Honky Tonk Heroes

Beep! Beep! There's a band named Cracker that was big in the 90's. Also, in the 90's I was once called honky - "What's up honky?!" ... and again, in the 90's... Archers of Loaf had an album called "White Trash Heroes," (the last song on that album by the same name is great). This album, "Honky Tonk Heroes" came out in the 70s. Evidently things had changed in the 20 years since Waylon Jennings had released this so I had to get to the bottom of what Honky Tonk was and I did a Wikipedia search. Evidently, there's a difference between country music and another similar style of music called Honky Tonk, whereas Country music was mostly from the rural south and had a religious slant to it whereas Honky Tonk was the style of music played by rural southerners who've moved to the city and discovered all of it's ills, which makes sense since WJ and Johnny Cash were known to do some pretty awesome drugs together. Oh! The album. As soon as I found out that this eschews any religious slant, it freed me up to listen to this with an open mind and guess what... ? I liked this way more than I thought I would. I especially liked that it was only 32 mins. I liked the pace of it. I liked the slide guitar and I liked his voice.

Country ass music

The first song was a banger. I liked this far more than I expected to.

Enjoyed this very short album

Pretty good lawn cuttin music

Country I can get around. Old Five and and Dimers, Black Rose and Slow Rollin' Low are my highlights. Dudes lived an interesting life, shared a house with Johnny Cash and gave up his seat on the flight that killed Buddy Holly.

Brilliant!

I love me some Waylon Jennings.

Quality old country album

One of the outlaws making classic country sounds. It’s easy to see how he made a difference in the genre.

Usually not my cup of tea, I found this country album quite enjoyable.

Very listenable and just the right amount of country + rock'n'roll. I only really knew him from "Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys", so this was a bit of a pleasant revelation.

Surprising great album, even if it's not my usual jam.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Works well with enjoyable rhythm and smooth lyrics

I liked it.

Buen disco, la voz impresionante, me faltaria un poco más presencia de la banda en algunos momentos. Me gustaria pegarle más escuchas para saborearlo bien.

Tego sie nie spodziewalem, albumik country, a dokladnie outlawowego country z roku 73 na takiej liscie, szok i niedowierzanie, bo przeciez w tamtych czasach moda na disko funk, a kowboje juz dawno umarly, ale jednak nie wszedzie, bo ta plyta pokazuje , ze gatunki muzyczne, nawet tak niszowe, jak rozbojnickie granie wioskowe nie gina tak latwo, a moga sie nawet dobrze sprzedac, jesli sa zrobione na poziomie, a tutaj ten poziom jest widoczny od pierwszego do ostatniego traka, pan Jennings pod ktorego beltem jest ten material znalazl zloty srodek miedzy cechami klasycznych kawalkow countrowych, a bardziej przystepnym graniem w stylu rokowym, bo pomimo tego ze traki sa jak przystalo na ten gatunek raczej krotkimi kompozycjami, to instrumentalnie dzieje sie na nich duzo, do tego stopnia, ze niektore piosenki musialem sluchac po kilka razy, skupiajac sie na konkretnym kanale, bo jak na klasyka przystalo cechy mono nagran mocno sie przebijaja, wiec na lewym kanale akustyk jest szarpany, a na prawym odpowiada mu elektryk, kazdy trak ma chyba innego basiste, albo przynajmniej wykorzystuje inne typy gitar, bo ciezko znalezc identyczne brzmienia, tak samo z harpami, bo doslownie jakby kilka osob bylo tylko od tego, do tego smyczki, czy to wiolonczelii, badz skrzypcow pojawiaja sie w wiekszej liczbie niz jeden, moja teorie potwierdza sklad muzykow ktorzy brali udzial w nagrywaniu plyty, bo lista zawiera blisko 20 nazwisk, taka roznorodnosc wsrod grajacych przeklada sie na to, ze zaden trak nie brzmi tak samo, a to przeciez country, najnudniejszy instrumentalnie gatunek, o ile Jennings jest mastermindem tych kompozycji, to jednak nie spiewa on swoich kawalkow, bo wszystkie piosenki, poza we had it all, zdecydowanie najslabszej czesci plyty, szczesliwie to ostatni trak, jest mister Billy Joe Shaver, po ktorego zguglowaniu okazal sie tych archetypem wspolczesnego, jak na lata 70, kowboja, ktory scigal Jenningsa na drugi koniec stanow zeby ten zrobil material z jego tekstami i dopial swego, cale szczescie, bo o ile granie i kompozycja instrumentalna jest godna pochwaly, to jak dla mnie najbardziej te plyte robia wlasnie teksty, ktore tak plynnie oddaja ducha utraconego juz swiata tytulowych honky tonkowych herosow, czyli ludzi zyjacych z dnia na dzien i umierajacych z dnia na dzien, bez grosza przy duszy, ktorych najwiekszym zmartwieniem jest co dzisiaj zjesc, wiec opowiesci o kowbojach biedakach i pieknych kobietach, wielkich wygranych barowych kontestow, tanich alkoholach, prawie i jego strozach, milosci do swojej malej ojczyzny, a jednoczesnym umilowaniu wolnosci nieograniczonej zadnymi granicami, jesli w 73 byly to juz motywy na wymarciu, to obecnie sa one skamielinami, moze wlasnie dlatego tak dobrze sie tego slucha, na plejke z pewnoscia leci tytulowy trak, dodatkowo aint no god in mexico i willy the wandering gypsy and me, ale material 27 minutowy, wiec idealny na krotka sesje na raz

Fun country-western. Omaha was a standout!

