the Carter Family: Check out "The Whites," they are a family with a similar dynamic sound.
edit: I grew up in Tennessee living around bluegrass and country musicians, and Ricky Skaggs is one of the nicest men I've ever met, not to mention the musical godson of Bill Monroe.
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Man, his version of 'Hurt' is beautiful.
yeah, wasnt as good as the NIN version all round though
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Inlander, I like all of your suggestions, but I must point out that you are blending genres a bit: that particular Dolly Parton album, Allison Krauss and Bill Monroe are all "bluegrass."
Personally I've always thought bluegrass to be a particular style of country music - but then, I'm not as steeped in it as you are so I'll bow to your greater understanding.
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The country that gets played in Southeastern Connecticut is universally crap, but the same can be said of pretty much any genre. There's plenty of good country out there; you just have to seek it out. Inlander's suggestions are good, particularly At San Quentin and the Uncle Tupelo.
Don't get me wrong, but all the stations in southeastern connecticut are crap. Radio is crap. And still, when I drive, I have 97.7 on for some reason.
Agreed. The only decent radio here is NPR, but they only play music until about 3:00 PM, at which time they switch to talk radio. In some parts of Taftville and Norwichtown, my car used to be able to get ULI's jazz radio station, but they played more advertisements and BBC News than music.
Oh good god, somebody's opened a Pandora's box here . . .
Firstly, you have to realise the difference between country and Nash-trash. The (s)hit-machine music of mainstream Nashville is not country music, any more than contemporary R & B has anything to do with the rhythm & blues genre created 50-odd years ago by Louis Jordan.
Secondly, if you're willing to be challenged in your opinions, then here are a few listening suggestions for some REAL country music (apologies for this list leaning towards bluegrass over other styles):
- Dolly Parton: "The Grass is Blue" (yes, I realise that anyone who has a prejudice against country probably has an enormous problem with the concept of buying a Dolly Parton record - just grit your teeth and buy it, dammit);
- Iris DeMent: "Infamous Angel" (fans of Northern Exposure may recall her song "Our Town", which featured in the final epsiode of that show);
- Alison Krauss: "I've Got That Old Feeling"
- Johnny Cash: "At San Quentin" (the second of his famous '60s prison recordings - "At Folsom Prison" is only slightly lower down the ladder of greatness);
- Bill Monroe: "Bean Blossom".
Alternatively, if you're not ready to launch into the full-on country just yet, try out Uncle Tupelo's "No Depression" - rock with a very healthy dose of country, and one of the best albums of the last 15-20 years. But go on, challenge your prejudices, I dare you!
I only go by the crap I hear on the radio and when my mom watches CMT at home. I did mention two songs I liked, but they are old and aren't played on the radio anymore.
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Hey, I got a reason why I don't like country music.
I don't fucking like it. Period.
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Comma!
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I only like Country Music in small amounts, and even then the pickings are slim. Here are all the country songs I like:
Charlie Daniels Band - Devil Went Down to Georgia
Tim Wilson - Devil Was a Nerd In Highschool
Blake Shelton - Ol' Red
Blues Brothers - Ghost Riders (In the Sky) (and ONLY that version!)
Possibly one or two others that I stumble on, and that's about it.
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Inlander, for the normal outside world, bluegrass and country are grouped together but they actually have very different origins. "Country" is more based in cowboy music, whereas "bluegrass" was born out of appalachian folk music and celtic origins. The elements have blended in some areas, but you won't find the same pitch correcting and general lack of musical talent in bluegrass that you will in mainstream country. (Allison Krauss sounds just as good in a 30 person venue as she does in her recordings.) And there is no "look" required for success in bluegrass. It remains a little corner of music where raw talent shines through. Have you checked out the "Van Lear Rose" Loretta Lynn album produced by Jack White?
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Johnny Cash IS awesome. I happen to live in a town that's in the title of oe of his songs (hint : __ prison blues.). Still ... I don't really like country all that much, especially the very twangy stuff.
Props for liking Jazz though. There's no genre that even comes close (this coming from an avid punk and indie fan, too).
