The sort of music you dislike

[Fëanor]

I have to jump in here and defend Country music.

I live in Nashville, and grew up in and spent the majority of my life in the South.

One really needs to understand Southern culture to fully appreciate Country music - ...

Or is it the other way around?

Y-all: the double names, the fried food, the sour-mash, the Bible belting, the SBC, the Yellow dog to Republican trend ... 

[jowcol]

jowcol
What a disturbing conclusion.   

Prepare to be assimilated! Resistance is futile! 

[Teresa]

Or is it the other way around?

Y-all: the double names, the fried food, the sour-mash, the Bible belting, the SBC, the Yellow dog to Republican trend ...

Don't forget the Austin Lounge Lizards which are definitely to the left of the political spectrum.  http://www.austinlizards.com/

Don't forget they wrote the Gingrich the Newt

We'd like to set the record straight by singing of the newt
For newts are open-minded; they are flexible and cute
A newt can breathe in water and a newt can breathe on land
And if you are a different critter newts will understand
Newts are not mean-spirited; they never are unfair
Newts are not underhanded and are not afraid to share
Newts do not have bad haircuts because newts are lacking hair
But the newt called Gingrich drives all true newts to despair
Gingrich the Newt's a disgrace to the name
When true newts see him they feel so ashamed
He's the black sheep of the newt family
The one rotten fruit on the newt family tree
Newts don't prey on other newts; in that they don't believe
And you will never catch a newt with something up his sleeve
They're tolerant to different environments and so
They don't sen little newties to the orphanage to grow
What kind of newt wears a suit and a tie
And frightens small children as he rushes by?
But we admit that his suit suits him good
Much more discreet than a sheet and a hood
A newt may be cold-blooded but he won't go to extremes
And you can trust a newt to be exactly what he seems
Newts are sorry if you're sad; they're happy if you're gay
But Gingrich is perverse, and worse
He's proud to be that way
Gingrich the Newt is puffed up like a toad
So full of himself that he's bound to explode
And then we'll raise up our tails in salute
A fitting tribute
To that horse's patoot
Gingrich the Newt

[Fëanor]

Don't forget the Austin Lounge Lizards which are definitely to the left of the political spectrum.  http://www.austinlizards.com/

Don't forget they wrote the Gingrich the Newt

...

Very good!! 

[Superhorn]

   What happens when you play a recording of a country western song backwards?
 
      You get your girl back, your dog back, your job too, and your trailer !!!





                                                                                                 

[max]

I'd just go for the dog and the trailer. Simplicity gives me the time to enjoy "divine" art that much more...as long as the dog doesn't join in to make a quintet out of a quartet. That reminds me Stravinsky...but never mind!

[Franco]

This is actually what I find most unappealing about Nashville culture, the fact that they manufacture songs as if they were shoes.  I do enjoy a fair bit of folk-music, but music that has some personality and authenticity to it, not the Nashville commodity music.

This kind of professional routine is not unique to Nashville - all the great writers such as Sondheim, Rodgers, Gershwin, Porter, etc. met regularly with their co-writers in an office and wrote the songs that became the American Popular Songbook.  The Brill Building group of writers, Burt Bacharach, Carole King, Barry Mann, Phil Specter, Leiber & Stoller, also the Motown writers, all worked in offices on a day-to-day basis.  Tin Pan Alley, was a few buildings in Manhattan, around 14th St., where music publishers had offices with songwriters in a room with a piano and desk and wrote songs, a room where a singer would come and they would "demonstrate" the song for them singing at the piano (Irving Berlin and George Gershwin both started out as one of these "song pluggers"), today the "demo" is a fully produced track.  The racket produced with so many of these rooms was where the name Tin Pan Alley came from.

Having worked in this environment I can attest to the fact the discipline of showing up and working even when you do not have any ideas can often produce something of amazing and surprising quality.  Of course it can also produce a mediocre song.  I have never bought into the idea of the great artist waiting for inspiration to strike before putting pen to paper - most writers, including songwriters and composers, have a daily regimen, some even setting regular hours for themselves to write  X number of pages or words a day - good; bad; indifferent - and then it is through the editing process that the best work is made.

99% of great art is showing up, for me, being at the desk ready to work everyday is the best way to catch the 1% of inspiration when it decides to show up.

Nashville writers such as Mike Reid, Guy Clarke, Hugh Prestwood, Bob McDill, Richard Leigh (names probably unfamiliar to most people) are responsible for some of the best songs, and biggest hits, written in the 20th century - not twangy ditties, but great songs - and they all wrote them as professional writers going to their publisher's offices (or their own offices) and working at this as a job.

[jowcol]

Having worked in this environment I can attest to the fact the discipline of showing up and working even when you do not have any ideas can often produce something of amazing and surprising quality.  Of course it can also produce a mediocre song.  I have never bought into the idea of the great artist waiting for inspiration to strike before putting pen to paper - most writers, including songwriters and composers, have a daily regimen, some even setting regular hours for themselves to write  X number of pages or words a day - good; bad; indifferent - and then it is through the editing process that the best work is made.

99% of great art is showing up, for me, being at the desk ready to work everyday is the best way to catch the 1% of inspiration when it decides to show up.

I've never read anything that gave me the impression that Bach had romanticized composing music-- cranking out weekly Cantatas was part of his job as an organist.  I'm sure if he made shoes, it would be a similar work ethic-- and some amazing shoes.

I'm not saying that all "work for hire" assures great music, but the reverse association isn't always true either, and there are definitely benefits to a good work ethic.

[Sergeant Rock]

I have to jump in here and defend Country music.

Thank you.

For sure the corporate product that appears on country radio is crass and commercial - but so is what used to be called Top Forty pop.  The best of Country, like the best of any kind of music, is found a bit off the beaten track...