I actually rather enjoyed this and listened to it several times. I tend to gravitate towards the "outlaw" stuff from the 70s when it comes to country. Like Willie and Waylon.

Very nice, old school country. I learned what outlaw country music is from reading Waylon's bio.

Pretty good old country!

ótimo áulbom de country roots!

i get what orville peck was talking about

The world had little way of knowing that Waylon Jennings had conjured up a movement overnight but, when it did, it had engulfed not just a genre but it encompassed a different way of being. Short and sweet with little room for error, Honky Tonk Heroes is a celebration of and a warning for what had been standard and what it means to preserve it and keep it going for the next generation of metaphorical gunslingers. Favorites: Honky Tonk Heroes, Old Five and Dimers (Like Me), Willy the Wanding Gypsy and Me, Omaha, You Asked Me To, Ain't No God in Mexico.

Alright country. Not too twangy. I could tolerate it being played for awhile

3/5

I like this honky tonk aound but not that much

I liked this album, it's more sweet and less marbled than Johnny Cash's album, which i like because i am not a big country fan, that being said, there's way more interesting stuff from the 70s

Pretty decent country record, good collection of Billie Joe Shaver songs on a stripped down outlaw country album

Country in a very not-overwhelmingly-country way, a satisfying collection of soft, rocky country songs, perhaps fit for when your horse is at a notch below a trot. Pleasant, though. The title is the most aggressively-country thing about it

The most classic of classic country. Little less of the outlaw than I'd expect from Waylon. Went down real easy.

Que se yo con estos cantris Nota: 2.8

I didn't know this band. I like the music genre. Some good tunes. A good album overall.

Good. Never was my favorite of his ilk, but he’s a legend nevertheless. So be it.

12. avgust 2026. 14.06h opet outlaw country ali opet onestli its not bad best: old five and dimers (like me)

It's not my usual thing, but it does it's thing well. Top tracks: "Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me," "You Ask Me To"

Honestly, you had me at 10 songs, 27 minutes. OUTLAW COUNTRY!

old school country album - i dig the sound and authenticity of it. can't say ill go back to Jennings a ton, but all in all it was a fine listen

not a huge country fun, but it wasn't that bad.

En ole country-musiikin ylin ystävä mutta tämän levyn kuunteli ilman ongelmia. Waylonin lauluääni on melko hyvä.

Très bien pour ce que j’avais à faire

Yeah you guys fucking thought I was gonna listen to The Black Keys. THIS is more like it. I only know "Don't Think Hank Done It This Way" and that song fucking rules so I'm a little excited for this one. Ok actually it's a little boring I can't lie, but this is my 2nd album of the day so I'll come back. You Ask Me To rules. THIS ALBUM IS ONLY 27 MINUTES LONG??? WHY!!! I'm actually... a little disappointed? It's mostly slow/crooning-esque songs, which for The Byrds WORKED because the instrumentals matched it perfectly. The tempo works here, but it's just so painfully sparse (except some strings at the end that I don't care for) that I feel like I'm not missing out by not listening as intently as I should. Lucky for me it's 27 minutes long so we can fit another listen in. All of these songs pretty much end as soon as they get good (looking at you Old Five and Dimers). First song rules, especially after it picks up. Omaha is good, the last few tracks were a little slow and forgettable. You Ask Me To is also a fun, pleasant track. Good love song with a quality solo. It just failed to catch my attention the way I would've liked it to unfortunately. Ain't No God In Mexico is great and then it just ends... Black Rose does the exact same thing... I'm gonna give it a 3 but I'm probably just not going to revisit it. I'd rather listen to The Byrds again Favorite: Omaha Least: We Had It All Shoutout: Old Five and Dimers (Like Me)

3.5

Not a old country fan

Some solid songwriting by Billy Joe Shaver and solid performing by Waylon. Nothing really soars here as it's mostly a collection of mid-tempo country waltzes but impact on the Outlaw Country genre is undeniable. For the reason alone it's worth a listen.

Short. Sweet too, but really short.

# Album Name: Honky Tonk Heroes # Artist: Waylon Jennings # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Seemed like a generic dangly country album to me. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

It’s alright. Better than any new country for sure.

Pretty good for a country album! Some really fun songs! Would listen again, but won't go out of my way to.

Enjoyed more than I expected - Ride Me down Easy, We had it all were enjoyable. Could be edging towards 4

Para empezar, fue mi primer acercamiento a la música country, por lo que no sabía con qué iba a encontrarme al escucharlo. Venía con prejuicios vinculados al género, pero debo admitir que me sorprendió. El álbum tiene un sonido fresco y sencillo. El bajo es el mayor protagonista en el álbum. Todos los instrumentos ayudan a crear una atmósfera tranquila, como una brisa suave en una tarde de verano. Algunas canciones me transportaban a la bossa nova, con sonidos minimalistas y simples. La verdad, las letras en sí no me interpelaron mucho. Celebré más el ritmo y cómo sonaba. Fue un álbum bastante dinámico. Si bien las canciones eran parecidas, cada una tenía algo diferencial y todas contaban con elementos dinámicos a lo largo del track. Más allá del sonido, lo que vengo a destacar es el subgénero del country al que pertenece, el outlaw. Yo estaba familiarizada con un estereotipo del country vinculado con granjeros, cerveza y nacionalismos. Este género viene a romper con esa idea y le otorga una libertad creativa al country no antes vista. Valoro la rebeldía y celebro que este álbum haya influenciado en este movimiento. Finalmente, en mi experiencia, fue un álbum que salió de lo conocido para mí y me sorprendió para bien. No fue un álbum que me haya comprometido mucho emocionalmente, pero sin dudas creó una atmósfera cálida y agradable. Lo escucharía perfectamente de fondo en una tarde de verano y, en lo personal, es esa vibra la que define al álbum. Sin dudas de las cosas que más rescato es haber logrado sacarme los prejuicios que tenía establecidos y encontré muchas cosas que me terminaron gustando, como los sonidos y la simpleza en ellos.

