Can I get a definition of “Southern” and “Rock” over here?
Southern Rock. When I was in high school in the late ’70s, we had us some Southern Rock. Skynrd. Marshall Tucker. Molly Hatchet. CDB. The Outlaws, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Dixie Dregs, Blackfoot, Allman Brothers. If you bought the somewhat iffy proposition that Texas was in the South (I’m firmly in the “not” camp, but I’ll play along for the sake of argument) you added ZZ Top to the list. And verily, it was good.
Now, there’s this commercial on the TV advertising for what they’re calling the Goin’ South Platinum Edition – “It’s back and better than ever… 30 of the biggest Southern Rock classics of all time!” There’s a little backstory here – an earlier version of the ads for an earlier version of this record some time back pissed me off, and now that I have the Intarwebs I’m finally gonna speak my peace on the half-cocked dumbasses in charge of the project.
“Southern Rock” is a term with a meaning, folks. While we might argue around the boundaries – is Texas in the South, at what point did the genre jump the shark, was Tom Petty Southern Rock or merely a rock artist from the South, could you be Southern Rock if you were black (because while this was by and large cracker music, there were some who might try and insinuate Mother’s Finest into the conversation, if only to stir things up a bit), and if we’ve had a little too much brie and chardonnay, is REM Southern Rock – there is no compromise on two issues. To wit: Southern Rock must be Southern, and it must be rock.
There are 30 tracks on this cocksucker, and a great many of them are not Southern Rock. For instance:
- Fooled Around And Fell In Love | Elvin Bishop – Elvin was born in Glendale, CA which is not in the South. He grew up on a farm in Iowa, which is not in the South. He moved to Oklahoma when he was 10, and Oklahoma is only the South by the most disturbingly liberal of definitions (usually offered up by people from other regions whose main motivation is to associate the Sooner State with any region but their own).
- Bad To The Bone | George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Bitch, please. George is from Wilmington, Delaware. A hint might be that he also called the band the Delaware Destroyers.
- Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights) | Pat Travers – Pat is from Toronto, Canada. Granted, Toronto is in Southern Canada, but it’s still on the other side of, you know, the feckin’ Canadian border.
- Rocky Mountain Way | Joe Walsh – Joe is from Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Rocks ≠ Southern Rock.
- Walk Away | James Gang – Ditto.
- Amie | Pure Prairie League – I guess you might have thought PPL was Southern if you didn’t know any better, and I will admit that the song had an audience among those who liked the Southern Rock. Technically, though, they were from Cincinnati.
- Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo | Rick Derringer – Derringer is from Celina, Ohio. Goddammit, what part of “Ohio is not in the South” is confusing these nimrods?
- Mississippi Queen | Mountain – Mountain was from that legendary bastion of Southern Culture, Long Island, NY.
- Dixie Chicken | Little Feat – Just because they have a song with “Dixie” in the title don’t make ’em Southern. Lowell and Co. were from Los Angeles.
- Black Betty | Ram Jam – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?! What, because they had a song about a woman named Black Betty who had a baby and the damned thing done gone wild? Oh, right – that has to be Southern. You know that Pace Picante Sauce campaign? Right – Ram Jam is from New York City?!
- Radar Love | Golden Earring – And of course, the Coupe de Grace (that’s what we called my Aunt Grace’s Coupe de Ville). Golden Earring was from The Netherlands. Holland. Dutchland. Land of wooden shoes, windmills, dikes and tulips. Bordered on the east by Germany, on the south by Belgium, and on the west by the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. They’re about as appropriate for a Southern Rock album as they are a collection of Martian sea chanties.
- Take This Job And Shove It | Johnny Paycheck – Urrrr. Southern, sure. But rock? I don’t think so.
So there you have it. A collection of 30 Southern Rock Classics, 40% of which aren’t Southern Rock.
I ask so little out of life, you know? I just want enough money to pay the bills. A dog who loves me and wife who loves the dog. A nice microbrew. And, oh yeah, for musical compilations to contain songs that are, in fact, representative of the damned genre!! Is that being unreasonable?
*sigh*
Asshats.
:xpost:
lullaby pit 
I know it wasn’t the point of your post but I’ve been listening to the samples and I want that CD! Sweet Home Alabama is great and I loved Ms Witherspoon in the film too.
The simple life is the best life and your sense of what makes for quality living (musical categorisation aside) is a good one. I’d take a glass of decent wine over the microbrew though and some Roquefort cheese.
I know it wasn’t the point of your post but I’ve been listening to the samples and I want that CD! Sweet Home Alabama is great and I loved Ms Witherspoon in the film too.
The simple life is the best life and your sense of what makes for quality living (musical categorisation aside) is a good one. I’d take a glass of decent wine over the microbrew though and some Roquefort cheese.
You know, I’d have no problems at all with this compilation if they’d just change the name. Surely marketing can come up with something catchy without having to lie.
You know, I’d have no problems at all with this compilation if they’d just change the name. Surely marketing can come up with something catchy without having to lie.
I hate lies and liars.
I hate lies and liars.
Looking over your list of songs that are not southern rock, I can sorta hear the twang in most of them that would allow them to pass for southern rock among people who are clueless or don’t care about categorization. However, the inclusion of “Radar Love” among these is absolutely baffling.
Disclaimer: I do not like southern rock.
Looking over your list of songs that are not southern rock, I can sorta hear the twang in most of them that would allow them to pass for southern rock among people who are clueless or don’t care about categorization. However, the inclusion of “Radar Love” among these is absolutely baffling.
Disclaimer: I do not like southern rock.
What? You mean Hellacopters ain’t on that CD? What’s up with that? 🙂
What? You mean Hellacopters ain’t on that CD? What’s up with that? 🙂
If Golden Earring is on there, I don’t see why Hellacopters shouldn’t be.
If Golden Earring is on there, I don’t see why Hellacopters shouldn’t be.
No doubt. They better show some respect. Hellacopters in da house! Representing Sweeden!
No doubt. They better show some respect. Hellacopters in da house! Representing Sweeden!
Southern Sweden, one supposes.
Southern Sweden, one supposes.
Based on the fact that we appear to be around the same age and though we’re only recently acquainted, you also seem to like some of the music from our youth, I thought I’d toss you another link or two.
Sometime last week, I made a quickie post describing a free vault of licensed concerts from Bill Grahams’s archive and though you could skip right to their door, I thought I’d also toss a link to my post in case you’re leery of giving an email for a free registration without more information.
As I say in my bit, it’s definitely worth it.
Based on the fact that we appear to be around the same age and though we’re only recently acquainted, you also seem to like some of the music from our youth, I thought I’d toss you another link or two.
Sometime last week, I made a quickie post describing a free vault of licensed concerts from Bill Grahams’s archive and though you could skip right to their door, I thought I’d also toss a link to my post in case you’re leery of giving an email for a free registration without more information.
As I say in my bit, it’s definitely worth it.
Sweet. Many thanks.
Sweet. Many thanks.
Maybe the compilation was aimed at a global market unaware of North American geography. (now that I think about it most southerners I grew up with who listened to “rock” were woefully ignorant of where they were in relationship to the rest of the world) Many, many years ago I taped a late-night FM radio program featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded live somewhere in the U.K. (I’m no archivist but I think I still have the cassette) Between numbers one vocal fan can be heard calling out for the band to play a particular song; ‘Mississippi Queen’. Doh!
What does it mean when the most famous of all southern rock live albums was recorded at the Fillmore East?
Maybe the compilation was aimed at a global market unaware of North American geography. (now that I think about it most southerners I grew up with who listened to “rock” were woefully ignorant of where they were in relationship to the rest of the world) Many, many years ago I taped a late-night FM radio program featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded live somewhere in the U.K. (I’m no archivist but I think I still have the cassette) Between numbers one vocal fan can be heard calling out for the band to play a particular song; ‘Mississippi Queen’. Doh!
What does it mean when the most famous of all southern rock live albums was recorded at the Fillmore East?
I guess this is as good a speculation as any as to how it happens. Hey, I’ve worked plenty in marketing and know first-hand how little a connection between reality and message really matters to some people….
I guess this is as good a speculation as any as to how it happens. Hey, I’ve worked plenty in marketing and know first-hand how little a connection between reality and message really matters to some people….