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Tracklisting
1.Lost Highway—Hank Williams
2.Crazy Heart (alternative version 2) - Jerry Lee Lewis
3.Bartender Blues—George Jones
4.Wasted Days & Wasted Nights—Doug Sahm
5. Bloody Mary Morning—Willie Nelson
6.Sold American—Kinky Friedman
7.From the Bottle to the Bottom—Kris Kristofferson
8.I’ve Been a Long Time Leaving—Waylon Jennings
9.Dreadful Selfish Crime (live) - Robert Earl Keen
10.Now She’s Gone—Steve Earle
11.Cocaine Blues—Johnny Cash
12.Georgia on a Fast Train—Billy Joe Shaver
13.Gettin’ By (live) - Jerry Jeff Walker
14.Lonesome, Onry, & Mean—Waylon Jennings
15.I Think I’ll Stay Here and Drink (liveat Billy Bob’s) - Merle Haggard
16.Loving Her was Easier than Anything I’ll Do Again—Kris Kristofferson
17.How I Love Them Old Songs—The Hole Dozen
18.Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?—Uncle Tupelo

and yes it should be if you're big star bound. Some of you will get the corrected version but I'm not reprinting them all.

Wow.
I'm not a part of this exchange, but I want this!

Nice work.

Yeah, I like the looks of this one.

what they said

Before people should be reviewing my mix soon but before they started, I wanted to share the ideas and reasons of why I chose to make this mix for the particular theme that Opa came up with.

One often hears about how Uncle Tupelo brought country to alternative rock or you hear the counter argument that it was the Jayhawks. Some older punks contest that cowpunk was in existence way before Jeff Tweedy donned boots and a flannel shirt and claimed to be poor despite it middle class upbringing. Same arguments are held about the Byrds, Gram Parsons, and the Stones. But honestly, I'm not sure rock & country were ever seperate. In fact Rock has been intertwined with country almost as much r&b and the blues. What do Hank Williams Sr. and Elvis have in common? They both made they're debut on Louisiana Hayride, a program that Dylan often cites as formative on his musical development. The Hayride in it's day rivaled the Oprey in country music importance. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, & Buddy Holly all started at the same point in that bastardization of country - rockabilly. According to some the roads took off from there , went in different directions and occasionally criss crossed with heroes like Gram Parsons but I think they've been traveling next to each other following the same muses of rebellion, destruction, love lost, and fuck you. If you can't hear the country in Dylan, Stones, Van Morrison, Tnhe Band and even the Beatles, then you're not trying hard enough.

It's the same for me. Country music always been there and it was as formative for me as the first time I heard Like A Rolling Stone. I decided on two things for this mix early on. One, that it would all be a homage to Hank Williams because in reality he's the template for both genres. Lost Highway captures everything thats great in either genre. Second it would focus on 70's country for the most part because I feel what Waylon, Willie, and the boys were doing was not unlike what the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Ramones were doing in rock at that same time period. It was back to basics with an emphasis on the original themes of the genres. They were both saying we love the originators so much that we're gonna have to tell our music establishment to go fuck itself. I concluded the mix with the legacy. I hope y'all enjoy.

Did you steal that manifesto from Opa?

this sounds really good - i think you sent it to me but still have to listen.

I consulted him on issues of authenticity.

Manifesto...fucker.

Nicely done, Tanner.

Somewhere deep inside I know this is a bad ass record. However, everytime I put it on all I want to hear is that bad ass Johnny Cash song. I can't listen to anything else country-wise before or after.

That track floored me.

I gave the record to my mom, not as a gift but just to give it to her. She loves all of the artists.

Thanks for letting me share music with my mom.

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Tracklisting
1.Lost Highway—Hank Williams - See the best/worst/best thing about getting mixes that begin with Hank Sr. is that it can either go up (a mildly frightening idea) or down (which hopefully will be a decent ride). There's not much one can say about icons like this, so I'll only say that it's an inspired way to kick off the mix. You've got stones, I'll give you that. 5/5

2.Crazy Heart (alternative version 2) - Jerry Lee Lewis - This is just a dangerous mix to have on. Great ol' song. When I first put this mix on, I didn't look at the tracklist and thought after hearing this: Nobody Follows the Killer. And then....5/5

3.Bartender Blues—George Jones - And oh sweet jesus. THE GEORGE. All of sudden I want to grab a bottle and start driving around. I think I need a honkytonk angel to hold me tight and keep me from slipping away. If this song were a zen koan, it would be the sound of one hand drinking. 5/5