Decent country album. Pretty short with very good vocals that reminded me of Sturgill Simpson. I enjoyed it and it was fun hearing Waylon Jennings by himself as I only knew him for his contribution to Highwaymen. No song really made me think this warrants a 4 star so settling on a strong 3.

I'm a big fan of The Highwaymen, the supergroup formed by Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson (from Blade), old Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. Their most famous song, Highwayman, is a cover, but it suits them tremendously - 4 verses about different versions of a person through time, ending with Johnny Cash being an astronaut. Waylon Jennings takes the second-to-last verse, about being a dam builder. I think that's a decent metaphor for him, as a pioneer of outlaw country, he built the genre (which I later learned just meant, "outside of Nashville") and remained relevant until his death. The album is solid country fare. Lovely voice, simple guitars, and Low Down Freedom is probably the best track, or You Asked Me To. Can't give it more than a 3 though, the honky-tonk stuff gets a bit old, even at a brisk 33 minutes. More Highwaymen please.

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Closed Artwork: 🤠🤠🤠 Production: 👂🩺🧈 Music: 🐮🎸🛀 Rating: 🦸🦸‍♂️(🦸‍♀️)/5

MVP goes the bassist. You held it down. You drove the melody. You were the hero. Also didn’t know how similar Waylon and Roy Orbison’s voices are.

good playing with nice vibes but nothing made me feel much, it was just fine

a real country bummer. Its fine, just sad and kind of drawn out. Just a lot of "we're past our prime and the world changes but we dont" type of stuff. Its the country music people made fun of in the 90's.

Sad songs by a bunch of fucking country losers. It was pretty good

Enjoyable honky tonk country album. 3 stars.

I like short albums and this one is very quick. Has some very nice honky tonk songs 😁 there’s some real good lyrics in Old Five and Dimers and We Had It All

Listenable but nothing worth being on here.

Good album, not my first choice of genre but I enjoyed it

Good Dukes music

Quite good.

Chill cowboy vibes

Really cool sound some songs were amazing. 8.9/10

nice enough

I really enjoyed this one despite not having any of the big hits. Just good old fashioned outlaw country.

Buen disco de country. Temas que se sienten super campiranos y alegres, y uno que otro por ahí triste y llegador. Padre la música de Waylon Jennings.

We Had It All

Short and quality. Not any bangers, but they’re all good.

Yee and indeed haw. Tbf for all its modern day cowboy tropes it is more sophisticated than that. The songs are tender tales of loss, booze and love. Jennings voice is gruff but sensitive and he gives the songs life. Sadly l, musically it’s a bit dull and despite some nice guitar playing didn’t grab me as much as the vocals

People seem to be giving this high praise simply for not sucking while being country. This is strictly middle of the road.

It’s giving America 250 Playlist add: "Low Down Freedom"

yeehaw! Overraskende stor 3'er

🥱🤠🤷‍♂️

Not really my thing but still cool

Charming, good, and fine. Shout out for being 27 minutes.

I had a Waylon album on the Another 1001 albums list put together on Reddit. I preferred that one to this one. Long fadeouts made the songs feel incomplete and the stories didn't connect with me as did that album. 2.5/5

70s outlaw country, blending honky tonk with rock and roll. I enjoyed this one well enough and you can't argue with a 27-minute listen. Couple of my favorite lyrics off this one: - "If my feet could fit a railroad track I guess I'd been a train." ("Ain't No God in Mexico") - "Well, the devil made me do it the first time / The second time I done it on my own." ("Black Rose").

this is what made country music unpopular 3/5

This guy looks like Ryan dinger

Listenable but not really my thing

70’s country music is very different than today’s, and for the worse…

We Had It All, until we listened to this one.

Nice listen. Curious if there will be any Cash comps in our reviews. Another blind spot for me but have friends that reference him a good deal. Favorite was probably Omaha.

I actually really enjoyed this but I don’t know when I would revisit this if ever

I'm not a Country fan, but this was better than any modern country, still not really my thing though. This album could lean into Southern Rock at times and those were my favorite moments of the album. Not bad, but not my genre. Favorite Track - Black Rose Least Favorite Track - Old Five and Dimers (Like Me) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Started strong

Love Country (unless its Dixie Chicks), even more do I love Country Rock/Folk. This is classic Country and although I had high hopes, while it was nice to listen to it had no wow factor.

Kantreinta kantria mitä oon kuullu. Ihan kiva siivoilla tän tahtiin.

The first track is my favorite and there are some boring tracks thrown in there. It was fun to listen to.

I didn’t think I would like this but I kinda did. The title track is great and any of the other tracks with that energy are fun to listen to. The slower, more melodic stuff I can do without, but with the proper speed this can be great to listen to.

Country isn't really my thing. But every now and then, you find some gems in that genre that I really enjoy. That's how I felt about this album. I probably won't listen to it again, but it was fun for this one time. 3/5

I like the simplicity. There is some good guitar work. Unfortunately some of the songs are a bit too snoozy/wander into lounge territory. I’m not a big country fan but this wasn’t bad.

3/5

Listened Before? N Good album. I'm in overtime on this list now, so I'm running out of words. I signed up for 1001 and I'm sitting at 1041/1001 or something. Waylon is great, awesome voice. At least it's not another britpop album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Honky Tonk Heroes

Not really not country, but this was okay.

