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The old saying "Go West, Young Man" has proven to be quite a prophetic statement here in the 1980's, though maybe not the way it was intended when Hank Williams Sr. and Jimmie Rodgers began writing country music decades ago. Ronald Reagan rules our country from a ranch as much as from the White House. Willie Nelson is a hot new movie star and sex symbol, and Brooklyn born tough guys can be seen on Friday nights in cowboy boots and ten gallon hats. On your AM radios Eddie Rabbit and Kenny rogers can be heard all too frequently.
Country music has had many classic figures, and Merle Haggard is certainly one of the greatest. In nineteen years as a recording artist, Haggard has won nineteen Country Music Association awards, has recorded twenty-seven number one records, has achieved four gold records, and in May of 1980, he became the first country artist to be featured on the cover of Downbeat magazine — Haggard is a living legend dedicated to the quality and style of country music, and his new album. Big City is a fine example of the pride and core that Haggard takes in himself and his product.
The material on Big City is, for the most part, new Haggard compositions, with the exceptions of the classic "Stop the World (and Let Me Off)", written back In 1957, and an old Haggard tune, "You Don't Have Very Far To Go" (done beautifully on Roseanne Cash's most recent LP). The songs are southern in their roots, and Haggard's sensible yet winsome style reflects country music as it originally was intended: sad tales about love and heartache, performed simply and passionately.
As with most artists whose forte is emotion and real love songs, the ballads are what stand out and hold up the best here. "My Favorite Memory," about the many memories shared by two people in love, and "You Don't Have Very Far to Go" are both beautiful, touching songs that, because of their starkness, haunt you long after they're heard. Haggard's band, The Strangers, provides excellent support throughout the album, and the understated arrangements strike a perfect balance with Haggard's understated voice.
Merle's singing is in fine form on Big City, and the effortless vocals are what carves the record along so smoothly. He never seems to strain for any notes, and his plain, sultry style is a beautiful foil compared to the whiney, country sound we're all used to hearing. Classic artists such as Haggard and country Legend George Jones are American music greats that should not be overlooked by any music lover, despite the possible aversion to any country music. More and more, contemporary non-country artists are rediscovering this music, and using its fine sense of tragedy effectively in their own.
The most recent and notable artist to "crossover" is none other than Elvis Costello. Although considered by the general public to be a punk or new wave artist, Costello has always freely confessed his love for country music in general, and George Jones and Gram Parsons in particular. Elvis has decided to do somewhat of a tribute album to the many country greats he admires, and a new LP entitled Almost Blue should be in the stores in the next couple of weeks.
"A Good Year For the Roses" is the pre-released single from the forthcoming album, and it is a perfect vehicle for Elvis' vocal prowess. Never before has Elvis sounded so good and so grand, and the lush string arrangements and wonderful steel guitar complement Elvis perfectly. Costello has always written about the fine line between true love and selfish manipulation, and country music seems to be an exceptionally apt vehicle for him. Elvis wrote none of the songs on the upcoming LP; instead he chose to record a sampling of the first country and western songs ever written, including compositions by Jones, Billy Sherrill (who also produces Almost Blue), Hank Williams, Gram Parsons, and Merle Haggard himself. Hopefully these two records, one from a true country hero, the other from a true innovator, will help to spearhead an artistic resurgence of a type of music that, with its newfound commercial popularity has nowhere to go but up.
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