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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 10:59 PM #13831
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Go
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:00 PM #13832
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:13 PM #13833
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Its nearly midnight and I just though I would post a few things
Although the term "concept album" may conjure troubling thoughts of grandiose 70s hobbit-rock epics, in country music circles, it's simply a collection of songs tied together by theme, style, narrative, composer or production choices. So rather than the conventional ad-hoc selection of recently written tunes, concept albums are made with some unifying idea in mind to connect the dots.
Since Marty Robbins released his groundbreaking cowboy-themed record Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs back in 1959 and Hank Snow countered with his nothing-but-misery set When Tragedy Struck, there have been hundreds of hugely popular country concept albums along with more than a few head-scratchers. But just because the ideas may initially seem bizarre doesn't mean the resulting albums won't click with the buying public.
People thought Willie Nelson was plain loco when the gifted tunesmith and outlaw ringleader proposed a concept album interpreting pop standards and show tunes with elaborate orchestrations at the height of the punk rock revolt. But 1978's Stardust proved to be Nelson's greatest crossover smash, drawing effusive critical praise while selling over 10 million copies worldwide! Here are 10 even more puzzling concept albums created by country's top artists.
By: Mitch Plier
Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks in... The Life of Chris Gaines
Not satisfied with his phenomenal country success, Garth Brooks decided to try conquering the world of alternative rock as well. To do it, he cooked up the ''Chris Gaines'' alter-ego which involved a goofy hair-piece and an elaborate fictional back story. He then recorded a horrible album produced by Don Was, filmed a television mockumentary for VH1's Behind The Music series and planned a major motion picture to promote the project. Unfortunately the ambitious experiment confused radio programmers and fans alike who assumed the bankable country star had lost his mind. Despite being critically savaged, the concept album went platinum which might be reason to celebrate for anyone other than the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century. Once the magnitude of his monumental flop became painfully clear, Brooks officially announced his retirement.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:14 PM #13834
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I haven't heard any more about my friend. I suppose no news is good news.
I need a few more prayers, please. Another friend's aunt is dealing with cancer in her ear canal (a very rare condition).She seemed so happy & bubbly when I saw her a month ago.
Tomorrow, the treat dispensers leave for Europe, so the critters will be skin and bones by the time they get back in 3 weeks (they're convinced all 3 of us will starve while they're gone). Yippee, I have 2 freezers full of food to tide me over til they get home.
I'm off to bed now, critters are already asleep.
Night all.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:15 PM #13835
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Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks in... The Life of Chris Gaines
Not satisfied with his phenomenal country success, Garth Brooks decided to try conquering the world of alternative rock as well. To do it, he cooked up the ''Chris Gaines'' alter-ego which involved a goofy hair-piece and an elaborate fictional back story. He then recorded a horrible album produced by Don Was, filmed a television mockumentary for VH1's Behind The Music series and planned a major motion picture to promote the project. Unfortunately the ambitious experiment confused radio programmers and fans alike who assumed the bankable country star had lost his mind. Despite being critically savaged, the concept album went platinum which might be reason to celebrate for anyone other than the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century. Once the magnitude of his monumental flop became painfully clear, Brooks officially announced his retirement.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:16 PM #13836
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Shania Twain - The Woman In Me
Although not generally considered a concept album, Shania Twain's 1995 breakthrough disc The Woman In Me was nevertheless a carefully crafted pop-meets-country experiment. Could the studio tricks that Robert ''Mutt'' Lange developed in making mega-selling records with AC/DC, Def Leppard and Foreigner work for a country artist? The pairing of Twain and Lange wasn't an obvious formula for success – Shania's self-titled debut went nowhere in 1993 and the closest Lange had ever come to producing anything twangy was a 1978 session with southern rockers The Outlaws that resulted in the overly polished Playin' To Win album. Yet with the couple writing the songs collaboratively and Lange shaping the tracks expertly laid down by the very best session players in Nashville, The Woman In Me took off. In 1995 alone, the album sold four million copies in the US on the way to becoming the top selling recording of it's time.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:17 PM #13837
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Porter Wagoner – Skid Row Joe: Down In The Alley
