I was a big fan of Country in the 90's and into the 00's. Haven't liked too much of newer stuff.

Which country?

It's so depressing and there are 10 or 15 popular songs that are on for hours and hours. At least other radio has *some* variety.

Actually, country music radio is by far the best. Generic top 40 tends to all sound the same but top 40 country is probably the best "genre" of music.

I tend to like all kinds of music, but pop-country is the only one where I love everything.

For instance, I am pretty sure the following songs are the best songs ever:
Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood
Southern Comfort Zone - Brad Paisley
Merry Go 'Round - Kacey Musgraves

And every time I turn on the radio one of them is playing! It's wicked.

Previously, the best ever songs were written by brantley Gilbert or Eric Church.

Old country music is also awesome, but for different reasons.

It's the year 2013 and people of my age still listen to radio. The technical progress has failed the world once again.

Country = beast

I listen to both types - Country AND Western. Though I prefer Roll over Rock.

I also enjoy watching the three forms of modern dance - Lap, Pole, and Table!

Can you explain the difference between Country and Western to someone who doesn't honestly know?

@ulytau - why not? The radio is great as it provides traffic updates, small jokes and music I might not otherwise hear. I also am forced to listen to Pop Radio at work but that has nothing redeemable about it. Nor is it any good when they switch to classic rock.

Who needs to hear Whipping Pole and Free Bird three times a day? Really? Not to mention about 5 or 6 Neil Young songs. ALl that is redeeming about this station is the mandatory Band song every two hours.

I hear you man. Hip > Hop all day, every day

I absolutely love the radio. Granted, I mostly listed to NPR, but I also listen to several classic rock and oldies stations. I love just hitting one button and listening to things I like. It's really the only form of entertainment I have that involves no effort at all.

Rap music is also awesome, I agree.

what is "NPR" ?

I'm going to agree with "not very."

Can't stand it...

Rock, Jazz, Classical forever, Rap and Country never (for me, at least.)

Actually, I don't know either. I made a mistake of asking one of my apprentices, and the next day was subjected to both for 8 hours as he tried to demonstrate the differences. When Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahassee Bridge at about three that afternoon, I nearly went with him.

"For instance, I am pretty sure the following songs are the best songs ever:
Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood
Southern Comfort Zone - Brad Paisley
Merry Go 'Round - Kacey Musgraves

And every time I turn on the radio one of them is playing! It's wicked."

Exactly my point. The same songs every hour and then another hour of the same songs every hour.

But isn't that why we listen to the radio? If you want variety you can find it pretty easily. The radio is great because no matter which station you're listening to, you're got the best of what they got on repeat. Unless you're listening to College Radio, the CBC, or whatever soft rock station does "no repeat work weeks" in your area.

@Lando

National Public Radio.

So when I say the "CBC" or "Canadian Broadcasting Corporation" it is likely a similar thing.

If I want to listen to the best the world of music has to offer, I can just pop up one of my playlists that are comparable to a radio playlist in the number of items. The added benefit being I won't have to listen to the same genres all the time because I'm not chasing ratings and demographics.

The saddest country song is when the woman walks out and the guy gets left with 4 hundred children, luckily he shouldn't have too much trouble harvesting that crop with all that cheap labour

ulytau - I know, but those require you to spend a lot of time researching new music. This is a fun pastime, but it does require energy.

I see where you're coming from, completely, but the radio has its values. As abgemacht said, it requires no effort.

"But isn't that why we listen to the radio? If you want variety you can find it pretty easily."

I listen to the radio to find new music. If I want something on repeat, I turn on Spotify. I play five instruments and sing; repeat is no fun to me.

Cool, so you don't need the radio. Stop listening to it if it frustrates you.

The radio doesn't frustrate me. There are actually tons of stations that play more than 3 songs. Country radio doesn't play more than 3 songs because there's not enough of an audience to create a variety, and that's for a good reason.

This isn't really a new debate; I listen to just about anything except Disney and country. Don't see how 3 songs over and over and over and over and over is good radio.

I want to know if they play this theme tune from the tv show
'The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKY23ah6PqQ

When you play country music backwards the wife comes back, the crop doesn't fail, and the ute doesn't run over the dog.

Personally, I blame the obesity crisis on the subliminal messaging in Doof Doof music, played backwards it becomes Food, Food!

@Lando

Yes, I'd suspect so.

