Across the Great Divide

The year was 1985. I was working as a clerk in a record store -- yes, I am a dinosaur.

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The young women -- one being the manager of the store and the other the one who knew Black Flag personally I've posted about before* -- working with me that Saturday morning appeared to be hung over. They were certainly "bummed" at having to work Saturday morning. They wanted to hear 'their' records on Saturday morning, as opposed to the 'hair band' stuff required to be played on the store's stereo (remember, I am a dinosaur) during peak business hours.

Yet, we had to take turns going to the turntable to change the LP on the in-store system (I am a Brontosaur -- harmless), and my turn came. I was told by the previous manager to always survey the store's customers and put on an LP I thought they might like to buy. All three customers that morning were women in their mid-30s browsing the country music section. And they all had an "I don't like what I'm seeing here" look on their faces.

I strode to the turntable and put on a new LP I was sure they had not heard. We had stocked it only the day before, and I had previewed the pre-release demo earlier at home -- having brought the copy back to work with me that morning.

It was Reba McEntire's Whoever's in New England*. Within 20 minutes, we sold five copies. Yes, two of the women bought two each (LP and cassette -- yes, I am a Brontosaur watching a big meteor coming at me).

But two minutes into the LP, I thought my two coworkers were going to grab case cutters and kill me. Literally. Then and there. Fortunately, one of the customers by then had begun marching to the cash register (yes, the meteor is getting closer. it's really big), and that saved me.

Here is my list of my country faves of the 1980s.

"Somebody Should Leave" by Reba McEntire

"Seven Year Ache"' by Roseanne Cash

"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" by Kathy Mattea

"Don't Close Your Eyes" by Keith Whitley

"Somewhere Tonight" by Highway 101

"Streets of Bakersfield" by Dwight Yoakum and Buck Owens

"Don't Toss Us Away" by Lone Justice (featuring Maria McKee)

"Arlene" by Marty Stewart

albums for special mention

Sweethearts of the Rodeo by Sweethearts of the Rodeo

One Fair Summer Evening by Nanci Griffith

Diamonds and Dirt by Rodney Crowell

The Reba McEntire song I'm listing is not on Whoever's in New England*. However, that album is also one I would propose for special mention. It was a lifesaver.**

Originally posted to LiveJournal on May 5, 2009

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*The 'Girl Who Knew Black Flag Personally' was first referenced an untitled post now in the Nov. 7, 2011 archive here. Also, the Reba McEntire album was actually titled Have I Got a Deal for You. 
**A few days later I posted this: "I've been looking over my lists of country music favorites, partly wondering what prompted the whole thing. I'm still not sure, though the way the titles seem to fit together, in some cases, was completely unintentional and, in a way, kind of scary (asks self timidly "How did I do that?"). So let me advise any who may wish to visit their favorite music download site and listen to them all: be careful. Too heavy a dose of honest-to-country torch and twang will cut through your emotional defenses like a buzzsaw through longleaf pine. My fave playlists should not be heard in their entirety by young children, pregnant or nursing mothers, or the frail and elderly. You'll cry yourself a river, and that could be dangerous.So remember: a little dab will do you. Just sayin'.;)­­"