> Do you think that we could say with some confidence that this
> prove's Garth
> Brooks makes music according to the lowest common denominator?
>
> BTW - does anyone know how well Garth boy does internationally?
I believe the RIAA counts international sales in its certifications, but I
could be wrong. He's certainly done well touring internationally.
As far as the lowest common denominator argument goes, I'm not sure what to
make of it. The Beatles have sold about 20% more albums; does that mean
they made music for a 20% lower common denominator? (I suspect there are a
few folks who will answer "yes".) Out of the top 25 on that best-selling
list, I'd rather listen to most of Brooks' stuff than all but a handful - in
fact, I'd rather listen to most of his stuff than all but a handful of the
entire list. Someone at one of our local HNC stations has been on a
Garth+NGR kick lately, so I've been reminded - and I'll take "Calling Baton
Rouge" and "Do What You Gotta Do" over an awful lot of other stuff.
Speaking of Brooks and 'grass, here's something Kathy Chiavola posted over
on bgrass-l about a year and a half ago:
>>Randy Howard had just finished playing fiddle on the Carl Jackson song
that
Garth recorded. Randy spontaneously kicked off Carter Stanley's "The Fields
Have Turned Brown" and Carl joined in on guitar. All of a sudden Garth
began
singing the tune and knew all of it. He then decided to record it on the
spot. Whether or not it will be released is anyone's guess.<<
I'd like to hear that; I'll bet it kicks ass. The Carl Jackson tune
mentioned ("Fit For A King," on Sevens) sure does.
Jon Weisberger, Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger
