Revival of the "What Music You Listening To?" Thread....

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Having some (or too much) spare time on my hand thanks to the horrible lockdown, I've finally ventured for the first time ever, into this thread and found over the last few pages I looked at, some quality music posts - especially the classical music posts, being my longest love, and also the blues and soul numbers.

I've never ever had any attraction to mainstream popular music, with classical and jazz (mostly old, not so much modern) and over more recent years, thanks to recent work trips to the U.S. (which alas the virus has put an end to for now), the blues (mostly traditional delta blues), and finally (much to my own surprise, but blame the great 'cultural immersion' I got in the South, Louisiana and Texas with its traditional honkytonks) I've "gone country" - though not the bland bubblegum "pop-country" sound that Nashville sends out to American suburbia - and is mostly reviled in much of the true country areas.

Over the past couple of years I've delved deeply into the county music mine, discovering loads of old gems, gold and diamonds.
Vicky Park said:
Johnny Cash. Outstanding.

Love some country music, not all, and not all the time. But there are some great and enduring talents in the genre.

Case in point - Dolly Parton. I saw her at Radio City Music Hall in New York years ago. Beautiful voice, beautiful songs, and played about eight different instruments during her performance. I know some people think she's a bit of a caricature, and she sends herself up too, but she's an extremely talented musician...
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...and also a great songwriter with a long string of hits on top of all that. Although she has always maintained the "ditzy dumb blonde" image (I like her self deprecating quote - "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap") she is anything but - being also a highly successful businesswoman. Her autobiographical songs 'My Tennessee Mountain Home' and 'Coat of Many Colors are my personal Dolly favourites. Most definitely a country music legend (true legends only need to be known by one name only) and I envy you seeing her at such an iconic venue.
Vicky Park said:
... Did you see the SBS series on country music? By noted documentary maker Ken Burns. Its fabulous and highly recommended. Johnny Cash gets a bit of coverage:

.
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Yes, I watched that Ken Burns doco. Famous for his docos, mostly on American history subjects, he also made an excellent 'Jazz' history doco about 20 years ago.

I was at first really puzzled with the Country Music doco because although it had much about some country greats, it made little or even no mention of other obvious country royalty such as Lefty Frizzel (whose country style of singing influenced nearly all that followed), Marty Robbins (great songwriter, great voice and most versatile singer) and Ray Price as well as other major stars like Jim Reeves, Libby Wells, Keith Whitley, Glenn Campbell, Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe.

Well it turns out that SBS only showed HALF the documentary - showing 9 50 minute episodes, whereas the full documentary, shown on PBS in the U.S. had 8 120 minute episodes. So that explains why some obvious legends were seemingly overlooked, as we only got half shown here! I keep forgetting to somehow get the full edition.
 
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Professor Knowall said:
Yes, I watched that Ken Burns doco. Famous for his docos, mostly on American history subjects, he also made an excellent 'Jazz' history doco about 20 years ago.

I was at first really puzzled with the Country Music doco because although it had much about some country greats, it made little or even no mention of other obvious country royalty such as Lefty Frizzel (whose country style of singing influenced nearly all that followed), Marty Robbins (great songwriter, great voice and most versatile singer) and Ray Price as well as other major stars like Jim Reeves, Libby Wells, Keith Whitley, Glenn Campbell, Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe.

Well it turns out that SBS only showed HALF the documentary - showing 9 50 minute episodes, whereas the full documentary, shown on PBS in the U.S. had 8 120 minute episodes. So that explains why some obvious legends were seemingly overlooked, as we only got half shown here! I keep forgetting to somehow get the full edition.
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Wow, I didn't realise we were so short changed!

Agree with you about Ken Burns. Did he cut his teeth/rise to fame on his American Civil War doco series? That was the first time I paid much attention to his work. Many years ago.
 

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Yeah, his Civil War doco was the first time he came to my attention and after that I made sure I watched 'Jazz'. However, from Wiki I found he had previously been nominated for Academy Awards for docs on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty back in the 1980's. Being a Brooklyn boy, he obviously started his career with local subjects.

I doubt country music would've been part of his upbringing, but he clearly likes American themes. Rolling Stone Magazine correctly stated the Country Music doco wasn't just a great music history but also a great American history lesson
 
Ah - I really should post a music choice here, so I'll go with something to match my miserable Covid lock-up mood, where I've found solace listening to music about hard times and misery - on the theory my own problems aren't so totally bad after all in comparison!

My choice is from a somewhat controversial, polarising singer - son of a country music great and grandson of a legend, probably the greatest country music legend of them all. Hank Williams iii played a lot of punk and heavy metal (he now seems to have gone into retirement and seclusion) but also (looking and sounding eerily like his grandfather) a lot of retro traditional country - and this one is true country, with a despairing voice, harsh, unsentimental and unvarnished lyrics (no profanities in this one, but the theme is nihilistically bleak - hence my reason for choosing it for this bleak time).

However it also features a hauntingly beautiful crying steel guitar solo that tugs at the heart and the song is nicely set off with a video that perfectly matches its mood -
 
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... and just to show my song choices aren't always of gloom and regret, here's another suitable for the covid19 lockdown- only with an optimistic message. Notice how Waylon and Jessi basically just sing to/for each other and get more affectionate as the song goes along. Very sweet -


And just for good measure, here they are again performing the same song for the very last time a couple of decades later at an ailing Waylon's final concert. Waylon could no longer stand up, but he still had that voice -
 
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Love Annie McCue. I missed seeing her in her Melbourne days, and I think she now lives in the US, in LA or Nashville. This is a brilliant rendition of her song 'Hangman'.

 
I'm still stuck on the lockdown theme, going with "You ain't going Nowhere" (because I'm not). Dylan wrote this while laid up at his home with a broken leg - but happily looking forward to better times ahead (i.e. his girlfriend arriving). It was originally recorded by the Byrds, but I prefer this version, still with McGuinn singing, but the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band provides an even better backing -

 
Professor Knowall said:
I'm still stuck on the lockdown theme, going with "You ain't going Nowhere" (because I'm not). Dylan wrote this while laid up at his home with a broken leg - but happily looking forward to better times ahead (i.e. his girlfriend arriving). It was originally recorded by the Byrds, but I prefer this version, still with McGuinn singing, but the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band provides an even better backing -

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Another like for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band reference.
 

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ottoman said:
I've always thought our theme song is really lame.
I love it because it is ours.
But it's lame.

A bit like you Mr Spider.
I love you because you're one of us, but you're f**n lame.
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I know, if only I could find my way to Hardistan. :(
 
ottoman said:
Oh, you are definitely coming to Hardistan.
You take pictures of cute little animals and then you eat them.
It doesn't get better or harder than that.
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Also the first rule of Hardistan is you don't talk about Hardistan, I think many have forgotten that.
 
Quicky said:
Sad to hear Eddie Van Halen passed away today :'(

One of my favs...

"Sit down Waldo!" :tearsofjoy:
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Right with ya Quicky, another fav of mine is....



Don't forget Eruption!
 
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine.

The attitude of this album always hits that spot of pain, angst and loathing. A timeless classic I reckon!
 
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