@uly

Yeah, sure, but I think the radio's convenience trumps selection. In the car, I don't have to do anything and at my workbench, I just have to flip one switch (yes, my radio has switches and dials, not buttons).

"This isn't really a new debate"

Music isn't a debate, actually, people have different tastes. If you only have negative things to say in this thread it would be polite of you to stop commenting.

abgemacht - I quite like the CBC up here. They seem to get the best people in and therefore offer the best content - its all over the map, and, they have three stations. One is talk radio, the other is "music" but is really all over the map and the third is "indie" Canadian music. All great stuff with great diversity. If NPR is similar, I understand why you like it.

"If you only have negative things to say in this thread it would be polite of you to stop commenting."

Good luck with that one, bro. Wish you well on this forum.

@Lando

NPR stations vary based on location. My station, WBUR, is almost exclusively talk radio (with some music on weekends). I have listened to some NPR stations that play a lot of music, though.

@bo

Oh, please. Lando's been fucking bitches on this forum since before you were born.

Thank you, webdip forum! i'd never heard of this kacey musgraves but now i am listening to it. It is good, you guys should all listen to it before you get mad about entire genres of music.

Nigee. Lol. I think that is '4 hungry' children. Lol

On country music. Some new stuff is rather blah. Older stuff more'soulful'.

Alan jackson for today is great. Kerri underwood can come up with some ok stuff



Montgomery gentry and justin moore get down'in the mud' good. Jason aldean is pop 40 more than country

A great voice is Jennifer Nettles from sugarland. Her voice rocks

Miranda lambert. Good lord what a pair of lungs


Justin MLoore sings a song "smalltown USA'. Listen to it, the words. He hits the proverbial nail on the head

Sorry abge, maybe I'm just too tight for him.

oh .... 4 hungry children, that's not so bad then, 396 less than previous estimates so not as bad as I imagined ..... that Lucille is still a dirty bitch though, but I would
Now we have the problem, who the fuck is going to help daddy daycare harvest that crop?

What I've never understood is why US country music seems rooted in misery whilst British and Irish folk music is resolutely cheerful, and filled with jokes, drinking and sex.

Also, what's the best country song sung by a non traditional country artist? Metallica have done a fine effort with Irish folk music. Whisky in a Jar is a particular favourite of mine :)

Whisky in the Jar*, sorry :p

If you wanna go that way Flogging Molly do have some folk themes in some of their music. Also there is a group from Korea who have combined K-pop with Country. It's an interesting mixture.

Thin Lizzie nailed 'Whiskey in the Jar'.

Thin Lizzie? Their version is just a souless copy of what you'd hear in an average pub. Metallica gave it a bit of gusto.

OK -what about alternative country?
Middle Brother
Phosphorescent
Elliot Brood
$100
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

You guys like that stuff?

Or bluegrass:
Trampled by Turtles
Infamous Stringdusters
Punch Brothers
Sam Bush
Yonder Mountain String Band

What about this?

Lando, I don't think Middle Brother and Phosphorescent quite count as alt-country. More like Drive-By Truckers, if anything. I love MB (also Dawes, Deer Tick, and Delta Spirit) and none really come close to country unless it's John McCauley doing solo stuff, and even that is more bluesy than anything.

I guess you're right, but they do all have a certain amoun tof "twang" to them.

My girlfriend and I spoke on this before - we agreed that the best type of music is "indie" with a certain influence from country. We couldn't find a real name for it so we just called it "indie-twang."

If you like MB you should check out the others I mentioned - Elliot Brood and $100 specifically. They are Canadian bands so they probably don't get much media attention where you are. Also NEw Country Rehab:

EB: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWPC3CW61zg
$100: http://vimeo.com/22638120
New Country Rehab: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-cTRr0TvM

I will look into this John McCauley - is he from one of the MB feeder bands?

He's the lead singer of Deer Tick, he wrote most of the songs for MB:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NysXg8NKZlg

Their music is all over the place genre-wise, but their last album has a pretty strong Replacements vibe.

I'll check out the other videos later, thanks for the lynx.

I definitely know Deer Tick. I didn't know their singer's name. I am going to look into his solo work.

Diamond Rugs is another of McCauley's side projects. A little blue-sier than Deer Tick and still really good.

Elliot Brood is great, thanks for the recommendation. It's right up my alley.

Just listen to Hank Williams (Sr). That's all you really need