Guitar Solos Get the Ax - LA Times.

[mhs]

I'm a long-time subscriber to the print edition of the L.A. Times so maybe not everyone will have access to this article below. I don't know, but I hope so.

Also: This is by Casey Rae and is about primarily Country Music but if it's about any music, it'll creep across genres eventually: It's about the removal of guitar solo's from country music. And I know I don't listen to any country music, but I do care about any producer's decisions to chop out guitar solos because it affects all of the studio musicians (their stock-in-trade). Hope you find it interesting and frankly, I hope you find it irritating as well.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed...518-story.html

[Blitz49]

Read that too. They should cut out the vocals and leave the guitar solos. Pretty much heard one "top 40" country song, you've heard them all. IMHO

[PTC Bernie]

No problem accessing it, Mickey.

Never mind the solo, it seems the country is being eliminated from country music lately as well. It's more pop and flash than it use to be.

If you play it backwards you don't get your farm back, your dog back or your girl back, like you use to.

[Glennwillow]

Interesting article... If they mixed one version of the song with instrumental solos left out for radio play and then had a full version for the album, I would be okay with that because I just don't listen to the radio for music unless it's Pandora or something like that. But if they are going to change the culture of no solos at all, that's takes a lot of the fun out of the music for me.

- Glenn

[perttime]

I agree with this:

"... even I feel tempted to switch the channel somewhere around minute nine of the triple-guitar finale in Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Freebird.”"

Solos: yes please. But if it is more than two verse-chorus cycles long, it is usually more than long enough.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

This has been going on in radio as long as I can remember. Those of you old enough to remember AM radio will also recall how DJ's used edit songs, and talk over the first 10 seconds or so. Fact is the music industry is a business, run by business people trying to make money. Artists can pick producers that will not leave most of the art on the cutting room floor, but they don't.

[mr. beaumont]

Personally...modern country...a rippin' Brent Mason solo is about the only thing interesting in the whole 4 minute tune...

[JP McD]

In the late 1950's a lot country songs were only 2 minutes long. My theory has always been that you could get 30 nickels in the jukebox in an hour with 2 minute songs as opposed to 20 nickels with a 3 minute cut.

Many of those numbers had only 2 verses, 3 repeats of the chorus, and an 8 bar instrumental -- the fiddle or lead guitar would play 4 then the steel would take 4. Listen to some of the great Ray Price songs (before he went countrypolitan) for good examples.

[DesertTwang]

... which is why I listen to small country and Americana/roots bands and independent labels exclusively...

[Garrison314]

I really just can't listen to the new country for long. Don't know what happened because I loved '90's new country?? The goofy cliche-filled girl chasing lyrics, over-sized gestures and the line dance beat are too much for me.

[GuitarDogs62]

Today's country is a farce and is just pop and glitz. Today's country has lost it's roots and it's the Nashville Producers fault. They want to make money and vast amounts of profit instead of putting out a quality product. I don't listen to country any more unless it's on Sirius XM like Willies road house or Outlaw Country. Could you imagine if they tried to do this to Bluegrass. It would be 30 second or less songs and a ton on commercials that makes me turn the radio off. Hence the reason I listen to Sirius XM

[grim83]

Yea country music is what is going the way of the dodo not just the solos. Most of what I hear when I flip to the modern country station is heavily processed electric garbage. It's become pop with a twang (and even the twang is no longer guaranteed). Its a sad world we live in these days.

[Addisonbrady]

I was a recording engineer in Nashville for many years and the best part as said earlier WAS the Mason or Landau solo. The country songs nowadays are too pop. It's sad that the great musicianship was the only redeeming factor in the mix in my opinion, and don't get me started about the overuse of auto tune. I have tuned artists who shouldn't be considered artists, but they sure looked good in their fancy hats and boots and that's what sells.

Addison

[moondoggie999]

Hmmm, interesting read. I do love me some Brent Mason guitar work. I wonder if they'll have radio versions (cut) and album versions (full song)?

Honestly I don't worry about it. It seems like this stuff is cyclical generally and probably affects only the commercial poppy stuff that passes for today's country.

I remember the grunge stuff of the 90's and for awhile the guitar solo was dead then too right? It slowly came back.

[Pinetreebob]

Yup, contemporary country is just bad pop with a twang. Now they want to take the twang away so we are left with bad pop only. It's amazing just how much sameness there is and this video mash up pretty much illustrates how similar country songs now sound. Give it a look/listen, it's actually pretty **** funny:
https://youtu.be/LD3DY7z-I8o