The country rock music genre flourished in the early 1970s. It had some stiff competition, especially with rock, R&B and jazz albums recorded and/or released in 1971 and 1972, but it came to be part of an audiophile’s collection, if not a staple.
Here’s a sample and I’m sure readers can add their own recollections:
Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, October 30, 1970 (in UK, 1971 USA)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 4-Way Street, April 7, 1971 (recorded live July 2-5, 1970)
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band, Nevada Fighter, May 9, 1971
The Flying Burrito Brothers, self-titled, June 1971
Byrds, Byrdmaniax, June 23, 1971
New Riders of the Purple Sage, self-titled, August 1971
Poco, From The Inside, September 5, 1971
Rick Nelson, Rudy The Fifth, October 1971
Byrds, Farther Along, November 17, 1971
America, self-titled, December 31, 1971
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Lost In The Ozone,
- recorded April-July 1971, release date Unknown 1971
Charlie Daniels, self-titled, Unknown date 1971
Neil Young, Harvest, February 14, 1972
New Riders of the Purple Sage, Powerglide, March 1972
Pure Prairie League, self-titled, March 1972
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Mardi Gras, April 11, 1972
Stephen Stills & Manassas, self-titled, April 12, 1972
Elton John, Honky Chateau, May 12, 1972
The Flying Burrito Brothers, Last of the Red Hot Burritos, May 1972
Commander Cody, Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Trucker Favorites, May 1972
Rick Nelson, “Garden Party” single, June 1972
Eagles, self-titled, June 17, 1972
Pure Prairie League, Bustin’ Out, August 1972
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, May The Circle Be Unbroken, August 1972
Poco, A Good Feelin’ To Know, September 25, 1972
New Riders of the Purple Sage, Gypsy Cowboy, December 1972
Everly Brothers, Stories We Could Tell, Unknown date 1972
Michael Nesmith & The Second National Band, Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1, 1972
Dan Fogelberg, Home Free, Unknown date 1972
Charlie Daniels, John, Grease & Wolfman, Unknown date 1972
Heartsfield, self-titled, Unknown date 1972
Elton John?
Yes, not even Elton John was unaffected by the emerging country rock genre. Though I don’t believe Tumbleweed Connection or Honky Chateau were true country rock albums, I do believe his affinity (or lack of same, depending on how you read his songs) for the Old American South, compelled him to write songs like “Ballad of the Well-Known Gun”, “Country Comfort”, and “My Father’s Gun”, on Tumbleweed Connection and “Slave”, “Honky Cat” and “Salvation” on Honky Chateau. There will be those justified in excluding such selections from discussion of country rock, but I respectfully disagree and include the now Sir Elton here for your consideration.
Back to the Real Deal
This two-year period, 1971-72, produced about 10 more country rock albums than the previous two years. New additions included Michael Nesmith’s First & Second National Bands, New Riders of the Purple Sage, America, Charlie Daniels, Pure Prairie League, Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rick Nelson, Dan Fogelberg and Heartsfield. Before we visit some of them, let’s look at how some of the originators fared during this time.
Byrds
The first resurrection of the Byrds was on 1969’s Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. Roger McGuinn had apparently lost it all: Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons and Michael Clarke all landing with the Burritos. However, there was a brief before his exit that Hillman saw two exemplary musicians come aboard: Clarence White and Gene Parsons. The Byrds had risen from the “firing” of David Crosby in October 1967 to begin to re-make themselves with The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Of course, that didn’t do it but what followed, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, did. With the departure from pure rock or pop music, McGuinn risked leading his new Byrds in a slightly different direction. That journey began with Dr. Byrds in 1969 and would include, Untitled (1970), Byrdmaniax and Farther Along (1971). McGuinn, White and Parsons would endure this period with John York on bass for Dr. Byrds and Ballad only to be replaced by Skip Battin who would finish out the string. In reality, this flock of Byrds didn’t make it passed 1971. Nevertheless, the bright spot was White’s guitar.
To sample Clarence White’s superb work with the Byrds you need only listen to these: “Ballad of Easy Rider”, “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue”, “Jesus Is Just Alright”, “This Wheel’s On Fire”, Old Blue”, “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man”, “Chestnut Mare”, “Take A Whiff”, and “Farther Along”. You’ll want to hear the rest of his work with the Kentucky Colonels, Nashville West, and the Muleskinners.