Huh. This wasn’t terrible. I don’t generally like country music (understatement), but I made it through this without complaining. I should probably go to the hospital and get scanned.

Not really my thing but not bad

Enjoyable album. Not one I’d heard of before, but I do enjoy some Country music from time to time. Not something I’ll listen to again, but I can appreciate its cultural significance

3.5

Nice

very croony, but ok

5.5/10

Good enough stock-standard country. For some reason I zero'd in on the bass on this one and it was incredibly uninspired even by country music standards, but Jennings has a nice enough voice and lyrically it's pretty alright. Fav tracks: Black Rose

Nice songwriting parts here, albeit a little boring at times but I liked enough songs here

Great short country album

#138/1001 🇺🇸 Well the country albums are coming thick and fast at the moment. 4 out of the last 8 to be precise. Jennings has a really rich baritone voice and i've really enjoyed hearing this. Best tracks: Omaha,

3+

As degenerate as modern country is, it's almost comforting to hear country that lives and dies by the old stereotypes. This is brokedown truck and old dead dog country. It's amazing how that can go from a snarky dismissal of the genre, and then the genre can get to a place where you start to miss all that. The first thing I really notice is that Waylon keeps shifting his voice across the first few tracks. All of them are dated, but it's sorta interesting that he keeps making those choices. And yet, the songs aren't all that different. They're just… they're there. It's fine music, but this is music that you listen to because it's on and it's inoffensive. Outlaw country would be upset realizing how inoffensive this is. Most of this is a step away from grandma music… a little more modern, but a solid clip less iconic. It doesn't deserve under a 3*, but it only barely deserves that. No one needs to hear this before they die. They've already heard a hundred identical songs and forgotten them all

Equal parts bravado, humility, tenderness and, let’s call it a narrow world view with plenty of experience. The last track feels like it was a lot people’s wedding song, if you were from Texas in the 70s.

Country from the old but not oldest days. Definitely not what my wife calls bootlicking country. Kinda rock, ballads are good but I don't love country ballads unless they're great (John Prine). Worth a listen, questionable as a "must".

Really good. Definitely gonna have to come back to it, especially given how short it is. Wish it would let loose a bit more like it threatens to do in the first track, though--if it did, that'd easily bump it up another star.

2.7 3x it's honky tonk alright

De la country tout à fait correcte

Boomer (but correct) take: This is what country sounds like, not the bullshit that passes nowadays.

I dont like country but I liked this.

While not my favorite genre, a good example of country

mehhh mid but ok

probably the most stereotypical but also most palatable country music i've ever heard

7/10 el country no siempre se puede salvar con una armónica. Canción rescatable: Honky Tonk Heroes

They all seems the same to me, but yeahhh, welcome to Nashville !!

Definitely a good country album but it didn’t really wow me

This is good for some old school country.

10 good country songs. Nothing mind blowing, but all solid.

My initial reaction when I started listening was an unimpressed "yeah, ok". It's alright, you know? Pretty standard honky tonkin' outlaw country. But by the time I was through to the second half, I was really digging it. 'Ride Me Down Easy', 'Ain't No God in Mexico' and 'Black Rose' stood out as a terrific run of songs, only spoiled by the syrupy ballad 'We Had It All' that the record company insisted Jennings tack on the end. They should have had more faith in Billy Joe Shaver's songwriting. Shaver seems like the real deal, a true cowboy outlaw -- lost two fingers in a sawmill accident, spiritual adviser to Kinky Friedmann, shot a man in Austin because he wouldn't say "sorry". Jennings -- a bit of a bad-ass himself -- really understood the songs and delivered them well (even if Shaver didn't always agree at the time). Is outlaw country my thing? Not really, but I can appreciate that this is a seminal and enjoyable example of the genre. And there are a couple of songs here I would gladly listen to anytime. Fave track: 'Black Rose'.

It’s fine as far as country goes

Wasn’t clicking, I’ll go back to it

Nice chill country album. Would happily drink cheap beer and play pool to this

Outlaw country.

This project has taught me one thing: If I'm going to listen to any country music, it's going to be from the 70's. This was pretty good, but not as good as Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton albums I've had from the same era. Definitely had moments. Especially enjoyed Omaha and Ain't No God in Mexico.

Feelin' like an outlaw after this.

Ralph Mooney is the MVP here, I could listen to that man play his steel guitar all day. Big fan of all the fiddle, violin, viola and cello players as well. This is far from my preferred genre but this isn't bad at all. I can see how someone could love this and spend an evening crying into their beer. 3 stars.

Fun romp with a country legend.

My tolerance for country is low, but this was better than I thought it’d be. I guess there’s a reason I know his name and recognized a few songs.

Songs to listen on your horse Not my tea but if I listened to these songs irl I would tune in Songs I liked: Omaha, black rose, you ask me to

i unfortunately can’t get behind any non-johnny cash country but this was inoffensive at least

It seems good but this is never music I’ll turn to

Well, it's country. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It isn't anything exceptional but wasn't crap either, ill give it a 3.

3.5 Stars, I guess. I was excited for this one. I'm always excited for Waylon Jennings because he's one of the many artists that, on paper, I should love. Unfortunately, it rarely leads to an epiphany. The album is okay/good. I might listen again to see if I missed anything, but it didn't leave much of an impression. Update: I did listen again and liked it more the second time around. It might be a grower. I added a half star (still wishing we could do that in the actual rank)

Wasn't bad

It was a nice reprieve from the genre that the algorithm has provided me recently. It is as advertised honky tonk music.

