First let me say that everyone is entitled to their opinion and music is a very subjective medium. But having said that shustad, maybe if you knew the writers of those two songs and their connection with Gord, it would help you to understand why they were included.
Ian Tyson, of Ian and Sylvia, wrote "Red Velvet". If you know anything of Gord's career, you will know how instrumental Ian and Sylvia were to getting Gord on the road he is on now as well as being longtime personal friends. Ian and Sylvia have recorded some of Gord's songs as well.
Steve McEown is writer of the song "I used to be a Country Singer". He is the musical partner of Gord's nephew, Steve Eyers. Their duo is called Even Steven and they have a nice website at
http://www.elitegroup.on.ca/northbeat/evensteven.html, mentioning Gord quite frequently.
Will this make you like the "country" style songs more? Probably not and that's okay. But maybe it will ease your mind that there was a reason why he chose to record these two and didn't just pick them out of the air.
And I agree with you...I love Gord's cover of Dylan's "Ring them Bells". I usually hit the repeat button on that one a couple of times. However, personally I miss Pee Wee Charles' steel pedal guitar sounds from Gord's 70's and 80's songs. And I missed seeing him up on the stage at the concerts. I loved the concerts where both Mike and Pee Wee were there.
This deviates from your original questions DMD3 and I apologize...to answer, I have no changes to suggest. Either I like a song or I don't. But it's a good question to put up for discussion...again.