And, that guitar work was made even more memorable due to the B-Bender. It was an innovation that, in large measure, allowed the Byrds (and subsequent bands) to get that country feel without a pedal steel guitar player. As mentioned previously, the B-Bender was invented in 1967 by Gene Parsons and White. The device was originally the Parsons/White Pull-String, then the StringBender, but now known as the B-Bender. Parson’s early work included bending devices for the E, B, G and D strings, but White preferred a single B string bender. The best explanation I found came from an April 2004 Vintage Guitar magazine article by Dan Forte and Edward Driscoll. It stated:
“The B string is bent up a full tone by pulling the guitar neck down. This puts pressure on the strap, which is attached to a spring-loaded lever at the base of the neck. The lever arm passes through the body of the guitar and is connected to the B string behind the bridge. White’s 1956 Telecaster with the original Pull-String is now owned and regularly played by Marty Stuart.”
Critics at the time panned both Byrdmaniax and Farther Along. To my ear, the Byrds were the creators of the lazy/stoner/slacker or hippie country rock you would come to know from New Riders of the Purple Sage and Commander Cody. Unfortunately, the Byrds didn’t seem to have nearly the fun with it that NRPS or Commander Cody did. We can argue whether or not the Byrds left us on a down note with the immensely talented core of McGuin, White, Parsons and Battin, but we cannot deny their imprint on the genre and the others that came after them.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Burritos added Bernie Leadon after the departure of Chris Ethridge for 1970’s Burrito Deluxe, then replaced Gram Parson with Rick Roberts for 1971’s self-titled final studio album. Leadon made an immediate impact by co-writing three songs (“Man In The Fog”, “Older Guys” and “Cody, Cody”) and contributing “God’s Own Singer” by his own hand on Deluxe. He contributed no songs to the 1971 effort but allowed his guitar and banjo to do the work with exceptional results especially on “Hand To Mouth,” “Four Days of Rain” and “Why Are You Crying?” The latter two songs were written by Roberts and the former co-written by Roberts with Hillman. Leadon and Roberts softened the rough edges of the Burritos. By contrast, this was an understated and mostly underappreciated effort. Even Merle Haggard’s “White Line Fever” and “Can’t You Hear Me Callin’” managed to hint at the raucous nature of the original Burritos line up. Underpinning it all was still Sneaky Pete Kleinow’s evolving steel guitar playing and Michael Clarke, easily “King of the 4/4 Beat” (so dubbed by Jim Dickson).
Kleinow and Leadon wouldn’t make it to the last Burritos album of the era, Last of the Red Hot Burritos, a live album released in 1972. Al Perkins took up the pedal steel, lead guitar and pull-string guitar duties, assisted by members of the Country Gazette: Kenny Wertz on banjo and guitar, Byron Berline on fiddle, and Roger Bush on stand-up bass. A turn toward bluegrass but not from rock, this album is excellent for those who would like to get the feel of the Burritos live performance. It’s not Altamont, thankfully, but with the exception of “Don’t Fight It” and “Losing Game” this album summed up the energy the Burritos brought to the genre.
Poco
By way of full disclosure: I am a Poconut. It is a challenge for me not to skew the reporting toward Poco. Thus, if I seem to lavish the praise when it would appear by any objective measure that I’ve gone “over the top”, the reader will understand the reason why.
Jim Messina led Poco away from its country rock roots almost immediately with the release of its self-titled album in 1970. Dallas Frazier’s “Barmaid In The Honky Tonk Downstairs”, Messina’s “You Better Think Twice” and Richie Furay’s “Don’t Let It Pass By” being the notable exceptions. The 18+ minute “Nobody’s Fool/El Tonto de Nadie, Regresa” explored nearly all the musical elements we would experience in Messina’s musical career. The rock bent is obvious on other songs and Poco even ventured into the blues with “Anyway Bye-Bye”.
Like the Burritos, Poco changed bassists after it first album. Randy Meisner, (who, depending on which history of the band you believe, was really not a member but his bass and vocal work appeared on the debut album) was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit. There’s no question both offered the “soaring” vocals or high harmony that helped drive the band. Schmit’s voice and personality simply mixed better with George Grantham (drums), Furay and Messina. As with the Burritos, it was the pedal steel work that set them apart from the Byrds and others who approached it without pedal steel. That’s a credit to Rusty Young. The major difference between Poco’s Young and the Burritos Kleinow was the Leslie attached to Young’s steel guitar.
