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macintologist · Dec 29, 2006, 10:17 PM

I think it's easy for people to say they hate country. However, it really depends. If you're talking about Johnny Cash, then no, country doesn't suck. If you're talking about the **** you hear on the country radio stations nowadays, then... probably yea.

I just watched Walk the Line. That JohnnyJune Cash country music really strikes a chord within me

imitchellg5 · Dec 29, 2006, 10:22 PM

No, I like it all.

stwain2003 · Dec 29, 2006, 10:23 PM

I live it all. It's just like rock music. It's changed DRASTICALLY since the 50s, just like country has, and it's still rock.

alligator · Dec 29, 2006, 10:26 PM

I never really liked country until the 1990's. It took on more of a rock style than the old 1970's style that most people are familiar with. I really enjoy it now and listen to it often when I'm working in my garage.

brokecollegestudentF04 · Dec 29, 2006, 10:27 PM

I find country disturbing.. Techno Goth Industrial Punk and Rock here

Chuckit · Dec 29, 2006, 10:29 PM

A lot of country music sucks. A fair amount is good. Johnny Cash, George Strait, Mark Chesnutt, Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam — all those folks are not only really good examples of country music, but examples of really good music in general.

Rumor · Dec 29, 2006, 10:32 PM

The new stuff is pure garbage with titles like "Girls Gone Wild" and "Save a horse, ride a cowboy". Really, did they run out of broken down trucks and lost women to sing about?

If one is going to listen to country, they have to go back quite a ways to find anything of real quality*.

*This, like everything, does have exceptions.

Peter · Dec 29, 2006, 10:37 PM

wilco doesnt suck

ghporter · Dec 29, 2006, 10:40 PM

There's far too much current country music that depends on the following formulas:
"I did something I knew I wasn't supposed to, I got caught, and I'm suffering for it. Poor me."
"I do stupid stuff when I'm drunk, but I get drunk anyway. Why have all my friends gone away?"
"Why did she leave just because I cheated on her? A lot."
"I cannot express my feelings because I never learned to, so I allow my heart to be broken all the time without making any effort to prevent it." (I actually like a number of this type of song, but they're rare and harder to write.)

Classic country music suffers from a lot of stupid clichés and hokey (often ungenuine) sentiment, but there are gems among these paste jewels. Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and their class of writers produced (and still produce) genuine music with real feeling and (amazing for the genre) a huge amount of literacy. Between the "Outlaw" era and when Randy Travis showed up, all the "good country music" was by the above artists or their contemporaries (and seldom aired on mainstream country radio). Since the "New Traditionalists" ran their course, a lot of country has turned into rock with more understandable lyrics (but no more feeling or meaning than any other pop crap), or just dumb stuff.

I have the good fortune to have a country music fan for a wife, and she screens the music for me. In other words, when she says "listen to this," it's going to be good. But when I'm trying to avoid commercials on the other stations, changing to a country station (around here, anyway) is just useless; they're 99.9% certain to be playing something that will turn me off within two bars-unless they're crowing about how they play "the most hits with the least talk!" I haven't figured out how that works out, since they all seem to play about 25 minutes of commercials and "personalities" an hour... Maybe "country radio" needs a completely new format. Like playing "music" more than doing anything else... What a concept!

Annette310 · Dec 29, 2006, 10:42 PM

I have to agree with others. The country you hear now sucks. I really like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams..

ghporter · Dec 29, 2006, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by Peter

wilco doesnt suck

No they most certainly do not suck. But...Wilco is country?

gradient · Dec 29, 2006, 10:47 PM

neko case does most definetely not suck.

Rumor · Dec 29, 2006, 10:54 PM

I'm burning some Johhny Cash cds at this moment.

centerchannel68 · Dec 29, 2006, 10:57 PM

Cash isn't country. He's more folk or bluegrass.

Peter · Dec 29, 2006, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

No they most certainly do not suck. But...Wilco is country?

yup.

