Honky Tonk Heroes

3.5, some good ol' country-ish music. The first track was a little more "zany" than I expected, then settled into the more outlaw country sound.

I don't really love any of these songs, but I do like this strain of short, pithy country road house songs. They have sort of a bad pun or just a juxtaposition of words in the title, super simple, maybe some good guitar licks. I don't know - I like it.

I liked this! Have to be in the right mood for this kind of shit-kickin' country, and I suppose I was. The whole thing sounded pretty clear and fantastic coming through my fancy speakers. It's not the kind of James-Brown-good that I'm going to quickly listen to it again, but I definitely would. And after yesterday's ambient lull-fest it was nice to feel like I had a beer in my hand, even though I didn't. Or did I????

This was ok, similar type of country to Jonny Cash. Nice pedal steel. Probably won't ever go back to it though.

This is my first country album and it's actually really good!

Oof this is hard. I love a classic honkey tonk album, and this is certainly one. But is this the best? A true five star? Another four star ratIng—but I suspect this could have been a five star if I had grown up with it.

Interesting to read about, preferable to overproduced country rock, but still not all that compelling to me. Worked fine in the background like bar music.

Pretty good listen, but it's short and forgettable. Favorite track might be Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me

Tykkäsin yllättävän paljon tästä kantrilevystä. Biisit oli tarttuvia, mutta ei mielestäni kuitenkaan liian renkutusta. Ja tunnelmallisesti pääsi hienosti kuvitelmien Route 66:lle rekan rattiin.

Tylsää countryrallattelua josta ei meinannut jäädä mitään mieleen muutamallakaan kuuntelukerralla. Mikäköhän meriitti on nostanut tämän listalle? Plussaa napakasta 27 minuutin mitasta.

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.

The Wailin Jennys are terrific. Amazing harmonies driving some good bluegrass music. And all-star pun makers. (None of them are named Jenny.) In the spirit of the Wailin Jennys, here are some other groan-tastic country music puns and jokes: When I play country music for my chickens they start to sway and circle the coup to the music... It's poultry in motion! Technically, national anthems are just country music. Which Country Music Singer's name do you say when you're moving furniture past someone? Dolly Pardon. I asked what my sister was listening to, she says "LeAnn Rimes" and I says "with what?" If Keith Urban loves country music so much ... Why doesn't he change his name to Keith Rural?

Easy enough to have on in the background. Waylon has a good voice. There are a couple boring numbers such as Ride Me Down Easy and We Had It All.

I loved it. It took me back to my childhood when I worked for my dads drywall company in hill yard (an area of spokane) and would go get lunch across the street and they played country music with slide steel guitars

Country ass music

Short and sweet outlaw country.

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

Easy listening

It's not bad, but it's just hugely not my thing.

This album is so great. Waylon pioneers country music in this album, and the vocal and instrumental performances are amazing. The songwriting is great and has tons of catchy stuff, and I will likely listen to this album several more times.

Low Down Freedom is a great song. I didn’t love the album though.

This is what country is about. Waylon takes pain and hope and love and blends it all together in a great album. He’s definitely a pillar of country for a reason.

Not my favorite, too much country.

Un album bien normal, sans punch malheureusement . 3*

Enjoyed this very short album

Fuck you, I love this.

Not a huge country fan, but don't mind this kind of "classic country". Songwriting is great and production is clean. Would have liked the songs to open up a bit more and have time for longer solos and more jamming, but I guess that wasn't the style.

Fine. 5/10

I feel like I was misled by the title of this album. I hoped it would be some nice old school jazz, but it's actually country... It *is* more jazzy than some of the other country I've had so far, but only for a couple of tracks. It also has some rock influences by the sounds of stuff, but comes back to the classic common themes like trucking and dumping/returning to women. Just not my jam I guess.

Is it possible to believe in a country song in a country album be more country than the most country song in a country world ruled by countrymen and countrywomen with country childrens singing country songs in a country album? Yes, it's possible!

Less exciting than I expected.

Straightforward classic country. Not my style but well done for what it is.

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.

