Monday, May 17, 2010

Fifteen Fantasty Favorites

1.  Green River -Creedence Clear Water Revial

This is the third album released by CCR. It was released in 1969. It is listed on Rolling Stones list of 500 greatest albums as number 95. It contained two of the band’s most known songs, Bad Moon Rising and Green River. It also contained a song about a city close to where I grew up, Lodi.

I love this album because I love Bad Moon Rising and Green River. I learned to play the drums to this album. I would put it on the record player, turn it up and I was Doug Clifford.

2. The Essential Bobby Bare – Bobby Bare

This album was released in February 11, 1997. It is a compilation record of 20 of Bare’s greatest songs. I love his voice and how he forms words to tell a story that you can feel. Many of the songs on this album are classics.




3. One – George Jones & Tammy Wynette

This record was released in June of 1995. It was the first time in 15 years that former husband and wife Jones & Wynette recorded together. It is their best work together and it turned out to be their last time to sing together. Tammy died just three years later. There has only been one duet that has ever been better, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. This duet album sends shivers down my back. There is almost nothing like George Jones and Tammy Wynette together. They cheated on each other, he shot up their house, and they couldn’t make life together but they could sing together.

4. The Essential Porter Wagoner – Porter Wagoner

This record was released in 1997 and it includes his songs from 1954 to 1976.

“True to its title, this is an excellent, comprehensive introduction to the work of this Important country music figure. The disc opens with a humble take on "A Satisfied Mind" that shows Wagoner's roots in bluegrass and gospel. In short order, though, we're treated to the rollicking, honky-tonk side of Wagoner, as he revels in the joys of drink as heartache antidote on "Eat, Drink and be Merry (for Tomorrow You'll Cry)" and I'll Go Down Swinging."

Throughout much of his early career, Wagoner was heavily influenced by Hank Williams, but by the mid-to-late 1960s, he came fully into his own as a musical storyteller. The grim murder ballad "The Cold Hard Facts of Life," one of his finest moments, still sounds just as stirring and unsettling decades later, and the complex narrative of "Carroll County Incident" is in a class with Tom T. Hall. Even in the '70s, Wagoner was mixing down home sentiments with baleful moodiness, as on the disc-closer "I Haven't Learned a Thing," which brings things full circle.”

5. Buck Owens 21 # 1 Hits – Buck Owens & the Buckaroos

Who wouldn’t want this record? This record was released in 2006 shortly after Buck’s death. It is Buck. He came up with the Bakersfield sound that Merle Haggard, Dwight Yokam, and others have ridden to success. These 21 # 1 hits define this giant of country music.

6. Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison

This was an album that Johnny Cash released on Columbia Records in May 1968. He had wanted to do this project for a long time. In 1967 changes at the label gave him a chance to do this. He wanted to put his drug problem behind him, re-invent himself and turn around his career. The Tennessee Three, Carl Perkins, and June Carter performed two shows and they recorded this album. It is a country classic.

7. LeAnn RimesLeAnn Rimes

This is a covers album, with one new song (&"Big Deal") tacked onto the end, which makes it a return to her roots -- which, in turn, means that it's sort of a salute to her main influence, Patsy Cline. LeAnn does her best when she is left alone and sings songs that she “owns” even though they are songs of her hero. Her range on this album is unbelievable. When it was said that this girl has a set of “pipes” it should have been said of her.

Note: On Saturday night trying to finish this up I lost all the paragraphs to the remaining albums. With my preaching duties on Sunday I did not have the time to go back and rewrite them.

8.  Eagles - The Very Best of the Eagles









9.  Hits I Missed...And One I didn't - George Jones







10.  The Three Hanks - Hank Williams, Sr. Hank Williams, Jr. Hank Williams III







11.  Greatest Hits - Ricky Van Shelton
















12.  Old Dogs - Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings







13.  Walls Can Fall - George Jones
















14.  Merle Haggard - Down Every Road



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Twenty Greatest Hits - Conway Twitty

21 comments:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Gregg I knew most of those, there were a few I hadn't heard of, but I think they amounted to 4 so that's not bad going.
A wonderful list ,Thanks for sharing it with us.

Yvonne.

Jessica Bell said...

Wow, what a selection! The only one that I LOVE out of these is Johnny Cash :) Great job you did here. Very comprehensive! :)

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Would you believe that I have everyone of those albums. I don't listen to them as much as I did when I was younger, but just looking at the album covers brings back old memories. God bless, Lloyd

Arlee Bird said...

I can listen to all of these and enjoy them. I have Johnny at folsom Prison on vinyl and the Eagles greatest on CD. I have the CCR box set which has most of the songs on "Green River". In fact CCRs first album made my first list, but I had to take it off--I'm going to talk about it on my post tomorrow. I used to watch the Porter Wagoner TV show almost every Saturday afternoon back in the 60s. I don't know if was on nationally, but it was popular in East Tennessee.

Good list. I might do a favorite country post later in a couple of weeks.

