>
> > ...either of Wayne Hancock's
> > records (yeah, I know he sings, but in my mind, they still rank as
> > instrumental albums).
>
> Hmmm. Care to elaborate?
>
It's just that what I get out of that record mainly comes from the
instrumental breaks on it, courtesy Billers, Skelton and Miller. I like
Wayne the Train just fine, but remove his vocals from the mix and I'd
still treasure "That's What Daddy Likes (or Wants)" or whatever. Course,
he did write most, or all, of the tunes...
Other instrumental records of note, in the country area, Buddy Emmons'
record from the 70s, with "Roly Poly" on it, and a Mike Auldridge record
from the same era that I can't recall the title of.
Now a question: A lot of folks have had a chance to listen and get
acquainted with Steve Earle's new one, "The Mountain." I was curious about
how Earle fans, and non-fans for that matter, stack this bluegrass
endeavor of Earle's with "Train a Comin," which used bluegrass/folk
instrumentation but wasn't (at least to my ears) as solidly bluegrass as
"The Mountain." My impression is that "Train a Comin" is the stronger
record, by virtue of the songwriting, and the folkier type of bluegrass,
which has a bit more appeal to my ears. I'll qualify that judgment,
however, by admitting that I still haven't listened to "The Mountain"
enough times to form any lasting conclusions. -- Terry Smith
ps later today, if I get a chance, I'm gonna attempt to spark another
thread about the Nashville Sound: "A country phase that's just as
legitimate and 'country' as any other country phase, or a desperate grasp
at mass popularity, or both?" -- I've been reading Patrick Carr's essay in
the Country Music Foundation's "Country: The Music and the Musicians" and
he's providing me some ammo. (But I still can't figure out if he's
completely full of shit, or a genius.)