What is the Leslie? Clifford A. Hendericksen explained it in the April 1981 edition of Recording Engineer/Producer magazine under the title “Unearthing the mysteries of the Leslie cabinet”. He wrote: “The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier and loudspeaker used to create special audio Doppler effects. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ.” If your first encounter with Poco was their second album or a live performance, you may have wondered how that pedal steel sounded so much like an organ. There’s your answer.
And, the Doppler effect? Researcher Alec Eden wrote this about it in 1992: “Named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842, the Doppler Effect (or Doppler Shift) is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from an observer. The received frequency is higher (compared to the emitted frequency) during the approach, it is identical at the instant of passing by, and it is lower during the recession.”
Clarence White adds a B-Bender. Rusty Young adds a Leslie. And you discover not only the delightful results of the collision of country and rock music, you discover there were true musical pioneers inventing new ways of delivering the sound of the new genre to the audience.
The energy of Poco’s live performances was captured with January 1971’s release of Deliverin’ which was recorded September 22-23, 1970. What most of us didn’t know at the time is that Messina was heading out and (ever the shrewd businessman and not wanting to see Poco crumble after his departure) his replacement, Paul Cotton, traveled with the group during the recording of Deliverin’. Cotton took over the lead guitar work with September 1971’s release of From The Inside.
Deliverin’ set a standard that would make From The Inside appear to be a major disappointment by contrast. It was not. In fact, it was the re-birth of the country bent for Poco’s music. There is no question that From The Inside is an understated recording, but not “dark” as some have opined. Songs like “Hoedown”, “Just For me And You” and “You Are The One” displayed the optimism associated with Poco’s debut album. However, it was Cotton’s song “Bad Weather,” a slower-paced remake of a song originally recorded by his band Illinois Speed Press in 1969, remains a “hit” with audiences even today.
As far as “charting” on Billboard, Poco’s Deliverin’ did best, peaking at #26. From The Inside and A Good Feelin’ To Know peaked at #52 and #69, respectively. The latter peak was a head-scratcher at the time with the title song being so popular.
A Good Feelin’ To Know was supposed to push Poco over the top, the recognition for a band that so thoroughly integrated country and rock, essentially crashed and burned at its finest moment. There was no internal wrangling. There was no artistic disagreement. The band’s live performances were improving. As the Byrds and Burritos were going by the boards, Poco was just cranking up. With the possible exception of the indulgent “Sweet Lovin’”, A Good Feelin’ To Know was perfection, or that perfect moment in time we like to remember about our favorite bands or artists.
Poco was kicked to the curb in 1972 by up-starts (Billboard album peaks listed next to each) like Eagles (#22), Pure Prairie League (#34), America (#1), and veterans Neil Young (#1) and Stephen Stills & Manassas (#4).
Let’s take a look at a couple of the “up-starts”.
New Riders of the Purple Sage
If the Burritos were a branch of the Byrds, then NRPS were a creek off the river of the Grateful Dead. The hippie fringe of the genre would come to fusion as famously San Francisco musicians Jerry Garcia (pedal steel) and Spencer Dryden (ex-Jefferson Airplane drummer), joined forces with like-minded John Dawson, David Nelson and Dave Tolbert to generate one of the more memorable debut albums of 1972, New Riders of the Purple Sage. It can be said of few albums, where is the weakest song? and the listener replies, there isn’t one. Garcia needed an outlet for music that simply didn’t fit with the Dead. He found a fertile, albeit brief, refuge for his art with NRPS. The music frolicked (“Henry”, “Glendale Train”, “I Don’t Know You”), was tender (“All I Ever Wanted”), mournful (“Last Lonely Eagle”) and political (“Garden of Eden”, “Dirty Business”) while preserving and furthering the fledging genre. It could have been easy for Garcia to “send up” the genre, making it look cartoonish and even foolish, but he didn’t. In contrast to the Byrds, Garcia and NRPS had fun with it and it showed.
Eagles
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon were the most polished to enter the genre with their self-titled debut album in 1972. Whether a listener preferred “Take it Easy”, “A Train Leaves Here This Morning”, “Most Of Us Are Sad”, or “Peaceful Easy Feeling” (which Leadon used the B-Bender on lead guitar work), there was plenty of country flavor to enjoy. Leadon brought his mandolin and banjo acumen along with his guitar to polish the edges of the Eagles so it would suit a mainstream palate. It is my opinion that even the rocking “Chug All Night”, “Tryin’” and “Witchy Woman” were made memorable at least in part by Leadon’s approach. Of course, the singing of Frey, Henley and Meisner dominated. They weren’t the wide-eyed optimists like Poco. They didn’t mind displaying their demons in a more “road weary” way like the Byrds and Burritos. Another difference: they could all sing lead capably and with distinction, not to mention the harmonies by this time a necessity for a country rock band.
