Courtesy of Rolling Stone.
Until yesterday, I had never heard Willie Nelson’s music. Today, I’m still not really sure if my life has changed in any way. I guess the question in and of itself means it hasn’t.
For this week’s In The Bin, I went to Joe’s Record Paradise and picked up a few old country records. After getting in an argument with a family friend over winter break about the validity of country music, I’ve been determined to find every good example of these genres I can get my hands on.
The argument went something like:
Christina: “Yeah, it was kind of strange that he played country music all of New Years’ Eve.”
Other Person: “All country music sucks, especially folk and bluegrass”
Christina: “Uhm, no?”
My stance was influenced by my undying love of Neil Young and his country-like folk rock, so in my attempt to prove my family friend wrong, I purchased three (sort of) country records for this article.
The Store: Joe’s Record Paradise
Joe’s is probably the best record store in the DC area if you’re looking for anything made before 1990. For current releases they don’t fit my taste, but they have every single old record you could possibly imagine, at amazing prices. Are you looking for every Judy Garland recording ever made? They’ve got it (and you can sure bet I was looking for it). Dying for a copy of the Footloose soundtrack? They have 20. But the best part is that they have so many records, that to make room for new acquisitions, they have half off everything under $6 sales. My LP single of “Milkshake” by Kelis was picked up here for a cool $3. That alone is reason enough to call this store a gem.
The Finds:
Willie Nelson: Without A Song (1983)
I hated almost all of this record. Almost, only because the second to last song, “A Dreamer’s Holiday,” wasn’t horrible and I could imagine a situation where this song could be played and it would be cool. Namely a montage sequence in a time period romantic comedy, a genre of movie I am quite fond of. Past that four minute snippet of this record, this is not recommended for any normal human being.
In Memory of Hank Williams
I think I’ve only heard two Hank Williams songs in my life but I’m thoroughly convinced I love anyone named Hank Williams. This is the only Hank record I could find in a reasonable amount of time digging at Joe’s (as I said their selection of everything is huge) so even though its a strange memorial cover record, I thought I’d give it a chance. Even though it was just sad covers of Hank Sr. songs with a pretty horrible vocalist, it was enough to solidify my unjustified love of the Williams family.
Various Artists: The Good Times in Country Music
When getting this record, I assumed a compilation record would lead me in the kind of direction I was truly hoping for. I sure got exactly that.
I couldn’t find a youtube link to the song on this record that made this entire experience worth it, so I’ve included the Kenny Rogers cover of it. This article’s journey was supposed to lead me to the realization that listening to country music of a certain era could be an enjoyable experience, and I’m glad to say that mission has been accomplished. Everything on this comp is great. Unfortunately most of the songs on it are hard to find on the internet, making it obviously hard to share with others. If you can somehow find this somewhere you should listen to it.
My record listening partner on this song: “Can I listen to that song again?” Oh yes sir you can.
Verdict:
There are 100 years of country music that prove it doesn’t suck. See you next week!