My Top Songs by artist that are not considered Americana but these tunes could have made them so. What are yours?

1. You've Really Got A Hold on Me/The Beatles

2.Bell Bottom Blues/Derek and The Dominos

3. Black Water/Doobie Brothers

4. Amoreena/Elton John

5. Rad Gumbo/Little Feat

6. Train Song/Phish

7. Fake Plastic Trees/Radiohead

8. The Last Chance Texaco/Rickie Lee Jones

9. Sweet Virginia/The Rolling Stones

10. Love Aint For Keeping/The Who

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Permalink Reply by L A Johnson on January 9, 2012 at 11:22pm

Ukiah/Doobies Bros

Dirty Work/Steely Dan

Classical Gas/Mason Williams

Horse With No Name/America

Permalink Reply by Jayson Kaplan on January 10, 2012 at 9:36am

I've heard some  interesting definitions of Americana, but the Beatles covering Smokey Robinson is a new one even to me.

Permalink Reply by Tom Martin on January 24, 2012 at 8:52am

Plus one on that.

Permalink Reply by ron victor on January 10, 2012 at 7:18pm
This stuff makes me crazy

Doobies first few albums as americana as apple pie
Little feat americana all the way
Beatles stones clapton just outrite copied all the great american blues rock soul country etc
Permalink Reply by Phil Knipe on January 24, 2012 at 5:00pm

Not really a huge Clapton fan, but Cream's 'Crossroads' & live version of 'Spoonful' don't sound like copies to me, nor does the Stones version of 'Love In Vain'. And the Beatles just copied American music? Disagree with that one too. 

Permalink Reply by John Apice on January 13, 2012 at 4:53pm

Not everyone will agree with me -- but if you were to hear some of these songs preceded by or followed by other Americana songs, you might hear what I do -- and they fit.

 

In the case of Van Morrison -- it's the finale of the song when he sings "lost dreams and found dreams in America...." which becomes so memorable.

Chubby Checker & Bobby Vee both went through a folk period in the 60's. Checker's song here has become the thing of legend because it's nothing like "The Twist." 

I have Elvis here who sang everything -- but these two songs are more folk-Americana. The latter being the brilliant Dylan cover that Dylan himself said is his favorite. 

The Strawbs are an English folk band dating back to the 60's and once had Sandy Denny as vocalist. This track seems to be a universal old school rallying call -- English and American.

Renaissance is the oddest one: a classical music oriented rock band from 1969. But, the song here seems to border on blending classical music with Appalachian folk stylings. It was beautiful and Relf's voice is like an angel. 

Multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood went solo when he left ELO. This song has Wood playing all the instruments and the banjo is magnificent. Can be heard on YouTube. Very traditional style, a little novelty, but it's Wood's musicianship that keeps it grounded.

 

1.                Chubby Checker - Twenty Miles

2.               Charlie Dore - Sleep All Day

3 & 4.        Elvis Presley - Tomorrow Never Comes & Tomorrow Is A Long Time

5.               Del Lords - Dream Come True

6.               Van Morrison - Take It Where You Find It

7.               Strawbs - Part of the Union

8.              Renaissance with Jane Relf - Wanderer

9.              Bobby Vee - I Wish You Were Mine Again

10.            Roy Wood (former founder of the Electric Light Orchestra) - When Grandma Plays the Banjo

 

If interested: Most of the tracks listed here, if not available on No Depression can be heard on YouTube.

 

Permalink Reply by steviedal on January 14, 2012 at 6:58am

Radiohead ?

This thread is utter nonsense.

A Van Morrison track from the late 70's "made him Americana" ? Have you even heard his first records with THEM ?

I'm off for a lie down....................

Permalink Reply by Tom McD on January 14, 2012 at 10:31am

I never said radiohead was an americana band what I am saying is the song I listed I can hear similar sound from groups that  have been listed before in this forum that many would consider americana such as Civil Wars, Mumford & Sons, The Low Anthem, Fleet Foxes,  Iron & Wine, Blue Rodeo and even everyones beloved Wilco.  Again I can hear it in the song not the artist take a listen to Wilco's "Ashes of American Flags" or "At Least Thats What You Said".  Or "Charlie Darwin" by The Low Anthem, "Birds Of A Feather" by Civil Wars or maybe "Thistle & Weeds" by Mumford & Sons and you might get where I am coming from on that one.  As a matter of fact I own the Them albums some of my favorite music.

Permalink Reply by John Apice on January 14, 2012 at 4:57pm

I have no clue what you are talking about when you say "Have you even heard his first records with THEM?" It sounds like an incomplete sentence. Are you saying those early songs would have been closer to Van's contribution to a possible Americana or too English to even be considered? My statement means:  of everything I ever heard by Van Morrison -- with a little tweaking, anyone who sings Americana style music -- Little Feat, America, Wilco, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris -- hell, Alison Krauss turned "Baby, Now That I Found You" into a little Americana hit and that song is the furthest thing from what we are talking about....or maybe none of us really know what we are talking about.

 

I thought his "Take It Where You Find It," with tweaking would be a logical choice for someone who does sing Ameicana to arrange it as such and make it sound that way. It was MY suggestion. And that suggestion is not so far out of reach as Alison's choice -- which worked.

Just about anything in the hands of a great musician can be reworked to become something you never thought. Elvis sang "It's Now or Never" -- well, someone in those days said "hey, bet we could re-write "O Solo Mio" and tell Elvis to sing it and we'd have an operatic rock classic. Just think how close to being hung from the nearest tree that person was. But it worked.

Permalink Reply by Tom McD on January 15, 2012 at 7:14am

John I dont get where he is coming from either about Them,  their music was classic R&B Blues and nothing like americana.  I was going to list a Van Morrison song but stopped at 10.

Permalink Reply by steviedal on January 24, 2012 at 10:50am

"classic R&B and Blues - nothing like Americana."

Stop saying things. Just.............stop.

My point , which i was brief and unclear on i admit, was that a song from the late 70's couldn't have made Van Morrison "Americana" because the guy was absolutely steeped in it from the minute he started with THEM. Blues , soul , country and the like were all he loved as a kid. The albums by THEM don't sound "country" at all but they are damn sure Americana.

Just MY opinion of course. Same with other acts listed like Little Feat, Doobie Brothers, Rolling Stones.

Permalink Reply by Will James on January 14, 2012 at 1:10pm

The usual response. Definition of Americana please (no PLEASE spare us). My definition: A Horse With No Name.

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Created by No Depression Feb 17, 2009 at 9:06pm. Last updated by No Depression Apr 9.