Prior to forming the Eagles, they had played as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group. Leadon is familiar to the reader from his work with Dillard & Clark and the Burritos and Meisner with Poco. Henley did some time with Shiloh while Frey (with J.D. Souther) came from Longbranch Pennywhistle.
History has much to say about the Eagles and their various iterations, but at this moment in history they did much to bring country rock into the mainstream.
America
It has been said that nature abhors a vacuum. With the last Crosby, Still & Nash studio album quickly receding into the musical rear view mirror, along came America with “A Horse With No Name” in 1972. This is not truly a country rock album except that the lead vocal on this song sounded like Neil Young and the tight harmony resembled CS&N. The song was a #1 hit and the band made its living from the Southern California soft rock sound.
Neil Young
A recent retrospective on “Biography” (A&E Network) explained that Harvest was created in a time of new love and calm in Young’s life. “Harvest”, “Out On The Weekend”, “Old Man”, “Are You Ready For The Country” and “Heart of Gold”, helped Young keep his country ground staked out for a generation. There are the oddities: “A Man Needs A Maid” and “There’s A World”. There are the political and life commentaries: “Alabama”, “The Needle And The Damage Done”, and “Words”. Those were sufficient to warn the listener that they were still getting a record that would defy a single genre label from “Shakey”.
Stephen Stills & Manassas
If there was a “supergroup” for the genre, Stephen Stills & Manassas qualify on two levels: quantity (7 members) and depth (both of musicianship and of space on the record). It can be argued that only 25% of the four sides of this double-album set were set aside for country rock, but it would have been 50% or more of the single albums of most country rock bands produced in 1972. Each album side had a name and the country side is entitled “The Wilderness”. A couple on the side entitled “Consider”, “It Doesn’t Matter” and “How Far”, could be included as well.
Along for the ride with Stills (vocals, guitar, bottleneck guitar, piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette) were Chris Hillman (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Al Perkins (steel guitar, guitar, vocals), Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels (bass), Paul Harris (organ, tack piano, piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette), Dallas Taylor (drums), and Joe Lala (percussion, vocals). Additional help came from Sydney George (harmonica), Jerry Aiello (piano, organ, electric piano, clavinette), Bill Wyman (bass), Roger Bush (acoustic bass), and Byron Berline (fiddle). All the influences from the Stones to Burritos to CS&N to Joe Walsh and beyond packed on to this record.
I was present at one of their performances (Mississippi River Festival, Edwardsville, IL), when Rick Roberts appeared with them to do his song “Colorado” and Joe Walsh, the opening act, came on stage to trade some licks with Stills and Perkins. As The Outlaws would exclaim in 1975: “Green Grass and High Tides”! Indeed, for the genre this moment was its high tide.
Pure Prairie League
Sometimes it seems odd to think this band hailed from Cincinnati. Craig Fuller, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call formed the original nucleus. Phil Stokes was added on bass but he and McGrail left prior to recording the first album. Jim Lanham replaced Stokes. Then, after the debut album, Caughlan and Lanham left. Fuller, George Ed Powell (guitar and vocals), William Frank (Billy) Hinds (drums, percussion) and Michael Connor (piano) filled the line-up card for the second album. James Rolleston played bass on Bustin’ Out but was not considered a member.
The debut self-titled album and the second, Bustin’ Out, were led by Fuller. “Tears”, “Take It Before You Go” and “Country Song” were the strength of the debut. While we can argue “You’re Between Me” is the strongest song on the record, I considered it more a rock song but I will acknowledge anyone who would challenge that opinion. On Bustin’ Out, of course, “Amie” put the band on the map. I believe Fred Holstein’s “Jazzman” was a folk rock song and “Call Me, Tell Me” a classic bit of Fuller cynicism that didn’t fit the genre but all others were certainly sweet and exciting additions to a strong 1972.
Final notes on 1971-1972
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the likes of “newcomers” Charlie Daniels, Dan Fogelberg along with “old hands” Michael Nesmith and Ricky Nelson. It’s hard to think of Daniels as anything but legendary today. It’s equally hard to believe we lost both Fogelberg (died December 16, 2007 from prostate cancer) and Nelson (died December 31, 1985 in a plane crash near Texarkana, TX) so early.
Nelson’s “Garden Party” was memorable for its line “If memories were all I sang, I’d rather drive a truck.” Makes you wonder how he would feel about all the country rock bands on the nostalgia tours today.
Fogelberg’s debut, Home Free, went platinum, but as a re-issue many years later. A fitting tribute nonetheless.
Michael Nesmith was covered in the previous thesis but suffice it to say he continued to contribute with inventive albums form his First and Second National Bands during this period. Nevada Fighter featured musicians Red Rhodes, James Burton and Glen D. Hardin. Tantamount featured Rhodes and Jose Feliciano on congas. Nesmith founded Pacific Arts Corporation in 1974 and continues to operate it today.
What`s your real name (Jean Craddock)? " I`m Bad Blake. My tombstone will have my real name on it. Until then, I`m just gonna stay Bad. "
Bad Blake is the wisest of characters when it comes to penning tunes. True, he has a few faults, such as he preference for chuggin` on a pint of whiskey the whole day through. But he has a good heart, and he nurtures a love for a music journalist he meets in New Mexico, Jean Craddock.
This aint a film review of Crazy Heart, but rather a smorgasbord-listening-fest of these terrific sounds waftin` sweetly from this Deluxe Soundtrack, produced by T Bone Burnett and Stephen Burton. 23 perfect country tunes are packaged herein, and a balance is forged between old timey rare country gems and newer ones written specifically for the movie.
I picked out 11 songs to take a shot at here. Even if Jeff Bridges doesn`t win for Best Actor tonight on the Academy Awards, and even if The Weary Kind don`t win in the Best Song category, this soundtrack will be immensely popular in the months to come.
I`ve come to believe that T Bone Burnett is on a roll when it comes to assembling a movie soundtrack. He`s had Walk the Line and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Already! The muse is with T Bone. This one`s even better! So, let`s take a trip down memory lane and raid the vaults of C & W`s finest! Hope you enjoy my humble spittoonings of plug-tobaccy?
The first song on the soundtrack is Hold On You, a throwback to the Country Outlaw greats, like Waylon and Willie (and the boys). Jeff Bridges sings it convincingly; he talks/sings his lonesome cowboy story just as the late-great Johnny Cash would have. I`ve been blessed and I`ve been cursed, all my lies have been unrehearsed. A wall of fire that I walked through, only trying to get a hold on you. "
Hold On You was written by Stephen Bruton, T Bone Burnett, John Goodwin and Bob Neuwirth. I see it as an anthem of Bad Blake`s, a mission to clean up his act and to try to pursue his new love, Jean Craddock, in order to create a better life for himself. Bad`s singing it to Jean in earnest, he`s been on the road too long and needs a good woman to settle down a piece with.
I can`t get over how tight the Buckaroos are on Hello Trouble. Hello Trouble was cut 6 on side 2 of Together Again/My Heart Skips a Beat, which was released in July of 1964 on Capitol Records. The song was written by Orville Couch and Eddie McDuff and has lyrics that tie in heartache with love. That is, when this little fling comes around to visit Buck she stirs up a hornets nest. A common theme in country music songs.
We`ll make a pot of coffee, and you can rest your shoes, a you can tell me them sweet lies, and I`ll listen to you. For I`m just a little part of the life you`ve lived, but I`d rather have a little bit of trouble than to never know the love you give. "
The band sounds so good, it makes me want to hear more of these Buck Owens` records from the 60s. Did get Act Naturally the other day. The band is sparse, economical and the rhythm is peppy. This is referred to as the "Bakersfield Sound`, which is somewhat rougher and more rockin` than what was comin` out of Nashville at that time. YouTube has a cool Hello Trouble live, that was performed on Hee Haw one time.
The great guitar work and harmonies are done by Don Rich, Buck`s longtime partner who helped him polish his sound to perfection. Don Rich died in a motorcycle accident in 1974 and this devastated Buck Owens. Buck sank into a deep depression as a result of his partner`s death. But fortunately those glory days are captured on those early Capitol records.
This is my initial exposure to The Louvin Brothers; track 3 is My Baby`s Gone written by Hazel Houser. It was released as a single in 1958 and then included on an album, My Baby`s Gone, on Capitol Records Nashville. The Louvin Brothers are known for their tight harmonies and remind me of The Everly Brothers.