This record was pretty good. The slow, sad ballads required some endurance, but the rest was fun: short little songs with toe-tapping music and old-timey lyrics. The cover is intriguing - the guys are all partying down but then there's that intense-looking hipster in the background. Dude's probably wishing these guys would finish it up so he can close up the studio and go home to bed. 3 stars

Musically good but not really my thing. Perfectly listenable, though.

A perfect soundtrack for an evening walk—beautiful weather, steel guitar drifting right into your mood, and the songs settling in like they’ve always been part of your life. The album’s easy swagger and lived‑in warmth made it a genuinely enjoyable listen, the kind that deepens the longer you stay with it.

Een half uurtje degelijke country. Over het genre heb ik inmiddels genoeg gezegd, denk ik. Waylon Jennings is zeker niet de vervelendste in het genre. Ik hoor dit liever dan Ice Cube. Drie sterren.

Not one I would put on regularly but I can recognize it’s good music.

It's country, so I didn't love it. I also didn't hate it, so that's a win. It was short. I liked some of the music. The country twang is always off-putting, but this would be fine in the background. 3 stars.

Actually enjoyed it! Country stuff is not usually my bag but some interesting songs here! Got to be the shortest album so far at 27mins.....

It's fine for what it is, but I'm not a honky tonk guy.

Yeah this was fine

A quintessential country album, possibly with a bit more depth and nuance than some. It feels a skilful and accomplished mosey through the stories, feel and structure of this genre. Doesn’t particularly grab me or be something that I may come back to in a rush, but that’s mainly due to not particularly being stimulated or excited by country. But if I was, this is a great capturing of it (3.5)

Tasteful pallet of the 1970s

Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me through Omaha was the best part of this album.

Not my favourite type of country but decent

I didn't expect to enjoy this but was happily proven wrong. His voice is great and that swayed it for me

I enjoyed this. I will almost certainly never listen to it again

I never really listened to the outlaw country guys much but as I get older I find myself enjoying a lot of stuff they released.

country

Not too bad for country

Enjoyable enough outlaw country. I’ll listen to more Waylon for sure. This record…it’s fine.

enjoyed this, but it didn't really do it for me

Clearly a limited in scope, but intentionally so and an enjoyable listen in the time and place.

Countrya tulee kuunneltua (liian) vähän. Hyvä levy oli. Tuskin jää rotaatioon. 3/5.

Honky Tonk Heroes is a solid country and western album that strips things back to Waylon Jennings' performances and Billy Joe Shaver's songs. Shaver delivers convincing, thoughtfully assembled tales of modern cowboys. And Jennings plays a perfect modern cowboy in his performances. It really is that simple. I will say that I don't gravitate as strongly to this vein of country as I do to some other artists and interpretations of the genre. But, I *really* like We Had It All. And the rest of what's delivered here makes for an enjoyable, breezy, and well-written 27 minutes.

Pretty much what you’d expect from an album with this title. Compétent country 3.1

Sad bastard country tunes for when you’re feeling like a sad bastard.

OK album generator, this BETTER be the end of my country streak because I can't take this much longer

Like it 3/5

Listening from the future, we might not hear the outlaw in this country music, but the circumstances of its production and the way it sounded on release were a break with how things had been done in Nashville. Most of the songs hold up over 50 years later — we can thank Billy Joe Shaver's writing and Waylon's voice for that.

Slushy but easy.

I like Waylon Jennings voice — the tunes were mired in a Country style I can't quite get excited about, but it played on and sounded genuine and not too slick, which I appreciated.

I was not looking forward to this one. I don't know why. I don't really know Waylon Jennings. But man when Honky Tonk Heroes got cranking I was ALL IN! I didn't need to have it all (We Had It All) at the end. But I was really delighted with this discovery.

Kinda liked this in a 'not my usual genre but I see the attraction' sort of way...

Once upon a time, I couldn't stand country, but over the years, that view has changed considerably. Waylon Jennings is a stud, and while I wouldn't have picked this album of Waylon's for this list, it was a fun listen, ridiculously brief though.

Don't hate country but don't like much old school country, like this.

Another series of comments from Kori: “Oh great!” (In response to finding out its only 28 minutes long) “Honestly it’s tolerable”

Alright, not much of a country fan

Turns out I like country more than I thought

3 - Honky Tonk Heroes, Omaha, Low Down Freedom Not a country fan at all but this isn’t too bad! The wiki describes it as outlaw country so perhaps I’ll look into that genre more since I enjoyed this :p

Quite pleasant, short and sweet. Not as annoying as I often find country albums, and nothing had a grating affect on me. Felt engaged throughout.

6/10

I think my issue with country music of the 70s and 80s is production. The songs seems like they are there, but I don’t like the sound. It’s not a terrible album, but I wouldn’t seek it out again.

Two country albums in row.... much preferred Waylon to Merle. Sound quality is a lot better - which helps alot - I prefer his vocals and the content is a lot less grating than Merle. Still find country fairly pedestrian and cliched but there were a few nice moments in this. A low 3.

This album coming off the back of Haggard, cements my belief that country music operates in a very limited sphere - innovation is non-existent in its true sense. About as innovative as this gets is adding in more traces of rock and less alternating basslines vs Haggard's pure Bakersfield twang. But it certainly gives this album a bit more pep then Merle's effort. A pleasant baritone, absorbing some rock elements into a bouncy country sound. Something of a liquor-infused sound pervades, the guitars more gritty, the vocal popping off the mic at times like it's a live performance. 'Black Rose' is a highlight, lamenting his lack of willpower when faced with a dusky beauty ("the devil made me do it the first time, the second time I done it on my own). Some excellent twanging amidst a great band performance. I've seen this classed as 'outlaw country' which I don't particularly understand, but nevertheless it's a decent 'way out west' bar vibe. It's got the swagger, it's got a few tunes, it's got a little variety, it's got a little mettle.

