Taking Sides: George Jones Vs. Any Other Singer In The World

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except Lefty Frizzell.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 5 September 2003 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

it's a close call. have you heard "mr. fool"?

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 5 September 2003 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Jones wins this one easy. Elvis called him "the greatest singer in the world." And amateurist is right, "Mr Fool" is unbelievable, as is "Tall, Tall Trees"

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Friday, 5 September 2003 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

George Jones.

― mte, Friday, 5 September 2003 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

He's a jerk though. He stood me up a few months ago and my ego's still smarting. I mean NOBODY stands ME up. Except, evidently, George Jones, and you, my friend, are no George Jones.

See him now though, if you never have, cuz his voice is fading fast. If you have seen him, maybe miss him and hold on to yr memory.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 5 September 2003 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm survived his voice wasn't shot years ago.

frizzell is a good comparison, i suppose, because they both had a suppleness to their delivery and a penchant for bending notes in many different ways (jones however takes this ability to improbable extremes). sometimes i think jones is some kind of bel canto virtuoso banished to the realm of country music.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 5 September 2003 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm SURPRISED

i can't write this week.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 5 September 2003 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw him perform in May. I didn't expect much, but he was in pretty good form. Played an hour and a half, only took off two or three songs. Couldn't hit some of the high notes, and compressed "The Grand Tour," "Golden Ring" and "A Good Year for the Roses" into a medley. More than I hoped for.

― mte, Friday, 5 September 2003 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I saw him in, what? April? And I wasn't disappointed, but even five years ago, to hear GJ sing woulda changed yr freakin' life. Now, he's merely a pretty good singer.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 5 September 2003 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

There are few things more transcendent than the opening line of "The Door" -- "I hear the sound/Of my dear OLLLLD MAHHHHH-ma cryyyyyyin..."

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 5 September 2003 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

The truly sublime moment in that song is the sound of the door slamming shut.

― mte, Friday, 5 September 2003 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The truly sublime moment in that song is the sound of the door slamming shut.

Well, yeah, but for singing...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 5 September 2003 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

hey mte, when you saw him in May did he have that gawdfoffal slide show thing going on?
I felt bad for him for that.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 5 September 2003 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

i like kerilee male much better than george jones (/obscurist)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 5 September 2003 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i did "the door" in karaoke last june and included the sound effects.

(i like charlie feathers' honky tonk numbers more than george jones some days.)

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 5 September 2003 20:10 (twenty-one years ago)

hey mte, when you saw him in May did he have that gawdfoffal slide show thing going on?
I felt bad for him for that.
-- Horace Mann

Yeah, during "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" they played cheesy clips of Hank, Waylon, Willie, Johnny, et al (Charlie Pride got the biggest response from the crowd, oddly), and clips of George and his wife during "One Woman Man." And the video for "High-Tech Redneck played during that song.

I didn't like it, but I was prepared to see some cheeze.

― mte, Friday, 5 September 2003 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

to get into the debate about best singers in the world, I gotta nominate Roy Orbison, even though his catalogue is pretty slim compared to Jones. But the last few months he's been really getting under my skin.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 5 September 2003 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

there's a cream for that.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 5 September 2003 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I happened to hear him on the radio a few days ago - and noticed how much his singing resembles traditional Irish and Scottish singing, maybe not all that surprising

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 8 September 2003 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" is one of the saddest, most desperate songs ever recorded, not least of all because of his delivery. That quiver in his voice when he says, "This time, he's over her for good." Devastating.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 05:53 (nineteen years ago)

I mean, Sinatra can't even get close to evoking this level of emotion.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 05:54 (nineteen years ago)

I agree with you, Kenan, but there's still a very small piece of me bothered by the fact that the recording is a patch-work of a hundred takes.

But nevermind that. You're right.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Saturday, 14 January 2006 06:38 (nineteen years ago)

Only other vocalist I can think of that even comes close is Patsy Cline, and yeah, sometimes she did it in one take. So maybe she wins. But still.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 07:48 (nineteen years ago)

OPO: songs about suicide.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 07:53 (nineteen years ago)

There are a handful of singers I probably like more - Al Green, Jarvis Cocker, Jimmy Cliff, James Carr, Willie Nelson, Irma Thomas, Louis Prima - but George is right up there.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 14 January 2006 09:41 (nineteen years ago)

Jarvis Cocker? I love him and all, but we did say "singer."

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Saturday, 14 January 2006 10:00 (nineteen years ago)

"first time I'd seen him smile in years"

― Mr Straight Toxic (ghostface), Saturday, 14 January 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

And it's just a perfect composition too.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 14 January 2006 14:05 (nineteen years ago)

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