4.Wasted Days & Wasted Nights—Doug Sahm - Or possibly this song. In the soundtrack of my life, this is the theme from the years 1995-1998, and in the specific scene I am waking up in the morning and wondering why on earth I've got sweet and sour meatballs all over me, and worse still, why I've snuffed a cig out in the sauce. 5/5

5. Bloody Mary Morning—Willie Nelson - Foot tappin' genius. Personally I prefer Caesar's but we're quibbling here. It's the best thing to have first thing with breakfast. 5/5

6.Sold American—Kinky Friedman - Up until this mix, I don't think I've ever heard this particular artist. Probably a freak, but I just never knew anyone who listened to this stuff. Plus initially it sounds like some weird comedy act. This song is surprisingly good. 4/5

7.From the Bottle to the Bottom—Kris Kristofferson - Lately, I've been really, really liking Kris' music. I've never been a huge fan of his music before; I guess I never heard the right songs but so far two mixes I've heard have had some truly excellent KK songs on it. Songs like this, I could cheerfully put on all day long. 5/5

8.I’ve Been a Long Time Leaving—Waylon Jennings - It's funny how you can almost call a Waylon song in the first few seconds before you even hear that voice. It just sounds like Waylon is gonna come on soon enough. I can't say enough good things about Waylon. There was a time when I didn't listen to a lot of music like this. Quite a few years passed and I was back home when my dad threw on Waylon's greatest hits and I still knew every goddamn song practically by heart. I figure I imprinted on this stuff when I was a kid, much like Lorenz's ducks. The affection never goes away. 5/5

9.Dreadful Selfish Crime (live) - Robert Earl Keen - Shit I'd never heard this song before, but this is tops. Excellent choice here. 5/5

10.Now She’s Gone—Steve Earle - Right on. I put an obvious Steve song on my mix, but this works too. He sounds really good here as well. 4/5

11.Cocaine Blues—Johnny Cash - This is genius. I finally heard the Hank Thompson version which is different and still great, but this one I can't say enough about. One of my all time favourite songs. 5/5

12.Georgia on a Fast Train—Billy Joe Shaver - This was a fucking inspired choice here. Following up that last one required some finesse. Well played, mang. 5/5

13.Gettin’ By (live) - Jerry Jeff Walker - Another brilliant choice here and another I wasn't too familiar with, either. I should probably check out some more Jerry Jeff. I've always meant to seeing as Willie and Waylon namecheck him on Luchenback, Texas. 4/5

14.Lonesome, Onry, & Mean—Waylon Jennings - Doubling up on the waylon, eh? Nice touch. Love this song. I always have the strongest desire to play pool whenever I hear Waylon. I just want to grab a beer and start shooting. 5/5

15.I Think I’ll Stay Here and Drink (liveat Billy Bob’s) - Merle Haggard - Man, I just acquired a whole bunch of Merle but this isn't among them. He wasn't one of my dad's favourites, so I never got a lot of exposure to him until later. I'm glad I'm catching up because this is just brilliant. Real western swing kind of stuff. 5/5

16.Loving Her was Easier than Anything I’ll Do Again—Kris Kristofferson - Hmm, we slow things down a little. Not too bad, but probably my least favourite song on the album, only because of the qualitative shift in song feel. 3/5

17.How I Love Them Old Songs—The Hole Dozen - This one is okay, too. Didn't really thrill me like the others, but considering the company this song shares, what the hell chance did it have? 3/5

18.Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?—Uncle Tupelo - Shit, yeah. Excellent closing number. Good cover. 4.5/5

Final Thoughts

Well, all things considered, this was my favourite mix. And fortunately for yours truly, it's the last mix I have to review so I'm going out on a high note, which is always really important with me (Because of that recency effect, you know?). This mix has been played plenty of times over a few drinking sessions and it's a perfect soundtrack. Many thanks, Tanner.