Housed in a eye-catching sleeve depicting a worse-for-wear Porter Wagoner outside the Ryman, Skid Row Joe: Down In The Alley is moralizing song-cycle concerning the pitfalls of living the honky tonk. Wagoner stumbled onto the concept after his similar set of downhearted drinkin' tunes The Bottom Of The Bottle – highlighted by his chilling love ode to alcohol Bottle, Bottle – won favour in 1968. This time, his snapshots of life's dark side come prefaced with unironic recitations alternately haunting and hilarious – sometimes both at the same time.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:18 PM #13838
night qt's
sleep well
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:18 PM #13839
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Johnny Cash - The Rambler
During the late 70s Johnny Cash, much like mainstream country music in general, seemed to lose the plot. The Rambler is a meandering collection of tunes penned by Cash about life on the road intercut with clips of dialogue presumably between the Man In Black and various hitchhikers he happened to pick up while tearing down the highway. It might've worked better as a short film but then again, probably not.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:19 PM #13840
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Webb Pierce and Carol Channing - C&W
There was really only one clever idea in this bizarre one-off studio collision of Hello, Dolly! broadway star Carol Channing and country legend Webb Pierce but once you get past the inspired title, the rest is all down hill. The only thing they had in common was an appreciation for glitzy stagewear (see clip). Over the years, the 1976 album has become a cult collectible and in small doses, the surreal duets are bad enough to be entertaining.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:20 PM #13841
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Lee Hazlewood - Trouble Is A Lonesome Town
It's hard to imagine what country listeners back in 1963 made of Lee Hazlewood's western-themed concept album concerning the people, places and experiences connected with an imaginary one-horse town called Trouble. His entertainingly twisted tunes are bent enough to furrow brows but Hazlewood adds another demented dimension by prefacing the songs with screwy recitations that some may find wryly humourous while others will dismiss as pure cornball. Either way, you won't hear anything like it again. Hazlewood soon bounced back by writing and producing Nancy Sinatra's million-selling These Boots Are Made For Walkin' which Jessica Simpson revived in 2005 for The Dukes Of Hazzard soundtrack.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:21 PM #13842
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Willie Nelson - Countryman
Not all of Willie Nelson's concept albums clicked. The green marijuana leaf on the sleeve of Countryman – a woefully misguided attempt at fusing country and reggae – may be a clue to how the nutty concept was conceived. However, the fact that the Red-headed Stranger shares an appreciation for herbal remedies with Bob Marley fans doesn't necessarily mean a Willie-goes-reggae concept album is gonna fly – and it didn't. The Don Was-produced recording was initially shelved for nearly a decade before appearing in 2005 to widespread shoulder shrugs.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:23 PM #13843
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Diana Trask - Miss Country Soul
The money-making scheme of legendary Nashville label boss and publishing bigwig Buddy Killen to try turning Joe Tex's R&B song catalog into country gold wasn't such a bad idea and neither was getting Tex to produce the recordings. Where Buddy went wrong was having Tex's gritty tunes interpreted by bubbly Aussie pop starlet Diana Trask who had learned nothing about soul from appearing on Sing Along With Mitch. Yep, a disaster.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:24 PM #13844
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Gil Trythall - Country Moog / Switched On Nashville
The unexpected popularity of the 1968 Wendy Carlos electronic-classical concept Switched-On Bach gave other label owners the idea that similarly synthesized music in other genres might also catch on. So avant garde composer Gil Trythall was hired by Athena Records to electronically tweak some country covers for their Country Gold album in 1968. It sold well enough for a follow-up. Two years later, Gil delivered his bleepy-bloopy masterstroke, Country Moog / Switched On Nashville which more than a few Music Row veterans saw as a sure sign of the coming apocalypse. Needless to say electro-country never caught on.
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Wed, Sep 7th, 2011, 11:27 PM #13845
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(Rescuers work at the crash site of Russian Yak-42 jet near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River about 240 km northeast of Moscow, Russia. AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
A Russian plane carrying the Kontinental Hockey League's Lokomotiv team crashed in Western Russia early today, reportedly killing 43 and severely injuring one surviving passenger. The team was flying from an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River, 240 km northeast of Moscow, to the Belarussian capital of Minsk.
Former NHLers on the team roster include Pavol Demitra and Ruslan Salei, and the coach is Canadian and retired NHL blueliner Brad McCrimmon. It was not immediately known whether the whole team was on board the plane. Russian sportswriter Slava Malamud has been tweeting any and all reports in this understandably chaotic situation.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42, a model included in President Dmitry Medvedev announced plans to take aging Soviet-built planes out of service starting next year, was carrying 45 people, including 37 passengers and eight crew.
Obviously this is a recent tragedy and more accurate facts will emerge as the investigation continues. We'll keep you posted.
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