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Guitar Town

Steve Earle

1986

Guitar Town

Album Summary

Guitar Town is the debut album from singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released on March 5, 1986. It topped the Billboard country album charts, and the title song reached #7 on the country singles charts. Earle was also nominated for two 1987 Grammy Awards, Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song, for the title track.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.82

Votes

15465

Reviews

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Jan 06 2023
1

If the first 10 seconds are any indication of what this is (overproduced cornball country music) I am in for a very long 40 minutes. He's already said "Hey Pretty Baby" as I typed that last sentence. This is only the third album to make me regret my personal rule that I listen to EVERY song*. Hillbilly Highway? Seriously. Do you want more tassels on your sleeves you line dance cliche knobend? There are a couple of more tolerable songs towards the end - a ballad about his kid and an old style rock and roller - but this is relative to the otherwise dreadful stuff either side of it. Avoid * Only broken once, for post 2000 U2. That was for my own mental health.

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Jan 19 2024
1

If you played this album for me and told me it was a parody of country music, I probably would believe you. Its so cornball its like its making fun of itself. The only redemption is that Steve sounds a little bit like Springsteen, but its not enough to get the album to 2 stars. 1/5

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Apr 15 2021
4

If all country was like this, you could count me as a country fan.

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Apr 08 2021
4

Good ol country rock shit. My type of vibe on a nice spring day with the wind in your hair. Prob good for a road trip or riding ur motorcycle to clear your head

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Jun 20 2021
4

well, it certainly doesn't sound like anything i remember from 1985. i really like how out-of-time it is, in fact.

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Jun 27 2021
4

I was hoping for some Copperhead Road. But still enjoyed this immensely. Amazingly consistent all the way through, probably close to as good as it gets for newer country music (and this is from the '80's). Added bonus: the songs Spotify played after the album ended were mainly gems, including some Steve Earle (and yes, the first song played was Copperhead Road, so it was almost like it was on the album). Double Bonus: great live cover of Springsteen's "State Trooper". Went on a Steve Earle deep dive after this. Enjoy!

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Jul 02 2021
4

Top-notch country rock, at turns tender and loud. Always sincere, with the icons of the genre at the fore.

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Oct 22 2021
3

Maybe not more than the sum of its cliches, but Earle rides the peak of the Springsteenism wave with such warmth and range that the sum is pretty decent on its own.

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Mar 12 2021
5

Well after these 3 amazing records in a row Iโ€™m totally expecting Kid Rock next.

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Apr 16 2021
4

better than I thought, never heard of him before - he is country, but not pop nor is it willie nelson - I was pleasantly surprised

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Aug 10 2024
3

Cheesy country rock. Really Really not my thing. However he hates Trump and has been married 7 times. Not sure that is important but have a ***

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Aug 15 2024
2

I like country music but modern country just isn't my thing. This was basic, bland. boring and there's nothing here I'd want to hear again.

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Jan 31 2021
2

Off the bat, sounds like Springsteen. Meh...

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Sep 28 2022
5

Unfairly categorized as country, but this is straight Americana - equal parts folk, country, and rock & roll. One of the best albums of its kind, and Steve is one of the great songwriters of the American experience. Amazing songs. Great record.

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Mar 12 2021
5

Right on the cusp of alt-folk and alt-country. Love it.

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Aug 26 2024
3

No. 242/1001 Guitar Town 3/5 Goodbye's All We've Got Left 4/5 Hillbilly Highway 3/5 Good Ol' Boy 3/5 My Old Friend the Blues 3/5 Someday 3/5 Think It Over 3/5 Fearless Heart 4/5 Little Rock N' Roller 3/5 Down The Road 4/5 State Trooper 3/5 Average: 3,27 Not a ground-breaking record. I'm just a sucker for guitar music and this is done pretty well here.

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Apr 09 2025
2

Iโ€™ll get the bus back from Guitar Town if I have to

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Dec 05 2021
5

A great countryrock album. I had not listened to it for quite a couple of years. It is still perfect in every sense.

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Oct 29 2021
5

Just a great album. Great vocals, lyrics and who doesn't love pedal steel guitar

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Oct 29 2021
5

This is good songwriting, and not pandering BS. Music and hooks are catchy. Lyrics are hard hitting, but still are down to earth and relatable. Highlight tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6

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May 28 2021
5

A god damn classic. "I got a 2-pack habit and a motel tan" is one of the greatest lines in a song.

