COUNTRY ROCK
- Thread starter RAJ
- Start date
Am I the only one who thinks this record is way over rated? I know there are a lot of California hippies here, but really. Do people who like this also like real country music?
Sorry if this turns into a thread hijack. Please recommend at least one country rock record if you reply.
Dan
Yeah, I like it, but it would have been way better if McGuinn hadn't pulled a star trip and done vocals over Parson's. Though it's easy to see why he was a bit threatened by Parson's contributions. I find it to be be a far more influential record than the archetypal country-rock or hippie country. Like it's just a bit shy of being finished or something.
I thought that Gram's vocals were wiped because of threatened legal action by Lee Hazelwood (who had him under contract from ISB days)...
I coulda sworn it was McGuin, at least according to a Mojo article a while back about 'Sweetheart', that McGuinn and Parsons had some kinda falling out or McGuinn wondering why he was in the band at all from the get go. It also made the case that McGuinn had wanted to persue a country LP earlier but had been shot down, and he resented everyone acting like it was all Parson's idea.
Am I the only one who thinks this record is way over rated? I know there are a lot of California hippies here, but really. Do people who like this also like real country music?
Sorry if this turns into a thread hijack. Please recommend at least one country rock record if you reply.
Dan
Yeah, I like it, but it would have been way better if McGuinn hadn't pulled a star trip and done vocals over Parson's. Though it's easy to see why he was a bit threatened by Parson's contributions. I find it to be be a far more influential record than the archetypal country-rock or hippie country. Like it's just a bit shy of being finished or something.
I didn't know that McGuinn had replaced Parson's vocals with his.
I respect how influential it is. Though spawning the Eagles and Poco is a dubious claim to fame.
When I first opened my shop in 1990, and was trying to stock some new stuff I got invited to a few retailer events where artists would play a few songs for retailers in the middle of the day. All the artists were super nice and happy to talk and sign stuff. The best was Nils Lafgrin, who played way longer than required and told great stories about Bruce and Ringo. He lived up to his reputation as a nice guy.
The absolute worse was McGuinn, who kept a posse of groupies/managers between himself and 2 dozen retailers, hid in a back room, and left early. He lived up to his reputation as an asshole.
Dan
i dont hate gram parsons, but the one record i have with any g.p. involvement isnt great, just good. im talking about the international submarine band lp. its a nice takeoff on buck owens and the buckaroos, but gram doesnt sound very confident. im going to have to use the overused word "overrated" to describe this one.
and so this doesnt look like a thread hijack, here are some more country-rock recommendations (both are albums):
- rick nelson's "in concert"
- dobie gray's "loving arms"
and so this doesnt look like a thread hijack, here are some more country-rock recommendations (both are albums):
- rick nelson's "in concert"
- dobie gray's "loving arms"
Raj -
A couple good ones I don't think have been mentioned:
Memphis Death Trip Country Psych with Saxophone...
Don't let the "funk" fool ya, it's country rock...
Any early Townes record would be good, but I like this first one because it has more of a rock sound than the later, folkier LP's.
Watch out for Smokey!!
Also, this fine & cheap LP from Sundazed is the Sweetheart of the Rodeo initial takes with Gram Parsons on vocals, and includes a couple Parsons-sung tunes not on the LP.
A couple good ones I don't think have been mentioned:
Memphis Death Trip Country Psych with Saxophone...
Don't let the "funk" fool ya, it's country rock...
Any early Townes record would be good, but I like this first one because it has more of a rock sound than the later, folkier LP's.
Watch out for Smokey!!
Also, this fine & cheap LP from Sundazed is the Sweetheart of the Rodeo initial takes with Gram Parsons on vocals, and includes a couple Parsons-sung tunes not on the LP.
you guys saying that Sweetheart is overrated makes me sad.
has anyone seen that clip of the Byrds on Beat Club/Musikladen? Mcguinn mannerisms is on some manson-stare freaky-deakyness singing into the camera all chemical-imbalance like and being overly expressive. it was interesting though. he looked like a hippy from the neck up because of the long hair but he was wearing the most stylin rico suave dark blue suit which i must admit was kind of a good look.
has anyone seen that clip of the Byrds on Beat Club/Musikladen? Mcguinn mannerisms is on some manson-stare freaky-deakyness singing into the camera all chemical-imbalance like and being overly expressive. it was interesting though. he looked like a hippy from the neck up because of the long hair but he was wearing the most stylin rico suave dark blue suit which i must admit was kind of a good look.
