Give Me Your List, Please!

I'm taking a break.

I'll be back in a month or so. Until then I’ll still be posting a few tracks over at Star Maker Machine and occasionally updating the sidebar here.

While I'm gone, you can check here for some great stuff on other blogs.

Now for the real purpose of this post: I love lists. I made one (below) and I want to see yours.

Please submit a ranked list of your top 10 favorite country artists/bands of all time. (Feel free to include explanations of your choices if you wish, or even an mp3 link, but all that's required is a ranked list.)

When the lists start coming in, the Classic Country Research Department here at STWOF will begin crunching the numbers. Then, after a month or so, I'll return with a highly entertaining and informative post about the results. It should be fun! And the more submissions the better, so let’s set a new record for the number of comments here.

Who’s eligible? Any country artist or band. (If in doubt, check AMG to see if the artist or band in question fits into any of these style categories. Feel free to include bluegrass, country-folk, country-rock, and alt-country performers. Note, however, that if you pick a performer who only occasionally dabbled in country styles, like Bob Dylan for instance, your vote should be based only on that artist’s country material. No extra credit for Like A Rolling Stone.)

I’m looking forward to reading your lists. Here’s mine (for the moment):

1. Hank Williams. No explanation necessary. He set the rules for all who followed.

Hank Williams – Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (mp3) (buy album).

2. Tom T. Hall. A little high you say? Maybe. But this project is not about an objective view of accomplishments. It’s about individual favorites. Tom T. Hall’s funny and insightful songs really get me.

Tom T. Hall – The Year That Clayton Delaney Died (mp3) (buy album).

3. George Jones. That voice. Nobody can deliver a country song like the possum.

George Jones - A Girl I Used To Know (mp3) (buy album)

4. Merle Haggard. George had the voice. Merle had the attitude and he wrote a ton of brilliant country songs.

Merle Haggard – I Can't Hold Myself In Line (mp3) (buy album).

5. Johnny Cash. The Man in Black might be the most enduring of the 1950's pop artists (including Elvis Presley). Cash made his name and his best material in 1950’s, but his legacy was sealed by the great work he did in the 1990’s. A true giant.

Johnny Cash – Drive On (mp3) (buy album).

6. Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. No music makes me happier than western swing. Bob’s band wrote the book on that style.

Bob Wills – Bring It On Down To My House (mp3) (buy album).

7. Gram Parsons. The kid with a big trust fund wasn’t the greatest live performer, but he was also an innovator and a great songwriter responsible for an impressive number of classic tunes in his short life.

Gram Parsons – Brass Buttons (mp3) (buy album).

8. Townes Van Zandt. I’m a sucker for Texas-based songwriting geniuses.

Townes Van Zandt – To Live Is To Fly (mp3) (buy album).

9. John Hartford. See here for the explanation.

John Hartford – Back In The Goodle Days (mp3) (out of print)

10. Buck Owens. Love that Bakersfield sound.

Buck Owens – Act Naturally (mp3) (buy album)

Some more contenders for my list: Patsy Cline, The Flatlanders, Lefty Frizzell, Jason & The Scorchers, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Monroe, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Tubb

I'm looking forward to reading your top ten lists!

Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade...

I'm taking a break from Hank Cover Friday this week. So how about a Springsteen cover instead?

This out-of-print gem comes from the Austin, Texas-based jangle-rock band Zeitgeist. They later changed their name to The Reivers for legal reasons (bummer). I've always liked this song and this version, so without further ado, please dig Zeitgeist, circa 1986:

Zeitgeist/The Reivers – Atlantic City (mp3) (buy album)

As a bonus, here's another nice cover from Zeitgeist's first album:

Zeitgeist/The Reivers - Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain (mp3) (buy album)

Don't miss The Adios Lounge!

If you like what I'm doing here at Setting The Woods On Fire then you'll love the brand-new music blog called The Adios Lounge.

Author Lance Davis (an insightful commenter here at STWOF) has only been at it for a couple of weeks, but you can tell already that he's onto something really good. The proof is in today's brilliant post about country music performed by black artists. It's very well-written and interesting stuff! Check it out.

Oh yeah, here's an mp3 for your listening enjoyment:

Charley Pride – Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone? (mp3) (buy album)

Drive-By Truckers - May 6, 2008

This old man's ears are still ringing from last night's Drive-By Truckers show at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. The opening act were southern-rockers The Dexateens. Both bands hail from the great State of Alabama. (For those keeping score, the evening featured ten players, six beards, two drummers, and 44 loudly amplified guitar strings).

If you like loud and fun rock shows with a good dose of intelligence and twang, be sure to check out the DBT's current world tour. The crowd at last night's show (which appeared to consist primarily of record store employees with a few lumberjacks and girlfriends sprinkled in) definitely got their money's worth.

In my opinion, the Drive-By Truckers are the best thing going in the field of "alt-country"* these days. I just wish they had been around back when I was 20 years old. As much as I like them now, I really would have loved them then. (Uncle Tupelo were great back in my time, but the DBT's seem a lot looser and generally more fun than I remember Uncle Tupelo being.)

Probably the coolest thing about the show was the encore when the DBT's invited some random Dexateens and a few female fans on stage for a jamming version of Jim Carroll's "People Who Died."

So here are some tracks for your listening enjoyment. The first two come from The DBT's new release Brighter Than Creation's Dark, which is my favorite album of 2008 so far. It's highly recommended if you are into rock or alt-country. For further details, check this insta-review or AMG.

Drive-By Truckers – Self Destructive Zones (mp3) (buy album)
Drive-By Truckers – The Opening Act (mp3) (buy album)
The Dexateens – Slender Thread (mp3) (free album download)
The Jim Carroll Band – People Who Died (mp3) (buy album)

Also check out this great live recording over at Captain’s Dead. Make sure you listen to "The Three Great Alabama Icons" and "George Wallace." (But note that the greatest Alabama icon goes unmentioned.)


All concert photos in this post were taken by me.

*We could get into a big discussion about whether the Drive-By Truckers really are "alt-country." The phrase is vague and ever-changing, much like the definition of alternative rock. To me it just means twangy rock. If you've got a drummer and a peddle steel player in the band, and you aren't playing straight country, there's a pretty good chance you're playing "alt-country." The first bands I ever heard described as "alt-country" were Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown. (Before then we had "cowpunk," "Americana," and "jangle rock.") The DBT's share a lot of common ground with those bands, so I'm sticking with the "alt-country" description.

Sally Take My Hand

You all know the song Baba O’Riley.

In case you need a refresher, check out this post over at Star Maker Machine. Much like that guy over at SMM, The Who were the first musical group that really grabbed me by the shirt collar and said "music is important!" (Hank was the artist who put the twang into the mix for me, but that’s another story.)

So, as a little tribute to Pete and The Who, here is a great demo of a song called Teenage Wasteland. It’s pretty much just a slowed down version of Baba O’Riley, but Who fanatics insist that it’s a different song. It was originally intended to be a companion piece to Baba O’Riley on the abandoned Lifehouse project.

Anyway, enough of my yakking. Please enjoy this really cool Pete Townshend demo:

Pete Townshend – Teenage Wasteland (mp3) (buy album).

Jazz 101: Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man

The point of this series is to identify great jazz tracks that are most likely appeal to music fans who are new to the genre.

My path to jazz (which I suspect is fairly common) was from rock to blues to jazz. As I started to tire of the repetition of straight blues, I gradually ventured into jazz with blues elements. The familiarity of the blues eased the transition. And it just sounds good!

The other tracks featured in this series (Cristo Redentor and The Sidewinder) also have blues elements, but today's entry, Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock, might be the best example yet of the sort of blues-based jazz that appeals to both beginners and longtime fans.

Herbie Hancock cut his jazz teeth as a member of Miles Davis' band. This superb blues track comes from Hancock's brilliant first album, Takin' Off, released in 1962. His impressive backing band on this album includes trupeter Freddie Hubbard, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins. Takin' Off is not Hancock's greatest achievement (I'd pick Maiden Voyage) but it's a great place to start.