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Feb 06 2025
4

Guitar Town I really like Steve Earle. Copperhead Road is a great album and he has an excellent run from I Feel Alright to Jerusalem, where he branches a little further away from his country rock sound. Iโ€™m not as familiar with this album as those, but this is a very enjoyable country rock album, with some rockabilly and Latin accents here and there, if not quite as ambitious as some of his later stuff. Although the production is pretty conventional 80s country rock, particularly the drums, I do really like the โ€˜bigโ€™ sound to it and there is some interesting instrumentation on some of the songs, the odd synth or string part here and there, and there is some good country guitar riffing and interplay too. Lyrically he is quite atypical for the genre, thereโ€™s a lot of Springsteen in the tales of blue collar hardship and longing to escape, but heโ€™s also not coming from a Conservative-Christian-Country viewpoint, he has a much more empathetic, progressive perspective and some righteous anger about lack of opportunities and small town hypocrisy. It gets off to a great start with the first 3 songs, all great uptempo country, and Good Ol Boy is great as well, a more rocking song with a nice organ and guitar line. Someday has a really interesting loping swing to it, always feeling like itโ€™s slightly behind the beat, and a very Springsteen small town lyric. Little Rockโ€™nโ€™Roller is a good song too, it has a kind of doo-wop country vibe. I really like Down the Road, it has a Tom Petty vibe to me and I really like the organ and mandolin. ๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ™๏ธ๐ŸŽธ๐Ÿ™๏ธ Playlist submission: Good Ol Boy

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Aug 12 2024
4

Liked this! Pretty calming and nice. Solid 4

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Apr 04 2024
3

Itโ€™s corny, but not entirely charmless. A little hard to rate - itโ€™s not something Iโ€™ll listen to again, but relative to other country albums, itโ€™s fine. Solidly middle of the road.

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Oct 10 2021
3

Liked this more than I thought I would.

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Jul 09 2025
5

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Jul 05 2025
5

Copperhead Road is better, but Guitar Town is still great. Earle is the best of latter day outlaw country.

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Jun 27 2025
5

steve earle's debut is an album i grew up on, and so i perhaps have some disproportionate feelings for it. for me, it's one of my favorite country albums from this era. this album lives somewhere in the middle of early 80s springsteen, john cougar, dwight yoakam, and marshall crenshaw. the one thing that always strikes me is how catchy all these songs are. steve earle has a knack for writing a great hook. the one thing i will knock it for is that the production is a little too mid-80s for my liking, but the songwriting and earle's performance are good enough to outweigh it for me.

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May 18 2025
5

Love Steve Earle! Guitar Town is the first song on my in-car sing-along playlist.

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Mar 12 2025
5

Iโ€™ve heard prolly 3 songs off this album before today. Iโ€™m glad I heard the rest. Great album.

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Feb 21 2025
5

Surprisingly really enjoyed this. Solid

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Dec 18 2024
5

Look, I'm not at all a country fan, but this is good stuff. Other people might not agree, but I probably feel this way because this album aligns quite a bit with my small-town experience. This is especially the case for "Someday," a song that is disturbingly relatable to me. I also rather enjoyed the title track and "Good Ol' Boy." I wasn't looking forward to this album, but I can see myself coming back to it occasionally in the future.

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Dec 12 2024
5

My cousin is a huge Steve Earle fan, but he never really clicked for me - until now. Technically, this is folk-rock, but these are perfectly formed popsongs, the sort of heartbroken ballads that Taylor Swift would launch into the stratosphere 40 years later.

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Nov 22 2024
5

Most excellent. Hadn't heard all of this before.

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Nov 14 2024
5

I met Steve Earle once. There was a guitarist that everyone in the music business knew named Danny Gatton. He made solo music, but also was very well known as a session guitarist on everybody's albums. A virtuosic and beloved guitar player. And then he suddenly died young in 1994 leaving young kids behind. So Steve Earle showed up to create a benefit concert to help pay for his kids' college. And I, a young twenty something with my brother got to wrangle cable for the film crew that made a documentary about it a few feet away from the performances of numerous musicians. It was the first time I had heard of Steve Earle, and it's still my understanding of him. The guy who shows up. A living treasure. This album is no different. We need him now more than ever.