Chuckit · Dec 29, 2006, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Cash isn't country. He's more folk or bluegrass.

Bluegrass is a subgenre of country. For instance, Alison Krauss & Union Station is the biggest bluegrass band in recent history, and it was country radio that played them.

centerchannel68 · Dec 30, 2006, 12:25 AM

Then how come bluegrass doesn't talk about sex with family members, shooting sick cattle, or cars not starting?

SeSawaya · Dec 30, 2006, 01:42 AM

radio ANYTHING seems to suck nowadays.

I really dig Fred Eaglesmith a lot

and I prefer Outlaw country or Alternative country as the good stuff is called now...

zro · Dec 30, 2006, 01:47 AM

Roy Clark and Chet Atkins are about all I can stomach.

smacintush · Dec 30, 2006, 02:14 AM

Modern country does indeed suck. It is just as contrived as anything in the pop world.

I don't really LISTEN to the old country but I can at least appreciate it.

keekeeree · Dec 30, 2006, 02:51 AM

Some does, some doesn't...just like all musical genres. Hell, a lot of artists have stuff that sucks and doesn't suck. Johnny Cash isn't immune to this fact either.

ShortcutToMoncton · Dec 30, 2006, 03:22 AM

A thread on country music, and no one's mentioned Gram Parsons yet? For shame, people. For shame.

greg

IceEnclosure · Dec 30, 2006, 07:01 AM

this kid showed up at our Christmas Keg Party the other day out at the park. He had a big 'ol F250 Diesel, and a retarded trucker hat and huge belt buckle, playing some terrible music from his truck.
He wanted to join us and knew one of the guys in our group, but he was obnoxious as all heck.

My friend took his belt somehow, he wanted the buckle.

Country Music blows. Except Willie Nelson and Mr. Johnny Cash.

jokell82 · Dec 30, 2006, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

No they most certainly do not suck. But...Wilco is country?

Wilco is certainly not country. In their early days they were classified as alt-country, but they've moved far away from their early work. A Ghost is Born has nothing in it that could be classified as country.

OwlBoy · Dec 30, 2006, 11:59 AM

The new stuff they play on the "Country" stations does suck.

The older stuff, eh, not so much.

-Owl

ghporter · Dec 30, 2006, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Wilco is certainly not country. In their early days they were classified as alt-country, but they've moved far away from their early work. A Ghost is Born has nothing in it that could be classified as country.

I had heard them in the past (for example when Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came out), and I'd have put them in "alternative rock" myself. I went to their site last night while reviewing this thread and my wife and I listened to YHF some. Not country from our angle. Please note we live in San Antonio, Texas and have just up the road one of the Meccas of country music, namely Austin. Maybe we have a more specific definition of "country music" than other people. For example, we both disagree that Mary Chapin-Carpenter belongs in the country classification; she's folk if anything, yet the "system" likes to throw her work in with the likes of Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. It just doesn't fit.

Kevin · Dec 30, 2006, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by OwlBoy

The new stuff they play on the "Country" stations does suck.

The older stuff, eh, not so much.

Word. The new stuff is just candy coated pop music with a lap-steel guitar and a country accent.

SirCastor · Dec 30, 2006, 02:25 PM

Country music nowadays is (as some others have mentioned) not country music. It's rock with boots and a Cowboy hat. (and a twang). I hate that stuff. The old country is enjoyable somewhat. If you ask me what music I like, I'll reply with "Anything that's not country or rap".

The old style country, I can get along with.

Wiskedjak · Dec 30, 2006, 02:50 PM

For me, the question is "what is Country music?". It seems to me that most of what currently calls itself "Country" is actually Top 40 or Rock.

Chuckit · Dec 30, 2006, 02:58 PM

Alan Jackson - Murder On Music Row Lyrics

Salty · Dec 30, 2006, 04:54 PM

Mike Kelly is awesome, country with turn tables. Really interesting stuff, that said typically i don't like country, the twang and the hillbillyness drives me nuts. Though I don't mind some country influence in other genres.

