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What is the best country music?
That is a request from Bill Russell, a loyal MR reader, and yes I will get soon to more of your requests. I'm no expert, but my picks are as follows:
1. Hank Williams Sr., get both discs and don't look back.
2. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Flying Burrito Brothers (the first two albums), plus Gram Parsons's Grievous Angel.
George Jones and Bob Willis and Merle Haggard are all in my view somewhat overrated.
3. Louvin Brothers, Tragic Songs of Life (some call it bluegrass), Dolly Parton, Dock Boggs, Patsy Cline, the essential Johnny Cash (there's lots of it), and the country/gospel of Elvis Presley. Dylan's country music is good but is not his strongest suit.
Arguably the best songs of Ryan Adams (alas they are scattered but "Amy" and "La Cienega Just Smiled" are two places to start; does anyone know a more general sourcing?) are as good as anything in the genre. I like Lucinda Williams as well plus Shelby Lynne, most of all I Am Shelby Lynne.
Alternatively, the best collections from the 20s and 30s are mind-blowingly good; for instance try American Primitive on John Fahey's Revenant label, or the Harry Smith collections. That's some of the best American music period though in some ways the blues shouts are closer to rock and roll than to country.
I might add the whole list comes from someone who was initially allergic to country music, so if that is you give some of these recommendations a try. Just think of it as White Man's Blues.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on May 6, 2008 at 06:40 AM in Music | Permalink
Comments
What, no love for "G.P."? I think it's Parsons' better album, if only marginally. The first five tracks are about as near to perfection as a country album can get.
Posted by: John Payne at May 6, 2008 7:11:31 AM
I'm probably hair-splitting but I'd call Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams country-influenced rockers. Williams owes as much to the blues--and pays just as much outright homage to it--as she does country. I'd add Dwight Yoakam to the list (though he, too, might be a 'tweener) as well as Jimmie Dale Gilmore and The Flatlanders. Nobody today does the high lonesome sound better than Gilmore.
Does bluegrass count as country? If so, there's much to praise there, starting with Bill Monroe, though it, like rap, can all sound the same to the "closed ear."
Posted by: Tim Gray at May 6, 2008 7:22:29 AM
Do you ever find it strange that people look to you for your wisdom on such a variety of subjects? Just curious.
Posted by: liberty at May 6, 2008 7:23:11 AM
Marty Robbins, The Gunfighter Ballads. My absolute favorite.
Posted by: Mark Denovich at May 6, 2008 7:35:24 AM
As someone mostly country-averse, I really dig Guy Clark (especially The Dark) and Jim White.
Posted by: efp at May 6, 2008 7:36:05 AM
To the extent that southern rock counts (and I would suggest that it has to), give a try to the Drive By Truckers, basically a thinking man's Lynrd Skynrd.
Posted by: Dave at May 6, 2008 7:40:57 AM
Townes Van Zandt - e.g. Delta Momma Blues.
Patsy Cline
Posted by: Amit at May 6, 2008 7:47:00 AM
Perhaps a more interesting question is "Why has Country Music gotten so much worse?"
Did the best artists fuse with other genres? Has it gotten worse? Is there really only so much you can say about getting drunk, driving a pickup, and patriotism?
Posted by: Nat Almirall at May 6, 2008 8:03:33 AM
If Adams is game, I would look more to his work before he went on his own - Whiskeytown is great. Also, early Wilco? Jayhawks? Son Volt?
Posted by: Brad Allen at May 6, 2008 8:03:54 AM
If you like Austin honky tonk, Joe Ely is your man.
Steve Earle's Guitar Town may be one of the greatest country albums ever.
And if you can find the first Lone Justice CD, it is quite good.
IMHO, Johnny Cash's Hurt is probably the greatest country song/video.
Posted by: subrosa at May 6, 2008 8:16:56 AM
Hank goes without saying.
Dwight Yoakam, especially his first album, as well as If There Was a Way, This Time, and Population Me. His recent Buck Owens album is also very good. Early Buck is also a must.
I second the Marty Robbins recommendation. The other albums I would especially recommend would be Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom Prison, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken (the first one, although Vol. 3 is very good too), and Willie Nelson - Red-Headed Stranger.
Otherwise go for individual songs on iTunes. Favor the 40s and 50s. Don't miss Ted Daffan's "Born to Lose" or Ray Price's "Crazy Arms." Lefty Frizzell had some great songs too.
