Those mournful country ballads

[Adam]

I'm currently enjoying two songs:

"Alone and Forsaken" - Hank Williams

"My Last Days on Earth" - Bill Monroe (even with the wacky seagulls at the start).

Can anyone recommend others like these? They don't strike me as your standard country ballad. And I'm calling the Monroe a ballad, but feel free to correct my definitions.

[Chrome]

Not familiar w/those, but when I think of "mournful country ballads" that aren't exactly "standard," the first thing that comes to mind is the Cowboy Junkies disc The Trinity Session ... esp. their cover of "I'm so lonesome I could cry" ... I'm a sucker for Cowboy Junkies in general, though.

[JSngry]

Ralph Stanley/The Stanley Brothers

The Louvin Brothers.

[Adam]

Ralph Stanley/The Stanley Brothers

The Louvin Brothers.

I have some of all of the above recommendations. Yes, the Cowboy junkies fit, but not every song. I think I need to liten to my Stanley Bros & louvin bros discs more...

It is a particular sound on the two songs that I mention - something spacier and more haunting than is the norm. Maybe someone can identify it in a more musical fashion - a particular sequence of minor keys, or something?

[Joe]

Check out The Knitters playing "Trail Of Time"...

[medjuck]

Hank's "I'm So Lonsome I Could Cry". (Is that what it's called?)

[maren]

How about Beck's "Rowboat" -- either his original or Johnny Cash's cover ???

In a way it is kind of "standard" -- the story anyway: "she don't wanna be my friend no more" -- but it has an odd progression right at the start -- that really conveys a kind of half-drunk, trying-to-laugh-off-something-really-sad, ground-about-to-give-way feeling...

[Jazzmoose]

The Louvin Brothers.

Oh, yeah! Unfortunately (for me), a recent discovery in my case. On the other hand, it's always hard to complain about being exposed to good stuff for the first time..

[GregK]

Gram Parsons!!

[chris olivarez]

Johnny Cash-Long Black Veil

George Jones-He Stopped Loving Her Today

Vern Gosdin-Chiseled In Stone

[Sundog]

Merle Haggard: Turnin' Off A Memory

Dylan: Knockin' On Heaven's Door

[chris olivarez]

Merle Haggard-The Way I Am

[Pete B]

another Bill Monroe - "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz"

Mollie O'Brian - "Orphan Girl"

Edited February 9, 2005 by Pete B

[Neal Pomea]

Here's an index of some of Bill Monroe's songs:

http://www.bluegrasslyrics.com/monroe_index.cfm.htm

Of these you might want to hear the following:

Body and Soul

Close By

Down in the Willow Garden

First Whippoorwill

Kentucky Waltz

Memories of Mother and Dad

Mother's Only Sleeping

On the Old Kentucky Shore

Precious Memories

Sweetheart, You/ve Done me Wrong

Walls of Time

When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall

(he has some great gospel stuff as well)

There are too many by Hank Williams to name. He is my all-time favorite.

From the Louvins, here's a discography:

http://www.bluegrasslyrics.com/louvin_index.cfm.htm

Try the following:

You're Running Wild

When I Stop Dreaming

The First One to Love You, the Last to Forget

If I Could Only Win Your Love

The Weapon of Prayer

[Adam]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I got some listening to do! (But after listening to Jimmy Smith today) Will give you my report...

[Pete B]

Oh yeah - "When I Stop Dreaming" - one of the best ever!

"Walls of Time" - another great one. I think the Johnson Mountain Boys did a great version of that one - better than the original IMO.

[Dave James]

I almost hate to admit this, but I've always been a sucker for "For the Good Times", especially the original Ray Price version. Eddie Arnold's "Make the World Go Away" has also made some inroads. Please don't think poorly of me.

Up over and out.

[AmirBagachelles]

my favorite ballad from a rock/folk album:

Dylan and Cash (Nashville Skyline) - Girl from the North Country

for rock ballads, try

Jerry Garcia - Loser, Friend of the Devil, Candyman

There must be dozens on the good and bad Fairport records. Anybody know some? And did the masters Ray Davies and Pete Townshend try their hand at a few ballads?