Monday, April 20, 2020

Country Rock "Gave Cat Hives" Claim Disputed

Goose Creek Symphony's last studio album was in 2008. That date looks pretty recent to those who, like me, are still getting over the punk revolution of '76, but it's, what? Twenty years ago today? [Twelve, ya doofus - Ed.]. 

Here's their first three albums, arranged in coherent chronological and alphabetical order and placed upright in a cool place.
Older fans will think they remember one of these tunes as a theme for a radio show. Then they'll get distracted by a buzzing insect and wander outdoors to see if they've had their dinner yet. That's where I am, wondering where everyone went.

This post made possible by grants from the National Association For National Associations (NAFNA)
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17 comments:

  1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 20, 2020 at 2:20 AM

    02:20 here, Checking in.

    ReplyDelete
  2. One Buck GuyApril 20, 2020 at 3:14 AM

    It's 10.13 PM here, but god knows when you posted this. So, back to bed, will ya? Tsk, old people and insomnia….

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jack Kerouac's CatApril 20, 2020 at 3:17 AM

    4:20 here.
    Neva hoid of dees Goose Creek Symphony slobs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One Buck GuyApril 20, 2020 at 3:18 AM

    Come and send me a fish, said the goose to the creek.

    Come and send me an angel, said every pop star ever.

    Come and send me a link, say I.

    ReplyDelete
  5. pmacApril 20, 2020 at 3:51 AM

    3:50 pm here. Goose Creek performed somewhat regularly in New Orleans at a venue called The Warehouse, which as the name implies was just an old empty warehouse with a stage at one end and a makeshift bar across from it. Remember for one of their concerts there, it was free admission if you brought a 4x4 carpet remnant. Good times.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 20, 2020 at 5:21 AM

    Take a gander.

    ReplyDelete
  7. MrDaveApril 20, 2020 at 8:28 AM

    9:26 pm here. I think I've got some carpet remnants in the attic somewhere; time for a sit-in? Let me know when we're starting

    ReplyDelete
  8. pmacApril 20, 2020 at 8:49 AM

    At the time, was my first felonious foray. Didn't have the $ for a ticket, didn't have the carpet. So, break and enter into a new residential building site, rip out enough carpet for me and a date, and the rest is history...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 20, 2020 at 9:37 AM

      From these small beginnings, pmac embarked on a series of daring floor covering robberies. His most celebrated heist was the removal of 700 square yards of Berber level-loop from right under the feet of guests in the lobby of the Schenectady Hilton Homewoods Hotel during an Elks convention. Manager Irving U. Zmicjewski said "I hadda admire the guy's chutzpah! I said to Mildred - that's my wife - Mildred!, I said, That's some moxie the guy had!"

      pmac's one mistake was to try to sell the carpet from the hotel car lot, where he was an easy target for local law enforcement operativies.

      Delete
    2. pmacApril 20, 2020 at 3:45 PM

      So much for my grand idea of cutting out da fence. "I coulda been a contendah!"

      Delete
  9. AnonymousApril 20, 2020 at 10:56 AM

    ahhh yess, Berber, "the Cadillac of carpets"......

    obey_gravity

    ReplyDelete
  10. RobApril 21, 2020 at 12:51 AM

    Hey there, Comrade III. Only ever heard a couple of anthologized Goose Creek tracks and looking forward to a deeper dive. Tip of the imaginary chapeau to you for your continued unearthing of the unworthily obscure. Slainte!

    ReplyDelete
  11. One Buck GuyApril 21, 2020 at 6:38 PM

    I second Rob's sentiment. I know it's more fashionable to say you come for the witty banter, but I'm as much interested in master Farq's continuing education on all things "minor known or completely obscure country rock". I considered myself a fairly well-versed guy in US country rock of the early 70s but am regularly proven wrong by this blog, which is a fabulous thing. To discover bands I've never heard of before is great, especially if it's high quality stuff like these wild geese yokels here...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIApril 21, 2020 at 7:53 PM

      Your woids is like th' sweet dew what falleth on the place below, OBG.

      It's a finite resource, but there's a way to go yet. American psych bands made the switch to country rock pretty smoothly, if they chose to go in that direction. The early seventies UK bands missed the turn entirely - those that tried (Brinsley Schwartz, Heron ... a few others) finished up sounding like thin copies, if well-intentioned. Post-psych in the UK was mostly either panto rock ("glam" - *shudder*) or prog, both of which (especially the former) left me cold, if not a little nauseous. Country rock as a genre enables all the things I enjoy - virtuoso musicianship, great harmony singing, and proper songs written by real songwriters. Also a range of emotions, from heartstring-shredding songs about dead dogs and faithless women to goof-off songs about eating beans. I don't know why but US voices just sound better to me, especially stacked in harmony. I do enjoy the tentpole acts - The Eagles, CSN(&Y) ... but there's such a richness and depth to the genre, and I never tire of it.

      Delete
    2. One Buck GuyApril 22, 2020 at 1:10 AM

      "I do enjoy the tentpole acts - The Eagles, CSN(&Y) ... but there's such a richness and depth to the genre, and I never tire of it."

      Of course if you stop with the Eagles after the first four albums. On these even the "fuckin' Eagles" are somewhat more versatile than given credit for and than on the two following albums that everyone knows.

      It also helps that country rock can draw on so many traditions - honkytonk, bluegrass, folk, blues, even Dixieland like Goose Creek Symphony here or psych like you said - that there is a pretty big variety even in a relatively confined genre.

      Delete

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