Other than Merle Haggard and Willie, the 70s are generally a wasteland.
Don't forget Kris Kristofferson.
Posted by: Chuck at May 6, 2008 8:26:11 AM
I forgot Lonnie Mack -- Wham of that Memphis Man -- plus some of the country experiments of The Rolling Stones. Sorry!
Posted by: Tyler Cowen at May 6, 2008 9:09:44 AM
Robert Earl Keene. James McMurtry.
Posted by: greg at May 6, 2008 9:13:19 AM
You're all freaks. If Chet Atkins isn't on your list, you simply aren't qualified to make a list. Additionally, Dolly Parton should be on every one of your lists. There's just no excuse for these two omissions.
Posted by: Selfreferencing at May 6, 2008 9:57:42 AM
Judging from your picks I bet you'd be quite fond of Adam Arcuragi.
Posted by: nice at May 6, 2008 10:04:22 AM
Chris Knight and Slaid Cleaves are musts.
Also, for whatever its worth, let me second the acclaim given to the late great TVZ, Steve Earle, Whiskeytown, The Jayhawks and especially G.P.
And if you can do Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens, you should give The Derailers a go.
Posted by: Kiel Stone at May 6, 2008 10:09:44 AM
Townes van Zandt & his buddy Guy Clark
Johns Hiatt, Gorka, Prine, Stewart
Alison Krauss,Nanci Griffith, Laurie Lewis, Patty Griffin,Gillian Welch
Pure Prairie League, Doug Sahm
Barry & Holly Tashian, Tim & Mollie O'Brien
I like Waylon better than Willie
Posted by: bob mcmanus at May 6, 2008 10:27:48 AM
If you haven't heard Corb Lund Band, you haven't experienced how good country music can be. Lyrically and musically, he and his band are just plain great.
Posted by: k at May 6, 2008 10:28:56 AM
You might give the "alt.country" genre a try. It goes by a lot of other names but essentially it captures the classic country "feel." I'll second the Drive By Truckers nomination and throw in props for Hank III (Who sounds eerily like his granddad in voice and song.)
I like your concept of "White Man's Blues" btw.
Posted by: Bob at May 6, 2008 10:44:06 AM
Corb Lund? As an ex-Edmontonion, I was a bit surprised to see that name pop up. Glad to see he's making it big.
If this list and comment thread tell us anything, it's that modern mainstream (i.e., commercial) contry music sucks dead donkey. Almost every act listed abouve is either dead or outside the country mainstream. Most Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw fans wouldn't have the first clue who Robert Earl Keen or Gillian Welch are. Most of the modern artists listed above get dumped into the "folk" or "roots" categories, and get almost no play on commercial radio.
It's true that 90% of everything stinks, but about 99% of modern "Country" music stinks out loud.
Otherwiase, I'm down wioth most of this list and suggestions.
Posted by: Bartman at May 6, 2008 10:49:44 AM
Adolf Hofner; and the Tom Waits song "Blind Love."
Posted by: Raymund at May 6, 2008 10:51:18 AM
Cash, Townes, Willie, Guy, Lyle, etc. are all very good.
Don't forget about Loretta Lynn - her most recent CD, produced by Jack White, was one of her best.
Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown is country music. Heartbreaker, Adams' first, is a masterpiece. "Oh My Sweet Carolina" is one of the better country songs written in a quite some time. The title track from Whiskeytown's "Faithless Street" is a great one too.
Gillian Welch and her husband David Rawlings are sublime. Time is my favorite, but Soul Journey has some good tracks on it as well (see "Wayside/Back In Time").
Lucinda Williams' World Without Tears is magnificent.
The Everybodyfields, a more recent band out of Johnson City, TN, sing harmonies that will haunt your soul.
Posted by: Charlie at May 6, 2008 10:57:46 AM
I'm genuinely surprised you didn't include Bill Frisell's "Nashville."
Posted by: Sanjay at May 6, 2008 11:11:07 AM
Great Moderns: Gillian Welsh, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams... and Jolie Holland, if you're feeling woozy.
Posted by: MattF at May 6, 2008 11:17:59 AM
Also, nobody has raised the name of Iris Dement, who is most definitely deserving of mention.
Posted by: bartman at May 6, 2008 11:19:56 AM