For example: John Prine, Freakwater, Gillian Welsh, Lucinda Williams, Linda Ronstadt, The Meat Puppets, Maria McKee, Gram Parsons, Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, Iris DeMent, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Cowboy Junkies, The Gun Club, Blood on the Saddle, Lone Justice, Guy Clark, Seldom Scene, Rank and File, Mary Gauthier and of course the queen of alt country, Emmylou Harris:





None of these great artists/musicians are heard on commerical country radio today.

Sarge

[greg]

This thread is tempting me to post my conception of a Redneck basketball team...
(maybe one day)

[snyprrr]

'60s experimental, 'wow' music,....

dig it!



Also, sludgy, amorphous, formless, dreary, eastern european (or, american),...usually microtonal, experimental music from the '70s and '80s.



Also, I still think '80s Chicago & REO Speedwagon suck.

Also, Cookie Monster vocals in Heavy Metal.

Also, Country Music has probably enslaved more people than Stalin & Mao together. Just because Southerners have more 'oh lawdy' in their music doesn't impress me at all.

Also, the Blues. Once I really listened to Hooker's lyrics, and the such like, I realized that this is just bragga music. I'm Self Loathing on the blues all the way. And, the horrors begotten in it's name. Every lame guitar player talks about the 'blues',...oy, don't get me started. I apologize to all offended parties.

Also, anyone playing 'punk' music in this day and age.

Also, anything exposed on PBS.

Also, Straussian Romanticism.

Also, bad World Music. What's the point?



But, I loooove Bad Disco Music! Bar-Kays,....'Baby Come Back',....'Wildflower',....

[jhar26]

Thank you.

For example: John Prine, Freakwater, Gillian Welsh, Lucinda Williams, Linda Ronstadt, The Meat Puppets, Maria McKee, Gram Parsons, Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, Iris DeMent, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Cowboy Junkies, The Gun Club, Blood on the Saddle, Lone Justice, Guy Clark, Seldom Scene, Rank and File, Mary Gauthier and of course the queen of alt country, Emmylou Harris:





None of these great artists/musicians are heard on commerical country radio today.

Sarge

And neither are the greats from the past like Waylon Jennings or Johnny Cash. What you hear on the radio isn't really country (or 'Americana') but pop music (and mostly very poor pop music at that) sung by people who wear a cowboy hat. Even the popular (but artistically legitimate) Dixie Chicks were banned from country radio.

[greg]

Has there ever been an avant-garde country or rap? I've searched the internet, and couldn't even find anything.

[jowcol]

Has there ever been an avant-garde country or rap? I've searched the internet, and couldn't even find anything.

I remember the advent of Country Disco in the 70s...... *shudder*

Serialist Rap is something I'd like to hear.

[Sergeant Rock]

Has there ever been an avant-garde country or rap? I've searched the internet, and couldn't even find anything.

This isn't exactly what you mean but once upon a time (the 80s) there was a genre that combined punk with country, western, folk and blues. They called it cowpunk. Some of the bands I liked included Blood On The Saddle, Rank and File, The Gun Club, Lone Justice (at least their first album), The Long Ryders, Jason and the Nashville Scorchers. If you want to sample, here's Jason singing a scorching cover of Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD9YCFobrTw&feature=related


Blood on the Saddle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42y7uwsw-o

Blood on the Saddle playing the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf5bcbYN7Zg&feature=related

And "Rawhide"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Z9PWdqmjM&feature=related


Sarge

[Superhorn]

  I recently borrowed a recording of the Pfitzner violin concerto from my library, with Saschko Gawriloff ,on CPO. I loved it ! It's just plain gorgeous. Hey Itzhak,Pinchas,
Anne-Sophie and Joshua Bell !  Here's a concerto you ought to play !
  You guys must be sick to death of your umpteenth performnance of the Beethoven,Mendelssohn,Brahms,and Tchaikovsky violin concertos.

[snyprrr]

I dislike the Pfitzer VC.

[Sergeant Rock]

I dislike the Pfitzer VC.

I like the Pfitzner VC 

Sarge

[abidoful]

  I recently borrowed a recording of the Pfitzner violin concerto from my library, with Saschko Gawriloff ,on CPO. I loved it ! It's just plain gorgeous. Hey Itzhak,Pinchas,
Anne-Sophie and Joshua Bell !  Here's a concerto you ought to play !
  You guys must be sick to death of your umpteenth performnance of the Beethoven,Mendelssohn,Brahms,and Tchaikovsky violin concertos.

So true--- such an interesting and personal- and ! ! ! powerful ! ! ! - work 

[greg]

This isn't exactly what you mean but once upon a time (the 80s) there was a genre that combined punk with country, western, folk and blues. They called it cowpunk. Some of the bands I liked included Blood On The Saddle, Rank and File, The Gun Club, Lone Justice (at least their first album), The Long Ryders, Jason and the Nashville Scorchers. If you want to sample, here's Jason singing a scorching cover of Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD9YCFobrTw&feature=related


Blood on the Saddle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42y7uwsw-o

Blood on the Saddle playing the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf5bcbYN7Zg&feature=related

And "Rawhide"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Z9PWdqmjM&feature=related


Sarge

That first one almost made me throw up, but the rest were actually not that bad sounding to me.

See, it just seems strange to me, not finding any really avant-garde stuff in these genres- and I mean, experimental, often being atonal. You can find great examples of bands that can do this in rock (King Crimson, Kayo Dot) and metal (Meshuggah), not to mention jazz is halfway avant-garde itself (except the "smooth" stuff).

I don't know... I can guess why, but I'd hate to say it, and there's probably no way of proving whether my guess is right on or not.