Country music has sure changed from 1985 to now - Billboard country album charts from Nov. 1985, now

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by BradOlson, May 4, 2013.

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  1. throbbin tower

    throbbin tower Forum Resident

  2. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven Thread Starter

  3. MiracleAndWonder

    MiracleAndWonder Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    But while Dixie Chicks sold records (and only about 1/3 what their previous album sold), they had next to no airplay on country radio. It was never like they had a controversy and got over it immediately. The "bigger than Jesus" thing was pretty much swept underneath the rug by the time Sgt. Pepper came out. It had no long-term effect on The Beatles. The Dixie Chicks have yet to score anywhere the sort of hit on country radio on par as they were getting from 1998 to early 2003. Coming back from a career-ending backlash is like when Madonna in 94-95 was having huge hits on radio again as if the backlash from the Sex book never happened, or Justin Timberlake again being the prince of the pop charts and we've already forgotten that he took Janet Jackson's boob out on live TV. Those artists overcame potential career-ending backlashes, the Dixie Chicks' album sold well but the most successful single off that album stalled at #36 on the country charts (compared to #4 pop and #32 AC) which shows that country radio did not forgive them or give them a second chance. But then again, country radio also barely touched Johnny Cash's Hurt and that is a song that is universally loved and considered a masterpiece by people who don't even touch country.

    And of course you will ignore this piece anyways since you seem to conveniently overlook a lot. Here are some of the country artists I like: (of course you won't read this because you prefer to be offended instead of accept that I do like SOME of the music even if I don't care for the fanbase)
    Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton (especially the early 70s stuff), Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, The Judds, Reba McEntire, Glen Campbell, Dottie West, Bobbie Gentry, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Johnny Cash (and who doesn't like him?). Not to mention the more "pop country" stuff like Juice Newton, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, The Eagles, etc...

    I prefer the more folky singer-songwriter side of country music that seems to have been wiped aside ever since Garth changed the entire industry. Taylor may be a singer-songwriter but I don't feel as moved by her songs as Emmylou and Dolly's tales from their heyday. The singer-songwriter stuff that is similar to old school country seems to now be more popular with hipsters and indie fans than country audiences and is known as "indie folk" and the sort... listen to The Avett Brothers... that sounds more like country than the pop/rock hybrid stuff out now does... and yes, I actually do like their stuff. Of course I know I'm probably talking to a brick wall because you're still going to be defensive and put words into my mouth (like me saying Taylor Swift was homophobic when I never thought such a thing) because its easier than seeing a different opinion.
     
    Jackson likes this.
  4. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven Thread Starter

    MiracleandWonder, are you a fan of Jimmie Rodgers, Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Gid Tanner, Uncle Dave Macon, Vernon Dalhart, etc. era country music as it is a folk-bluesy blend of music?
     
  5. MiracleAndWonder

    MiracleAndWonder Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Not too familiar with most of those artists but I do like the songs I've heard of the Carter Family. Never really investigated said artists though. I do love a lot of the artists like Willie, Emmylou, Kris, Dolly (mostly before she "went pop" though I do like all eras of her career) who had a lot of folk storytelling aspects to their music as well as country.
     
  6. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven Thread Starter

    You really need to enjoy some of the artists mentioned, especially more Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Roy Acuff, the western swing sounds of Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, etc.
     
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  7. MiracleAndWonder

    MiracleAndWonder Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I will check them out.

    And thank you for being more civil to me, and not putting words in my mouth I never said and getting uber-defensive about what I'm posting because its easy to gloss over and ignore the positive things I said about country music and specific country artists whom I enjoy.
     
  8. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    I like all of those artists, too. Liking good new country doesn't mean I reject Loretta Lynn, far from it.

    You said that the "country community" was homophobic. In response, I pointed out that arguably the biggest star in the country community today has been outspoken in her support of gay rights, to which you replied that you don't care, because women are naturally more gay-friendly than men or some such nonsense that is as stereotypical as any other prejudiced nonsense stereotypes that people have. You continue to want to employ the homophobia accusation as a stick with which to beat the "country community," but not give any credit to members of that community, such as Taylor, Carrie Underwood, or Kacey Musgraves, who take a pro-gay rights stand in their public statements and music. That's just sad, and as prejudiced towards the country community as homophobia is towards the gay community. What's funniest of all, though. is how you get conveniently self-righteous about Dixie Chicks being blacklisted by the country commuinity for their comments about President Bush, but, in your post #116 above, you assert that John Rich should be blacklisted by the country community for comments he made that offended you. I guess when it's your ox that's being gored, blacklisting isn't so bad, eh? So please spare me further hypocrisy on this subject.
     
  9. Kkfan

    Kkfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    Amen!

    That Wikipedia article you've quoted explains things very well. It's too bad that the critics of us critics don't seem to understand the sequence of events and the resulting "paradigm shift."
     
  10. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    Because Wikipedia is such an authoritative source, especially on mattes of opinion. Interesting how that Wikipedia article informs us that, in the 80s and 90s, country "began absorbing the electric sound of rock music" - I guess whatever anonymous "expert" who wrote that has never heard a 60s Buck Owens record, or listened to the very rock-influenced guitar licks and solos on classic Merle Haggard tracks such as "Livin' With The Shades Pulled Down
     
  11. Kkfan

    Kkfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    Whatever the guitar did in the background, both Merle and Buck stuck to the classic country formula in terms of melodies, lyrical content, rhymes, and overall simplicity. The very Merle song you cited retains a classic vocal melody amidst the so-called "rock-influenced guitar licks." When compared to rock and pop songs of their corresponding eras, Buck and Merle sounded nothing like their contemporary rock/pop musicians.