Lee
Tossing It Out

RCUBEs said...

Thanks fo rsharing them all. Whenever I search for interesting videos about the prison, Johnny Cash's always comes up. Have a great week and God bless you for all you do for His glory!

stranger.strange.land said...

Love them all, Gregg. Especially CCR

Unknown said...

Hey there, I have to admit that other than Johnny Cash (Ring of Fire all the way, baby!) and CCR (my favourite: Bad Moon Rising) most of the musicians on your list are strangers to me... will have to have a listen!

And thanx for stopping by my blog!

ps. if you liked "Rockstar", you might like Creed - they have a similar beat but also have brilliant lyrics (also, although I could not vouch for this not being an expert, from a religious point of view).

B. Miller said...

CCR, Johnny Cash, and the Eagles... what more could you ask for? Great list! Thanks so much for sharing.

Jo Schaffer said...

Johnny Cash is one cool dude.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Eddie Eddings said...

I may post this on my blog sometime, but for now I will share it with you. (the very short version)
When I was young, George Jones used to come over my house in Houston. My dad, the original Eddie Eddings, was a country western musician that knew George as well as MANY other CW stars. (My dad wrote a song called "Yearning" that George basically stole and recorded (back in HIS younger days). Everytime that song appears (you can Google it) it gives G.Jones and Eddie Eddings credit for writing..but, it was my dad and mother who worked on that song.
It has been recorded by Tammy Wynette, Jack Greene and Jeanne Sealy, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Earnest Tubb to name a few.

Anonymous said...

That is a great list. I have a musican friends who would adore this list. Like books, there are so many great ones out there that without others we would limited in our listening. Johnny Cash is also a fav of mine, and Eagles.

LibbyLibbyLibbyLibbyLibby said...

Good getting to know you a bit better! :-)

Anonymous said...

CCR, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr.,
were my favorites out of that bunch.

Gregg Metcalf said...

WTMWOP - thanks Yvonne.

The A. A. - thanks, I think it is a great selection. It was very hard to pick 15.

Lloyd - my wife would be surprised, she wouldn't think anyone else existed with as bad taste as me.

Lee - Glad you could listen to them and enjoy them. You are so much more ecletic than I. You are so versatile.

RCUBEs - Thank you for your blessing and kind words, I need them. Cash wanted to that album for a long time but no one thought there would be interest. It was a smashing sucess.

SSL - Thanks for stopping by and checking out the list.

Tess Conte - Hope you give them a listen. I think you would like some. Your welcome, I enjoyed checking your blog out.

B. Miller - I know, what more could you ask , except maybe a little more Hank Williams or the Possum (George Jones)

Jojomama - You are also welcome and JR was the man.

Eddie Eddings - dude, you kill me. Do you know what I would do to meet George Jones before he is gone? About what you would do for a Klondike bar. I love the Possum. I am sorry he stole your dad's song - it happened alot back them and I am sure still to this day. I co-wrote a tribute to him and Merle, called Haggard and Jones. I was recorded by a session musician named Garry Johnson and released on a songwriters contest winner CD by UAR Records, Jerry Hanlon producer. I love the possum!

Lynn - glad your friend has such excellent taste.

LLLLL - thanks! I am transparent and an open book. I have nothing to hide.

Ron - thanks for stopping by. Those are good choices.

Unknown said...

Great list! Most of these I've heard of but a few of them I am going to have to check out. Thanks for sharing.

Mike said...

Wow! You ARE old! I remember seeing many of those vinyl records in my dad's stack in the basement. :) I love Conway Twitty's "That's My Job". Very touching song.

Lisa said...

Not much of a Country music fan at all, but I do like CCR and The Eagles! Neither made my list though. It's hard to remember them all, isn't it?!

Jen said...

The Eagles Greatest Hits almost made my list! I love Don Henley. Great list. Can't go wrong with Johnny Cash either.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Very cool. : ) Thanks for your comment on my post and many many thanks for your service to our wonderful Country. God bless you!!

Eddie Eddings said...

Gregg, to be honest with you, I don't remember meeting George Jones. I was too little and too shy. My mother has a photo of him at our house jamming with my dad's band. This is before George went to Nashville and before he had an album. My dad's song "Yearning" was on Jone's first or second album I think. And I honestly don't know if it was George Jones who stuck his name on the credits. It's all second hand knowledge. I just know he didn't write it...and yes, there was a lot of cover tunes and rip offs back in the early days of recording. The Wilburn Brothers had some nice comments about "Yearning" on the back of the Earnest Tubb and Loretta Lynn album.

Here is one of my dad's instrumentals which is available on CD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ty_TCg_5OU&feature=youtube_gdata

Stephen T. McCarthy said...

GREGG ~
I have a long way to go yet before I have seen everyone's list, but the one thing I have noticed up to this point is how little Country-Western has been represented on most lists.

You single-handedly did much to correct the oversight. I myself added two more: Waylon and Roger Miller.

~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens