Some Favorite Performances of Country Songs

Alan Shank · Post by **Alan Shank** » 27 Aug 2000 10:26 am

Since I like such a small percentage of the songs coming out on "country" recordings over the past 20 years or so, I make tapes for myself, to play in my car or when I'm doing something boring and repetitious that allows me to devote most of my attention to music, of songs that I like. I have about 20 of these tapes. When I get a tape or CD, I listen to it and check off the songs (unfortunately, usually only 1-3) that I want to put on one of my tapes. Alas, I'm WAY BEHIND in doing this, probably having 20 or 30 tapes and CDs that I haven't "harvested" yet. I keep a database of all the songs, artists and which tape and side.

Just for fun, I went through my database yesterday and tried to pick out my favorites, the ones that, when they come on, really cause me to "prick up my ears" and devote every "attention unit" I've got to listening.

Here's what I came up with: (this shouldn't be taken as a list of what I feel are the all-time best country songs, just the ones that I have that I like the best) So, in no particular order:

The Man Who Came Between Us - Aaron Tippin
Winding Down - Clint Black
Nothin's News - Clint Black
The Hard Way - Clint Black
Somebody Lied - Conway Twitty
When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me - David Ball
No Relief in Sight - Dawn Sears
Close Up the Honky Tonks - Dawn Sears
Out of Hand - Gary Stewart
You Put Out an Old Flame Last Night - Gene Watson
The New York Times - Gene Watson
The Cowboy Rides Away - George Strait
Lovin' the Bottle - Heather Myles
Tonight the Heartache's on Me - Joy Lynn White (also Dixie Chicks)
Put It Off Until Tomorrow - The Kendalls
You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man - Loretta Lynn
What Part of "No" Don't You Understand - Lorrie Morgan
Holdin' Things Together - Merle Haggard
Soft Lights and Hard Country Music - Moe Bandy
Do You Know Where Your Man Is? - Pam Tillis
Ancient History - Pam Tillis
Don't Toss Us Away - Patty Loveless
Go On - Patty Loveless
The Lonely Side of Love - Patty Loveless
The Fog Has Lifted - Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton
There'll Always Be a Honky Tonk - Randy Travis
It Don't Hurt Me Half as Bad (as Holding You Feels Good) - Ray Price
Crazy Arms - Ray Price
She's Single Again - Reba McEntire
Red Roses - Reba McEntire
Take the Wings off Me - Reba McEntire
Today All Over Again - Reba McEntire
The Corner of Walk and Don't Walk - Rhonda Vincent
I'm Not Over You - Rhonda Vincent
You May See Me Walking - Ricky Skaggs
I'm Tired - Ricky Skaggs
That's Why I'm Walking - Ricky Skaggs
(also have this by Don Walser and Heather Myles, but like Ricky's version best)
Old Fashioned Broken Heart - Sammy Kershaw
For Years - Sammy Kershaw
Yard Sale - Sammy Kershaw
Walk Out Backwards - Sara Evans
Lonely Women Make Good Lovers - Steve Wariner
The Old Side of Town - Tom T. Hall
A Real Ladies' Man - Vince Gill
Look at Us - Vince Gill
Don't Come Crying to Me - Vince Gill w/Dawn Sears
Family Reunion - Wade Hayes

Many of those are the more obscure cuts from albums containing "hits" that leave me cold. How many are familiar with "Yard Sale" by Sammy Kershaw, or "Family Reunion" by Wade Hayes, a couple of real tear-jerkers?

Anybody else make this kind of tape?
Cheers,
Alan Shank

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 27 Aug 2000 4:20 pm

Gasp.

Where's "He Stopped Lovin' Her Today" by George Jones?

I also like "(I can still make) Cheyenne" by George Strait.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 27 Aug 2000 5:50 pm

Yes Alan, a lot of us "roll our own" because of the scarcity of good country compendium albums. It's the only way to get what we want! Looks like you're doing a good job of choosing cuts...too bad you're not a producer!

Geff King · Post by **Geff King** » 27 Aug 2000 6:00 pm

When I was playing in a more modern country band I used to get a tape like this about every two weeks from our bandleader. I'd listen to it on the way to work and back; sure made the commute a whole lot easier. Only thing is: in a traffic jam, no one thinks you sound as good singing harmony as you do.