You shoulda seen him around the time Sweethearts came out. Just so they'd be taken seriously by country fans, they all wore suits and got haircuts, in a mod-ish Glen Campbell style. There's a clip of them on Playboy After Dark from around that time.
Overated Album
Borderline sucks IMO.
YES! I just got a copy this weekend and expected to be in for a treat...turned out to be almost entirely dissapointing.
Raj, if your into Whiskeytown then you need to pick up Ryan Adams first Solo LP "Heartbreaker" its the sole reason I keep taking dissapointing chences on all his other work.
don't sleep on Gillian Welch either
Sorry to hat on your favorite. I'm not sure what about your description is supposed to make me like it. It's not that I think the record is not without merit. It's just that it is used by Village Voice Rolling Stones types as the pinnacle of country rock. While it is fairly early in the world of country, it is hardly the first, and far from the best.
I think in the vain these two are my favorites:
Commandor Cody Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers Favorites
Last Mile Ramlers
Here are 2 more worth mentioning:
Jerry Lee Lewis In Memphis
Best Of Lorretta Lynn and Earest Tubb (pure county but would sound good next to most nonsouthernrock recommendations above.)
Dan
wow, never thought I would hear these names on the Strut!
Great live bands, a bit corny on record, but they were great.
Oh hey what about my old friends The Jayhawks?
And Dave Alvin solo LPs are pretty countrified
so is Dwight Yoakam
i skipped the rest of their releases cause they get a bit too c-ball
they'll be kickin it live with 3 other springfield mo bands at the iota 8/15
gary atkinson's drummer won't be there, he's with dave alvin
other good friends, jonathan richman - goes country, roscoe & the gang ,
bottle rockets
you guys made the call - great live, hokey on record. if all i had were these albums to go by, id dismiss em altogether
now THIS album i can get behind, esp. "Red's."
however, the cornball disease caught up w/the morells, too - they reunited a few years ago, and while again they sounded good live (particularly backing up bo diddley), the two albums theyve released since then are forgettable
never thought id hear these names associated w/country-rock (although the c&w element is there). this thread has taken some ODD turns, hasn't it? (canned heat, the guess who and dusty springfield - COUNTRY??) even so, nice excuse to bring these bands up.
Am I the only one who thinks this record is way over rated? I know there are a lot of California hippies here, but really. Do people who like this also like real country music?
Sorry if this turns into a thread hijack. Please recommend at least one country rock record if you reply.
Dan
When I first opened my shop in 1990, and was trying to stock some new stuff I got invited to a few retailer events where artists would play a few songs for retailers in the middle of the day. All the artists were super nice and happy to talk and sign stuff. The best was Nils Lafgrin, who played way longer than required and told great stories about Bruce and Ringo. He lived up to his reputation as a nice guy.
The absolute worse was McGuinn, who kept a posse of groupies/managers between himself and 2 dozen retailers, hid in a back room, and left early. He lived up to his reputation as an asshole.
Dan
As much as I love the Byrds, I've never been able to all the way get with "Sweetheart" either. I recommend "Notorious Byrd Brothers, " which has a couple country-ish cuts and is great throughout. (And since you're looking for road music, I've gotta point out that "I Wasn't Born to Follow" was driving/hippie montage music in "Easy Rider"-- hopefully your trip will go a little better than Captain America and Billy's.)
I heard a story regarding McGuinn a few years ago-- someone told me he moved to Florida so he could go to Disneyworld every day and that's all he does now.
On the subject of Nils Lofgren, he made a couple really good records in the early 70s, my favorite being "1+1." Not country, but very sweet, very white. The song "Sometimes" really does it to me.
No, it wasn't. It was getting naked and skinny dipping with hippie chicks montage music (complete with Fonda's white ass). No riding in that scene at all.
As for GP's Grievous Angel, I defy anyone to name a better piece of country gospel harmony vocalizing than Parsons, Emmylou and Linda Ronstadt on "In My Hour of Darkness".
I sing along on that and it practically makes me believe in Jesus.
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