Terry says:
> What I'm trying to say -- the relative merit
> of the music (which is all a matter of taste) isn't addressed on any
> levels in your comparisons about how each of these artists, or group of
> artists, dealt with the "industry." If Shania was a duck quacking, and
> she'd gone through some of those fights for freedom with the Nashville
> establishment, that wouldn't say a damn thing about quacker's merit vis a
> vis Waylon, Willy, Jerry Jeff, etc.
Well, sure, but the relative merit of the music isn't the only, or even
necessarily the most important point at issue here. Plus which, as you say,
that's all a matter of taste <g>.
> I think your comparative points are
> instructive, but of limited utility, when we're trying to gauge to what
> extent rock influences have eroded or heightened the quality of country
> music. It depends on the influence. Quality is subjective, but to deny the
> lack of differences in quality is lunacy.
I'm sorry, but I just can't buy the unqualified line you're selling here.
There are passionate arguments here all the time about the relative merits
of one rock group or another that I couldn't care less about, and if I
couldn't care less about their relative merits on their own terms, why would
I care about their relative merits as influences on country music? Between
you and me, I never liked a lot of that Outlaw stuff much anyhow - a song
here, a song there, sure, but I never found it nearly as exciting or
interesting as some other, less rock-influenced (at least to my ear) stuff
that was coming out at the same time; the only Waylon Jennings album I ever
bought until that Essential comp came out was the cassette version of Waylon
Live, and that's because I really liked "Rainy Day Woman." So an argument
that hinges on the superiority of the Outlaw kind of rock-influenced music
over Twain's kind just doesn't go very far with me. As far as I'm
concerned, the differences in quality (or, better, enjoyment) have to do
with the less obviously rock-influenced aspects of their music.
Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
