Mixing country with classic rock.. What's your opinion

[klutch00]

Isnt the new Eagles tune charting on country music? Funny how times have changed, when the Eagles fit better with us than in Rock.

..but then again, a lot of early Eagles (and even some later) was what was considered country-rock.

 

[poops]

Isnt the new Eagles tune charting on country music? Funny how times have changed, when the Eagles fit better with us than in Rock.

..but then again, a lot of early Eagles (and even some later) was what was considered country-rock.

Marshall Tucker, Eagles, Allman Brothers, Lynrd Skynrd, and a host of others were playing what many down here in Southeast Texas coined as "Southern Fried Rock" and "Progressive Country" in the 70's. Many of these groups IMHO, are the foundation for today's Texas Country.

Poops

 

[audio radience]

Are there any stations in Alabama doing this Hybrid format? I had heard there was one in B'Ham...Maybe I misunderstood....Can anybody set me straight???

 

[firepoint525]

95.5 the Wolf here in Nashville mixes current country with a very wide variety of classic rock (and pop). To look at their website, http://www.955thewolf.com, you'd have no idea that they are a hybrid station. However, go to this link and look at their playlist:

http://yes.com/station/WSM

 

[Gatekeeper007]

When you mix country music with a lot of other music it doesn't sound like country music anymore plain and simple. this is the very reason that I refused to move to Nashville and record and work there. Country music is fragmenting because when you go too far out in left or right field your no longer in the game. Some people will say the game has changed and their right but if it was a natural change and not just money and rattings driven one then you wouldn't be seeing the splitting up of listeners in country music today.

 

[nmoore6676]

When you mix country music with a lot of other music it doesn't sound like country music anymore plain and simple.

What never ceases to amaze me is that all of the country music people who worship at the shrine of Hank Williams Sr. but would probably never play any of his recordings if they were programming a radio station. Patsy Cline is revered even though she was transitioning in a "pop" direction (albeit kicking and screaming by all accounts). But you can't deny that Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and Ray Price didn't move that way. How many "Classic Country" stations will play Roy Acuff?

Also remember that a lot of rock prior to the British Invasion came from country music people like Elvis, Jerry Lee and to some even Buddy Holly. I think if you have a programmer with a good ear who can mix what sounds good together ignoring the genre labels you could have a station that works, but probably not nationwide. That is another problem, travel across this country, choose any type of music you like and tune to those stations. They all sound the same but most of them are also extremely bland by my tastes or in the case of Hip Hop, Rap and such downright obnoxious, in my opinion.

 

[vchimpanzee]

When you mix country music with a lot of other music it doesn't sound like country music anymore plain and simple.

What never ceases to amaze me is that all of the country music people who worship at the shrine of Hank Williams Sr. but would probably never play any of his recordings if they were programming a radio station. Patsy Cline is revered even though she was transitioning in a "pop" direction (albeit kicking and screaming by all accounts). But you can't deny that Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and Ray Price didn't move that way.

Say what? They were also pop. At least the songs I've heard on pop stations.

But all of these people did the good kind of pop music.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I watched The Eagles on the CMA awards. Not bad.

Some of their 70s hits would certainly pass for country.

 

[drpickle]

This is a great format idea. I also think REM could fit in. Dont Go Back To Rockville, Wendell Gee, You Are The Everything, Half A World Away, and an edited version of Country Feedback would be excellent. In addition Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, and Jim White would also work.

 

[genius]

In my opinion bands like Southern Pacific, Desert Rose Band, and Highway 101 are good examples of how to do country-rock with more country than rock.

But that's just me I suppose. Its an excellent sound but difficult to pull off sometimes as lot of country rock songs tend to have more rock than country.

Going to the Eagles discussion, I've head Eagles songs like Take It Easy and Lyin' Eyes get airplay before on country stations. Eric Clapton's Lay Down Sally was played on country stations in the 80s. Oddly enough, I don't think I have ever heard a John Denver song get played on a country station.

 

[RFLA]

You named some pretty good 80's country rock groups that came out right during the "young country" movement of the late 1980s... sadly all of them have pretty much faded.

I've heard the Eagles numerous times but over the years I've heard....

Bruce Springsteen, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Lynyrd Skynyrd on country radio during the 1980s
One of the more independantly owned radio stations in my area mixes country with a form of Cajun music called "swamp pop".. think of a early 1960s pop song for an idea and mix in a horn section. add to that classic country as well as today's country including the Dixie Chicks. I know he actually played Mercy Me's "I can only imagine"

And before you say something.. he's the top rated station in two counties (population of about 80,000 people between the 2 counties)

But the John Denver... I hear him on a classic country program played locally on a clear Channel modern country station about once a month playing "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" or "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

RFLA

 

[smashedcd]

You named some pretty good 80's country rock groups that came out right during the "young country" movement of the late 1980s... sadly all of them have pretty much faded.

I've heard the Eagles numerous times but over the years I've heard....

Bruce Springsteen, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Lynyrd Skynyrd on country radio during the 1980s
One of the more independantly owned radio stations in my area mixes country with a form of Cajun music called "swamp pop".. think of a early 1960s pop song for an idea and mix in a horn section. add to that classic country as well as today's country including the Dixie Chicks. I know he actually played Mercy Me's "I can only imagine"

And before you say something.. he's the top rated station in two counties (population of about 80,000 people between the 2 counties)

But the John Denver... I hear him on a classic country program played locally on a clear Channel modern country station about once a month playing "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" or "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

RFLA

would this station be on 95.3? I have also heard 38 special and marshal tucker along with linda ronstat. and I believe 101.1 plays more than just those two songs from john denver. I listened to a 3 hour special on john denver last night on xm 10 america. he had lots of hits in country music. remember sunshine on my shoulder

 

[RFLA]

Yep right on the station (KQKI Bayou Vista,Louisiana)

Hadn't heard the .38 special but I forgot about Marshall Tucker and others of the southern rock movement who were aired on southern country stations pre megacorp radio

Eddie Edwards at 101.1 (WNOE New Orleans,Louisiana) has a 5 hour classic country request show on a normally modern country station. But yes his taste do show some tastes to countrypolitan but those were the only two Denver songs I remember hearing recently.

RFLA

 

[drpickle]

I forgot to mention the Jayhawks. They rule!

 

[Gatekeeper007]

Mixing country and rock music should be done only if a new type of music mix is started. For regular country music it is a very bad idea, when I go to a live concert for the radio station and a rock group comes out to play ahead of the main star that it for me i am headed home.