Conference mr1pst::music

    Why is Garth Brooks so popular?  I'm just curious what people's
    opinions are?  His albums have been such big sellers that I assume he
    must be popular with people who don't usually listen to country
    western.
    
    To my knowledge, I've never heard any of his stuff.  Haven't been able
    to get past the hat.  (and I normally don't like country western)
    
    Lorna
    

    I must be out of touch as I've never heard of the guy.
    
    Jim C.
    

    
    
    RE: .1 and .2
    
    Well if you aren't into listening to country music then I guess you
    wouldn't know about him and his music...no would you...
    
    He's a very down-to-earth guy...and the songs he sings/writes are fun
    to listen too and relate to people's life etc..as with much of the
    country music...
    
    He has a very unique style of music...and fun to see in concert.
    
    I liked his first two CD's but his new one "The Chase" I am not that
    impressed with...he also has a christmas CD on the market which I will
    probably not purchase..
    
    Garth Brooks #1 on the pop charts for a while too...
    
    Ken
    
    
    Ken

    
    His music is very, very "safe" country music.... I think that's why
    he's popular.
    
    I was at the show Saturday (not by my own choice) and he IS a very good
    performer.  He connects well with the audience... it's just that his
    style of music bores me silly.
    
    One thing I did like (and wish more artists would do it) is that he
    encouraged flash photography during the show.
    
    Later...
    Steve
    

    re: .3 and .4
    
    Thanks, I hope that I get a chance to hear him sometime. I've been
    out of touch with much of the "new" music scene for a few years now.
    This is mainly due to my daughter, she's going on 4 and I don't get
    a chance to listen to much between her Raffi tapes. 8-)
    
    Jim C.
    
    

    Ken,
    
    You said he is returning in about 8 months.  Gee, and a few months ago
    he said he was quiting forever.  Funny how these people change their
    minds.
    
    I have never seen Garth in concert but I have seen most of the concert
    videos.  I bet he is a blast to see.
    He made a comment one time, "When you aren't great looking, you can't
    just stand there and strum a guitar and sing."  He has compensated by
    being wild on stage, and off.
    
    Glad you had a good time, Ken.  Sorry I couldn't make it.
    

    
    My neighbor Chuck (back in Dana Point) is a C&W fan.  I'm generally not
    into that stuff, but Chuck loaned me a CD and I checked it out.  I
    guess this is the "new" country music.  Same basic themes, but a lot
    more electric.  In fact, some of the tunes are closer to rock than what
    I remember as C&W.  If it wasn't for that little bit of country yodel
    in the voice you might have a hard time telling that it's country
    music.
    

    
    Garth Brooks?  Ain't he the co-host of "Wayne's World"? ;-)
    
    -Ed
    

    Even though Garth's music is a bit on the 'electric' side he still goes
    back to the root of traditional country music.  You may not hear it all
    the time but he gets his inspiration from the original C&W singers. 
    
    I like the direction country music is going and I will support the new
    artist who are getting out there and "doing" it instead of sitting
    around criticizing it.
    
    Just me being me.
    
    Virginia

    
    Garth Brooks as with many "new" C&W stars are crossing over in the
    form of Pop C&W... much like, dare I say it... cringe...
    
    Billy Ray Cyrus and his Achy Breaky Heart...  yuk, phooie.
    
    Garth does have a number of tunes that will make you tap your foot,
    get up and dance or just hum along.  He has a number of ghost writers
    as do many popular artists.  When someone's hot on the charts they
    receive lyrics from all over.  Heck, even Billy Joel has written
    some of Garths stuff.
    
    Tim, your most humble moderator.
    
         

    
            Hi all
    
             I was  just wondering if anyone has heard Garth's new tune
    I think it's called "Somewhere In The Night (she needs to know you
    care)". I've only heard it a couple of times myself, but liked it alot.
    
    Rose..
    

You could re-write .1 substituting Garth Brooks with Bruce Springsteen.

8-)

Tim

    re .12, why could I re-write .1 substituting Bruce Springsteen?  I
    don't get it.  
    
