Venerdì 15 Feb 2008, 22:14

There have pretty much always been murder ballads in folk and country music. Songs like Omie Wise (and its name variations), Stack O' Lee (and its name variations), and, to bring things slightly more up-to-date, Folsum Prison Blues, have been covered innumerable times. But these types of songs are still being written and ought to be recognized and covered just like their traditional counterparts. Here’s a mix of some murder ballads from the past 25 years that, with any justice, will still be performed by people in another 100. (I had to go back that far because the song that inspired this mix was Flowers In The Dell, which was released in 1983.) I’m sure I’m missing lots of great choices, but I have a problem of starting things and not finishing them so I wanted to get this done before I got distracted.

Modern Murder Ballads
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZCOKS2KY]

1. Flowers In The Dell - Fred Eaglesmith
2. Murder In The Afternoon - Peter Bruntnell
3. The Kindness of Strangers - Nick Cave
4. Hannibal, MO - Dolorean
5. Up Falling Rock Hill - Handsome Family
6. The World’s Fair Hotel - Bakelite 78
7. This is How We Do Things In The Country - Slim Cessna's Auto Club
8. Billy Austin - Steve Earle
9. Rastus Russell - Adrienne Young
10. Coldwater, Tennessee - Robbie Fulks
11. Caleb Meyer - Gillian Welch
12. Country Death Song - Violent Femmes
13. The Ballad Of Bad Ass And Sonny - Kevin Purcell & The Nightburners
14. The Plans We Had Made - Lonesome Bob & Allison Moorer
15. I’m Your Biggest Fan - Dallas Wayne
16. Westfall - Okkervil River