1.Lost Highway—Hank Williams - One of those songs that seems like it always existed. I almost have to remind myself that there was a time when some genius muffugga had to sit himself down and write this thing. Not to mention live it. This is bedrock - the whole house is built right on top. 5/5

2.Crazy Heart (alternative version 2) - Jerry Lee Lewis - Okay, fair warning - I'm not a big country music fan, but one of the things I love about much of this mix is how many songs have an rhythm'n'blues undercurrent. This is a case in point - rolling just under the Killer's high lonesome keen is a slo-mo barrelhouse boogie. He just can't help it. 4/5

3.Bartender Blues—George Jones - That pedal steel says country, that vocal says soul. 4/5

4.Wasted Days & Wasted Nights—Doug Sahm - Great version of this song. I love that Fats Domino-style sax stroll - in fact, I propose that every song ever written would be vastly improved with the addition of a Fats Domino-style sax stroll. People of the world, we need to get on that STAT. 5/5

5. Bloody Mary Morning—Willie Nelson - This one's deep in the country, so it's gotta catch me in the mood. This morning, I'm in the mood - although it's more red wine than bloody mary, but my liver doesn't know the difference. 4/5

6.Sold American—Kinky Friedman - I've actually got a Kinky Friedman novel (hardcover no less), but this is the first time I've heard this song. Awesome. 4/5

7.From the Bottle to the Bottom—Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson always delivers the quality of lyrics befitting the Rhodes scholar that he is, but I'm not particularly enamored with his limited vocals nor the rudimentary two-step of the music. I can't deny the strength of the song though. 4/5

8.I’ve Been a Long Time Leaving—Waylon Jennings - This is the part of the mix where my problems with the sound of country start to manifest themselves. I don't quite know why I don't like it - I can recognize the craft in the song, and I like the world weary gravitas in Waylon's voice - but it's not something I'd ever choose to listen to. How do you rate something like that? The same way I rate Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, I guess. 4/5

9.Dreadful Selfish Crime (live) - Robert Earl Keen - Really, this is only a single step to the left of the previous song, but I LIKE it. The melody is more pop than country, the backing band sounds like they could put the boots to it if they wanted, and Keen's voice has a touch of twang without conjuring up images of nudie suits and and bolo ties. 4/5

10.Now She’s Gone—Steve Earle - Steve Earle can't open his mouth without sounding like he's in the process of a sneer. It doesn't matter how country he gets (and on this one, not so much), there's always that attitude that says "rock and roll" more clearly than a thousand metal bands. 4/5

11.Cocaine Blues—Johnny Cash - Same problem. How do you rate a perfect song that you don't particularly like listening to? I blame it entirely on myself. 5/5

12.Georgia on a Fast Train—Billy Joe Shaver - I imagine if I drove an 18 wheeler I'd listen to this sort of thing all the time. It'd go well with the bennies. 3/5

13.Gettin’ By (live) - Jerry Jeff Walker - This makes me wish I was a full bore country fan. I love Jerry Jeff's voice... actually, I really like this song. It even cuts through my knee jerk prejudice against country. 4/5

14.Lonesome, Onry, & Mean—Waylon Jennings - Whoops, the knee jerk prejudice just returned. I like the lyrics though. 3/5

15.I Think I’ll Stay Here and Drink (liveat Billy Bob’s) - Merle Haggard - Nice little live jam going on here. Who invited David Sanborn to sit in on sax? Again, I like the lyrics but, y'know, I'm just not feelin' this in my spurs. 3/5

16.Loving Her was Easier than Anything I’ll Do Again—Kris Kristofferson - I'm bugged by the string section tacked on to this - it certainly didn't need the sweetening. Still, a great song. 5/5

17.How I Love Them Old Songs—The Hole Dozen - Is that Jeff Tweedy on the opening verse? It kinda does sound like a demo from the Being There sessions. Wait, goddamn, now it sounds like Levon Helm. Okay, I'm on board. 4/5

18.Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?—Uncle Tupelo - Conceptually a great way to end this mix - a tip of the hat to the past, a nod to the once-upon-a-time future. Bonus points for it being a great version of a great song. 4/5

Final Thoughts

As I keep saying throughout the review, I'm not much of a country fan - but this mix somehow (mostly) overcomes that handicap by bringing the quality. I had an obviously hard time rating everything, mainly because there's a bit of a dichotomy between how much I respect the songs and how much I want to listen to them. I'm sure if I dig into my childhood I'll find that my repugnance of country music stems from some trauma suffered at the hands of that old molo Don Messer (or something). Anyway, this is a mix I'm really glad to have in my possession, just because it's full of stuff I wouldn't otherwise own.

Thanks, Tanner!

Thanks for bumping this -- I have review notes scribbled on notebook paper from over a month ago that I need to finally type here!