Be Excellent To Each Other

I'm really loving bluesgrass and country at the moment, and I've only really started getting into it in the last six months. Anyone with half a brain has of course heard the excellent O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, but as content as I was with that for a short while, I really needed more.

Trouble is remembering those names. It's easy with current bands and pop/rock legends because they're blathered about constantly on TV, radio and in magazines. Whilst with Bluesgrass and country you've got similarily named dudes with bands that look like they've been spawned by one of Amiga Power's legendary random name generators. 'Tumbleweed Whisky Boys', or something like that. So like a less talented Mark Lamar I'm going to post stuff I like and where possible links to online streamers. If only to remind myself when I inevitably forget the names.

First off a country and bluesgrass primer that also has a number of classics and greatness from soul, reggae, bebop and 50's rock is 'Theme Time Radio Hour - With Your Host Bob Dylan'. It's a superb compilation that Dylan has crafted from his fabbo radio series heard on Radio 2 and Radio 6. It also has the odd wildcard like Seven Nation Army.

Wiki-fun:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Time_Radio_Hour

And it's here, today, that I first heard a song that blew me away. I can't stop thinking about it and have played it four times already this morning in the music library. It's 'Cool Water' by Sons of the Pioneers.

Sons of the Pioneers are a country group that started in 1933 by the excellently named Leonard Slye. Much like Last of the Summer Wine original members have died off and been replaced, and somehow they're still going. You may have heard their Tumblin' Tumbleweeds at the start of Big Lebowski. But it is Cool Water that has captured my heart. It's about a man and his mule, looking for water in a deadly dry desert. As he is plagued by mirages and haunted by voices that try to seduce him into giving up and crawling off to die in a hole somewhere, he begins talking to his mule about their quest for water, cool water. Water. Water. Cool water.

It's utter bliss and makes you thirsty just listening to it. Like some sort of sonic John Ford vision. I'm going to get a Sons of the Pioneers compilation after payday and see how their other stuff measures, but I have high hopes. And when I get home I'll see if I can find a performance on the net that I can share here.

But for now, it's back to work and listening to Bob's golden oldies. Any suggestions or talk about bluesgrass and country, please post on this thread.

Thang yew.

Cool water. Water. Water. Cooool water.

Has the lack of interest given you an Achy Breaky Heart?

I just don't think we understand.

I just want to Dance The Night Away, see.

You'll want to be listening to Chatham County Line then I reckon. I saw them on Jools Holland a few weeks back and they're ace! They played acoustic instruments around a single mic and moved in and out to get the proper levels.

Very clever and traditional!

I've been listening to some bluegrass lately, mostly through Mr Zimmerman's Wirelesss Programme, but I really can't think of the titles or artists of the tracks I enjoyed most.

(As for country's bastard offsprings: the punk-country outfit 'Lucero' are ace, but a little offtopic)

Jack Straw and the Milliband Boys.

Cool Water.

Gngh. Do not jest about such things.



Christ, do you remember the number of smug faced adverts we had to watch with that playing? Phil Jupitus has a lot to be ashamed of.



Chatham Country Line - duly noted.

I see no harm in punk country inclusions.

Kalmar you win an oat and rasin cookie for gulling a stupid me for a good half a minute.

Ta McM!

It's also not even remotely Country, either.

in all fairness, that's probably one of the Mavericks worst songs.. They have done some good stuff in the part. Not as good as some other bands, but still some good stuff.

Anything with Alison Krauss is great.

duh... Hayseed Dixie.

Them explaining the writing of "Set myself on fire" at their recent London live gig might just be the funniest thing I've seen this year.

That really is quite lovely.

There's lots of stuff I like that's sort of near-country or perhaps even, ahem, nu-country, but...

Still, I do muchly recommend Lambchop and Wilco, to give two predictable and obvious suggestions that don't really fit the criteria that you stated, but which I think you'll like anyway. Also, the Tanya Donelly album "Whiskey Tango Ghosts", or something.

I have one country and or western rekkid, it's by Laura Cantrell. There, that's my recommendation. She sometimes has a show on WFMU radio as well, although a lot of it's not my cup of tea really.

It has a haunting melody that's stayed with me all day.

You know, I think it's a song I recall my father singing when I was a kid, too... I'll have to ask him sometime.

The Best Country Album In The World... Ever is surpisingly good, if you skip disc one, track one, for more mainstream country stuffs.

Yup, Lambchop, Alison Kraus, Tanya Donnelly and Wilco (though not really country, what they heck) and Whiskeytown are all pretty awesome. So good refs there.

Looking round for next song to list and wax lyrical about now.