    Bruce does rock, I love his music and he seldom wears a hat!
    
    Lorna
    

    
     Garth just covered Dixie Chicken on his latest CD. I hear it all
    the time down here in Tennessee on the radio.
    
     A few of his other songs;
    
     I got friends in low places
     2 of a kind workin on a full house
     Thunder rolls
     If tomorrow never comes
    
     That's all I can think of right now.
    
    
     PAW

    Hi Rose, how goes the day shift?
    
    It seems I may have missed something going on here in California
    concerning Garth's song, "We Shall Be Free".  All I heard was something
    about a petitions being passed around and will be hand deliver to Garth
    to show our support.
    Has the song been sensored?  I haven't heard it on the radio much
    lately, at all actually.  Does anyone out there have a clue?
    
    Virginia

    
    As a musician and BIG music fan for over 20 years, I've always liked
    all kinds of music: Rock, Jazz, Classical etc. I never liked Country
    until about 3 years ago. Since then I've become a big fan. 
    
    Why?  What is the choice..I can't listen to 'oldies' and 'classic rock'
    stations forever. I can't stand the new disco pop or rap crap. As a
    musician there is nothing there I can respect, everything is synthesized
    and sounds the same, no melody, no artistry at all. (I know there are
    exceptions). So there's Pop, Heavy Metal (forget it) and Country.
    
    Virtually all the progression today, in terms of musicianship and
    songwriting is in Country music. There are many artists, that are not 
    really Country, that you can only hear thru Country outlets. This is 
    because they don't fit in the new Pop stream. Some good examples: 
    Mary Chapin Carpenter and Delbert McClinton.
    
    That said, let me finally get to the topic. I have seen Garth in
    concert and he is a great performer. However, for him to have done
    as well as he has in album sales, it has to be his *music* that is
    good. Frankly, I don't understand his HUGE popularity. Yes, he is
    a great performer and a very personable guy. But his music just isn't
    that good (my opinion) compared to other 'country' artists. 
    
    I don't dislike his music, but there are much better 'Country' artists
    out there. I'm glad Country has become so popular, but I don't
    understand why 'Garthzilla' alone has become such a super star while
    people like Alan Jackson, Hal Ketcham, John Anderson, Shennendoah,
    Clint Black, Mark Collie, Mary Chapin Carpenter etc (these are all
    relatively new 'country' artists) are still relatively unknown in
    the general commercial music world. 
    
                                   -Joe

    Good Note Joe.  I agree that Garth is more popular than 
    he should be.  
    I bought his first album (Garth Brooks).  I really liked it.
    
    I bought his second album (No Fences). I was not
     that enthusiastic about it, except for the song "The Dance."
    
    I didn't buy his 3rd album.  His music is getting too commercial.
     It's played too often.  
    
    Plus, I think all this popularity has gone to his head.  He's
    acts real humble in interviews, like just a down home kinda
    guy.  But, it just doesn't work.  
    
    I'd like to see other, truly talented performers get more air time.
    
    I agree with Joe that Hal Ketchum is a fine musician.  And I'd
    love to hear Dwight Yoakum more often.  And Alison Kraus.
    
    Kath
      

    A lot of the reason for popularity of crossovers like Garth has nothing
    to do with music and everything to do with timing, publicity and which
    way the wind is blowing, etc. There are country crossovers every few
    years, Willie Nelson was the last real big one before Garth.  Hey, if
    *quality* was the main reason for popularity, the top 10 would look a
    lot different than it does today (no Madonna!!).  
    
    Some of the artists mentioned in .16 (like John Anderson, for example)
    aren't really "new".  Anderson has had a solid career for over 10
    years, which in the world of country music means he's an elder
    statesman who will be popular until he dies.  
    
    In .17 there was mention of Alison Krauss.  Right now she is in a very
    uncomfortable spot.  She is under huge pressure to leave bluegrass
    behind and go for the mainstream country audience.  There's lots of
    money to be made and she's really young (recorded her first LP at 14)
    so it's surprising she is still on a small indie label playing
    bluegrass and not already employed by Sony. Personally, I hope she
    hangs tough.  Already she's gotten big enough that she doesn't come up
    here to NE so often (I was seeing her on the average 2 or 3 times a
    year until about a year ago).  Her albums only hint at what it's like
    to hear her live.
    