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Oct 07 2024
5

I picked up a used copy of this album on vinyl several years ago, sort of on a whim. I was aware of Steve Earle, mostly because I had seen his son Justin Townes Earle in concert a few years before and liked his music. At the time I held an uninformed opinion that the sonโ€™s music was vastly superior to the fatherโ€™s, and I liked Justinโ€™s singer-songwriter vibe more that I liked country music. What I discovered in Guitar Town was a flavor of country music that I hadnโ€™t quite known yet, and I found it delicious. I love this album. Itโ€™s great for many reasons, not the least of which is itโ€™s filled with incredibly well written songs. These arenโ€™t songs about drinkinโ€™ beers on the tailgate of a truck, or putting your boot in someoneโ€™s ass. These songs contain stories about many aspects of the human experience, and thereโ€™s nothing recycled or phony about it. Even a song with the title โ€œGood Ol Boy (Gettinโ€™ Tough)โ€ is void of cliche, and cliche is the single biggest issue with most modern country music. The music itself is an interesting take on country. The lead guitar on the title track is infectious: itโ€™s simple but doesnโ€™t sound very country to me. Much of it sounds like what would later become โ€œalt-countryโ€ from artists like Uncle Tupelo and Sturgill Simpson. One of the albumโ€™s best songs is My Old Friend The Blues, which wouldnโ€™t sound country at all without Steveโ€™s mild twang. The biggest takeaway from revisiting this album this time was the song Little Rock โ€˜n Roller. It hit me that this song is about his son, which had not occurred to me before. Justin passed away since the last time Iโ€™d listened to Guitar Town, and this song nearly brought me to tears. What a sweet gift to his son this song was. Justin didnโ€™t have very nice things to say about Steve at the concert that I saw him, and I really hope they made peace before Justin died.

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Jul 17 2024
5

What a delightfully twangy and old-fashioned sound, while still being perfectly crisply and sharply recorded. I hear shades of Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, Chet Atkins, and 80's/90's country artists like Randy Travis, Vince Gill, and Alan Jackson. Production quality is excellent, musicianship is top notch (that pedal steel guitar is wonderful!) and overall just a great album. Five stars.

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Jun 17 2024
5

Actually really nice. Would definitely listen again.

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May 08 2024
5

Hell to the yes. Earle is a cornerstone.

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Apr 01 2024
5

I know every song on this album. Except for Mountain with the McCoury Brothers, this is my favorite.

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Mar 15 2024
5

Short, sweet, and to the point with a nice punch. Encompasses everything I enjoy about alt country, the Heartbreakers, and Springsteen.

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Feb 08 2024
5

Guitar Town is one of those songs that is played at every wedding reception ever! What a fantastic tune! Steve Earle is a country rock artist from the 80's. He really gained traction with Guitar Town, then really took off with Copperhead Road. Steve is a staple of the genre, and I am happy to see him represented on this list! Favourite songs: Guitar Town, Someday, Hillbilly Highway, Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough), Think It Over, Fearless Heart, Down the Road Least favourite songs: My Old Friend the Blues 5/5

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Feb 02 2024
5

Didn't know this album or any of the tracks. Pleasant surprise. Great songs.

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Dec 24 2023
5

Lyrics: Steve Earle's lyrical prowess shines through in "Guitar Town." The album's storytelling is a testament to his ability to capture the essence of American life, particularly that of the working class. The lyrics are vivid and evocative, painting pictures of small-town struggles, dreams, and the pursuit of a better life. Earle's narratives are often deeply personal, reflecting his own experiences and observations. His songwriting is rich in detail, offering listeners a glimpse into the lives of the characters he creates. The album's title track, "Guitar Town," encapsulates Earle's skill in crafting narrative-driven songs. It tells the story of a musician navigating the challenges of the music industry and the pursuit of fame. The lyrics convey a sense of restlessness and a desire to break free from the constraints of a mundane existence. Music: Musically, "Guitar Town" is a dynamic fusion of country, rock, and folk influences. Earle's sound is rooted in traditional country music, but he injects it with a rock 'n' roll energy that sets him apart from many of his contemporaries. The album features twangy guitar riffs, catchy melodies, and Earle's distinctive vocals, which carry a raw, authentic quality. Tracks like "Goodbye's All We've Got Left" and "Hillbilly Highway" showcase Earle's ability to craft memorable hooks and deliver them with a genuine, unpolished charm. The instrumentation is tight, featuring a mix of acoustic and electric elements that complement Earle's storytelling. Production: Produced by Emory Gordy Jr., "Guitar Town" benefits from a production style that strikes a balance between polished studio work and the earthiness that characterizes Earle's music. The album has a timeless quality, avoiding excessive production flourishes that could have dated it. The clarity of the recordings allows Earle's lyrics to take center stage while maintaining the energy of a live performance. The decision to keep the production relatively straightforward enhances the album's authenticity, aligning with Earle's commitment to storytelling and substance over style. The arrangements serve the songs well, letting the narrative and emotional resonance shine through. Themes: The overarching theme of "Guitar Town" revolves around the pursuit of dreams and the challenges faced by those striving for a better life. Earle's lyrics often explore the tension between the desire for success and the harsh realities of life. Songs like "My Old Friend the Blues" and "Someday" delve into the complexities of relationships and the emotional toll of a transient

