randy travis

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can we talk about how awesome randy travis was?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 06:41 (8 years ago) Permalink

My favorite was "1982," but he has tons of great stuff -- not all of it singles, either.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 07:25 (8 years ago) Permalink

he is amazing. the voice of a god

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 07:26 (8 years ago) Permalink

he wasnt at all, i was listening to cmt a while back, and listening to forever and ever amen, and he was so safe, dull, boring, and i realized it would require some belief in his badassness for the song to pull thru and he didnt have it.

though three wooden crosses reaches into camp, and it has some archtypal thrills.

his voice is good, excellent even, but i think its still clinical and precise in away i cannot really abide.

― anthony, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 11:46 (8 years ago) Permalink

I'm with Anthony, pretty dull stuff. Chuck, IIRC, thinks even less of him! 'Stolid' is the most positive adjective I could give Travis.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:03 (8 years ago) Permalink

A really beautiful singer, but no Vince Gill when it comes to the emotional depths department. That aspect was enhanced, though, by the Randy-mania that surrounded him when he was huge in the 80s. A good example of an artist who was well-served by superstardom.

― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:14 (8 years ago) Permalink

Storms of Life, Always & Forever, Old 8x10 are classics. Randy Travis was the most commercial of 80s country "New Traditionalists." His warm-honey voice offers reassurance and yes a dose of ol fashioned country corn/sentimentality along with strong hints of life lived regrets I've had a few etc. God knows he's no badass which I guess makes his mellow fire and cypher-like personality sound boring to more rock-nurtured ears. If you need some Village Voice validation Christgau wrote perceptively on Travis in the 90s.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:16 (8 years ago) Permalink

Funny that his well-documented life story is that of a real OG. A musical milquetoast who could kick your ass.

― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:34 (8 years ago) Permalink

Randy Travis: KEEPIN IT REAL. Hey I forgot about his backstory but he's my kind of musical milquetoast -- one with a little flavor.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:42 (8 years ago) Permalink

"The Reasons I Cheat" is one of my favorite country songs.

― Not Thaat Chuck, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:43 (8 years ago) Permalink

That voice about makes my innards melt. Even silly crap like "Ants on a Log" is massively enhanced by it.

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 13:38 (8 years ago) Permalink

Dull as dirt. Though with some okay songs despite that.

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:19 (8 years ago) Permalink

Never did anything for me, sorry.

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:21 (8 years ago) Permalink

I've never detected any emotion in Vince Gill, either, for whatever it's worth. Just a restrained, maddeningly tasteful voice that never connects. I think I enjoyed a duet he did with Amy Grant, once, though.

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:31 (8 years ago) Permalink

He wasn't even the best lead singer in Pure Prairie League! (Whoever sang "Amie" was. That was '75; Vince didn't take the lead til '80.)

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:34 (8 years ago) Permalink

"Maddeningly tasteful"? I've got a weakness for that softer side of Nashville -- for me, VG succeeds more often than Randy in bringing a lump to the throat. You're prolly not big on Don "Get Thee To The Sideburns Thread" Williams, either.

― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:39 (8 years ago) Permalink

actually, no! never had any use for don w. but i am willing to concede (as m. coleman smartly suggests above) that being reared on ted nugent records may well have scarred me for life, where sensitivity to subtlety is concerned.

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:44 (8 years ago) Permalink

Vince Gill is so perfect, and he plays good guitar too. But it bores me beyond belief, give me Amy any day.

I like Randy Travis's voice a lot, but can't get past most of the material. I don't mind his take on "It's Just a Matter of Time," that one is OK. "Old 8 x 10" is a listenable album, and I like "Honky Tonk Moon." But I detect no personality I feel like exploring there. George Strait was at least a little more interesting on stuff like "Haven't You Heard," he was kind of a watered-down honky-tonker, never ever want to hear "All My Ex's Live in Texas" again, though.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:15 (8 years ago) Permalink

a lot of his material is mediocre, it's true.

but a song like "on the other hand" is so wonderful--it's so gentle, almost subliminal, that it somehow gets to me in a way that legions of other "i oughtn't cheat" songs don't. it's so daringly understated.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:18 (8 years ago) Permalink

yeah, "On the Other Hand" is nice. He does sing well.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:20 (8 years ago) Permalink

I love how ILM can go for quite a few posts without even mentioning an artist's obvious signature song.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:22 (8 years ago) Permalink

we keep you guessing

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:47 (8 years ago) Permalink

storms of life was really great, "diggin up bones" is still one my fave country songs ever, "on the other hand" really great too obv, god what a great album. of that first string of hits, when he vying for king of nashville with george strait, i liked a few, "forever and ever, amen" lilts nicely, but yeah the material failed the voice all too often. and then he fell off, and i've always been curious as to why - were his too milquetoast hits left in the dust by the coming of garth? did the gay rumours have an impact? in any case he was knocked off the perch, and though he'll still have the requisite lower chart appearances and occasional bonafide hit it's a far cry from the late 80s. still, classic for the voice, storms of life, and his appearance on king of the hill.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 18:26 (8 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6538131747741523881&q=randy+travis+forever+and+ever+amen&ei=6IhySLrRPKbY-wGHtcWeDw

^ still great

― Curt1s Stephens, Monday, 7 July 2008 21:25 (4 years ago) Permalink

― Pleasant Plains, Monday, 7 July 2008 21:32 (4 years ago) Permalink

Heh, waiting for the next pedophile/Dateline conversation to go like "Do you know who I am?" "Randy Travis?"

― Pleasant Plains, Monday, 7 July 2008 21:33 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

― iiiiiii've banned goooons beeeefahhhhhhhhh (Curt1s Stephens), Saturday, 19 December 2009 14:50 (3 years ago) Permalink

― iiiiiii've banned goooons beeeefahhhhhhhhh (Curt1s Stephens), Saturday, 19 December 2009 14:52 (3 years ago) Permalink

9 months pass...

A few days ago I heard "On The Other Hand" for the 1st time in many many years and it struck me as quite outstanding... Def one of my favorite country songs.

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 28 September 2010 04:13 (2 years ago) Permalink

I love how ILM can go for quite a few posts without even mentioning an artist's obvious signature song.

Is OTOH his obvious signature song? Should I feel embarrassed asking that? I'm no country expert.

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 28 September 2010 04:34 (2 years ago) Permalink

10 months pass...

Bachmann has found a musician to take her side. Country star Randy Travis will perform at an Aug. 13 straw poll event Bachmann is hosting in Iowa.

from Washington Post blog

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 19:25 (1 year ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Badass mugshot:

http://www.ktre.com/story/19225378/country-star-travis-accused-of-dwi-in-north-texas

― Earth, Wind & Fire & Alabama (Eazy), Wednesday, 8 August 2012 16:23 (9 months ago) Permalink

Two for two: another badass mugshot from February:
http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/06/randy-travis-arrested-public-intoxication/

― Earth, Wind & Fire & Alabama (Eazy), Wednesday, 8 August 2012 16:26 (9 months ago) Permalink

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