    						Brian
    
    					former_hayseed_musician

    Personaly I am turned off by big singers like Garth.  I think he has
    some talent but try and get tickets to see him in concert.  It is
    impossible.  And you know he will never be able to play in the local
    clubs like Chris LaDoux, Mark Colie, Pam Tilis, and alot of other
    singers that have played in this area.  A friend of mine is going today
    to get tickets for Reba at the Forum.  She is popular and tickets
    aren't the easiest to get but he will get some.  If it were Garth, the
    tickets would be gone the second the windows opened.  Then think of the
    lines to get in and getting out and for the bathrooms, it isn't worth
    it to me.  I will settle with his music on the radio and my own
    colections but I will never see him in concert.
    
    
    just my 2 cents worth.
    
    Virginia

    re .19, well, I probably wouldn't see Garth Brooks if the tix were
    given to me, but I thought it was well worth it to fight the crowds and
    pay scalper prices to see Springsteen and U2 earlier this year.  Once
    I'm actually there at the concert having the time of my life it all
    seems worth the trouble.  So, I think that if I did like Garth Brooks,
    which I don't :-), I would think it was worth the trouble.
    
    Lorna
    

    RE: .16
    
    Can you say "Marketing"....Just like Billy Ray Cyrus....It seems lately
    if you get ONE good hit you become a public hit.
    
    Like Virginia says..My .02-cents worth.
    
    Ken
    

    
     I agree.  Garth Brooks + Billy Ray Cyrus are OVER rated !!!!
    
     ( and if I hear Achy Breaky Heart one more time....I'm gonna trash
    the radio !!!!!! )
    
       .........you want good country, listen to Hal Katchem.
    
    
    Jack
    

    
    
    	...... or Chris Ledoux, Radney Foster, Dwight Yoakum, Billy Dean,
    Patty Loveless, Kelly Willis, Suzy Bogguss etc...
    
    
    				a music lover
    				fred deady
    				wbc:deady

    I agree on BR Cyrus. Let him grow up first of all.
    I do not though on GB. The problem with him is, that he has become too
    popular. That causes a lot of people (who wouldn't have cared
    otherwise) to make a statement (which is obviously 'to love' him or to
    or 'to hate' him, because one simply has to have a clear opinion on someone
    that well known and since one wants to stand out from the crowd they
    decide 'to hate' him, because they don't really care at all anyways).
    If I look at the facts, he has achieved things nobody ever has before,
    if I look at him I see a guy with a good personality and good values
    and when I listen to 'If Tomorrow Never Comes' I can see he knows a
    good song.
    So to me he has all the reasons to 'feel too this damn old' looking at
    what he has achieved.
    (This opinion may be biased by the fact that I don't get any GB in
    Europe -who is Garth Brooks???- and that I am very 'emotionally
    attached' to 'The Dance', 'Friends In Low Places' and 'Learning to Live
    Again' -sounds like a trilogy, doesn't it-...).
    
    I also agree that there are others at least as good, who just haven't
    had that much luck. Hal Ketchum is excellent. But I wouldn't overlook
    Marty Stuart, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alabama, Travis Tritt, Sawyer
    Brown, Restless Heart, Mike Reid, Wynonna, ...
    
    Keep listening,
    tom.
    
    down.

    
    	Has anyone picked up the new album?
    
    	I was talking to a country fan that I play pool with, and he
    	said it was very good, but he's biased towards Garth anyways
    	so I figured I'd try and get another opinion.
    

    
    	Well, I bought "Fresh Horses" the other day.  Not bad after 1
    	listen.  A pretty good mix of rock/ballad, as far as country
    	goes [and rock/ballad pretty much alternates from song to song].
    
    	I'll keep it in regular rotation for at least a couple weeks,
    	that's for sure.