An obit, and some old-fartism

[TC Chris]

The NYT had an obit for Hargus Robbins. Read it here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/arts ... -dead.html

He played on all sorts of famous recordings in Nashville. The one that caught my eye and my brain was Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." What a song, what a singer. Once you've heard it, it cannot be forgotten.

And then NPR did it again. I was listening on the headphones on my daily after-work hike tonight, and they interviewed another little lady songwriter who just put out a new album. The interviewer gushed over a couple of her songs and they played some excerpts and I resolved to forget her name as soon as possible.

I hate to sound like an old fart but why don't these radio news people find some new musicians with talent and good material? Maybe they should listen to Patsy Cline sing "I Fall to Pieces" (or anything else she recorded) before they choose interview subjects.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I learned something today. Pig Robbins played on the early Connie Smith material as well. So.......there are TWO piano players who could exactly mimic Floyd Cramer. Bob Smale on the Lawrence Welk show and Pig Robbins.

A sad fact is that Patsy Cline wouldn't even get an audition if she was starting out today. She was not cute enough.

[Firedome]

Christ you are an old fart alright! Some of their picks are questionable but not this one imo. I heard it last night too.

"little lady songwriter?? actually that was Anais Mitchell, you might want to dig a bit deeper:

Pretty darn well known, even I knew about her, for her show "Hadestown", (Tony award Best Score), many albums ( I suggest you check some of them out), and because she's from Vermont. Not sure about her new album but she's a pretty talented "little lady" (really? sheesh), and some of her previous stuff is pretty darn good imo.

"Mitchell has received favorable reviews on her musical style, sound and performance. An article in Acoustic Guitar magazine calls Mitchell "fearlessly emotive" and compares her to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Gillian Welch.[37] The UK's Independent newspaper called her "the most engaging, and in some ways, most original artist currently working in the field of new American folk music"[38] The New York Times noted that "Ms Mitchell's songs address contemporary angst with uncanny vision" and called her "a formidable songwriting talent".[39]
Discography"

check out her CV:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Mitchell

Yes Patsy Cline was great, but unlike Mitchell didn't write much of her own music, and also dead almost 60 years ago... things have moved on, I like to try to have an open mind to the new as well as appreciating the classic.

[electra225]

Well, for me and my house, I'll remain an old fart, I reckon.

Patsy Cline may have been gone close to 60 years, but there are few female singers who can hold a candle to her singing. The modern stuff annoys me. It is screechy. With a few exceptions, talent like existed 60 years ago is long gone. My wife calls my record collection "those old nasally dead guys" and I reckon that's apt. All the good "girl singers" are gone with one exception, and she's pushing 80. The problem with girl singers nowadays is they pitch them a couple octaves above their ability. So they have to yell and screech to hit the notes. The writing is horrendous as well. I've noticed some of the top-40 country artists (whose names I can't identify) have started recycling 1960's and '70's material because modern songwriting is so bad. Electric fiddles and playing drums like they are driving roofing nails are a couple bad habits for discussion another day.

Patsy Cline was a singer, not a song writer. She had the talents of Harlan Howard, Hank Cochran, Cindy Walker, Willie Nelson and others to do the writing.

Edit...Well, MAYBE one more modern girl singer might be okay. Just now hearing her CD on the old Symphony. Amber Digby. I can't say she's a singer in the same realm as Patsy Cline, but, for a modern singer, her material is quite pleasant to a traditional country music fan. She has a great band.

[Firedome]

Must be a bit depressing to think that in 60 years there's been only 1 great "girl" singer in all that time.
I do believe there's been more than a few, and I like to think that there will be more yet to come, and in genres not just in traditional country music.

Anais' rather simple, traditional songs, are evocative of not only the '60s but sometimes of the '20s, '30s, and times even before... and definitely not screechy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gklywkW3pWE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ylCfeIsd4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJLZGaIRmPQ

sampler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga2KHGX12Nk

"Anaïs Mitchell has been called “the queen of modern folk music.” Her poetic lyrics have been likened to those of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. She wrote an off-Broadway musical about which Lin-Manuel Miranda recently raved. And yet, despite such accolades, she has never quite gotten the attention her music deserves.