Hold back the rushing minutes, make the wind lie still. Don`t let the moonlight shine, across the lonely hill. Dry all the raindrops, and hold back the sun, my world has ended, my baby`s gone. "
It`s a worthy endeavor to explore their entire careers; that`s on my "to do` checklist. Ira and Charlie Louvin were steeped in the Baptist religion and were comfortable in the gospel genre also. However, Ira, the mandolin player, had a bad temper, a drinking problem and was known for his run ins with the law. Tragically, Ira was killed in a car crash in 1965. The 1960 album, Satan Is Real, is something of a cult classic in terms of being a "sign of those times`.
Track 8, Fallin` & Flyin,` is a new one written for the movie by Stephen Bruton and Gary Nicholson. Stephen made up many of these clever lines; they`re off the cuff and natural and were derived from a real life situation. Don`t know the particulars on this, but rumors certainly fly around. I was going where I shouldn`t go, seeing who I shouldn`t see. "
Jeff Bridges does a great job on the vocal giving it the comic edge that it so desperately needs. And I love the squeeze box part by Joel Guzman, which is a splash of lime on it. Stephen Bruton died in May of 2009, but made major contributions to the movie screenplay and to this brilliant soundtrack. Bruton was a road warrior himself and his experience is interspersed into the Bad Blake character.
Track 9 is one by Kitty Wells, The Queen of Country, Searching (For Someone Like You). With a smooth lilting rhythm, this one is old-fashioned country music that you don`t hear anymore. Searching was a single for Kitty from 1956, written by Murphy Maddux, that made it to # 3 on the U.S. Country charts.
The arrangement is simple, traditional, with an upright piano taking the lead. The session pianist utilizes an arpeggio accent that is quite effective, and not confused by other instruments. Brushes are used on the drums and the bass thumps are subdued in the mix. Just a touch of a steel pedal and the color of harmonies against Kitty`s pleas of passion.
Searching, I`ve spent a lifetime darling, searching, looking for someone like you. Dreaming, in all my dreams I dream that someday I`d find someone like you. " The lyrics might apply to the way that Bad Blake finds and falls in love with the music reporter Jean Craddock in the movie.
Kitty Wells achieved a great amount in country music early on in the 1950s and paved the way for future female country stars, such as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Her hit from 1952, It Wasn`t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, where she suggests that deceitful men are equally as responsible for "fallen women` as the women themselves, is a step in the right direction as a counterpoint to the "paternal mores` of the 1950s. It`s a shame that all the blame is on us women. "
It`s said that Waylon Jennings started the Outlaw Country movement with the 1972 RCA release of Ladies Love Outlaws. Waylon and Willie reacted negatively to the "Rhinestone Cowboy` attitude that persisted in Nashville. They initiated that radical movement right here in Austin, Texas in the early 1970s. I remember it well, since I was in school at UT at the time.
Anyway, track 12 is Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, which was a # 1 U.S. country chart topper for Waylon in 1975. It`s Waylon`s plea for people to start doin` things the way Hank Williams had done them originally, legitimate and proper! This is the radical new voice of country urging us to return to our roots, and stop being so flashy and over-produced.
It`s the same old tune, fiddle and guitar, where do we take it from here? Rhinestone suits and new shiny cars, we`ve been the same way for years. We need to change. "
I think it`s safe to say that a good amount of Bad Blake comes from Waylon Jennings. He had an amazing career (1937-2002), was in the original Crickets with Buddy Holly, avoided the plane wreck that took Buddy, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens, then he became a superstar who spearheaded a revolution in country music. Oh, Waylon had his own run-ins with substance abuse himself, as you probably already know.
Track 14 is one by George Jones, Color of the Blues. It was a single released in 1958 and made it to # 7 on the U.S. country charts. It was written by Lawton Williams and George Jones himself, with on the button metaphors for the woeful condition of the blues. Images of skies, waters and bluebirds are rotated to simulate this universal human condition. The 2nd verse is my favorite.
There`s a rainbow overhead, with more blue than gold and red, blue must be the color angels choose. A blue dress you probably wore, when you left to return no more, blue must be the color of the blues. "
In this early, fairly obscure George Jones song, his vocals are in top form, and he bends the words to accent his feelings of sorrow and hurt. The band is minimal with fiddle, bass and acoustic guitar complimenting a country and western voice that makes you feel a tremendous amount. I want to thank T-Bone Burnett personally for digging this gem up; I can experience my own troubled past, channeled by way of "George Storms.`
I`ve seen Townes Van Zandt a few times up in Dallas at Poor David`s Pub. Townes was a bit messed up one time, as I recall. Didn`t know he`d become a legend. Can`t get a hold of many of his best albums anymore, like The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. Track 18 is If I Needed You, one of his most popular songs.
