HIDDEN TREASURES #37 - Country Rock Edition

[Scott]

I’ve had this playlist put together for a long time, and I've changed it at least a couple dozen times it seems.  I really am not sure how well this will go over, but I've listened through it a few times as its now stands and like it alot. 

 

It’s Country Rock Hidden Treasures, not really Southern Rock as we would normally think about it. I tried to seperate Southern Rock and Country Rock so that a distinction could be heard.  So, there is no Skynyrd, Hatchet, ARS, or .38 Special types of sounds to be found in this weeks playlist.

 

The Eagles took this sound to its highest peak and logical conclusion in the late 70's.  But there was so much more to it than just The Eagles. 

 

Before we begin, Thank You... Thank You, Thank you, OH Thank you!  WAIT!  I'll let the lead in track do that part;  Thank you....

 

HERES YOUR LINK...

http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/23e880f6dd2f07336ebd670efa398903

 

TITLE: The Millionaire
BAND: Dr. Hook
ALBUM: Bankrupt
YEAR: 1975
Pre-Disco Dr. Hook was some pretty cool stuff.  They had all sorts of fun songs about all sorts of crazy characters, Acapulco Goldie, Roland the Roadie? hahaha - And they also had some really cool hits too, Remember Sylvia's Mother?  Anyway, I lifted this album from my brother’s collection often and loved this track most.

 

TITLE: Ship Of Fools
BAND: Bob Seger
ALBUM: Night Moves
YEAR: 1976
Feels like a Dylan influenced acoustic track, but you can hear the country slant as well, especially in the sound of the guitar providing accents to the vocals.  Not a true Southern flavor of country rock, but a mid-western take on country rock.  With The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section present in the studio on Night Moves, it’s no wonder a track like this got cut.  Cool stuff!

 

TITLE: Jackie Blue
BAND: Ozark Mountain Daredevils
ALBUM: It'll Shine When It Shines
YEAR: 1974
(Pulled from the compilation titled "Time Warp: The Very Best of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils")
This song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, yet is rarely heard on classic radio anymore.  A&M was looking to capitalize on the Eagles success and style and discovered this band in Missouri; I think that’s why it has a more California country-rock feel to it. The band overheard a friend sitting at a piano playing a song about a mysterious friend who sometimes dealt drugs. They loved the melody and altered the lyrics to be about a girl and the drug references downplayed.  Sounds like a country song to me!

 

TITLE: Undertow
BAND: Firefall
ALBUM: Undertow
YEAR: 1980
Formed in Colorado by members of The Flying Burrito Brothers after first meeting on tour with Gram Parsons.  This bands influences also include, Poco, Chris Hillman, The Byrds, and more.  The album’s title track is an elegant swan song for a band in decline.

 

 

TITLE: Who Else
BAND: Poco
ALBUM: Legacy
YEAR: 1989
Rising out of the demise of Buffalo Springfield.  It’s difficult to address a topic like this and leave this band off, no scratch that, it’s impossible to leave them off.  They are the influencers’!  So it is with this album, a reunited original line up proved they still had it!

 

TITLE: Nobody
BAND: The Doobie Brothers
ALBUM: The Doobie Brothers
YEAR: 1971
Their criminally ignored debut album is really something special to listen to.  So good from top to bottom, actually all of their stuff is really solid, but it was this version of the Doobies that really pushed the limits of that country-rock feel.  This bouncy lead-off song has surfaced in their live set several times over the ensuing decades. Most recently, this song was re-recorded and added to their 2010 CD World Gone Crazy.  I have added the re-record as a bonus track at the end of the playlist.

 

TITLE: Travelin' Light
BAND: Eric Clapton
ALBUM: Reptile
YEAR: 2001
I ran across this track putting last week’s SHT list together.  I read a clip (see below) on wiki about this type of song and George Harrisons influence in R&B and Country Rock genres', and so the inclusion of this track was the last edit I felt needed to be made to this list.  I think it fits nicely based on that, also interesting to note that the album Reptile features the keyboards of Billy Preston, the 5th Beatle.

 

TITLE: You Love The Thunder
BAND: Jackson Browne
ALBUM: Running On Empty
YEAR: 1977
Did you know Browne was a member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966?  And that he also had influence into the Velvet Underground?  Interestingly, his songs have been recorded by the likes of Gregg Allman, Joan Baez, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and The Byrds.  His influence in this type of music certainly has to be more than we could have imagined.  Therefore this is a very appropriate song to include.

 

TITLE: New Orleans Ladies
BAND: Louisiana's LeRoux
ALBUM: Louisiana's LeRoux
YEAR: 1978
(Pulled from the compilation titled "Bayou Degradable: The Best of Louisiana's LeRoux")
Their music, though pop-oriented, combined many elements such as funk, R&B, Dixieland jazz, rock, and some Cajun-flavoring.  It’s that "cajun-flavoring" that we hear the country influence on, a different take on the style for sure.  But it works incredibly well.  This track came up a few times on the old site, and popped up again in conversations here.  Apparently it was a huge regional hit back at the time of its release, so it has some recognition factors going for it.  I just think its elegant and a fine listen.

