Comments on: Report From The Country, Part Seven: The Cruel World http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/ Trash, Treasure, Oddities, Obsessions and Obligations Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:10:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Derrick Bostrom http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-22853 Derrick Bostrom Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:06:31 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-22853 <p>Even though the Rapidshare links on some of these older posts are dead, the Alternate links still work.</p> <p>Happy exploring!</p> Even though the Rapidshare links on some of these older posts are dead, the Alternate links still work.

Happy exploring!

]]> By: hilary http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-22830 hilary Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:58:31 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-22830 <p>Dagnabbit! Someone just told me about this site and raved about The Cruel World." Alas, I can't access it (hadn't noticed that your posts for it are 3 yrs old).</p> <p>Is there another place i might find?</p> <p>I adore this sort of deathy country too. Ever since hearing the Louvins "In the Pines". I had loads of Folkways records when growing up - so much of the Anglo Scot Irish music of yore are in the same wheelhouse.</p> <p>Cool blog. I look forward to checking back in. -hilary</p> <p>ps: I used to work at Island Records bck when it was a real label!</p> Dagnabbit! Someone just told me about this site and raved about The Cruel World.” Alas, I can’t access it (hadn’t noticed that your posts for it are 3 yrs old).

Is there another place i might find?

I adore this sort of deathy country too. Ever since hearing the Louvins “In the Pines”. I had loads of Folkways records when growing up – so much of the Anglo Scot Irish music of yore are in the same wheelhouse.

Cool blog. I look forward to checking back in. -hilary

ps: I used to work at Island Records bck when it was a real label!

]]> By: Derrick Bostrom http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-907 Derrick Bostrom Mon, 05 Jun 2006 16:46:16 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-907 <p>Thanks, Andy! Those are my favorites as well.</p> Thanks, Andy! Those are my favorites as well.

]]> By: Andy http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-906 Andy Mon, 05 Jun 2006 14:28:46 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-906 <p>I just found out about this site, and it's already at the top of my blog lists. I'm making my way through the reports from the country and so far, really like Songs About Bad Choices, the George Jones live LP and Songs of the Restless (love "Bob" and "Big Daddy" especially). Your picks are well done. Great job and thanks a lot!</p> I just found out about this site, and it’s already at the top of my blog lists. I’m making my way through the reports from the country and so far, really like Songs About Bad Choices, the George Jones live LP and Songs of the Restless (love “Bob” and “Big Daddy” especially). Your picks are well done. Great job and thanks a lot!

]]> By: Derrick Bostrom http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-899 Derrick Bostrom Sat, 03 Jun 2006 12:20:46 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-899 <p>I don't disagree that there are "dark" undercurrents in many old country songs -- certainly there are in the not-necessarily-representative selections offered on this site. After sifting through hundreds and hundreds of songs in order to distill these compilations, what strikes me is not the darkness, but the strong undercurrents of uninterestingness. But all of my choices have struggle of one sort or another as their theme. What interests me is not so much how this reflects the American character, but how struggle and hardship get encoded into the shorthand of popular music.</p> I don’t disagree that there are “dark” undercurrents in many old country songs — certainly there are in the not-necessarily-representative selections offered on this site. After sifting through hundreds and hundreds of songs in order to distill these compilations, what strikes me is not the darkness, but the strong undercurrents of uninterestingness. But all of my choices have struggle of one sort or another as their theme. What interests me is not so much how this reflects the American character, but how struggle and hardship get encoded into the shorthand of popular music.

]]> By: Josh F. http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/comment-page-1/#comment-896 Josh F. Sat, 03 Jun 2006 06:34:31 +0000 http://derrickbostrom.com/bostrom/2006/05/31/report-from-the-country-part-seven-the-cruel-world/#comment-896 <p>As someone who had never generally listened to country music willingly or attentively, I'd like to say that I've really loved this series you've been running here. Particularly the George Jones' Dancetown USA and Songs of the Restless collections I found myself listening to over and over. This section was an interesting change in tone, although I think theres been a lot of undertones about cruelty, sorrow and hardship in it all. Although the article you link to suggests that most rock fans are quick to label the genre as the expression of some kind of nostalgia, it does seem like a rather implicit character of it. Although maybe it's not a nostalgia for something long lost, but rather just in the difficulty of holding onto any kind of life in a world that's always changing. One thing I thought rather interesting was in a search I did on Knoxville Girl, it's apparently a derivative of an older English ballad called Wexford Girl, which although seemingly more violent in its lyrics, serves as cautionary tale unlike the Knoxville Girl which just describes almost a bitter cruelty. I've grown up and lived only in the Northeast, but I think there's a kind of endemic penchant for darkness in the American character, and its even here in the music of the hearth of the country.</p> As someone who had never generally listened to country music willingly or attentively, I’d like to say that I’ve really loved this series you’ve been running here. Particularly the George Jones’ Dancetown USA and Songs of the Restless collections I found myself listening to over and over. This section was an interesting change in tone, although I think theres been a lot of undertones about cruelty, sorrow and hardship in it all. Although the article you link to suggests that most rock fans are quick to label the genre as the expression of some kind of nostalgia, it does seem like a rather implicit character of it. Although maybe it’s not a nostalgia for something long lost, but rather just in the difficulty of holding onto any kind of life in a world that’s always changing. One thing I thought rather interesting was in a search I did on Knoxville Girl, it’s apparently a derivative of an older English ballad called Wexford Girl, which although seemingly more violent in its lyrics, serves as cautionary tale unlike the Knoxville Girl which just describes almost a bitter cruelty. I’ve grown up and lived only in the Northeast, but I think there’s a kind of endemic penchant for darkness in the American character, and its even here in the music of the hearth of the country.

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