A theory on why Country radio is hot

[RFLA]

> > Chances are if Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell or the Eagles
>
> > came out today, they would be played on the country
> stations
> > more often than anything else.
>
> Good examples. Add Stevie Nicks, Dan Fogelberg, John
> Mellencamp, America, early Olivia Newton-John, Crosby Stills
> & Nash, Delaney & Bonnie, or songs like Bruce Springsteen's
> "I'm On Fire" and "My Hometown."
>


Actually some country stations before big business really took over, used t experiment here in the south with John Cougar Mellencamp and Lynyrd Skynyrd (as well as some Atlanta Rhythum Section,The Amazing Rhythum Aces (come on, who could forget Third Rate Romance?)Some Allman Brothers,and the one southern rocker to cross in the 70's and limiting himself to country music years later... Charlie Daniels)

To find that kind of variety now is usually limited to mom and pop stations and those on the internet only however.

RFLA

 

[AJ1952Chats]

> Chances are if Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell or the Eagles> came out today, they would be played on the country stations> more often than anything else.Good examples. Add Stevie Nicks, Dan Fogelberg, John Mellencamp, America, early Olivia Newton-John, Crosby Stills & Nash, Delaney & Bonnie, or songs like Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" and "My Hometown."

A lot of them did get played on country stations for many years back here in Indiana--and some country stations still play them at least occasionally.I suspected that something was wrong with the picture back in the early 1970s when I had to have three or four buttons on my radio programmed to rock/pop stations so I could keep changing the channel to kick out the trash and find a decent song to listen to.Eventually, I found a decent country music station and just left it there--and, for doing that, I got those cozy, old homespun types of songs (Hillbilly) plus hits of the kind that crossed over to the rock/pop stations in years past. At one time, those Hillbilly songs had been included over on the rock/pop stations as well.Although country stations never got as unmusical-sounding as too many of the rock/pop stations did, I began to get that feel that country was starting to forget what belonged on its stations and what didn't, so I'm glad to see a comeback to how country stations used to sound.One of the leaders in bringing this about is HANK (WLHK 97.1 FM out of Indianapolis and Shelbyville).Here's an observation that might or might not (and I would say it's "might") fall into the same subject area:What The Beatles did well others tried to imitate and most fell greatly short-of-the-mark.What am I talking about?I'm talking about adding length to a song.The Beatles came out with what had been (to anyone's knowledge, anyway) the longest song ever recorded: I Want You/She's So HeavyIt was a very simple song as far as lyrics were concerned--more of something to dance to rather than something to get any sort of really meaningful message out of--but it was great. And it was L------------O------------N------------G.The She's So Heavy refrain that they ended up repeating until the music just vanished in a poof was harmonious and had this eerie sort of feeling to it as if it were just made to suddenly come to an abrupt end.After The Beatles showed that there was such a thing as carrying a song on and on, so many artists tried to do that. The biggest result of this turned out to be songs that were too long with their repeating of words and sounds being merely uninspiring and annoying. It's like you hear them playing over a sound system in a restaurant and think:Is that stupid, boring song (so-called) still playing? Or is another song playing that sounds just like it--as if one weren't enough!?!Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

 

[RFLA]

Is that stupid, boring song (so-called) still playing? Or is another song playing that sounds just like it--as if one weren't enough!?![/i]Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Hum... You mean the parts of the song that are usually cut out now by radio that you hear on CMT and CD now? Like Kenny Chesney's "anything but Mine?" which has about a 1-1 1/2 minute of extra material that is usually lopped off on the radio cut?Most of the filler to bring out the song is nice and neat and most I love but radio keeps a song trimmed I find to be a roughly 4 minute max song... I can't remember what the longest one is right now ( Think "Tell me I was dreaming" hit close to 5 minutes long on the radio cut.. with the cd version about 2 minutes longer)The only problem is sometimes I'm a fan of the extended versions but as you said, most people are not diehard fanatics for extended versions of say "I wish you'd stay" by Brad Paisley as I am (with orchestra style begining in CD and video version) RFLA

 

[AJ1952Chats]

Is that stupid, boring song (so-called) still playing? Or is another song playing that sounds just like it--as if one weren't enough!?![/i]Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Hum... You mean the parts of the song that are usually cut out now by radio that you hear on CMT and CD now? Like Kenny Chesney's "anything but Mine?" which has about a 1-1 1/2 minute of extra material that is usually lopped off on the radio cut?Most of the filler to bring out the song is nice and neat and most I love but radio keeps a song trimmed I find to be a roughly 4 minute max song... I can't remember what the longest one is right now ( Think "Tell me I was dreaming" hit close to 5 minutes long on the radio cut.. with the cd version about 2 minutes longer)The only problem is sometimes I'm a fan of the extended versions but as you said, most people are not diehard fanatics for extended versions of say "I wish you'd stay" by Brad Paisley as I am (with orchestra style begining in CD and video version) RFLA

As long as it's quality stuff, extended play is just fine by me. One of my favorites is all of the extras that you get on the song Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat, & Tears.The only kind that I have complaints about is where it's more and more and more and more of something that either isn't that good in the first place or else is good but in smaller measures.Some of the stuff I've heard is so tired that it sounds like several other songs and, if you played those songs back-to-back, you would hardly know when one song ended and another one began.