    By contrast, the bulk of MAINSTREAM, commercial "country" radio today is virtually indistinguishable from commercial rock/pop radio stations.
     
    Jackson likes this.
  12. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    Well, since Wikipedia is apparently the authoritative source on country music's evolution, here's what the Wikipedia entry for "The Bakersfield Sound" has to say:

    Of course, the Beatles felt enough of a kinship with Owen's music to cover "Act Naturally," and compose their own country-rock tunes such as "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" and "What Goes On," but that couldn't possibly mean that there was any rock element to Owens's sound, or that there were ever any two-way street exchanges between rock and country before Garth Brooks came along and ruined everything.

    You can repeat that all you want, but that doesn't mean that Little Big Town sounds like Rihanna, or that Kenny Chesney sounds like Justin Bieber. There wouldn't be separate country and pop radio stations if the genres were the same; there wouldn't be the issue of crossover between the genres if the genres were the same.
     
  13. Kkfan

    Kkfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    For someone who consistently preaches against using individuals to portray a collective, you seem to equally consistently violate your own message. :D

    Your miles obviously vary, but when I browse my local radio stations, most of the time I cannot automatically distinguish, merely by the sound of the music that is playing, a country station from a rock station.
     
    Jackson likes this.
  14. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    You can substitute any other artists from the different genres that you care to: Carrie Underwood has had some real pop-country hits, but is she really indistinguishable from Lady Gaga? Not to my ears, and I have certainly seen many people on this forum claim that they don't like modern country because they don't like the twang, the Southern accents, and the country instrumentation (fiddle, lap steel, mandolin, etc.) that you don't hear on pop records. Not to mention the lyrical differences between the two genres: country still focuses much more on storytelling and stories about ordinary people and their lives than the sex/fantasy/fame lyrical concerns of pop music.
     
  15. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    IIRC around 1990 a new Country format that only played newer artists was invented. It was marketed as "Hot Country". they wanted to target the younger demographic. I would say that this wiki quote is fairly accurate.
     
    Kkfan likes this.
  16. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    A young Texan's take on modern country.

     
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  17. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    I just wanted to put in a plug for Mandy Barnett. An amazing talent. Her latest album is a collection of Patsy Cline covers. In a fair and just world she would be a massive star.
     
  18. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven Thread Starter

    She's great, I agree.
     
  19. woosh1956

    woosh1956 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Menasha, WI
    I absolutely love this! I wouldn't use the same language but this guy sounds just like me. Thanks so much for sharing this.
     
  20. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA

    That's a name i wasn't familiar with, i checked out some of her You Tube videos, WOW what a voice.:righton:

    I agree with you, in a fair world she would indeed be massive, unfortunately in the real one she'll probably be forever just under the radar like so many others i listen to.
     
  21. woosh1956

    woosh1956 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Menasha, WI
    This video is quite moving -

     
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  22. throbbin tower

    throbbin tower Forum Resident

    Mandy Barnett is still around, and still has the chops!
     
  23. woosh1956

    woosh1956 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Menasha, WI
    I realize that in my tirades in this thread that I never specifically addressed the point of what Brad was trying to make here. I am of course very familiar with the music on the 1985 chart and actually have three of the LPs - Hank Williams, Jr., Highwayman, and Rosanne Cash. I don't care for Hank's personal opinions but he is entitled to them; whatever he personally thinks doesn't change the fact that Five - O is a great album. Rosanne's Rhythm and romance is an enjoyable album, but those who've read her autobiography will know that she did not care for it and seemed to make amends for it with her follow-up, King's Record Shop. Highwayman is of course the supergroup with Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson and Cash which began with what was intended to be just a duet album with Willie and Cash. Cash was in the last gasp of his Columbia contract and seemed to be in desperation mode - frantically grasping for an idea which might work (the previous year saw the release of the infamous single "Chicken in Black"). The Highwayman album was an idea which did work, but it wasn't enough to save Cash's contract. He was dropped and of course went to Mercury in 1986. Not to belabor points I've made elsewhere, but this 1985 chart still showed a lot of variety, and every voice was still quite distinctive. George Strait of course is the great holdover here, and in my opinion has done the best job of any recording artist in any field in sustaining a career. It's very simple - keep the interviews and press releases to a bare minimum and keep making great music.
     
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  24. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    Country is hardly unique among musical genres in that regard. Is there any genre of music where there is a perfect correlation between the best and the most popular artists?
     
  25. INSW

    INSW Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia

    BE AUSTRALIAN!!! BE THAT!!!

    Look, Modern Country isn't any different than Modern Rock or Top 40 - it's processed whatever-lite. It's a jar of Creamy Peanut Butter. Why anybody would want to listen to a jar of Creamy - not even Crunchy - Peanut Butter, when the real grinder is right there tasting like peanuts is way beyond me, but that's America. And you can tell me all day how the new Skippy has REAL peanut taste from REAL SOUTHERN peanuts, but it's still assembly line processed crapola.
     
    Kkfan and woosh1956 like this.
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