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Guitar Town
Steve Earle
1986
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!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
Top-notch country rock, at turns tender and loud. Always sincere, with the icons of the genre at the fore.
well, it certainly doesn't sound like anything i remember from 1985. i really like how out-of-time it is, in fact.
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!
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.
better than I thought, never heard of him before - he is country, but not pop nor is it willie nelson - I was pleasantly surprised
A god damn classic. "I got a 2-pack habit and a motel tan" is one of the greatest lines in a song.
I’ve always liked Steve Earle, although haven’t listened to a lot of his music. Time to remedy that a bit… I’ve always been a big fan of truckin’ songs. “Guitar Town” is a really fine specimen of this genre. Steel belts, truck stops, boots and motels? All to a rockin’ country arrangement? Count me in! We’re off to a great start. Clearly Steve Earle knows his hay around a good hook. “Goodbye’s All We Got Left” 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. It’ll take a real surprising disaster to derail this. “Hillbilly Highway” is a simple but very compelling seemingly autobiographical song about a musician and the choices we make in life. just a straightforward great song. “Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough)” 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 “My Old Friend The Blues.” This song would have come in handy over the last few years. I’m sure it will again soon. “Someday” 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 progress… “Think It Over” is a sweet little breakup song that you can dance to. “Fearless Heart” is a really sweet love song with very clever lyrics and a great arrangement. Couldn’t ask for more… “Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” is a touching song. Full of those hopes and promises that likely will never quite come true. Sort of a country “Cats in the Cradle”. I’m fine with a little too much sap these days. “Down The Road” is that classic ‘keep on keeping on’ advice to those who can’t find love. A classic ending to a classic country album. What a great debut album! Definitely see why it’s on this list. Listened to it 3 times already and expect it to be in heavy rotation for a while.
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
A great countryrock album. I had not listened to it for quite a couple of years. It is still perfect in every sense.
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.
Pretty solid country album! Obviously in love with the first track, and most of them are about on par for Steve. Some slower and less interesting songs, but a good time overall.
I’d never listened to 80s country, but I liked this. I also liked the stuff that came on afterwards on Spotify.
Wasn't as familiar with this as the albums that followed, but liked it a lot. That dude lived hard.
Scratches that exact type of country music I like. More rock than country but still a solid country twang
I really liked this one. This is real country to me. My one criticism is I can barely hear the bass. Some songs you can’t hear it at all.
Wow surprising. I like the songs and his voice.... it gets a little too twangy at times, but this is solid from start to finish. Really enjoyed Fearless Heart.
I'm a SE big fan but like his folkier stuff more. I'm guessing a brother like Steve will not have multiple offerings on the 1001 list so feel I better give my overall SE ranking to this one.
I'm sure Steve Earle wishes that he had the same mop of hair today, that he had 35 years ago, when he recorded his breakthrough record. At the time, he was being compared to Dwight Yoakam,for having the crossover appeal to a mainstream pop and alternative market. Some radio DJs at the time referred to him as the “Redneck Springsteen”, and his blue collar rage holds a fair amount of water here. Cars, guitars, hillbilly fun, smoking a lot of cigarettes, breaking girls hearts and living in motels are the palate in Earle's world. The title track and Someday are my two favourite tracks on the record, but the rest of the songs are all fine. My biggest complaint is the production: his fine band, the Dukes, sound thin and too far in the background for me. Still this is as fine a country record as has been made since the 60's, and well worth a spin on the Victrola.
This was very good. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen again, but it was really well done.
Already knew this well. Not my very favourite of SE, but perhaps pips others to the list because of its greater significance. Nevertheless a really strong album.
Solid alt country rock album. Not a huge fan of Earle's vocals, but it has the heart and intensity required for this kind of music.
This is probably the first country album I've listened to that I actually enjoyed. I was dismissive of the first few seconds because I'm generally not a big fan of the southern twang vocals. But as the drums, lead guitar and background keyboards rolled in, I got hooked lined and sinkered and soon embraced the twang. It's by no means perfect or consistent, but it did capture my interest and brought a few bangers along the way.
Steve Earle is everything the critics think about Dwight Yoakam, only his voice is pleasant to listen to and he writes a hell of a lyric. Long live Waylon. Best track: Guitar Town
You know, this is an album that grows on you as you listen to it over time, kind of like a comfortable pair of old jeans. I've heard it before a few times here and there, but enjoyed it more this time around. I also enjoyed the album more as the songs progressed. It's a classic sound of stripped down, rock-tinged country. The songs are warm and catchy with some really earnest and engaging songwriting. It's a sound that doesn't really get old, even 30-odd years after it came out. Fave Songs: Think It Over, Someday, Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Fearless Heart, Down the Road, Little Rock 'n' Roller, My Old Friend the Blues
Steve Earle's debut album and considered one of the first in the alt-country genre. I actually consider Earle's next few albums more alt-country. This one has more of a traditional country feel to it and even towards the dreaded pop-country. Each song tells a story with classic country themes: I'm down and out, a breakup song, not living up to expectations and living on the road. Two songs really stand out to me: "Guitar Town" with its great rhyming lyrics and twangy guitar and "Little Rock "N" Roller", a tear- jerker about calling up his son, Justin Townes Earle (RIP) while on the road just to talk and don't tell Mom. I can't say this is my favorite Steve Earle (that would come in a few albums) but there are some outstanding songs and overall, it is a good liste.
