People love Garth Brooks

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Stranger,

There you make some valid points, and I too hate Shania Twain. However, you don't have bands that sound like the Beatles anymore, or Lynard Skynard, or Genesis, or the Eagles, or whomever was big in the past. The music industry is in constant evolution. Is it fair to blame one catalyst for change who started to influence the scene almost 20 years ago, to the Big & Riches, and Toby Keith's of today? Was it a factor? Undoubtably. But the factor, put the fall of the ole country music on his shoulders? I don't think so. In fairness I think a change in country music was coming, with the expansion of FM radio, music videos, and then the internet, country went from being that weird, one-off, genre, to something that more people listen to and enjoy. The evolution was happening with or without Garth.

The other side of the coin is that people don't think of modern country music, or "new country" with the same viewpoint as the old joke "what do you get when you play country music backwards? You get your wife back, you get your house back, you get your dog back, you get your truck back . . . "

If you don't like Garth, that's fine by me (I wish 50,000+ less people liked him when he sold out the Metro Centre on back to back to back to back nights in 1996), I don't like the Smashing Pumpkins and get a lot of head for being a teenager from the 90's who think Billy Corgan's voice is the worst thing on the planet and he sounds like a dying mule.

To each their own

Fair enough. Good arguments. But I'll still take my Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Garth Brooks is the country music anti-christ. He almost single handedly killed country music and ushered in the unlistenable "New Country". Sure, good country music was dying in the eighties, but Garth Brooks turned it into a complete side show with his over the top concerts which covered up the fact that he was a talentless hack.

True legends like Cash, Jennings, Nelson etc. were kicked to the curb for the "new" country sound. Now anyone who put on a fake texan accent could find a song with a catchphase chorus, sing it to death for 3 years and then fade into oblivion for the next new star.

If it weren't for Rick Rubin giving Johnny Cash a record deal we would have never heard a Johnny Cash song through the 90's. And when Cash was cool again (just before he died) new country came back saying they loved him all along.

Oh yeah, no I don't like Garth Brooks.

Or Chris Gaines.

###. No talent hack.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Fair enough. Good arguments. But I'll still take my Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

I think all of us would.

[Stranger]

Thank you Azure and troutman. I was getting the feeling that I was alone here.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Thank you Azure and troutman. I was getting the feeling that I was alone here.

I think you make some valid points.

I wouldn't blame the new 'pop' sound completely on Brooks...there have been others who veered away from the traditional country sound at the same time.

I hate 99% of the country music coming out today.

[jammies]

If you've seen "Walk the Line", there's the scene where Johnny Cash is in the studio trying to convince the record company guy to let him do a record, and he's playing some old-timey hackneyed crap and the guy isn't buying it... and the guy TELLS him it's crap, and asks him to sing something real (and he does) - that's what I wish would happen to every one of the zillion lame country "artists" out there.

I used to just hate country until my buddy played me some oldskool stuff that had some passion in it, songs that told you stories about people that weren't part of some marketing demographic. That kind of country I like, but Garth Brooks IS an abomination, although admittedly a talented one.

All change is not progress.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Thank you Azure and troutman. I was getting the feeling that I was alone here.

Hey, I just posted the article because I thought it was impressive that the man sold out 9 shows to a 20000 seat arena in 90 minutes.

I'll keep listening to Red Headed Stranger myself.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Thank you Azure and troutman. I was getting the feeling that I was alone here.

I wept when I found out Johnny Cash died. Not ashamed to admit it.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Maybe I was a bit harsh. What I'm trying to say is country music is trying to evolve itself into pop music. Garth Brooks "Chris Gaines" shows that perfectly. He tried to used Gaines as a way to test the pop music scene a little more.

Country music is trying to distance itself so far from what it was in the 50's 60's and 70's that it really isn't country anymore. To someone that is a fan of that era its frustrating to listen to. Shania Twain is considered a country star, but when was the last time she recorded something remotely country? New country fans call it an evolution, but it's evolving if you don't respect the past. New country music isn't country music, it's waterdown disposable pop music with a few steel guitars. Acts like Big and Rich are a good example of how far new country will go to make a buck.

I'll admit Garth Brooks is good at what he does and has made alot of money using his rock concerts to promote his music, but he still isn't country in my opinion and I'll never be able to convince a fan of his otherwise. It's just a shame that new artists that don't have the Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw or Kenny Chesney sound, aren't played on the radio because they aren't "pop country". I guess that's why I bought my Sirius.

And Locke, Chris Gaines should only get his $500,000,000 if he goes on tour with Brooks. But then he'd have to split his share with Trisha Yearwood.

Any genre of music will evolve with time. How much it evolves is up to the consumer, plain and simple. If it is evolving to a form no one will listen to or buy or support, it will be on its death bed.

And there will always be the consumate professionals who will stick with their genre because they believe in it and that is who they are. So you have the George Jones, the Johnny Cashes, the George Straits, etc who will stand the test of time and be remembered as the true greats of their genre of music. Sad if you cant find enough of their music to satisfy your listening needs but that is how the music industry runs.

Do I think Garth Brooks killed "country music" ? No I do not. He might not be the very traditional country but he is certainly not the new pop country either. As a consumer, I find him closer to the traditional form of country rather than pop country.

[algernon]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Stranger,
don't like the Smashing Pumpkins and get a lot of head for being a teenager from the 90's who think Billy Corgan's voice is the worst thing on the planet and he sounds like a dying mule.

To each their own

Someone call Fotze. He can write a better joke than me.

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

The Rolling Stones, the premiere rock band, the band that all other bands formulate themselves after, they revolutionized the "Drugs, Sex, and Rock and Roll" mentality. Now we've got Nickleback, Theory of a Deadman, and Default. Stupid Stones, bunch of tallentless hacks!

If the Rolling Stones are in anyway responsible for the bolded 'bands' above, then I agree with you: they are a 'bunch of tallentless hacks'.


And did G. Brooks steal Trisha Yearwood from someone? Or am I thinking of someone else? BTW, that is pretty immpresive to sell out 9 shows in an hour and a half.

[BlackArcher101]

A lot of hate here for Garth Brooks. Seems the more popular someone gets the more enemies show their faces. Some may not like him because "he ruined country" or "he broke up with his wife", but that still doesn't mean he can't sing. His huge # of fans attest to that. Hell, I was going to see his show in Kansas City, but I couldn't get time off work. I'm hoping he does a tour or two so I can see him in concert finally.

Let's try to leave the "he's a hack" stuff out of this eh? This isn't about that, just as a nickleback thread isn't about it either.

[Sittler]

"You know that pop country really sucks" - Hank III