I’m not a huge country fan and have never listened to any of his albums. This was just ok for me.

It's fairly consistent, a little too safe

Outlaw country legend and evocative storyteller. Not a Country fan, but Waylon sings you a story and pulls you in.

yeehaw

Good ole honky Tonk

Country really isn't my absolute favorite thing, but the songwriting and melodies on this were all unique and memorable, and I enjoyed it. Felt like I was sitting at a campfire listening to these guys play.

It's great for what it is, gets three stars just because it's not something I'm not going to put back on again.

After 2 really bad albums this pretty average album sounds like a sweet relief. No experimental trying to stand out music, just easy listening old school country... and I don't listen to country often either but after something really bad this felt pretty pleasant. That really says something about this list I think. This might be genuine 2 but I feel a 3 because at least it wasn't something noisy or avant-garde thing.

Clipity-clop, clipity-clop. Pretty upbeat for a bunch of songs about down on their luck drinkers, gamblers, truckers, hobos, fools, and lovers. Strong start with title track Honky Tonk Heroes. Solid through the middle, We Had It All is a little slow, but all songs are listenable. Gets outta there on a Slow Rollin’ Low in a short 32 and a half minutes, yep - some easy listening. (3.1*s) That there’s some country folks.

Fine, but mostly quite boring after the first track 2.9/5

First song was 5 stars the rest really nice for what it is, a bit slow for me

nice short introduction to Waylon if your not familiar with his work

I don’t hate this but it’s not something I’d ever put on to listen to. Not for me, I guess. First track is great though, kinda disappointing when the rest of it didn’t measure up

Good listen. Nothing incredible but good album. I particularly enjoyed the last song: We Had It All

Finally, some country. Older than my taste profile for the genre, but a solid 4/4 boots on the ground album. Standout track was "Black Rose:. Solid album overall, though it mainly blended together. 3/5 stars.

Good early blend of rock and country.

I’ll admit, this is a style of music I am woefully unfamiliar with. We started off very strong with the title track! I thought it was a nice little number that made me want to go line dancing! Old five and dimers reminder me of something I’d find in my grandparents record collection. Same with Willy the wandering… I think this album did itself a slight disservice by putting both slower songs together right after the punchy opening track. Low down Freedom,however, picks it up again. Omaha and You ask me to actually have a nice groove to them. Ride me down easy sounds like a song an old white man would sing while sitting by a campfire. Actually this whole album does, but I’m not one to judge. Ain’t no god in Mexico and Black Rose were genuinely enjoyable, and we had it all was an apt closer to this album and had good vocals. I’m torn on this album, because I don’t feel the under half an hour runtime really gave me a good taste of what this has to offer. A lot of the language is also very outdated and it is hard to look past for the sake of the art at times. I also don’t usually like country. I think it’s going to get a solid 3.5/5 ⭐️, 7/10. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t something I actively enjoyed. 34/1089

Easy going and guick country album. Not really a standout but nice enough. 3/5

The birth of outlaw country! The songs are strong, the performances are great. While the Nashville production takes to the fore on certain songs, many others have a very stripped-down, bare-bones feel that I really enjoy. This is good stuff. THREE STARS

Good album

enjoyable as background music, not something I'd revisit tho

3.4 What is happening! First I really enjoyed an Elton John album and then I really enjoyed a Honky Tonk album in quick succession. Might need to the docs... Anyway, I normally absolutely hate this shite, but I think the first track really charmed me. Really enjoyed the change in style and tempo mid way through. Third track also had a charm. There's a number of generic tonky ones on here but nothing grates too heavily. It's not something I'd put on again probably but I'm happy that I appreciated it for these few listens.

That's country alright.

The start made me feel like it was another white American yeehaw album. But, the last two songs got me right in the feels. We Had It All got me very emotional ngl.

Nice n’ honky

I wish I could edit those fucking thing, I wrote "remplacing" in yesterday's log instead of "replacing" because I'm french and I write these quickly, now I wanna kill myself. Anyway this looks like a nightmare. I'm joking, I'm glad to listen to these old country records. I certainly haven't enjoyed, in any sort of capacity, modern country music, so it's fun to listen to something in the genre that actually has some charm!

It’s my first time listening to a solo project from Waylon Jennings. I do love The Highway Men though. Strong moments, but not my favourite. I like that he wants to be a train.

Jolly good old-fashioned country. And Honky Tonk Heroes is (arguably) the perfect example of the genre. Not the creative pinnacle, mind you –but an archetypal slice of what the genre had to offer. The music itself is nothing special, but it's the mixing that really brings out all the little details in each instrument. You can feel the earnest bass playing, the flecks of gravel in the singing, the lyrical agility and sharpness (even as someone who pays little-to-no attention to lyrics unless they're particularly bad). Still, most of the chords are I/IV/V, which severely limits how enjoyable an album can really be. The instrumentation is limited to vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, and simple percussion. But for 1973, the musical competition is far too intense to justify a lacklustre inclusion like this into the list. Keep in mind this list showcases the 1001 most important albums of all time. Picking a medium-obscure British spin on the country from any time past 1963 is kind of spitting in the face of "importance". But all of the songs are performed darn well. Despite them being covers from the same songwriter, Billy Joe Shaver, Jennings had me believe these were all originals with the gusto and confidence he had at his disposal. Ain't No God In Mexico, Black Rose, Low Down Freedom... these are great tracks, and they're still not even in my top three on the record. The title track, Honky Tonk Heroes, is the bluesiest of the lot – featuring dirty guitar, harmonica, and some harmonies that stray from the boring ones. I wish Jennings had done the whole album like that. 3/5 Key tracks: Honky Tonk Heroes, You Ask Me To, We Had It All

Fun as hell.

