Country music is everywhere, even in the erudite intellectual aeries of Europe... In fact, there's so much of the stuff, I barely know a fraction of it. This section includes a bunch of random bluegrass and country bands from across the European continent, although I'm aware there are many, many other artists and albums not currently on my radar. Also, separate sections exist for Germany and The United Kingdom and Ireland which have their own large, impressive country scenes, though many of those albums may also be included here. And trust me, once I crack the code and find all the records, France, Croatia and Lichtenstein will all get their own twang guides, too! (PS: I apologize for not being able to support umlauts and schwas and other special characters and for making all your languages look so very not right. I'm just not smart enough for all that technical-type stuff!)
This page covers the Letter "Q."
EUROPEAN COUNTRY:
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C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X, Y & Z |
Comps
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Quacks "Morning Song" (Metronome Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Leif Petersen)
A goofy but good-natured folk-novelty band from Denmark, sort of a combination of Rolf Harris and The Mamas & Papas, an acoustic-backed vocal trio with some jazzy asides and a definite comedic bent. The driving force was guitarist/composer Bent Sten Myggen who went on to do some psychedelic rock stuff, then veered back into more country-oriented stuff. It's kind of a pity these are all English-language recordings; I would have enjoyed a little Danish in there as well. Myggen is credited as composer on most tracks, and tried to keep the band going for a while after co-founders Michael Bundesen and Kirsten Granau left, but this lone album is pretty much the Quacks main legacy.
Carlos Quintas "LRJ Records Presents... Carlos Quintas" (Little Richie Johnson Records, 19--?)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
A bilingual English-Spanish country 'n' pop set by crooner Carlos Quintas, who apparently was Portuguese actor-singer Carlos Miguel Quintas Martins, who started singing pop music as a side gig in the late 'Seventies. He released several albums in Europe before making a pilgrimage to Arizona to cut this partly-country record under the auspices of indie producer Little Richie Johnson. To be totally candid, this is a really terrible album, at least from a twangfan's perspective... Johnson put together a solid crew of (unidentified) musicians, and though the album opens with a solid western swing-flavored version of "Release Me," the arrangements shift into more florid, over-the-top pop orchestrations, and Quintas's vocals are just, well, wrong for most of the record. His accent is a tough sell to begin with, but his often-bizarre phrasing is really what tanks this disc. I'm not big on mocking "bad" records, but honestly the only reason I can think of to keep this album on my shelves is to make fun of it -- especially the two closing tracks, which may possibly be the worst versions of "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Green, Green Grass Of Home" ever recorded. Or at least right up there... It's all pretty painful.
More Euro-Twang -- Letter "R"
Hick Music Index
