[Musique du Monde] – ‘Le Monde du Country ’72’ (1969-72)

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Stream the mix above; download at the bottom of this post.

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I grew up in the South, but I can’t claim to be genuinely of the South.  My parents lived everywhere, I didn’t get the accent, my friends parents were literally from all around the world, I always hated the weather, and suffice to say my politics definitely don’t fit in down there.  I’ve been gone most of my adult life, and I’ve made my home elsewhere.  All to say, I was not especially raised on Country music, and spent my teenage years hating Garth Brooks and KSSN 101.whatever and the slick, corporate sounds that was the dominant popular music among the melanin-lacking half of the population.  In a certain sense, that contrarianism served me well, as it led me to pursue other forms of music and set me on the road to the world of sound that is Musicophilia.  But, at the same time, I somehow stumbled age 14 into the Jayhawks and Son Volt and Wilco and later Gillian Welch and Songs:Ohia; and also all the folk and singer-songwriter stuff I loved from the 60s and 70s, all of which kept pointing the way to “other” Country, that was more earnest, more honest, rawer, artier, funkier, weirder.  And I love that stuff just as much as any Post-Punk or Funk or Library or Hip-Hop.  So, it’s about time after nearly 10 years Musicophilia delves into Country the way I love it.

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‘Le Monde du Country ’72,’ spanning 1969-1972, explores Country music at the crossroads, at a time with musicians with roots in Country music were reaching out with appreciation of other sounds; and musicians who might not be Country “natives” were reaching in from their own perspectives and with their own ideas.   Many of these musicians would be found in the ‘Country’ section of a good record shop; some wouldn’t, so I’m not looking for the definitive, but the exemplary of a Country feel, whomever was creating it. The result is that, in my opinion, ‘Country ’72‘ acts surprisingly well as a bridge between the ‘Their Hearts Had Six Strings‘ Singer-Songwriter mixes, the early ‘Le Monde du Funk‘ mixes of Funk, R&B and Jazz, and the ‘Musique du Monde‘ mixes of post-psychedelic global artsy rock musics.  A lot comes down to the all-time-great production of the era, so warmly recorded, subtly employing the unique potentials of recorded music (as opposed to simply replicating live performance on tape).  While the acoustic guitar, the voice, the banjo, the pedal steel, the fiddle are front-and-center, you’re nearly as likely to hear gospel-inflected organ, funky kit drums, upright bass, even harpsichord and string quartet.  Nothing was out of bounds, all ears were open: the borders were breaking down, the edges were fraying, and that’s the way I love it, and I hope you will, too.

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Much of this music is in print, so please as always: go and buy it!  The mixes I make are meant to stand on their own as a particular sound experience, but more importantly, they’re meant to get you excited to go and explore and support artists, labels and shops buying music you didn’t know.  Thank you for listening, and please share this post and help others share the discovery.  (Oh–and I’ve already got ‘Le Monde du Country ’76’ most of the way, with likely no overlap in artists–which is why Dolly, Willie, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Larry Jon Wilson, Terry Allen, and many others aren’t on this volume.)

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Various – ‘Le Monde du Country ’72’
1969-1972 | Musique du Monde
Side A

01 [00:00] Waylon JENNINGS- “Six White Horses” (The Taker/Tulsa, 1971)
02 [02:35] Arthur ALEXANDER – “Down The Back Roads” (Arthur Alexander, 1972)
03 [05:00] Linda RONSTADT – “In My Reply” (Linda Rondstadt, 1971)
04 [08:25] Leo KOTTKE – “Standing In My Shoes” (Mudlark, 1971)
05 [11:30] Karen DALTON – “Same Old Man” (In My Own Time, 1971)
06 [14:15] Kris KRISTOFFERSON – “Casey’s Last Ride” (Kristofferson, 1970)
07 [17:45] Jim FORD – “Long Road Ahead” (Harlan County, 1969)
08 [20:35] Gene CLARK – “Because Of You” (White Light, 1971)

Side B

09 [24:40] Ry COODER – “Goin’ to Brownsville” (Ry Cooder, 1970)
10 [28:00] Mike COOPER – “The Singing Tree” (The Machine Gun Co. with Mike Cooper, 1972)
11 [33:05] Mickey NEWBURY – “You’re Not My Same Sweet Baby” (‘Frisco Mabel Joy, 1971)
12 [36:50] Bob DYLAN – “Wallflower” (Alternate) (Another Self-Portrait, 1971)
13 [39:05] Richie HAVENS – “Younger Men Grow Older” (Alarm Clock, 1970)
14 [43:05] Bill Staines – “Kentucky Moonshiner” (Bill Staines, 1971)

Side C

15 [48:20] Judee SILL – “The Phoenix” (Original Version) (Judee Sill outtake, 1971)
16 [50:45] Link WRAY – “Black River Swamp” (Link Wray, 1971)
17 [54:35] Merle HAGGARD – “The Sidewalks of Chicago” (Hag, 1971)
18 [57:05] Bobbie GENTRY – “Seasons Come, Seasons Go” (Tough ‘Em With Love, 1969)
19 [59:50] Michael HURLEY – “The Werewolf” (Armchair Boogie, 1971)
20 [64:20] Mike AULDRIDGE – “Greensleves” (Dobro, 1972)
21 [67:00] Tim HARDIN – “A Satisfied Mind” (Bird On A Wire, 1971)
22 [68:05] Bert JANSCH – “Poison” (Birthday Blues, 1969)

Side D

23 [72:20] Townes VAN ZANDT – “Lungs” (Townes Van Zandt, 1969)
24 [74:25] Lee HAZLEWOOD – “Come On Home To Me” (Requiem For An Almost Lady, 1971)
25 [77:20] Bobby CHARLES – “Rosie” (Bobby Charles outtake, 1972)
26 [80:05] Jim SULLIVAN – “Don’t Let It Throw You” (Jim Sullivan, 1972)
27 [83:20] The Flying BURRITO BROTHERS – “Hot Burrito #1” (The Gilded Palace of Sin, 1969)
28 [86:55] Fairport CONVENTION – “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” (Unhalfbricking, 1969)
29 [92:05] Nitty Gritty DIRT BAND – “Both Sides Now” (Will The Circle Be Unbroken, 1972)

[Total Time: 1:35:40]

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Download ‘Le Monde du Country ’72’ (1969-1972) Here (217 MB)

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Stream here:

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