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Have you checked out the "Van Lear Rose" Loretta Lynn album produced by Jack White?
My problem is, because I dig so many different styles of music I just don't have the money to fully explore every one. Speaking of Jack White, for instance - I don't even own any White Stripes albums (hangs head in shame). Thanks for the suggestion, though - I shall endeavour to check it out.
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Best "supergroup" ever is the Highwaymen. Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and I can't remember the fourth member. Kris Kristoferson(sp?)?
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I always thought I would like anything vaguely country but I took a look through my collection one time and realized I had a bit of alt-country like The Court and Spark and the Handsome Family (If you don't like countys lyrical perspective give them a try as they turn it on its head) and also some country rock like My Morning Jacket.
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Props for liking Jazz though. There's no genre that even comes close (this coming from an avid punk and indie fan, too).
I've seriously considered dropping out of college to form/join a small-time jazz band and tour small, seedy cabarets. I've had the urge to jam again, but I haven't had the chance.
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Alison Krauss is amazing...The end. I get choked up when I hear some of her stuff, it's just that beautiful.
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I don't fully understand the point in a thread about not liking something. I think most people can be cynical and dismissive; they probably don't need help.
I like Deformgraphy's sentiment. He doesn't like country. He's not obligated to like it. He shouldn't feel obligated to give it a chance, or explore obscure country artists, or whatever. That's cool.
But to draft some bullshit itemized list is a waste of time. If you don't want to like country music then don't listen to it. But to dismiss the genre based on the staples of the pop-culture steeped crap that exists in any marginally popular artform is just silly. Hell, I don't like the calamari at the fucking Olive Garden so I'd better swear off Italian food. So maybe you don't like country because you listen to shitty country.
Ditto for feminism. Maybe you find feminists obnoxious because you hang around with retards.
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hmmm.
imagine the flak you'd cop here if you did this thread with, uh, indie rock.
steve earle is great (thanks dad!). he's even done a song for john walker ("so they're sending me back / with my head in a sack / to the land of the infidel").
feminism's another kettle of fish entirely. i could have some good arguments with some of the posters so far, but for, you know, stayin' on topic.
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imagine the flak you'd cop here if you did this thread with, uh, indie rock.
I tried it with mathcore, got shredded. Should have made the post more amusing probably.
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Hence:
Oh good god, somebody's opened a Pandora's box here . . .
Though people have mostly been civilised so far.
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I tried it with mathcore, got shredded. Should have made the post more amusing probably.
Mathcore is shit though.
</off topic>
I personally can't stand Country, myself, although I have made it a routine to go out to the bluegrass festival out here every time it comes up if I can, because bluegrass is ace.
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I possibly shouldn't have mentioned Dillinger Escape Plan by name in the first post.
Bloody hipsters. :p
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I don't fully understand the point in a thread about not liking something. I think most people can be cynical and dismissive; they probably don't need help.
I like Deformgraphy's sentiment. He doesn't like country. He's not obligated to like it. He shouldn't feel obligated to give it a chance, or explore obscure country artists, or whatever. That's cool.
But to draft some bullshit itemized list is a waste of time. If you don't want to like country music then don't listen to it. But to dismiss the genre based on the staples of the pop-culture steeped crap that exists in any marginally popular artform is just silly. Hell, I don't like the calamari at the fucking Olive Garden so I'd better swear off Italian food. So maybe you don't like country because you listen to shitty country.
Ditto for feminism. Maybe you find feminists obnoxious because you hang around with retards.
Well, my parents tell me that I should have a reason for not liking country, so I made a list explaining why. I didn't have to explain why, but I just thought I'd humor them.
I dislike feminism largely because of how much they contradict themselves and because feminists only want equal rights when it suits them.
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Man, his version of 'Hurt' is beautiful.
yeah, wasnt as good as the NIN version all round though
Hmm, I don't really like the NIN version. It's too quiet and slow, to start and I don't think Reznor's strength is in soft vocals, especially not ones so quiet. They don't carry enough power or emotion, thus the song only really shines out on the loud parts of the chorus I only really like NIN when it's shouting and pounding. Cash's version is much more consistent.