I notice some Townes in the character of Bad too. Townes is a down and out songwriter with quite a few bad habits. He went from dive to dive playing his heartfelt songs, just struggling to exist. That would be Bad Blake. Both mainly gifted songwriters. If I needed you, would you come to me? Would you come to me and ease my pain? If you needed me, I would come to you, I would swim the seas for to ease your pain. "
I`m much obliged to T Bone for his choice of Track 20, Mal Hombre, by Lydia Mendoza. Lydia and her family members sang in the open air plazas of a still youthful San Antonio. When yet a little girl Lydia collected gum wrappers with lyrics on them. She wrote the music around some of these lyrics, and so we now have the classic Mal Hombre.
The song was recorded in 1934 for RCA Victor Records` subsidiary, Bluebird. It`s simply Lydia and her twelve-string guitar and tells of a false-hearted lover or "evil man.` Lydia is a legend, especially with the Hispanic community, and has recorded over 1,200 singles and albums. Lydia is also known as La alondra de la frontera " or the lark of the border. "
There are two biographies (Lydia Mendoza: A Family Autobiography and Lydia Mendoza`s Life in Music) on Lydia and one documentary from 1979, Chulas Fronteras. If you would like to collect some of Lydia`s CDs, just go over to the Arhoolie Records site to purchase her precious records. Her story is one of struggle as an immigrant from Mexico.
Apparently, Bad Blake, played by Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, has influences that extend beyond country music. Bad likes jazz and folk too, and sings a song written by Greg Brown in the film. Track 22 is Brand New Angel and was an unrecorded track donated by Greg Brown for the film.
Jeff sings this dirge-like song about a brand new angel with an old violin. " Unusual lines, but what I got from it, is that this old gifted songwriter, who would be Bad Blake, is immortalizing himself by penning wonderful tunes. Therefore, he is welcomed to heaven by a fiddle-bearing angel.
Well it rained last night, and the stars shown bright, and way off yonder we heard the whippoorwill. At the first light of dawn, we heard that he was gone, our hearts was empty, and our eyes was filled. "
Bad Blake has a sizeable drinking problem, but is still a most gifted songwriter. In spite of his ordeals with the bottle, his muse never fails him. While I`m not that familiar with Greg Brown`s work, that will hopefully change. The inclusion of Brand New Angel on the soundtrack will surely bring much more attention to the talent of Greg Brown.
Mighty fine pickin` and singin` (by Ryan Bingham) on track 23, The Weary Kind. Hope it wins for Best Song tonight. I know in my heart it`s a good un. This is Bad`s signature song. Made him a living. Written by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett, it is a sweeping statement of Bad Blake`s predicament as a washed-up C & W artist. A travelin` singer/songwriter`s life is a hard road to travel.
The days and the nights all feel the same. The whiskey has been the thorn in your side that doesn`t forgive. The Highway that calls for your heart inside. "
One night stands at bowling alleys and honky-tonks. Pool games at truck stops, it`s a lonely life, a lonesome musician on an endless journey. This is what T Bone was trying to capture. I`ll play the part and I won`t need rehearsing, all I gotta do is act naturally. " Buck and Ringo were right too "
This soundtrack brings the past back to life for us all, vicariously speaking. This is an amazing sojourn through time, the 1970s, that is. The soundtrack is simultaneously a History of C & W and a simulation of the Country Outlaw Period, that seem so ancient to us in 2010.
But musicians like Stephen Bruton, Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt and Waylon Jennings (& a slew of others) actually EQUAL: Bad Blake. This is the right time to review both their biographies and to celebrate their accomplishments in music. T Bone and Jeff (many others too) allow us to do this. Carpe Diem, my friend!
*(my sources are mainly the Wikipedia pages for all of these fabulous artists (along with many links) and the soundtrack itself, Crazy Heart.)
You can find Lydia Mendoza CDs on Arhoolie Records (Down Home Music Since 1960).
http://chulasfronteras.com/
“For artisans, this will open doors to hoteliers and those who cater directly to tourists,” said Mr Key.