Not a huge country fan but this is the sort of thing I can tap my foot to for half an hour or so. It's kinda cruisy, rocks enough, doesn't overstay its welcome. I'd never heard Earle apart from Copperhead Road, this sounds about the same. 3/5.
Should have called it “Git-tar Town.” Some of the vocal affectations drive me crazy, but that’s country. I liked the slower stuff... but not “Little Rock n Roller.” No no no.
Generally enjoyable in an easy-to-listen-to-country way. Had high hopes after the opening track, 'Guitar Town', and enjoyed 'Someday', but generally pretty standard other than those, especially the end of the album. Overall, would be a 'bang average' 3/6 tents in the (superior) Roskilde scoring system.
Country rock. You can almost see Whiskeytown and Ryan Adams in the distance. BT: Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough), Someday
Not my type of album but hell, here’s a 3. It helped me to discover “big cheeseburgers and good French fries” by blaze foley.
Good example of "classic" country / country rock. Easy listening, but not super captivating.
I don’t much like country but listened through this. It was fine, I’m sure it has more meaning and significance to fans on the genre. Just sorta seems like generic country to me though.
Kolejny albumik z gatunku tych countrowych. a jak polowa takich pickow na tej liscie, nagrywany nigdzie indziej, jak tylko w nashville, coraz bardziej utwierdzam sie w przekonnaniu, ze jest to jakiegos rodzaju mekka tego gatunku, przed pojawiniem sie go na liscie nie mialem stycznosci z nazwiskiem pana Earle, a po przesluchu jestem w stanie stwierdzic, ze z muzyka takze nie mialem do czynienia, albo przynajmniej nie mam uczucia deja vu sluchajac plyty, co do samego krazka to jest to debiutancki album pana steva, chociaz to nie byl jego poczatek kariery muzycznej, bo jak przystalo na country muzyka prowadzil ciezkie zycie w ktorym staral sie pogodzic nieglodowanie z graniem muzyki, co slychac na tym materiale, w ktorym mozna sie doszukac autobiograficznych watkow, jak porzucenie domu w mlodym wieku, zeby udac sie do mekki countrowej i tam szukac szczescia po barach dajac koncerty dla kazdego chcacego sluchac, taki zywot prowadzil przez 14 lat, po nagraniu guitar town, dobre okreslenie na nashville, jego kariera wystrzelila i do dzisiaj ma na swoim koncie 21 albumow studyjnych, wiec polaczenie klasycznego rocka i elementow country zrobilo komercyjny sukces, nie wiem w ktora strone poszla dalsza czesc jego dyskografii, ale mam nadzieje ze byl to honky town jak na tytulowym traku guitar town, ktory chyba nie tylko dla mnie, bo wedlug spotifaja jest to najbardziej sluchany trak tego artysty, zrobil najwieksze wrazenie, jego upbeatowosc i liryka walki o lepsze jutro w smutnym dzisiaj stanowi cos co najbardziej mnie urzeklo na tej plycie, wiec pierwsza czesc albumu idealnie wpisuje sie w ten koncept, druga natomiast jest bardziej tradycyjnie rokowa, pan Earle i jego gitarka jest wspierana przez bande zwana the dukes, ktora raczej stanowila wsparcie dla solowych tworcow, jak to czesto jest w muzyce rokowo countrowej, ciekawe jest takze ze jest to jeden z pierwszych albumow nagrywanych cyfrowo przy uzyciu mitsubishi X-800, wykorzystanie 32 tejpowego sprzetu dalo pole do popisu jesli chodzi o produkcje i overdubowanie, bo jest ono mocno wyczuwalne, 34 minuty nagrania jest podzielone na 10 kawalkow, ale wersja spotifajowa to ultra super deluksix na 30 lecie plyty, wiec zawiera takze nagranie koncertu chicago z roku 86, ktory jest dobrze nagranym livem, ktory dodatkowo pokazuje, ze banda potrafi grac, a nie tylko nagrywac przy pomocy overdubowania czego sie obawialem podczas odluchu pierwszego cdka, uspokojony tym faktem wrzucam na plejke good ol boya, no i oczywiscie tytulowy guitar town
A good album, I’m not a fan of live stuff though. Cheap Trick is good for their hits, but I don’t love much more than that.
A nice album with a cross between different musical styles. Very easy to listen to and be entertained.
upbeat country, alright to bop along to but nothing particularly memorable about this.
I could only listen to this once, on the drive back from Ottawa, so there was white noise to deal with. "Hillbilly highway" had to compete with Highway 401. Nice twang and not over-produced. Lyrics about hard-times. My co-judge says there's not much to differentiate the songs.
C’est bon mais j’ai eu beaucoup d’albums de ce style dans les dernieres emeaines et celui ci n’est pas plus marquants que les autres.
I was not familiar with this before. I enjoy "Guitar Town." I did not like "Little Rock 'n' