Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Goodbye Joe, Me Gotta Go...
All good things must come to an end, or at least take an extended break every once in awhile. So that's what I'm doing. Long story short: My kids are getting older, my job is getting tougher, and I want to spend more of my free time outside. That means I can't keep Setting The Woods On Fire going at the level you expect.
You have no idea how much I've enjoyed putting this website together and meeting the people that I've met as a result of it. I hope you've discovered some new music to love. I know I've learned a ton from you guys. Thanks for all the great comments and e-mails.
Before I head down the trail, here's one last STWOF mix. You probably have all these songs already, but they go together nicely. They aren't rarities or little known gems, just a bunch of great tunes that will stand as my closing argument for the brilliance of old-fashioned country music. Most of the big names are here, with a slight tilt towards the Texas artists (naturally). It will fit nicely onto a CD for you to enjoy, or--better yet--for you to give to a friend to spread the word about the music we love.
This ain't "redneck" music.
STWOF Honky Tonk Heroes Mix (running time is 1:03:26)
01. Billy Joe Shaver - Honky Tonk Heroes (buy) - 0:00
02. Hank Williams - Why Don't You Love Me? (buy) - 3:01
03. Lefty Frizzell - Long Black Veil (buy) - 5:23
04. Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight (buy) - 8:29
05. George Jones - A Girl I Used To Know (buy) - 11:00
06. Tom T. Hall - I Hope It Rains At My Funeral (buy) - 13:36
07. Merle Haggard - I Can't Hold Myself In Line (buy) - 16:59
08. Buck Owens - Under The Influence Of Love (buy) - 19:50
09. Doug Sahm - Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone? (buy) - 22:06
10. The Flying Burrito Brothers - Sin City (buy) - 25:06
11. Johnny Cash - Man In Black (buy) - 29:14
12. Steve Young - White Trash Song (buy) - 32:04
13. Loretta Lynn - One's On The Way (buy) - 34:51
14. Ernest Tubb - Walking The Floor Over You (buy) - 37:27
15. Bob Wills - Bubbles In My Beer (buy) - 39:29
16. Bill Monroe - I'm Going Back To Old Kentucky (buy) - 41:29
17. The Flatlanders - Dallas (buy) - 43:50
18. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty (buy) - 46:35
19. Willie Nelson - Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (buy) - 50:12
20. Jerry Jeff Walker - Redneck Mother (buy) -52:28
21. Waylon Jennings - Bob Wills Is Still The King (buy) - 56:40
22. John Hartford - In Tall Buildings (buy) - 59:55
You might remember that I almost quit once before because of an apparent change in policy from the music publishers. That didn't stick, but this time it's on my own terms.
I'll still keep doing the quick and easy posts over at Groover's Paradise and Star Maker Machine. If you're a subscriber here, please consider subscribing to--and commenting at--those sites.
Thank you, friends.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
It could be that the good Lord likes a little pickin' too...
LD from The Adios Lounge sent over this great Tom T. Hall video:
The Year Clayton Delaney Died is the quintessential Tom T. Hall story song.Tom T. Hall - The Year Clayton Delaney Died (buy)
As Tom notes in the video, the inspiration for the arrangement came from Jimmie Rodgers' guitar stye, which fits the song perfectly:Jimmie Rodgers - Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) (buy)
Yesterday's Gone
R.I.P. Vern Gosdin, 1934-2009.
Here's a good one from old Vern, with a big assist from Emmylou.Vern Gosdin & Emmylou Harris – Yesterday's Gone (buy)
Also check out Brendan's post about Vern Gosdin at Groover's Paradise.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Spring Has Sprung (You Can Feel The Magic In The Air)
The music selection: SDQThis past Friday night was the first warm evening of the year up here in Michigan, so I decided to light the charcoal and enjoy some fermented malt with hops (and a slice of orange).
I'm writing this post because the evening's music selection, the Sir Douglas Quintet, hit a perfect note for my Spring time festivities. As I kicked back on the patio in my shorts, while taking in the laid-back tones of the SDQ (along with my delicious Bell's Oberon Ale), I realized that it was time to put another bug in your ear about them.
Give these tracks a spin. If they move you, put some SDQ in your collection. You won't be sorry...
Dinner on the grill. Mmmmm.
Dinner on the plate. Tastes better that way.
Buds along the fence line
My dog is a big SDQ fan
Bell's Oberon Ale. Extra delicious with a slice of orange.PURCHASE ALBUMS FROM THE SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET
Life is good.
For more about Doug Sahm, check out Groover's Paradise
Monday, April 13, 2009
What Is The Most Underrated Rock Band?
Not these guysToday the question occurred to me: What is the most underrated rock band?
This one's a natural to put before you, my highly intelligent readers. Tell me, in your opinion, what rock band (not artist) suffers the injustice of having the widest gap between Factor A (Actual Quality & Influence) and Factor B (Level Of Recognition & Acclaim)? Extra credit for having an out-of-print masterpiece.
Please give my your answer and any reasons in the comment section. Thanks in advance!
By the way, I'm pretty sure that the answer to this question is not the Kinks. While that may have been the case 5 or 10 years ago, I think The Kinks are now starting to get the level of recognition they deserve.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Me And Jesus
Over the years, Jesus has made his way into a ton of songs, many of which are on my i-pod today. Here's the official STWOF Jesus mix:01. Talladega Nights – Baby Jesus Grace
02. Ernest Tubb - What A Friend We Have In Jesus
03. Tom T. Hall - Me And Jesus
04. Kinky Friedman - High On Jesus
05. Paul Newman - Plastic Jesus
06. The Bad Livers - Jesus Is On The Mainline
07. Loretta Lynn - I'd Rather Have Jesus
08. Bobby Bare - Dropkick Me, Jesus
09. Bobby Charles - Save Me Jesus
10. Help Yourself - I Must See Jesus For Myself
11. The Byrds - Jesus Is Just Alright
12. Buck Owens - Bring It To Jesus
13. Billy Joe Shaver - Jesus Christ, What A Man
14. Johnny Cash - It Was Jesus
15. Emmylou Harris - Jerusalem Tomorrow
16. John Prine - Jesus The Missing Years
17. Lightnin' Hopkins - Jesus Would You Come By Here
18. Tom T. Hall - One More Song For Jesus
"I like to party, so I like my Jesus to party..."
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Sweet Dreams Of You
Sweet dreams of you
Every night I go through
Why can't I forget you and start my life anew
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
You don't love me, it's plain
I should know I'll never wear your ring
I should hate you the whole night through
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
Sweet dreams of you
Things I know can't come true
Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
A recent commenter caught me being a bit lazy with the "original" Almost Blue post. I used Patsy Cline's version of Sweet Dreams which really isn't the original, or even necessarily the best version, just the most popular. We here at STWOF like to remedy our mistakes when possible. Hence, this post about the song Sweet Dreams.
The simple, yet effective, song was first performed by its writer, Don Gibson, in 1956. That same year, Faron Young (pictured top) had a No. 2 hit with the song. I really like his honky-tonky version.
Sweet Dreams is a perfect example of how Gibson described his own writing style:
"My songs are simple, and just about all of them are about love. I write about people, not things. I never had a lot of education, and I don't feel easy with words. Most of the words to my songs are real simple. I just make them up to put to some tune on the guitar I've come up with. It's the sound of the guitar that I've always been interested in."Patsy Cline's crossover hit version of Sweet Dreams was released posthumously in 1963, months after she was killed in an airplane crash at the age of 30. That same year, The Everly Brothers recorded a version for their album The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits.
Three years later, in 1966, Tommy McLain's "swamp pop" version sold three million copies. The liner notes to Almost Blue suggest that this was the version that most directly influenced Elvis Costello's 1981 recording.
Other notable recordings of the song include Emmylou Harris (1975), Loretta Lynn (1977), and Reba McEntire (1979).Which is your favorite version, and why? My vote goes to Faron because I love that honky-tonk feel.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
I like my lovin' country style...
...I'm only in the city for awhile.Wanda Jackson - Lovin' Country Style (buy)
This fun tune comes from Wanda's pre-rockabilly country phase (mid-1950's). It's good for dancing around the living room and embarrassing your children.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Great Blog: The Old, Weird America
As an enthusiastic music blogger, I spend a lot of time throwing around conclusory superlatives. Everything is "great" or "amazing" or "brilliant." (Remember, I'm not a critic--just a guy trying to point you to some good things.) So get ready, it's time for more gushing!
Today's post is about a brilliant newish blog called The Old, Weird America. Simply put, this blog is an amazing resource. The writer, a 33-year-old man from France, is using Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music "as a roadmap to explore American folk music and maybe other countries traditions along the way."
What that means is that each song from the Anthology is used as the starting point for a separate post about the song or the style. Not only do you get an informative description about the specific song from the Anthology, but you can also download and listen to other songs by the same artist and--even better--several other variations of the same song by different artists.
While you might think it would be tedious to hear 32 different versions of Froggy Went A-Courtin' (or 100 different performances of John Henry) that's not the case at all. There is a great variety of styles and structure from song to song, and the recordings span a number of years up to the present time. It's interesting to hear the differences as the songs evolve over the years (and sometimes split into two entirely separate songs). Give it a try.
Here are a few tracks I downloaded this week from the post about Song No. 8: King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O (a.k.a. Froggy Went A-Courtin'):
The first is a funny song about Kansas by Chubby Parker, the performer on the Anthology:Chubby Parker - In Kansas ("The girls are fat as pigs in Kansas...")
The next two are modern variations on the primary song used on the Anthology:Red Allen - Froggy Went A-Courtin' (buy)Flat Duo Jets - Frog Went A Courtin' (buy)