I liked this album! Felt like old-timey family listening country.

Not my style but cool

I think it starts off very, very strong with "Honky Tonk Heroes" and turns into the kind of music you'd expect in a sad pub with slumbering old men remembering their wasted love lifes.

love the story. and “if i hadnt been rainroaded well i guess id been a train” is the best lyric ever.

3/5 - Not generally a fan of country but this was pretty good. Apart from a couple of songs I probably wouldn't listen to it again.

Not a honky Toni fan, but this might be good for those that are.

Waylon is great but this album feels very empty musically, despite having a full band. It fails to separate itself from the droves of 70s country albums. It is just not remarkable.

Feelin like a 60yo farmer, crossing Texas on a road trip, wearing my hat and some of the tightest skinny jeans and the wickedest boots ever seen to mankind. Meanwhile irl I'm a 23yo girl who loves some 1D, Adele and Olivia Dean. But I do feel like I'd define this album as the best ever made if I were American, 60yo and driving to my divorce hearing. Darlene is leaving me goddammit!

A fun listen, i won't be coming back to this.

Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Delightful and didn’t overstay its welcome.

Decent album. Nothing overwhelmingly great, but a good listen.

Good old school country from the balladeer.

It was an OK album but I enjoy his more outlaw country stuff

Starts fun, then crooner/sad. Classic honky tonky lighthearted country, followed by some love songs.

Twangy country, not super my vibe but a good time

Jennings has that great thing that all good country music has in that there’s always an air of melancholy to his voice, even throughout the most triumphant sounding songs. Solid.

Album No. 0111 on my list. Well, I’m not that much into country music, so I didn’t have too high expectations, even though I’m aware that Waylon Jennings is an important figure of the whole outlaw genre (or movement, rather?) This is a solid country album. Musically and lyrically, you clearly see that it is different from other, more “classic” country albums. I get why this is considered to be an “outlaw” album. Personally, I don’t find it spectacular, but I get why it ended up on the 1001 album list. I’ll add “Honky Tonk Heroes”, “Ain’t No God In Mexico”, and “Black Rose” to my playlist, these songs really stood out for me compared to the rest. 3/5 stars.

I like this one! It’s just real fun to listen to. I don’t think it’s an essential because it’s not that popular of a record and there’s other music that fits this bill but it is really nice to listen to I like it and it has a cool back story. I wonder if popularity should matter for rating something? I kind of think it’s important. If I was reviewing this right when it came out I think it wouldn’t matter AS much. Am I rating the amount of advertising that went into it though? What does it mean to rate and factor in popularity?

Pretty nice, chill, old school country Faves: Honky Tonk Heroes, You Ask Me To, We Had It To

Klassisk country. Ingen av hans kjente bangere.

I normally quite dislike country music, but this was shockingly tolerable.

I don't normally like country music but I didn't hate this. Pretty solid.

Honky Tonk Heroes is a very conflicting record for me, with aspects that I love and aspects that I cannot stand. First, on a positive note, the production is lovely, particularly the hard-panned guitars and the pastoral instrumentals. The record has a very charming classic country sound to it, and does a very good job at creating an atmosphere reminiscent of its setting. The main problem I have with the record is just how formulaic it can be. Listening to these songs separately, say on the radio or in a playlist, I could see myself liking them a lot more in short doses. In album format though, listening to all of these tracks back to back with very similar lyrical themes, very similar song structure, and the same damn fadeout on every track makes it get repetitive even at a brisk 27 minutes. I found myself enjoying the slow acoustic sections more, as it was a nice break from an album that is otherwise very one-note. Are the songs good? Yeah, I'd say so; Old Five and Dimers and Omaha stick out a bit, but the tracks are consistently quite enjoyable. But back-to-back in album format like this makes this album surprisingly hard to get through. Please, for the love of all that is holy, find another way to end a song, I'm begging you!

Incredibly short, at only 27 mins. Sort of just some generic older country music, although you can more clearly hear the ties to Irish trad and classic rock in a few songs. It's ok

Eh, it was ok. Afterwards I went to listen to Marty Robbins again. That guy is way cooler.

I guess I’m still American because I adored this

Yeehaw! I like that it's short and sweet.

Decent option if I’m in the mood for country but nothing that really stood out to me.

70

honky tonk heroes- 5 old five and dimers- 5 will the wandering and me- 5 low down freedom- 5 omaha- 5 you ask me to- 5 ride me down easy- 5 aint no god in mexico- alright man. 5 black rose- 5 we had it all- 5

Noh, aika perus hyvää kantria. Puolet hidastemposta, puolet menevämpää. Eipä tästä sen enempää sanottavaa. Parhaat: Honkey Tonk Heroes

Something about this album was quite comforting. Warm music for a cold day.