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 27 Aug 2000 6:06 pm

Wow !!!!

Don't this tread make "Napster" look like a good place to visit.

Ain't done it yet but I feel that unless RIAA does something to appease the public, Napster may be the wave of the future.

They could set up machines in the major outlets, lets say, 12 songs of your interest, put directly onto a cd, for $10.00 to $16.00, depending upon the popularity of the artist. That would allow for a CD one might be willing to pay the price of in order to get a CD he/she really desired instead of being forced to purchased a $16.00 CD in order to get a singular song or two.

BJ Bailey · Post by **BJ Bailey** » 27 Aug 2000 11:57 pm

Hey Alan ,I have a wall full of em also.
I just wish that I had them label ,and organised.

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BJ Bailey

Alan Shank · Post by **Alan Shank** » 29 Aug 2000 3:59 pm

[QUOTE}
Gasp.

Where's "He Stopped Lovin' Her Today" by George Jones?
[/QUOTE]

I know that is considered one of the great performances of a song in CM history, but it's not really one of my favorites. I prefer "Old Habits Like You (Are Hard to Break)", actually. I have quite a lot of George's material, and I haven't even gone through it all. He did record a lot of "crap" at times, lots of "novelty" songs and the like, but his best stuff is some of the best, period.

I just heard "Let's Chase Each Other 'round the Room Tonight," by the Hag on my local "classic country" station. That's another one I really like. Here in the Sacramento area we have a station that plays "Hot New Country" on FM but plays quite a bit of Hag, Jones, Waylon, etc. on their AM side, which is the one I sometimes listen to. I really don't listen much, though, because I won't put up with the ads and songs I don't like.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

Alan Shank · Post by **Alan Shank** » 29 Aug 2000 4:22 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>
Yes Alan, a lot of us "roll our own" because of the scarcity of good country
compendium albums. It's the only way to get what we want! Looks like you're
doing a good job of choosing cuts...too bad you're not a producer!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'd love to be a producer of country music! If I were, one phone number I would NEVER need would be that of the Nashville String Machine! The most annoying thing, to me, is to have what would be a good country song ruined by those lush, banal, vapid string arrangements. One of the worst offenders is Mark Wright, who produces Mark Chesnutt, Lee Ann Womack, among others. Listen to "Am I the Only Thing You've Done Wrong", a potentially good song ruined, as far as I'm concerned, by putting string parts over all of Paul Franklin's steel guitar work. You know, if he wants to use strings on songs that don't sound country to begin with, I don't care, because I'm not going to listen to them, anyway. But when he sh--s on a song like that, which would sound just fine if you could remove the string parts, it really frosts me! I've learned not to expect much from albums produced by MW. He's ruined a few of Mark Chesnutt's songs that way, too.

Cheers,
Alan Shank

Bengt Erlandsen · Post by **Bengt Erlandsen** » 30 Aug 2000 10:28 am

Here is 10 songs that I would like on one CD.
Too bad some of them lacks steelguitar, but they still qualify for my CD.

Mohair Sam - Charlie Rich
Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
Pop a Top Again - Jim Ed Brown
The Fighting Side of Me - Merle Haggard
Only Daddy That Can Walk The Line - Waylon Jennings?
Dont't Rock The Jukebox - Alan Jackson
Gone Out Of My Mind - Diamond Rio
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies.....- Gibson Miller Band
Right Of The Top Of My Heart - Gibson Miller Band
Tougher Than The Rest - Chris Le Doux
What Else Can I Do - Patricia Conroy

Can anybody help. I have a country radio station on my sat.receiver. They play what sounded like an old song where the chorus went " we where two of the wrong kind....gone out of our mind.... " ???
It was a male/female duet. Beautiful song but I don't know who plays or sings and if it is released on CD
B. Erlandsen
beerland@c2i.net

The old songs still sounds best.[This message was edited by BENGT ERLANDSEN on 30 August 2000 at 02:23 PM.]

Dayna Wills · Post by **Dayna Wills** » 31 Aug 2000 12:32 am

When I go to Texas, I trade CDs whenever I can, and I have some great music. I transfer my faves to cassette so I can play them in the car. That's where I can really listen to music without interuption. There are great singers,and musicians on these CDs, and lots of steel.
Hey Bob, maybe some of these guys and gals would be interested in offering a few for the Forum?????

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