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Loading... Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singlesby David Cantwell, Bill Friskics-Warren
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I don't think anyone could agree with a list of 100 of the best of anything, much less of something as subjective as music and as broad as country music. The authors look at country music very broadly, including music that some would think of as rock or folk. The notes for each song are what make the book. It's not simply a list, instead, the authors explain *why* the song is on the list and often give a lot of production detail (each entry has basic production details, including singer, date, producer, writer, publisher, and so on. I first heard of this book when I read in an article that they had ranked Sammi Smith's version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" as the number one song. I didn't disagree, but was intrigued to see the whole list. If you're interested in country music--modern, old-timey, folky, whatever sort, you'll find this book interesting and thought-provoking. ( ) no reviews | add a review
This book constitutes a popular, and decidedly populist, history of country music. Its interwoven essays showcase the music's myriad roots and influences: stringband stomps and western swing, hillbilly boogie and honky-tonk, the Nashville Sound and the neo-traditionalist movement, plus everything from blues and bluegrass to rockabilly and country-rock, even soul. What's more, by focusing on the records that defined the music to generations of fans, as well as on the singers, songwriters, producers, and pickers who made them, the book offers a fresh, inclusive, at times provocative way of listening to country music--one that champions innovation and tradition even as it challenges many of the genre's prevailing assumptions. Heartaches by the Number takes the reader all the way from Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" and Hank Williams's "I Saw the Light" to Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance." It includes classics like Patsy Cline's "Crazy," Gene Autry's "Back in the Saddle Again," Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," George Jones's "He Stopped Loving Her Today," and Garth Brooks's "The Dance," plus surprises from the likes of Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Ray Charles, among others. Part encyclopedia, part history, part collection of record reviews, yet not quite any of these things, Heartaches by the Number isinstead an argument for a sensibility, a way of hearing. It's comprised of critical essays that each can stand alone, but that, when read in sequence, comment upon each other and tell a larger story--one that challenges and redefines what country music is and what it can mean. Co-published with the Country Music Foundation Press No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)781.642The arts Music General principles and musical forms Traditions of music Western popular music {equally instrumental and vocal} Country and BluegrassLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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