Big & Rich: Album of the Decade?

This made me laugh harder, though, I have to admit. I won't name names, but some critic already sent in a Pazz and Jop comment to the affect that maybe Gretchen has a great voice, but she'd be better off singing with the Wilson singers than singing country. (Hey, they have the same last name! And one of them is fat too! {Though I don't think Gretchen is, and Fonda didn't have a motor in the back of her Honda etc.) Plus Heart put out a really good album this year! Not that the P&J voter said that, I don't think.) Which I guess = lovebug's "they seem more big-rock 80s AOR than country" above. Though of course I'm not sure why that is supposed to be a bad thing (or why big-rock 80s AOR/Heart and country shouldn't be allowed to overlap, as they long have in both directions. Or why, if somebody thinks B&R and Gretchen are "not country", they can't *love* them as not-country; i.e., since when is country automatically better than not-country anyway? But I am having too much fun repeating myself and will hereby stop now.)

'country-fried beer rock'

This talk of beer commercial music reminds me of a phrase I picked up from advertising agent licensing folks: "truckrock"

Apparently it refers to the kind of spray on powerchord macho jinglemusic used in pick up truck ads.

Remember: "Get on your Pontiac and RIDE! Pontiac Ride!"

Bubba Sparxx may have something, but that Daft Punk thread got me thinking that we need some sort of hip hop space cowboy for the new millennium -- and I'm not talking about Steve Miller, I'm talking about twang with disco squelch with beats that fucks everything up.

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), December 5th, 2003

*ques X-Files theme*

Bubba Sparxx may have something, but that Daft Punk thread got me thinking that we need some sort of hip hop space cowboy for the new millennium -- and I'm not talking about Steve Miller, I'm talking about twang with disco squelch with beats that fucks everything up.

...actually made Phoenix's "Funky Squaredance" spring to mind when I first read it (which I like much more than anything by B&R which I still don't understand).

they showed back-to-back episodes tonight.

I was hanging out with a friend of mine who had never seen or heard B&R. We watched some CMT. He just snickered and laughed at that B&R video shot on one of the bridges in Nashville over the Cumberland River. "What the fuck is this?"

I think it's OK, I've grown to somewhat appreciate it. I don't know any other person here in town who takes them seriously at all, they all go "goddam, those New York critics will take *anything* we do seriously." And I don't totally agree, that's just some kind of picque. B&R don't make me laugh or jump up and down or anything, but I think it's good fun, something to think about, significant enough in the evolution of Nashville--maybe Gretchen Wilson is more significant, or Monkey Gentry, you know, in terms of shifting weirdo demographix and all that. As music, well, I am not sure, again--sometimes I quite like it and other times I go, hmm...think I'll just watch Shania Twain ride and sing on her horse in a field of agave or something, she's so lovely...

comcast does the same to me! wtf?!

while i'd *love* to see this, my wife is very glad we don't have it.

in honor of the release of the new album, let us revisit what is still the best album of the half-decade, shall we?

Don't you think this outlaw bit has done got out of hand?
What started out to be a joke, the law don't understand.
Was it singing through my nose that got me busted by the man?
Maybe this here outlaw bit has done got out of hand.

ain't no stopping it now!

i pity the fool

The truth is out there

whatchew talking bout willis

There should be a poll on how many ilxors bought a Big & Rich album because of ilx. And what they thought of it.

also the last time they listened to it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7572040.stm

Daughter slams Cash 'endorsement'

The daughter of late country star Johnny Cash has called the use of her father's name to endorse a US presidential candidate "appalling".

Country star John Rich[ implied Mr Cash would have backed Republican hopeful John McCain while appearing at a rally in Florida, according to media reports.

Writing on her website, Roseanne Cash called the remarks "presumptuous".

"Even I would not presume to say publicly what I 'know' he thought or felt," she added.

According to the Washington Post, Mr Rich, a member of the duo Big and Rich, told a crowd of supporters in Florida: "Somebody's got to walk the line in the country."

"They've got to walk it unapologetically. And I'm sure Johnny Cash would have been a John McCain supporter if he was still around."

The star then went on to sing Cash's hit, I Walk the Line.

Ms Cash, who is also a singer-songwriter, requested that in future: "My father not be co-opted in this election for either side, since he is clearly not here to defend or state his own allegiance."

"I knew my father pretty well, at least better than some of those who entitle themselves to his legacy and his supposed ideals," she added.

Grammy-award winner Cash sold over 90 million records and had hits with Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Man in Black. He died in 2003, aged 71.

I am really at a loss as to why there was universal praise on ilm for such a self-evidently atrocious piece of music as "save a horse (ride a cowboy)".