I want to hear some 90's country, please!

[sdh483]

Big A, we can't stand all the loud and annoying songs about being "country." There are so many freaking songs that mention "country" but have nothing to do with country music. Yes, people were outspoken in the 90s but that was because country music was moving away from the honky tonk sound of Hank Williams and Bob Willis. However, the heart of country music was still there. There's not even a steel guitar in "She's Country." The problem with country music today, as with other formats, is that it concentrates way too much on image. It's like rap music - just replace rims with big tires, cars with trucks and gin and juice with beer and jack daniels. Even my 21 year old brother who does not listen to country, thinks country music today has way too much pop in it.

Thank God for Texas Country!

 

[TheBigA]

Big A, we can't stand all the loud and annoying songs about being "country."

Oh well. Times change, people change, and so does the music. If you want country today to sound the way it did 60 years ago, we all have to give up our cell phones, computers, and TVs. We don't live on the farm, and they don't have many honky tonks any more. The music changed in the 60s with Country-politan. Then it changed again with Waylon & Willie. Then it changed again with Hank Jr. All that was 25 years ago.

No steel in "She's Country?" Who played steel guitar or fiddle on Johnny Cash's records. Is Johnny Cash country? You tell me. As for pop, Eddy Arnold was the king of country, but made his money singing pop songs. Same with Patsy Cline. You can't pigeonhole country music. You can just close your ears to the stuff you don't like.

 

[WPPCProductions]

Now does this mean Genx country.It Could it fly for an another format like Genx radio is today.

 

[Gatekeeper007]

The BigA, I have been to Nashville recorded a few times, offered a job in exchange for recording and learned a whole lot. There is a group of people who control what we hear comming out of Nashville and yes they have for a while now. Traditional country as they call it today which is really country music has no place in their plan or way of doing things. The newer elements or people in country music are influenced by what is the in thing, what is current now not what was current last week or last month. Nashville is playing on this with Hollywood glitz and glamor and flash in the pan type of attention, country music isn't country anymore except on a few rare newer songs. As for things change that is true because things have to change to keep going and stay alive, a natural flow and change is good but a forced change cramed down your throat or in this case in your ears is and never will be good and in the end may very well kill country music forever.

 

[TheBigA]

There is a group of people who control what we hear comming out of Nashville and yes they have for a while now.

Yep...their names are Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins. They added strings and other non-country instruments, merged in pop and rock, called it "countrypolitan, and now they're in the Hall of Fame. Every generation has their Chet Atklins...who takes the music another step from its roots. That's what keeps the music alive. The thing that kills country music is stiffling it, forcing it to live inside a little box, and not allowing it to grow and change.

 

[Gatekeeper007]

Owen and Chet were a part of the natural change of things but today there are certain forces that are not and it's their influences that are not a natural flow of things but a forced change that doesn't feel right, now no matter how much you say it is a natural change a whole lot of country music listeners out there can tell it's not. I have been apart of country music since I was born and have seen the way things change and grow and trust me there's more in todays country music change than just normal growth, it's more like a big money push and not a natural flow of things at all. There are a lot of country music singers/groups that don't get played on the radio, don't get the help or push that the in crowd of countrypop, countryrock, countryrap singer/groups get as the in crowd gets way too much radio play way too often. I am not saying that they shouldn't be played or get the push/help but man enough is enough or in this case way too much it's just not natural, it's Hollywood/Nashville ie:Hollyville.

 

[Nick Gerard]

Here is a re-post of something I put on another board 2 months ago. It was in response to a poster's statement about many of today's artists not being "real country." I think it's applicable to this discussion:

Whenever a writer applies the term “Real Country” to a group of artists, it invariably suggests that artists outside that group are not “real.” That they are somehow country impostors. I disagree.

Real Country in 2010: Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Gary Allan, The Band Perry.

Country music, like all popular entertainment, has been continuously evolving for decades. Top artists at any given moment will often bear little resemblance of style to a top artist 10 or 20 years earlier. Real Country 2010: Taylor Swift. Real Country 1990: The Judds. Real Country 1980: Barbara Mandrell. Widely divergent styles, yet all are giants.

Ray Price’s smash hits of the early 70’s, “For The Good Times” and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” featured Ray backed by lush orchestra strings. Very different from Hank Snow’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” a decade earlier. Both are enormous “Real Country” stars of their times.

Kenny Chesney shares little musically with Buck Owens. Is he less “real country?”

The argument about “Real Country” vs “Pop Masquerading As Country” has been going on for years. It was going on when I worked country radio in the 70’s.

Rock has certainly evolved. R & B has evolved. Blues has evolved. If country didn’t evolve, we’d still be listening to Roy Acuff clones.

Thank goodness country music is such a wonderfully big tent. In 2010, Sugarland and Bomshel have their “sound” as do the neo-traditionalists like Josh Turner and Chris Young. It’s all part of an exciting, fun musical genre and it’s all “Real Country.”

Nick Summers

 

[TheBigA]

Owen and Chet were a part of the natural change of things but today there are certain forces that are not and it's their influences that are not a natural flow of things but a forced change that doesn't feel right,

No one's forcing anyone to do anything. There's a whole lot more music being made today than at any other time. It's all available to be heard, if people take a little effort and go beyond what's easy. The real fans of country know where to go, and that applies to all genres of music. The popular stuff gets played on the radio, and that's how it's always been, whether the popular stuff was Anne Murray and Olivia Newton John, or Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Real Country in 2010: Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Gary Allan, The Band Perry.

This is not a logical stement. Those of us who don't like the way country music sounds today will grudgingly acept a defintion that includes them as country, but they won't be "real country".

Ray Price’s smash hits of the early 70’s, “For The Good Times” and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” featured Ray backed by lush orchestra strings. Very different from Hank Snow’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” a decade earlier. Both are enormous “Real Country” stars of their times.

Maybe so, but at least that's good music, unlike what's happening today.

Thank goodness country music is such a wonderfully big tent. In 2010, Sugarland and Bomshel have their “sound” as do the neo-traditionalists like Josh Turner and Chris Young. It’s all part of an exciting, fun musical genre and it’s all “Real Country.”

Nick Summers

It's all country, maybe. It's not "real country".

 

[TimmyWA]

Coming January 1, 2011..

KXRT: America's Country!

Our format will be commercial-free, low interruption, Hot Country! We will focus on today's biggest hits and reach back to the biggest hits from the 90's!

Currently, KXRT is playing 100% Christmas Music through Christmas. We will launch the new format at midnight (MST), Jan 1st!

I invite you to try us out and if you enjoy it, please pass this along! (and in the meanwhile, listen to the Christmas music!)

Thanks for your time!

http://kxrtonline.com
http://facebook.com/KXRTRadio

-Timmy

 

[jself1982]

check out jradioonline.com

they do a station internet only that is 100.7 The Wolf, probably mimicked after the many Wolf's out there, but there playlist is similar to the old XM 17 US Country, with a few newer hits sprinkled throughout. And great imaging too.

 

[vchimpanzee]

One of the groups I didn't like in the 90s because they didn't sound country enough was Blackhawk.

WBRF is now classic country but they play a lot of 90s material. I listened for most of the day last Thursday and heard Blackhawk twice. I didn't like the songs I heard but at the same time, given the overall sound of that station, I can live with them too.

 

[flashback]

i didnt care for where country was going in the late 80`s or 90`s.it sounded like pop music not country to me.

in my opinion the last great country song was hank williams jr.`s "all my rowdy friends are coming over tonight" from about 1984.even he hasn`t come close to that since..

 

[Casey]

The 80's and 90's country is much better than most everything played today. The 90's had several very non-country artists, such as Lila McCann and Shania Twain, but I think they are closer to country than many we have today. We have gotten to the point where we consider Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" as country. Even 650 WSM plays songs which are not country. We truly have hit a bad place for country music.

 

[vchimpanzee]

WBRF is playing such junk as "Back at One".

On the other hand, I like "Sleeping with the Radio On" by Charly McClain, which isn't the least bit country, but much older, from a time when even pop music sounded good.

 

[WPPCProductions]

I probably mentioned this here before.The country crossover game has been going on ever since I remember.I have to agree some of the 90's flavored country tunes did sound like rock.crossover artists like Shania ,Garth and Leeann Rimes just too name a few.I remember thhe local easylistening stations were playing their hits at the time.Oh Sleeping with the Radio On" by Charly McClain thats one of my faves.yes the 80's country tunes had the cool 80's synthesizer keyboard sound like the rock tunes did which I did not mind.I rather hear the synthesizer then the rock guitars that we hear in todays country tunes.I think it was in the mid 1990's that the pedal steel guitar was rolled out of the recording studio and somebody said lets put a little edge of rock into the country song to get the younger demos to tune in and enjoy.