 

[RFLA]

As long as it's quality stuff, extended play is just fine by me. One of my favorites is all of the extras that you get on the song Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat, & Tears.The only kind that I have complaints about is where it's more and more and more and more of something that either isn't that good in the first place or else is good but in smaller measures.Some of the stuff I've heard is so tired that it sounds like several other songs and, if you played those songs back-to-back, you would hardly know when one song ended and another one began.

Got examples of such in country music? I know the 3 ones I quoted are some of the better ones I like, with for example the "anything but mine" song, I love the fade out at the end that I find only gets air play on mom and pop country stations that beleive in album cuts, Hell there are one or two songs that my rating of the song has gotten better just due to the fact I heard the extended version that added something to the song..... (tell you the truth, I bought the Big and Rich album personally (which is about a pop country as you can get at times short of rascall Flatts and Shania) because they had a few good songs on the CD that never got played on country radio that showed a real country side to them... or more real than "Save a horse,ride a cowboy")Getting onto another subject of yours, Before the 1996 deregulation, it wasn't nothing to have some of the country stations here in Louisiana play Lynyrd Skynyrd or some of the other Southern Rock favorites (such as Third Rate Romance).. It's pretty much has gone off stations belonging to the major corporates in Louisiana now however. Most of the independants have also started to shy away.As was said in another post somewheres, the south is a tough market with most markets having 2-3 stations playing country (where I am right now, I can catch 7 almost all the time.... between skip and nightime DX it goes to 11) and am glad Hank is doing it for you there.For your enjoyment: One of the the things coming in our area (this is a south Louisiana/SE Texas thing only) is the independant country stations are spinning swamp pop (a cajun form of music described as mixing r&B with country music FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_pop and http://www.cajunculture.com/Other/swamppop.htm ) with today's and yesterdays country music. Currently there is only 2 or 3 doing it all the time, most have swamp pop shows on say Saturday's with country the rest of the time. We still have varierty in some stations playlists but not to anything like a Hank (which is like what some other stations are doing by mixing currents and classic country in the area)RFLA

 

[AJ1952Chats]

As long as it's quality stuff, extended play is just fine by me. One of my favorites is all of the extras that you get on the song Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat, & Tears.The only kind that I have complaints about is where it's more and more and more and more of something that either isn't that good in the first place or else is good but in smaller measures.Some of the stuff I've heard is so tired that it sounds like several other songs and, if you played those songs back-to-back, you would hardly know when one song ended and another one began.

Got examples of such in country music? I know the 3 ones I quoted are some of the better ones I like, with for example the "anything but mine" song, I love the fade out at the end that I find only gets air play on mom and pop country stations that beleive in album cuts, Hell there are one or two songs that my rating of the song has gotten better just due to the fact I heard the extended version that added something to the song..... (tell you the truth, I bought the Big and Rich album personally (which is about a pop country as you can get at times short of rascall Flatts and Shania) because they had a few good songs on the CD that never got played on country radio that showed a real country side to them... or more real than "Save a horse,ride a cowboy")Getting onto another subject of yours, Before the 1996 deregulation, it wasn't nothing to have some of the country stations here in Louisiana play Lynyrd Skynyrd or some of the other Southern Rock favorites (such as Third Rate Romance).. It's pretty much has gone off stations belonging to the major corporates in Louisiana now however. Most of the independants have also started to shy away.As was said in another post somewheres, the south is a tough market with most markets having 2-3 stations playing country (where I am right now, I can catch 7 almost all the time.... between skip and nightime DX it goes to 11) and am glad Hank is doing it for you there.For your enjoyment: One of the the things coming in our area (this is a south Louisiana/SE Texas thing only) is the independant country stations are spinning swamp pop (a cajun form of music described as mixing r&B with country music FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_pop and http://www.cajunculture.com/Other/swamppop.htm ) with today's and yesterdays country music. Currently there is only 2 or 3 doing it all the time, most have swamp pop shows on say Saturday's with country the rest of the time. We still have varierty in some stations playlists but not to anything like a Hank (which is like what some other stations are doing by mixing currents and classic country in the area)RFLA

Lots of interesting tidbits to discuss. Unfortunately, my brain is screaming for sleep now, so I'll have to get back with you sometime tomorrow evening for further discussion!