Briggs' Music Blog: 2016

Sunday, April 17, 2016

My "Attempt" at a Greatest Country Songs List

Combination of lyrical & musical excellence, influence, & historical significance. A certain amount of bluegrass, americana, country-rock, and alt-country allowed although I will steer clear of southern-rock.

(I have marked RE on songs I know require an explanation for their position, which I will be adding soon)

1. Willie Nelson: "Red Headed Stranger" (1975)-----------RE

2. Tammy Wynette: "Stand By Your Man" (1969)-----------RE

Also: "D.I.V.O.R.C.E."

3. Hank Williams: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (1949)

Also: "Your Cheatin' Heart"

4. David Allen Coe: "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" (1974)

Also: "Spotlight" (1976)

5. Patsy Cline: "Crazy" (1961)

Also: "I Fall To Pieces"

6. Willis Alan Ramsey: "Ballad of Spider John" (1972)-----------RE

7. Gene Clark: "Life's Greatest Fool" (1974)----------RE

8. Johnny Cash: "I Walk The Line" (1957)

9. John Prine: "Sam Stone" (1971)----------RE

10. Lefty Frizzell: "If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time)" (1950)

Favorite Folk Albums

Not many flower children on this list

1. Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (1968)

Favorite Stand-Up Comedians

In no particular order, just as they came to my mind.

Dave Chappelle

My Favorite Films

This has nothing to do with music. This is also, like my music lists, not a list of the greatest films of all time, just a list of the movies that I have enjoyed watching most and would definitely watch again (in alphabetical order). So yeah no Ozu, no Welles, no Hitchcock, no Lynch. Although I have seen many films by these directors none sticks out to me as personally changing my life or the way I watch film even though Citizen Kane is certainly an objective masterpiece and everyone should see it. Also, it's not super original... get over it?

8 1/2 Fredrico Fellini (1963)

Favorite Metal Albums

Godflesh: Streetcleaner (1989) Industrial Metal

My Favorite Albums of 2010-15

Joanna Newsom: Have One On Me

How To Dress Well: Love Remains

Pyrrhon: The Mother Of Virtues

Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly

Fucked Up: David Comes To Life

Mastery: Valis

Tears of Aladdin: Carnivore Abandoned Fragility

Alameda 5: Duch Tornada

Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra: Galactic Parables: Volume 1

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

John Luther Adams: Become Ocean

Richard Dawson: Nothing Important

Julia Holter: Tragedy

Destroyer: Kaputt

Parquet Courts: Light Up Gold

Dawn Of Midi: Dsynomia

Neko Case: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Favorite Country Albums

One of my major pet-peeves is when music lovers will say: "I like pretty much everything, except country". What I think they mean is: I'm a liberal and all country singers are ignorant redneck republicans. Or: I only listened to country radio with my dad in the car a few times as a child and refused to examine the genre further. Or worst of all: I'm intimidated by people with the first two opinions and want them to think I have good musical taste. All of which are much more ill-informed and downright stupid than decent country music has ever been. Yes, that music industry manufactured douchebag with the album cover-art close-up of his perfectly manicured goatee and cowboy hat, flip open the sleeve to see a sepia bail of hay, truck, and boots is the worst (as are most music industry robots in any other genre). One-Direction and Stephin Merritt both made "pop" albums, Creed and Van Morrison both made "rock" albums, Billy Ray Cyrus and John Prine both made "country" albums. Genres have their posers and their artists. Don't judge a genre if you've only heard the posers, right?