Non male però nkn sono sicuro sia tra i 1001 album da sentire prima di morire

I'm instantly struck by the crisp clean production on this album. The bass is nice and high in the mix and the instrumentation is kept sparse, with solo instruments dropping out completely for large sections of the songs. It's not really my thing, but it's an excellent album and warrants some further listening.

classic

I think once upon a time I might have been into Waylon Jennings. I still "like" his style and his way. It is unlike country for country lovers, even if it IS that, by spanning a more rock/ folk gap that makes it more accessible. Nevertheless I am not a big country fan, nor a down on your luck hard drinkin' type. Which w o u l d help to identify with this sort of groove. Now, it IS kind of easy to listen too and has a pleasant overall feel enough to fit a themed party or something, or if you happen to be driving across Texas (hopefully to gtfo).

You Ask Me To was surprisingly romantic and I enjoyed it! This album sounds so different from modern day country, I don’t know that I would have considered it country music if I hadn’t known already that it was. Why do I think it sounded more like an album from the 60s?

Really not bad. I like the band's contributions, because this could really sparse otherwise. Very Western singer-songwriter vs honkey-tonk

That was pleasant to listen to while reading before bed.

Favorite track(s): Honky Tonk Heroes, Omaha, Black Rose

If y'all like country, this is a fine slice. If you don't, this won't convert you

It’s actually not bad at all, in that old-school country kind of way. I probably wouldn’t put it on again myself, but if it were playing somewhere, I wouldn’t be annoyed.

Country

Not a bad album, nice and short. Standard old fashioned country.

This is actually pretty great for what it is, it's just not something I get much into.

yup thats honky tonk

Just alright. 2.5/5

Ik heb niets met country, maar dit vond ik - zeker na een tweede keer luisteren en wat meer focus op de tekst - een aangename verrassing. De stijl is misschien wat gedateerd, niet zo tijdloos als andere albums in deze lijst, maar als tijdsdocument zeker meer dan de moeite.

Once again expected a country album to be a disaster but this was pleasant and didn’t have the “country twang” or make me wanna gouge my eyes out.

Don't have much to say. Waylon is great but this one is just okay.

3.25 Solid Country

Ok album, a few nice songs but it does not really stand out 3.4 stars

Always kinda liked Nashville Sound more than any of the outlaws, and Waylon's not giving me any real standouts here, unfortunately. Pleasant, I wouldn't turn off the country station if this came on, but not much more than that.

I don’t love this kind of country music, but this feels like it’s about as good as it gets.

Don't know why I like this stuff but I do. Not the finest but I'd have no issue listening again

That was fine. Nothing amazing, some good, soulful notes in it.

A good old school country album. I like this style but was not overly drawn to any songs on here. Still not a bad listen at all.

Decent album, terrible name

Ça reste du country mais c'était plaisant! Bon en mettre en musique de fond. 3/5

It's actually OK

Pleasant enough. Not really my style but has a time and a place

Don't mind it

Short album. Enjoyed it for what it is.

Very earnest, which is probably not that unusual for a country album. There are a few good songs here and there, with Honky Tonk Heroes being an absolute banger.

3.5 stars. Pretty good early outlaw country record. Too much splitting instruments out to each stereo channel individually is a little distracting at times. Re-listened to a bit of it with mono audio and wished it would've been mixed closer to that. Standouts is the title track, which is a genuinely great song and musically a step above standard country. "We Had It All" ballad a nice example of Jennings's pretty good singing voice.

6/10

Eh I like the genre but this isn’t memorable to me

3.5/5 Aint No God in Mexico is a wild name for a song

Sure. This was solid. Classic country.

It's fine but seemed like every time a song was starting to really cook it would just end at 2 and a half minutes

A good listen 3 or 4

Se ha quedado anticuado, pero fue un buen disco de country.

Pretty good

Well won't you look at that, I got two country albums from the 1970s which both begin with Honky Tonk. First with Honky Tonk Masquerade and here with Honky Tonk Heroes. And my opinions with this one is the fact that it is just fine. Like the album i did just prior, its everything that you would expect from this genre, except less interesting as every sound here isn't really all that original. The songs here are okay and have some pretty decent lyrics as well as a pleasant feel to all the songs but they don't really stand out all that much from each other and feel too much like they are cut from the same cloth. This album was thankfully very short at just 27 minutes which is why it made it to a very soft 3 stars. Best Song: Ain't No God In Mexico Worst Song: Black Rose

decent enough country album. i'm not averse to country music at all, but this one felt a little lacking in both the song department and also for a first experience of waylon jennings, i kind of wanted more from his vocal performance. on the more upbeat tracks, it works well, but on the country ballads, i find his voice to be a little weak. not a bad album, but ultimately felt a little underwhelming.

Good ol' classic country. About what you'd expect. I don't love or hate country, so average score from me.

Alright, first country record. I know and love the title track, but never listened to the album by itself. So had a few listens and sadly only title track really stands out, however there are some other nice songs and the overall vibe is authentic and warm. A good classic country album, 3.5/5.0 but probably rounding down to 3 stars.

Not my thing but highly amusing to listen to. (Yes, ugly syntax. Shoot me.)

Enjoyable, I thought the playing was a step up from other albums of the genre. Nothing especially remarkable to me though

Toe tapping Outlaw Country style done by a future member of The Highwaymen.

Love Waylon. 7/10

I can’t really tell if it’s a good album or not, since country isn’t my taste and I can’t properly engage with it. I liked the guitar on the opening track, but the slide guitar sound on the second track—the stereotypical “country twang”—isn’t for me

3.5

Good tunes…three chords and the truth. I like “outlaw country” and enjoyed this, but I’m also not sure what made the editor of this list pick this particular album. I found the exaggerated Beatles-level panning of the stereo mix really distracting…it made the individual instruments louder, but in a ham-handed way that I think was disorienting and took away from the experience. Nothing like checking your right AirPod is broken because a harmonica solo blasted into your left out of nowhere