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Sep 22 2023
5

Yet another prolific songwriter for this week's listening. Have we had a better full week of albums so far? I'm having trouble keeping up this week because i just wanna keep re-listening! Anyways... This is one of the great Texas Country Albums, which automatically makes it top tier among country albums, because as we all know, Texas Country > nashville/pop country. There really isn't a bad song on this record. It bristles with small-town angst and i love it for it. makes me wanna out the petal down and point it west, with nothing but the wind in my hair and dozens of great hooks to guide my way, so to speak.

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Aug 11 2023
5

1986 was a key year for country. This is one of the key albums. Finally a must listen album. Earles brand of country was harsh, brutal, gentle, raucous and fun.

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Jul 06 2023
5

Galet tunn linje han vandrar men gรถr det ju strรฅlande.

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Jun 30 2023
5

A perfect blend of songwriting and delivery that brings straight ahead country with a nice blend of 80โ€™s heartland rock.

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Jun 29 2023
5

Steve Earle is terrific - respects the heritage but pushes country into new territory; no facile, cookie cutter country tracks here. And, in any case, Earle is just a fine singer-songwriter.

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Apr 23 2023
5

Excepcional! A beautiful and unique album!

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Mar 17 2023
5

Goldschool country. One of the best country albums ive heard

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Dec 29 2022
5

This is such a good album every song is rife with hooks and melodies and singable lyrics. Stories that are relateable with interesting, colourful characters. Themes are familiar; loneliness, boredom, hope, the myth of the American dream. The songs are delivered with simplicity and a rock and roll toughness that shows us what's to come. One of my favorite country albums and deserving of a 5 star rating.

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Aug 12 2022
5

As primeiras mรบsicas do disco todas sรฃo boas de ouvir. Goog Ol' Boy รฉ muito boa! My Old Friend tambรฉm.

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Jul 20 2022
5

Good ole boy country I can properly get behind. Sincerely written, masterfully played, limited references to his beer cans and maximum references to his highway chewing 8 cylinder and gheetar.

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Dec 31 2021
5

Maybe it's because I hadn't had a country album after 70 albums on this site. Maybe it's because it's barely half an hour of music and I could start a new album. Maybe it's because it's genuinely good. Maybe - definitely - it's all three. Added.

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Dec 23 2021
5

Love it. I'm not a huge C&W fan but great songwriting is great songwriting.

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Dec 17 2021
5

Guitar town Hillbilly highway Good old friend the blues

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Sep 30 2021
5

Iโ€™ve always liked Steve Earle, although havenโ€™t listened to a lot of his music. Time to remedy that a bitโ€ฆ Iโ€™ve always been a big fan of truckinโ€™ songs. โ€œGuitar Townโ€ is a really fine specimen of this genre. Steel belts, truck stops, boots and motels? All to a rockinโ€™ country arrangement? Count me in! Weโ€™re off to a great start. Clearly Steve Earle knows his hay around a good hook. โ€œGoodbyeโ€™s All We Got Leftโ€ is such a great sounding song it makes me wish he was breaking up with me. Spoiler alert: at this point I hit add to add this album to my library. Itโ€™ll take a real surprising disaster to derail this. โ€œHillbilly Highwayโ€ is a simple but very compelling seemingly autobiographical song about a musician and the choices we make in life. just a straightforward great song. โ€œGood Olโ€™ Boy (Gettinโ€™ Tough)โ€ has lyrics as compelling today as in 1986. We are seeing what 35 years of where exacerbating inequality in the land of plenty gets us. Maybe this song should have been a little angrier and more demanding back then... Loved โ€œMy Old Friend The Blues.โ€ This song would have come in handy over the last few years. Iโ€™m sure it will again soon. โ€œSomedayโ€ is another great song about not getting by in America. Again, a perfect sentiment in 1986 that sadly makes me wonder if we will ever progressโ€ฆ โ€œThink It Overโ€ is a sweet little breakup song that you can dance to. โ€œFearless Heartโ€ is a really sweet love song with very clever lyrics and a great arrangement. Couldnโ€™t ask for moreโ€ฆ โ€œLittle Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Rollerโ€ is a touching song. Full of those hopes and promises that likely will never quite come true. Sort of a country โ€œCats in the Cradleโ€. Iโ€™m fine with a little too much sap these days. โ€œDown The Roadโ€ is that classic โ€˜keep on keeping onโ€™ advice to those who canโ€™t find love. A classic ending to a classic country album. What a great debut album! Definitely see why itโ€™s on this list. Listened to it 3 times already and expect it to be in heavy rotation for a while.