I have heard a few tracks from Jennings, but I'm most familiar with his later career - "Willie, Waylon and the boys" - and that only in passing. All of the tracks on Honky Tonk Heroes were new to me. I enjoyed hearing a whole album, and I liked the music. The simple, but prominant, basslines were distracting sometimes. "You Asked Me To" and "Ain't No God in Mexico" grabbed my attention the most. This album is right on the edge between 3 and 4 stars. Perhaps Jennings' performance is enough reason to round up? --- it's 3.5 stars people, three-and-a-half.

Brilliant!

Country and western folk

This makes me want to go down to Nashville and party. :)

Waylon gets in, handles his business, and gets out. Great lyrics (no, really, some true classics in here) and slick early-70s production make this a good time to listen to.

This was actually pretty cool! Really liked the first song and seems like some funny/cool old country to have in your lexicon.

Klassischer country

rustig, leuk, niet zo speciaal. Wel leuk om zo eens old school country te hebben, ga het misschien nog wel luisteren.

Bro deze gaat in de country rotation 5/5 bruuur yeeha

t w a n g

not bad, bit more bouncy country style, listed to this while cooking

I don't hate it man, I love country but 10 songs of this is too much even for me. I like the twang, but I ain't like it so much. 2/5 man, can't rate it 1 because a few songs on this, if they came on The Wire I'd be absolutely obsessed with.

I listened to this while playing cod. V nice. // Favs: bro I was playing cod I didn't pay attention Score: Decent to Strong 2

I love me some Waylon Jennings.

I am not a country-music fan, and Waylon Jennings does not do enough different on Honky Tonk Heroes to change my opinion. Almost every song sounds the same, it's either too sweet or too sad, definitely not for me. 2/5.

Really great album

It’s alright

First album generated that I gave more than one listen for the day. Shaver writing for Waylon. Awesome.

Nothing wrong with this but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

couldn't make it through the first song

Real country here!

seemed like "typical" country, but I don't listen to too much country to say that.

not for me

Not a country Fan.

Pretty good

What did I think of this? It kind of washed over me, to be honest. I can only assume it's so clasically country as to sound like a pastiche to my post-modern, 21st century, hyper pop-culture literate ears. Besides, as we know, I don't actually like country music that much, despite my best efforts (cf. my Willie Nelson review).

As if Hank Williams, Lefty Fritzell, George Jones, Merle Haggard etc never laid the path for being tough and vulnerable, muscular and sweet, Wailing Jennings sidles in with his dick dangling freely out of his zipper, orders shots for the whole bar and lays down some utterly useless guy music.

Quality old country album

Would go to a Waylon Jennings themed party.

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

Not a big fan of Outlaw country. This album is fine but no real standouts to me. This album appears to have made the list more for what it represents than the music itself. As Nick noted bring on GP.

Um álbum agradável, com uma vibe redneck por vezes e semelhante a Elvis por outras. As músicas são muito agradáveis é daqueles álbuns que metes e ninguém muda, mas dizer que é muito bom, também não consigo. Voltar a ouvir no futuro. Nota: 6/10 Nota:

Warm vocals and tough lyrics here from "outlaw" Waylon Jennings. I guess outlaw country isn't an attitude, but a sound, because I've heard country acts going back to the 40s cosplay as outlaws. But I digress, it's a good listen, but the negatives kind of outweighted the positives. Rating: 2.5/5

Did a little background reading to get a better context for the album. Apparently Waylon was once Buddy Holly's bass player! I digress. I can appreciate the feel and attitude of this record. Origins of outlaw country, indeed, but I think I still prefer the cosmic American music of Gram Parsons and his crew from this era. Also, "We Had It All" kinda sucks. P.S. That's a particularly premature fadeout on "Lowdown Freedom," eh? Favourite track: "You Ask Me To"

country? but it made it interesting

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.

Non amo il country

Really enjoyed it - secret passion is a bit of country

Country gives me a headache

Loved it

one of my favorite all time country albums. The birth of Outlaw country and by far Waylons best work (only album you really need by him imo). I always thought Willie Nelson was the better of the 2 but that this album may have been the best between them all. The tone, the lyrics, the non twang-y country and his deep voice all just took Country in the best direction it's ever been taken, mixed with blues and rockabilly

Niet al te opvallend album, wat standaard cowboy-muziek

Yiiiiiiiiiiiiihhaaaaaaa

OK country and western album. Some really good songs, but not a groundbreaking album in my view.