Herbie Hancock – Watermelon Man (mp3) (buy album)

Cuban percussionist/bandleader Mongo Sanatmaria had a top 10 hit in 1963 with a latin-style cover of Watermelon Man in 1963. Santamaria got the idea to cover the song at a gig when Herbie Hancock sat for Mongo's regular keyboardist, Chick Corea.

Mongo Santamaria – Watermelon Man (mp3) (buy album)

I like both versions. Herbie's is more enduring, but Mongo's is especially good for use at late-night, torch-lit, summertime cocktail parties.

A trip to the record store

On a recent work trip to Ann Arbor the other day I snuck off to a few record stores and picked up these great L.P.s.

George Jones - I'll Share My World With You (Purchased at Encore Records for $10). This one, on the Musicor label, was my favorite pick of the day. Lot's of great (and humorous) tunes like these:

George Jones – I Don't Have Sense Enough (To Come Out Of The Pain) (mp3)

George Jones – When The Wife Runs Off (mp3)

Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A. (Purchased at Wazoo Records for $5). I mostly bought this one for the cover, but it's actually pretty interesting. (Read the AMG review.) Here is a Tom T. Hall-penned track that gives the back story about Shirley Thompson, who, as you all know from the album's title track, "sure uses a lot of ice whenever [her husband's] away":

Jeannie C. Riley – Sippin' Shirley Thompson (mp3) (buy album)

Ernest Tubb - Ernest Tubb And His Texas Troubadours (Purchased at Wazoo Records for $3). I always pick up a new Tubb album whenever I see one. On this one, from the Vocalion label, Ernest shows his sensitive side:

Ernest Tubb – You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry (mp3)

Buck Owens - In Japan! (Purchased at Wazoo Records for $4). I loved the cover on this one too. It's funny to hear Buck speak really slow English to his Japanese audience (not on this track).

Buck Owens – Roll Out The Red Carpet (mp3) (buy album)

Hank Cover Friday: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whinin' low
I'm so lonesome I could cry



I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawlin' by
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry



Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry



The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry



The Cowboy Junkies' cover of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, from their famous Trinity Sessions, is regarded as one of the best. I like the bass opening:

The Cowboy Junkies – I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (mp3) (buy album)

Jimmie Dale Gilmore does a version in his classic West Texas twang:

Jimmie Dale Gilmore – I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (mp3) (buy album)

One of my personal favorite Hank covers is Little Richard's unique rendering of the song:

Little Richard – I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (mp3) (buy album)

And now for this week's sound effect: Whippoorwill call (mp3)

What I'm Thinking . . .

I can't wait to see their faces when I get the nerve to say...

Johnny Paycheck - Take This Job And Shove It (mp3) (buy album)

Classic Country Research Department

Please assist the STWOF Classic Country Research Department by taking a moment to rate these versions of Crazy Arms according to your order of preference:

Ray Price – Crazy Arms (mp3) (buy album)
Jerry Lee Lewis – Crazy Arms (mp3) (buy album)
Patsy Cline – Crazy Arms (mp3) (buy album)
Linda Ronstadt – Crazy Arms (mp3) (buy album)
BR5-49 – Crazy Arms (mp3) (buy album)

You may express your votes (and views) in the comments section below.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation. Your feedback will help this blog better serve your classic country listening needs.

UPDATE: The results are in. Jerry Lee was the run away winner. The others are in a statistical dead heat for second place. Of the runners up, Patsy Cline's version got the most first and last place votes. Love it or hate it, I guess. My own ranking would be: (1) Jerry Lee (I'm on a JLL kick lately), (2) Linda (I'm a sucker for that So. Cal. country-rock sound), (3) Ray (also a sucker for real honky tonk, but Ray isn't George Jones), (4) Patsy (I think the production fits her style, so it's a thumb's up, and (5) BR5-49 (a bit too derivative for a relatively modern act, but sounds good nevertheless).

Who Invented Country Rock?, Part II

Remember my post from a month ago about Who Invented Country Rock? (If you missed it, here's a mix of some of the highlights.) Well, it turned out to be the most popular post I've ever done, generating lots of comments and e-mails. So now its time to tie up some loose ends based on all the great feedback resulting from my earlier country-rock post.

EARLY PIONEERS:

(1) Jimmie Rodgers

Some readers voiced the opinion that elements of country and rock were always intertwined and that "country rock" was, in some sense, "invented" before country or rock, or at least at the same time. It's true that elements of the "country-rock" style have been around for a long time. Here's one from oldtime favorite Jimmie Rodgers, a musical pioneer whose style pre-dated and paved the way for both rock and country:

Jimmie Rodgers – In The Jailhouse Now (mp3) (buy album)

(2) Moon Mullican

In a similar vein, the author of the great blog Big Rock Candy Mountain argued that "Moon Mullican invented "Country Rock" all the way back in the late 30's through the early 50's." He cited the songs Cherokee Boogie and Seven Nights to Rock in particular:

Moon Mullican – Cherokee Boogie (mp3) (buy album)

(3) Rex Griffin

Here's an oldtime rockin' country song that eventually made its way to The Beatles via Carl Perkins:

Rex Griffin – Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (mp3) (buy album)

FROM THE COUNTRY SIDE:

(4) Wynn Stewart

In the first country rock post I gave a lot of credit to Buck Owens, as a representative of the Bakersfield sound, for adding electric instruments and a backbeat to traditional country music. Owens was the most visible proponent of this style, but since we are talking about firsts here, I would be remiss not to mention Wynn Stewart, the father of the Bakersfield sound and a prime influence on Owens:

Wynn Stewart - Big Big Love (mp3) (buy album)

(5) The Osborne Brothers

In similar fashion, The Osborne Brothers turned up the volume (and popularity) of bluegrass music with songs like this 1968 hit:

The Osborne Brothers - Rocky Top (mp3) (buy album)

(6) Clarence White

Along with Gram Parsons, Clarence White is probably the single most important person in the development of country rock. He started out as an accoustic bluegrass flatpicking prodigy and literally brought a country style into rock music when he went electric. LD's comment (on my last country-rock post) nails it: "Who do you think The Byrds hired to give their country-ish songs legitimacy beginning with the Younger Than Yesterday album? Clarence White. I'd go so far as to say that Clarence White's influence on the origin of country-rock is as underrated as Gram's is overrated." As I've mentioned before, I've got a big Clarence White post in the works. Until then:

Clarence White - Hong Kong Hillbilly (mp3) (buy album)

SIXTIES ROCK AND POP:

(7) Mike Nesmith

Many of this blog's readers worship at the altar of Mike Nesmith, which caused me to learn a lot about his early country-rock contributions. (I already knew that his mother invented liquid paper and the he produced the greatest cult movie ever made). Here's one of his country-rock efforts that pre-dated The Byrds' Sweetheart album:

The Monkees – Sunny Girlfriend (mp3) (buy album)

(8) The Beau Brummels

Brendan, from The Rising Storm, mentioned the Beau Brummels. In the comment section to the last post I included a tune from their album Triangle. Their next album, Bradley's Barn was recorded in Nashville in 1968 (the year of country rock):

The Beau Brummels – Turn Around (mp3) (buy album)

(9) Stone Country

Reader Terry called my attention to the band Stone Country, whose members included country-folk singer Steve Young. Terry described their 1968 album as "country rock with a slightly psychy edge." That pretty much gets it. Here are a couple songs from that album that I've enjoyed discovering:

Stone Country – Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde (mp3) (buy album)

Stone Country – Why Baby Why (mp3) (buy album)

(10) Hearts & Flowers

Both reader Terry, and Jason from The Rising Storm, have recommended the band Hearts & Flowers, which I should have included last time around but left out because I was running out of steam. Here's a sample:

Hearts And Flowers – I'm A Lonesome Fugitive (mp3) (buy album)