Holy cow. WFMU’s Beware of the Blog is hosting a Country Fuzz Spectacular featuring a bunch of classic country songs with prominent use of the fuzztone effect, including the following 1966 track, described perfectly: “The first few seconds of this record sound exactly like a scorching garage punk combo at work. Then the Willis Brothers start singing and it gets even better.”
MP3: Willis Brothers – “Soft Shoulders, Dangerous Curves”
Via lptj.
George Jones and Merle Haggard – Jones Sings Haggard, Haggard Sings Jones: Kickin’ Out The Floodlights…Again (Bandit)
Twenty-five years ago, country music legends George Jones and Merle Haggard recorded their first album together, A Taste of Yesterday’s Wine. A lot has changed since 1982; Merle and George are still be revered among country’s current contenders, but they’re certainly not selling the same amounts as the young’ens.
Kickin’ Out The Floodlights…Again is better than their previous collaboration, due in large part to the lack of pressure of trying to make a commercially viable record. With this burden gone, the two set out to make, and ultimately achieve, a true country music album that’s heavy on camaraderie and highlighting their talents while avoiding any hint of trying to rekindle the careers of two legends that’ve already burned brighter than most current country music stars could even imagine.
Make no mistake: their voices are completely in tact. If anything, Floodlights is a testament to how two elder statesmen of country music can overshadow minor production shortcomings with the use of their impeccable voices.
Continue reading George Jones and Merle Haggard – Kickin’ Out The Floodlights…Again
Oh shit. Looks like Faith Hill isn’t taking her loss in the CMAs last night too well.
Update: She claims she was just joking. Sure you were, Kanye.
“Desperado” by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Another MP3 from Love Their Country, courtesy of Spin’s Hey, This Is Awesome. We previously posted their Dixie Chicks cover, which some crafty YouTuber has mixed up with the original video.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover the Dixie Chicks: “Goodbye Earl” from Love Their Country, due October 17 on Fat Wreck Chords. Via punknews.
Three years ago, the queens of country cross-over, the Dixie Chicks, alienated the country music world with a rather inocuous comment about President George W. Bush. The comment, made just days before the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, brought the trio a world of trouble and cast them as traitors in the eyes of many country fans. With a new album due this week, anyone who thinks the Chicks are ready to repent and play nice had better think again.
When the Dixie Chicks debuted in 1990 with their independently released Thank Heavens for Dale Evans nobody could have guessed just how independent the future chart dominatrices would be. The group that helped push the later-day country crossover craze of the late 90s and establish themselves as the queens of MOR hits has become a firebrand of independence and integrity—and it all started with an off-the-cuff remark in a foreign country on the eve of war.
Continue reading Rebel Yell – A Shout out to the Dixie Chicks