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

Thoroughly enjoyable. Works well with enjoyable rhythm and smooth lyrics

Picturing myself in an American bar with you all I could happily listen to this in the background of our ramble. I wouldn't choose to put it on but also wouldn't complain if somebody else had. Prefer the uptempo tunes with this genre not a fan of the slower Cash style. 2* but by no means bad.

I don't really 'get' country, I seem to exclusively only like Johnny Cash. This was alright, I didn't like it but didn't actively dislike it either. Mercifully short at 27 minutes. I'm writing this 5 minutes after the album has finished and with the exception of We Had It All I have already forgotten the songs.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Bit samey by the end but it is short enough that it doesn't matter.

I liked it.

Good honky tonk country music

Tuesday album Haiku review: Songs of heartland soul ### Country outlaw troubadour ### Melancholy wail ###

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.

I'm sure this is a great example of what it is, but it's just not for me

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

Mayormente estilo country americano. Sin tanto abuso de los instrumentos típicos. Se deja escuchar, pero no me ha significado nada.

Perfectly fine - easy listening

Bluesy vibes, not great, but enjoyable for a bit

Classic, new to me country.

Country isn't for me but I can appreciate Waylon and his part in country music history.

Fun country-western. Omaha was a standout!

No country for me, the old man. Next.

Solid album, I enjoyed it.

I listened to this twice and both times when I got to the end I was like, what even happened? It was pretty blah for me, which disappointed me because I usually like Waylon Jennings quite a bit, or at least I thought I did...

Not my kind of music, but this was bearable.

I'm finally able to appreciate classic country.

Great country sound nothing really that special

Surprisingly really enjoyable. Old country is so much better than new country damn

Yeah. Kinda nice

Classic country sound from Waylon but not one of his best collections

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.

Not bad actually. Definitely not something I'd throw on, but right venue, right place... it could be grand. Apparently this is Outlaw Country.

Country. Bleh.

Take me back to Nashvillle right now. Lush with the kind of pathos and grit that all of favourite country music shows. Real characters in profound circumstances. Pure songwriting magic.

This is right at the end of that period when country for really bad. I can tolerate the rockabilly country. Today's country is just gross.

I'm not a fan of honky tonk music. can't really appreciate it.

I love Waylon. He practically created a genre. This album has many wonderful songs and is a perfect example of outlaw country.

Fav Song: Honky Tonk Heroes

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

Äh, nnnnEIN! Ich hatte bislang noch nicht mal was von dem Genre "Outlaw Country“ gehört, geschweige denn von Jennings, und hätte mir gewünscht, dass das auch so geblieben wäre.

Pretty good old country!

A surprisingly nice listen. I am not a lover of country, at all, I find most of it quite torturous. However, this is relaxing and pleasant. It sounds amiable, comfortable, like I've always known it and it's a friend.

An underrated classic artist. Need to remember Waylon more!

This is pleasant enough country music. Wish it had a bit more propulsion and a little less schmaltzy 70s production, but it's fine.

Olis toivonut vähän enemmän honky tonkyä. Levynä aika pliisu vaikka parhaat biisit soi ihan hyvin.

ótimo áulbom de country roots!

Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I still really hate that whimpering steel guitar sound with a deep and abiding passion and the lyrical content of most of these songs absolutely do not connect with me. But not all of them. There are some solid tracks here. Enough to give it a middling grade from me, at least.

70’er country, flydende, harmonisk, lidt kedeligt

Appreciated more than the Lucinda Williams country-adjacent album. I always find myself just trying to push through and not intently listening to country (however loose)

Short, pretty uniform throughout. Good example of the "outlaw country" that Waylon helped popularize. It's fine, I just don't have any strong feelings about it. Favorite tracks: "Omaha", "Ain't No God in Mexico"

not my thing

i get what orville peck was talking about

1973: Black Rose

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.

Proper old skool country music. This isn't a good thing

Never again

Surprisingly enjoyable!