Andrew's Albums No.15: "O Brother Where Art Thou - Soundtrack"

Country music and its related styles have always been less than favoured in my pantheon of musical genres. A good proportion of this antipathy is associated with the general unpopularity of country music outside of its main market (i.e. the 10 gallon hat, 1 pint head type cowboys and truck drivers of America's mid-west), but perhaps a heavier burden of responsibility lies with the endless repetition of Merle Haggard et al when I was a small child, courtesy of my father. Believe me when I say that waterboarding Al Qaeda is nothing as a contravention of human rights contrasted with "Merle Haggard Live in Muskogee & Philadelphia" coupled with "Motivatin' Man" by John Laws on endless cassette loop as you're driven from Sydney to Broken Hill. It took something utterly special to break down my resistance. And thanks to the Coen brothers and T-Bone Burnett, the scales were drawn away from mine eyes and yeah verily I could see. "O Brother Where Art Thou" was the movie from which its soundtrack put me on my own country and western road to Damascus, even given me cause to purchase "Merle Haggard's 20 Greatest Hits"

Now it is only fair to state right now that the msuic on the album is not your typical yodelling cowboys lamenting the loss of a wife/dog/horse or some other kind of animal or mineral or vegetable substance. There is more bluegrass, spiritualist, blues and Appalachian folk than your 'yee-hah' guitar twirling guff. And perhaps that is where this soundtrack album was able to reach out to me. It didn't hurt that the movie for which it provides the musical background is a pearler; funny and intriguing as so many of Joel and Ethan Coen's films are. This is all crystallised in the lead track from the album as well as a pivotal plot point in the film...the so-called "Soggy Bottom Boys" performing "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow".



Within the context of the movie this song puts Clooney and his cohorts on a path that is utterly fantastical. Within the context of the album "I Am A Man of Constant sorrow" demonstrates that the heart of the music is in what is referred to in the movie as "old timey" music. These are the tunes that predate the slick Nashville sounds developed in the wake of the 1940s. These are the songs that were (at times) passed between generations of poor southern farmers, white and/or black, and in their prototypical manner began much of what is considered popular music today. The soundtrack for "O Brother Where Art Thou" is a roots album which effectively reunites the listener to what formed the foundation not just of a particular age of American culture, but what has determined by evolution what we hear today.

Now this overly complex analysis does detract from one core truth behind the album; "O Brother Where Art Thou" is an amazingly fun album to listen to. There are several songs which (as interpreted by their performers on this compilation) sound both incredibly fresh but also exceedingly rich. Those with Gillian Welch and Allison Krauss are but a couple of stand out tracks. I particularly enjoy The Whites performing "Keep on The Sunny Side" which approximates the original Carter Family's sound. The more bluesy tracks remind me of what lies behind so much of my beloved 60 British beat groups, whilst it's hard not wanting to join in with "...Constant Sorrow".

As for its place in my memory and life experience, well this is one of those albums that wasn't marked by a great epiphany of joy or wallowing in wells of melancholia. "O Brother..." hooked me in when I saw the movie and it was a natural corollary of seeing the film that I needed to hear the music again and again. Okay, perhaps in darker and self-indulgent moments I might feel some empathy to that man of constant sorrow, but anyone who finally finds enjoyment in country music will be willing to let in the inherent sadness of so much of the genre.

So where does "O Brother..." sit in my pantheon of albums? It's a truly special soundtrack and, akin to listening to "Das Leben Ist Grausam" by Die Prinzen it opened a musical world up for me. Without this album I'd never have felt the same pleasure at hearing Hank Williams perform "Your Cheating Heart" or try to understand more about the heritage of George Jones, Bill Munroe and even the much maligned Merle Haggard. T-Bone Burnett is the genius who brought together so many varied strands which lead me down a path I never expected, via "O Brother Where Art Thou"

• Music Score: 8/10
• Nostalgia score: 5/10
• Favourite Tracks: "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (radio station version)", "Keep On The Sunny Side", "I'll Fly Away", "In The Jailhouse Now"