Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!internet!Bob Soron From: Bob Soron Newsgroups: net.music Subject: Yeah, but what about ... Message-ID: <5629@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Tue, 6-Nov-84 22:35:11 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5629 Posted: Tue Nov 6 22:35:11 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 10-Nov-84 04:01:48 EST Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 39 *Finally* got through the last week's worth of Info-Music tonight -- the life of Lusing Turistic Scum isn't easy, I'll tell you -- and couldn't help noticing that through all the discussion threads that had popped up, not one person had mentioned country music more than obliquely. Nominating the worst lyrics in country music is sadly easy: nearly anything you can hear on a Top 30 country station. Willie, Dolly, Kenny, the Oaks, Alabama, and the dozens of other indistinguishable voices have a way of turning even decent lyrics (like "City of New Orleans") into mush. As for some of the best, I respect tremendously the Austin songwriters, particularly Guy Clark ("Last Gunfighter Ballad," "LA Freeway," many others), Steve Fromholz ("Texas Trilogy," "I'd Have to Be Crazy"), Lisa Gilkyson ("Tennessee Road"), and although Jerry Jeff Walker isn't very consistently good when writing, he's never made a bad judgment about another writer ("Contrary to Ordinary" by circus clown -- damn, forgot the name, "Eastern Avenue River Railway Blues" by Mike Reid). And, of course, Gary P. Nunn. The West Texas contingent -- who were Joe Ely's support group and talent pool 'til Ely went technocountry -- also provide some good times. Jimmie Gilmore's "Dallas" haunts me, as does Butch Hancock's "Boxcars." I won't even get into warhorses of country music, since there are way too many, thanks to hundreds of unimaginative PDs across this great land of ours. (In my nearly-sixteen years of listening to country music, I've only heard three DJs who ever put much thought into their programs, and none lasted long. I'll forever remember the night one DJ played a twenty-minute set of dead dog songs...) ...Bob -------