Mitchell writes many of her songs about history, politics, folklore, and—self-reflectively—how music can explore those topics to document and shape the world. She is both a wielder of and commentator on music’s potential as a change agent, and this has been true from the title track of her debut album, The Song They Sang… When Rome Fell, to her most recent artistic work, the musical Hadestown, a retelling of the Orpheus myth in Depression-era America. In an interview with The New York Times about the show, she said, “Whether or not you can change the world with a song, [...] you still have to try.” Earnest, observant, and philosophical, Mitchell brings poignancy to the ordinary and meaning to adversity."

Patsy Cline without doubt had a great, if very brief career. PBS's "American Experience" did an excellent biopic last year.
She was a soulful interpreter for songs that others wrote, and her passing at such a young age (31) no doubt cemented her rose-tinted legacy. It's interesting to speculate if, like Loretta Lynn (both age 89 this year) she'd still be out there.
Meantime I like to also speculate on, and listen to, potentially great singer-songwriters, of both genders, yet to come... there will be some.

[electra225]

Okay, there are actually TWO good girl singers still left. Connie Francis and Ralna English. The ones we lost are Rosie Clooney, Helen O'Connell and Patsy Cline. There were dozens of others who were pleasant to listen to, but these five are the ones who meet my criteria of the best female singers. The just suck in a gut full of air and let 'er rip. They don't slide on or off the note, just hit it head on. Range up and down without going falsetto or sounding like a frog. No screech. They only sing songs they are capable of singing. They don't go outside their genre and make a fool of themselves. Those are MY criteria, and I wouldn't impose them on anybody else. I believe Connie is some younger than Ralna. Ralna is in her late 70's.

Patsy Cline and I share the same birthday. She was 18 years to the day older than I am. Jim Reeves died when he was 40. He was a better singer than he was an airplane pilot. Elvis was 42 when he died. I've often wondered what these stars would be like were they still alive today. Barbara Mandrell is in her 70's. My God, she was just a kid when she had her show. Connie Smith turned 80 in August last. Still performing on RFD TV, Larry's Diner.

I like this Patsy Cline recording of "Why Can't He Be You". Written by Hank Cochran, this song sends goose bumps down my spine. Recorded in hyper-stereo on top of it all. How anybody could listen to this song and not agree that Patsy was one of the greats......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCrSmJ_ ... rt_radio=1

This Patsy Cline song, "I Love You Honey" was played on the "Little Red Barn" show on WOWO out of Fort Wayne, IN fairly frequently. My mom liked the song. When my sister was born in 1957, she had a hole in her heart. That was a big deal back then, now it would be some type of laser surgery and it would be done. My mom bastardized this song and sang it to my sister when she was riding her tricycle. I would say 1956 might be a tad early for this recording. Patsy Cline wasn't "discovered" until 1957 on Arthur Godfrey's "Talent Scouts" program. I won't argue that point, but it seems unlikely this is a 1956 recording. My guess would be later than 1957 but I don't know that. It sounds like it is mono, so that would date it pre-1959. I believe Patsy Montana may have had an earlier recording of this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnyFm_oC7a4

[TC Chris]

What I heard on the radio didn't tickle my fancy either. Sure didn't sound like Dylan or Cohen to me. I'd rather listen to Brandi Carlile. She seems to have talent and grit. Better shut up before I step on everybody's toes.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

A bit hasty to pass judgement on a 20 year career from only the 2 minutes of her latest music NPR played, or a political comment, one would think? Might be worthwhile to dig in, listen to older stuff, check out lyrics of past songs for validating comparisons to others.

As to WP, songwriting comes from many wells, and if that's one that influences her in one way or the other,
so be it, it's not like it doesn't exist, her work has always been been very political and a commentary on modern
life, like, say... Dylan?

I've concluded it's pointless to discuss music. Too personal, everyone has their own taste and sometimes in only certain genres of interest. Trying to convince someone of the worth of any particular performer or type of music is like trying to convince someone to change their political or religious views and just about as effective. Sticking to consoles henceforth.

[electra225]

Guys, let's please remember to play nice. We know how to treat each other on this forum. 'Nuff said.