Country music, is it OK?

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Sy Borg
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

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Rederic wrote:I don't talk about the supposed political or cultural reasons for disliking a genre of music, that's just nonsense.
That begs a whole other question, why are you arguing with me?? Do you see political and cultural reasons in the post you responded to below? Either you didn't read my posts properly or you have me confused with someone on another forum.
Greta (completely apolitically) wrote:I get bored with it [country music]too. Aside from hillbilly romps, country music is all about the words and I've never been good at following wordy lyrics; if your attention slips for a moment you miss a crucial passage, then the song meaning can be lost.

So, to avoid distraction, each country song more or less finishes as it starts with few, if any, surprises. A buildup if you're lucky and a relative lack of flair, flamboyance, daring, excitement and imagination - delivered with exaggerated a lack of affectation to the point of affectation.

In truth, all music is OK. There's a saying that "hunger makes the best sauce". If you're starving then a Big Mac may seem like the most beautiful substance that ever passed your lips. So if I was deprived of music for a long time I would no doubt find Toby Keith's music to be nectar for the ears. Fortunately, there's plenty of other music around :).

Think of people who have lived through dictatorships where the only music approved of involves tiresome praises to a deity or militaristic ditties about some "glorious" leader (ie. butcher). To the oppressed citizens of such places Tammy Wynette would be a source of excitement and beauty rather than insomnia aid.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated—Gandhi.
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3uGH7D4MLj
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by 3uGH7D4MLj »

Greta wrote:So I'll ask again - why don't you like modern jazz, free jazz, experimental music and progressive rock? No more avoidance or getting competitive and pretending to be more honest or virtuous - just try responding without the attitude.
I've been a musical snob my whole life. I know it's wrong to be prejudiced and bigoted, but there it is.

I discriminate against hillbillies, southerners. I'm qualified to make a judgement since I had some in the family. I know first hand how they feel about black people, city people, education, women and abortion and guns, gays, the confederate flag and Jesus. I also know that's an unfair generalization.

Early on I found myself not to be drawn toward country music as a genre. I don't know if I'll ever get over it completely, but I'm doing better in my later years.

-- Updated October 30th, 2015, 8:54 am to add the following --

The best is to consider the music itself, not the demographic it serves, but the music and the fans often seem to be inextricable. It's best to be able to recognize the excellence of a cultural contribution in any genre. As I said, "Country music isn't that different from the folk and blues, rock, that people seem to like."

I know a keyboard player who will not under any circumstances play Grateful Dead songs. I'm sure it's not the music, it's the swarm of Deadhead slackers that put him off.
fair to say
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Alec Smart
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

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3uGH7D4MLj wrote:I'm qualified to make a judgement since I had some in the family. I know first hand how they feel about black people, city people, education, women and abortion and guns, gays, the confederate flag and Jesus.
Now I think we're hitting the nail on the head.
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by Wilson »

Some country songs are real purty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw

.. and some female country singers sure are fine figured.
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Sy Borg
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

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Wilson wrote:Some country songs are real purty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw

.. and some female country singers sure are fine figured.
It sounds like pop to me.

My last band used to play a slowed down cover Dolly Parton's Jolene - even that was more country ;)
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated—Gandhi.
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Lagayscienza
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by Lagayscienza »

Greta, sounds like pop to me, too.

BTW, I've been meaning to ask you about your new avatar. I honestly thought it was a very good painting. It's at least as interesting as works by Pollock such as Blue Poles. Do you know what that's worth these days? Squillions!

Do NOT clean that oven door! Remove it and have it mounted and hung somewhere.
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Sy Borg
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

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Ha! It was cleaned long ago.

The image actually looks fatty and revolting at full size :)
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated—Gandhi.
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3uGH7D4MLj
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by 3uGH7D4MLj »

Wilson wrote:Some country songs are real purty.
I even have some country-ish songs in my singing-guitarplayer repertoire, I'm so lonesone I could cry, Ain't it funny how time slips away, Crazy. Any day now was written by Bacharach-Hilliard, but it was a big country hit for Ronnie Milsap.

I put them in the "Cowboy and Jug" category.
fair to say
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Alec Smart
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

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3uGH7D4MLj wrote: I even have some country-ish songs in my singing-guitarplayer repertoire, I'm so lonesone I could cry, Ain't it funny how time slips away, Crazy. Any day now was written by Bacharach-Hilliard, but it was a big country hit for Ronnie Milsap.

I put them in the "Cowboy and Jug" category.
I put them into the "urge to throw up into the sound hole of your guitar" category.
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3uGH7D4MLj
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by 3uGH7D4MLj »

Alec Smart wrote:
3uGH7D4MLj wrote: I even have some country-ish songs in my singing-guitarplayer repertoire, I'm so lonesone I could cry, Ain't it funny how time slips away, Crazy. Any day now was written by Bacharach-Hilliard, but it was a big country hit for Ronnie Milsap.

I put them in the "Cowboy and Jug" category.
I put them into the "urge to throw up into the sound hole of your guitar" category.
Wow, even Willie. You're hardcore.
fair to say
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Alec Smart
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by Alec Smart »

3uGH7D4MLj wrote: Wow, even Willie. You're hardcore.
You bet I am, cowboy.
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Wilson
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by Wilson »

Greta wrote:
Wilson wrote:Some country songs are real purty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw

.. and some female country singers sure are fine figured.
It sounds like pop to me.

My last band used to play a slowed down cover Dolly Parton's Jolene - even that was more country ;)
"I Hope You Dance" won the Country Music Awards "song of the year".

One of the most beautiful and haunting songs ever written was considered "country":
Actually I agree that a lot of country music is boring. I'm a jazz fan, myself. But it's too easy - and wrong - to dismiss everything that falls in the "country" category. So much crap of all kinds being recorded these days that at least some country music has decent chord structure and melody. Today's country music is a lot more sophisticated than it used to be.
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Sy Borg
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Re: Country music, is it OK?

Post by Sy Borg »

Wilson wrote:Actually I agree that a lot of country music is boring. I'm a jazz fan, myself. But it's too easy - and wrong - to dismiss everything that falls in the "country" category.
Ditto. It's just a sh1t stir because country is so terribly goofy and ostensibly conservative :). I say "ostensibly" because many country (and folk) artists are as maniacal as the archetypal rockers - like David Crosby and Neil Young (who are both brilliant artists). A friend sent me a brilliant Crosby link but I can't find it now.
Wilson wrote:So much crap of all kinds being recorded these days that at least some country music has decent chord structure and melody. Today's country music is a lot more sophisticated than it used to be.
But it's become slick and produced, and slick country music is basically pop with cowboy boots. I'm not a fan of modern production methods - too much compression, too many effects and too much "correction" and avoidance of the imperfections that add appeal to music for me. On the plus side, country music tends to be less automated and processed than most other pop on the radio at present, although usually just as formulaic and musically conservative.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated—Gandhi.
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