 

TITLE: Angry Eyes
BAND: Loggins and Messina
ALBUM: Loggins and Messina
YEAR: 1972
(Pulled from the compilation titled "The Best: Loggins and Messina - Sittin' In Again")
The most successful duo of the early 1970s, surpassed later only by Hall & Oates.  Their work was covered by other artists such as Lynn Anderson who recorded "Listen to a Country Song" and most notably Anne Murray with "Danny's Song" in early 1973.  In what was supposed to be Loggins solo projects, the record label paired these two up and the influence of Poco and Buffalo Springfield married up to Loggins singer/songwriter style and this is the result. 

 

Great stuff and dont forget the re-recorded "Nobody" from the Doobies as a bonus track!!

 

I know that most on this site prefer the harder edged classic rock, but I think this list is important because of the influences.

 

[From WIKIPedia]
Country rock's greatest significance was as an influence on artists in other genres, including The Band, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones and George Harrison's solo work.  It also played a part in the development of Southern Rock, which, although largely derived from blues-rock, had a distinct southern lilt, and it paved the way for parts of the alternative country movement.  The genre declined in popularity in the late 1970s, but some established artists, including Neil Young, have continued to record country-tinged rock into the twenty-first century. Country rock has survived as a cult force in Texas, where acts including The Flatlanders, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmy Dale Gilmore and California-based Richard Brooker, have collaborated and recorded.  Other performers have produced occasional recordings in the genre, including Elvis Costello's Almost Blue (1981) and the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss collaboration Raising Sand, which was one of the most commercially successful albums of 2007.

I hope you enjoyed this...

 

 

[Jon]

Hello, Dolly!

[Scott]

Glad you liked them! 

[Jon]

Haven't listened to them yet. Just saying hello...to Dolly!

[Jon]

Oh...them. I get it. I GET IT!

[RJhog (Admin)]

DDamn Jon, DDoes it neeDD to be spelleDD out?

[Jon]

Please DDDDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Niels (Mod)]

An okay list, Scott, even though I'm not a fan of Country-music as such. A few thoughts:

 

1. I've heard better songs from Dr.Hook.

2. GREAT track. I like this one!

3. Another great track, but is this really Country?

4. The start reminded me of one of your favorite bands: Jethro Tull, But I don't really care much for this track.

5. Hmmm, I don't really like this one either. Too slow!! It allmost sounds like Sade!!

6. This, on the other hand, I like! The Doobie Brothers has a good sound! Great guitar-sound.

7.  The only track, I had heard before. Does'nt do anything for me, like most of clapton's songs.

8.  Not that bad, but see upper smiley.

9. Sorry, but.....

10.Not bad, sounds a BIT like Neil Young or CSN&Y.

 

Any chance of some Judas Priest next time around??

[Scott]

Thanks Niels, I wondered if this would be something you would like or not as the playlist really has an American slant to it, sorry for that, but it was cool to see your track for track feedback.

 

By the way, I can slip some Priest in soon, dont have it in any of my "in progress" playlists but I have plenty to choose from  ...

[RJhog (Admin)]

I'll comment the same way as Niels:

 

1. Ditto what Niels said.

2. I really like this Seger tune.  I've only heard it in the last year of so, so it's practically brand new to me.

3. I've always though Jackie Blue was a cool song.

4. Never heard Undertow by Firefall, but I like it.  I think their best song is Strange Way, but this song fits much better for this theme.

5. Not crazy about this one.  I do like some of Poco's stuff that you have posted.

6. Never heard this version until now.  I do like the song, and I like the remake as well.

7. I'm not a big Clapton fan, and I don't really care for this.

8. The Jackson Browne tune is just okay.  I prefer Fountain Of Sorrow as a hidden gem, but I'm not sure it would qualify for this theme.

9. I remember this song from my youth.  My cousin had this on vinyl, and we listened quite often.  There was another song on the album that we liked a lot, but that was a long time ago and I have no idea what it was.  Good choice here though.

10. Awesome song.  I could listen to this anytime. 

11.  Like I said , I like the remake too.

 

Good theme Scott.

[Scott]

Thank you sir!   I think your response kinda proves that the County Rock genre, at least as I see it and have represented here, is really an American style and flavor.  For guys like you and me who have heard this our entire life, its easier to distibguish and appreciate.   However, for Niels, I wonder if he has a different take on what "Country Rock" is from his side of the world.

[Niels (Mod)]

Well, of course I have'nt heard as much country as you guys, more like "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Garden Party" by Ricky Nielson (is'nt that a country-song?)and so on, in my youth, but some of it I like. But too much country makes me yawn.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Rhinestone Cowboy is awesome!  Love me some Glenn Campbell.