Chuckit · Dec 30, 2006, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

Mike Kelly is awesome, country with turn tables. Really interesting stuff, that said typically i don't like country, the twang and the hillbillyness drives me nuts. Though I don't mind some country influence in other genres.

I don't hear the country.

Salty · Dec 30, 2006, 05:01 PM

Did you listen to Ain't About Dreams Anymore?

volcano · Dec 30, 2006, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I had heard them in the past (for example when Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came out), and I'd have put them in "alternative rock" myself. I went to their site last night while reviewing this thread and my wife and I listened to YHF some. Not country from our angle. Please note we live in San Antonio, Texas and have just up the road one of the Meccas of country music, namely Austin. Maybe we have a more specific definition of "country music" than other people. For example, we both disagree that Mary Chapin-Carpenter belongs in the country classification; she's folk if anything, yet the "system" likes to throw her work in with the likes of Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. It just doesn't fit.

I find it strange how I live in this supposed Mecca... yet I rarely, if ever, hear country music in the establishments I visit around town. Austin is really diverse, though, and I wouldn't be caught dead in bars like Coyote Ugly and all those country-like places downtown. It's just not me. But I do see plenty of Ford F-350s, F-250s, Silverados, and big ass trucks in general which more than makes up for it. I absolutely hate country, but I do have a place in my heart (and my catalog of music) for both Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

Blasphemy · Dec 30, 2006, 07:19 PM

the new stuff sucks bad

the older stuff, 60's, 70's, and through 80's, is better. And a bit of the 90's is ok.

ghporter · Dec 30, 2006, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by volcano

I find it strange how I live in this supposed Mecca... yet I rarely, if ever, hear country music in the establishments I visit around town. Austin is really diverse, though, and I wouldn't be caught dead in bars like Coyote Ugly and all those country-like places downtown. It's just not me. But I do see plenty of Ford F-350s, F-250s, Silverados, and big ass trucks in general which more than makes up for it. I absolutely hate country, but I do have a place in my heart (and my catalog of music) for both Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

Two words: Broken Spoke. South Lamar near 71.

Stogieman · Dec 31, 2006, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

Country Music blows. Except Willie Nelson and Mr. Johnny Cash.

I agree. Although I would like to add my all time favorite country song, "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels.

bowwowman · Dec 31, 2006, 08:17 AM

Over the past 5-10years, I have come to refer to the "modern" country you hear on the radio nowadays as "bowurrrrerrrra" music.....as it all seems to sound like a bunch of sick cyotes howling at the moon

And yea, Johnny, Hank & Willie r da kings of real country IMO !

Burrrrrppppp! · Dec 31, 2006, 01:22 PM

No.

Avett Brothers
Dolly Parton
George Jones
Merle Haggard
Hank WIlliams
Hank Williams III
Willie Nelson
Johnny Cash
Loretta Lynn
Rosanne Cash
Steve Earle
Waylon Jennings
"Alt-Country" Whiskeytown, Neko Case, Old 97s

All good stuff.

Kevin · Dec 31, 2006, 01:25 PM

Southern Rock wasn't bad. Zakk Wylde of black label society had a cool band called "Pride and Glory" that kicked ass in the 90s.

pyrite · Jan 2, 2007, 10:41 PM

i hate country, with few exceptions. too formulaic in general.. some old-school stuff is cool, particularly when it includes more blues/gospel elements etc

IceEnclosure · Jan 3, 2007, 02:14 AM

I went to a few Bluegrass festivals when I was real young. I remember kinda thinking it was alright. I was diggin' the Hall and Oates tape my dad gave me that year as well.

I can't lose a game of pool when Devil Went Down to Georgia is playing. Same goes for "Bad to the Bone" and "1 Bourbon, 1 Scotch, 1 Beer", both by George Thorogood.