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Jul 14 2025
4

Country rock album, very cool for 1986. Not familiar with Steve Earle discography, but this was enjoyable.

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Jul 12 2025
4

Thoughts before listening: The title track on this album is an all time banger. I really enjoy Steve Earle as a personality and as a singe. However, I certainly prefer this era of his career when he was an up and coming wannabe star writing catchy Texas country rock songs. His later work is fine, but it can be a bit heavy handed at times...even I typically agree with his politics. Review: Great sound by a great performer. It is interesting to me that this is on the list though. I mean it's a classic of the underground alt-country/Americana scene, but I don't necessarily get the impression it's had the reach I'd expect for this list. Guess I was wrong. This is very solid country rock, but other than the title track, nothing really blows me away. That title track however is an all timer. I'll give this 3 stars although its influence and importance to the alt-country scene probably deserves more than that.

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Jul 08 2025
4

Classic first album, it's been a while since I've listened to this and while I personally prefer some of his output from the mid-90's onwards there's some great stuff on here.

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Jun 27 2025
4

I love Steve Earle. Not heard this in full before. Not his best and I wish El Corazon was recommended so others could have got more variation. But it has Someday. And Fearless Heart. And it's fun.

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Jun 23 2025
4

With a few exceptions, the songs on this album could have been written by John Mellencamp had he been raised in Texas instead of Indiana. Very good album.

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Jun 23 2025
4

I'm partial to a bit of country music. I do find myself smiling at the common themes sometimes, my wife and I often make up fake lyrics when country music comes on the radio e.g. my girl left me, but I still got my dog and truck, pour me another whisky etc. Ok, it doesn't sound funny, I get it. Anyway, this is a really nice album, eminently listenable.

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Jun 17 2025
4

One loves the directness and pristine, historically informed approach but it reads a little dry early in the record. "My Old Friend" is great and the last three cuts are strong, too, and maybe slightly more alive (even if some regrettably tinny synth notes sneak in). Transcendental Blues is better but this is still classic and a pleasure to revisit. One's happy that Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam and other traditionalists are out there, teaching us what we need to know and keeping the legacies alive.

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Jun 12 2025
4

Solid 80s country album. Listened to it passively in one sitting.

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May 29 2025
4

I quite liked this one, and reading about Steve Earle as I listened I liked it even more. Good country, very naive of the life that was about to follow him. It was a good mix of up-tempo and more ballad style, and I particularly enjoyed "Little Rock 'N' Roller"

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May 28 2025
4

Honestly didnt really like this album, I thought it was too slow for me. While I can appreciate the guitar and the singing, It felt hard to get through the album and kept stopping for a while. But funnily enough, the last song was my favorite as I write this.

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May 23 2025
4

i have been obsessed with the songs hillbilly highway & guitar town but never gave the whole album a listen till now :D

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May 16 2025
4

Overraska over kor godt eg likte denne

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May 14 2025
4

Som en high school prom fรถr vuxna

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May 08 2025
4

Best heard while enjoying a Lone Star and playing chicken shit bingo at the Little Longhorn.

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Apr 17 2025
4

Honky tonking at work today, pretty good.

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Apr 13 2025
4

Early Earle. Great talent and a good album. Iโ€™d like to live in a guitar town.

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Apr 10 2025
4

Simple but heartfelt. A lot of yearning for a better life, wanting to get out of a place you feel stuck. Extremely relatable if you grew up in a small place. I'll always have respect for older country music like this for that reason. To go on a tangent, as a kid I would seek out the radio stations that played country like this or classic rock. Growing up in the southern USA it was either that or listen to the vapid stadium country/pandering country/hick-hop (whatever you wanna call it). Music like this album were a bit of a saving grace. It's simple, sure. A little hokey at times and with a smidge of casual racism. The emotional depth is easy to notice if you aren't just hating because it's country. The love songs were a little surface level though, I'll admit

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Apr 07 2025
4

Light 4, Steve Earle rules. Is he the only Wire cast member to appear on this list?

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Mar 21 2025
4

I dont think this anything special but also I really enjoyed it bc its totally my shit. like I put on an album to write my paper so my brain could be blank and this was slightly too enjoyable yktv.

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Mar 21 2025
4

7/10 - It is a classic country album but I liked a few songs. I think I like country more than I originally thought

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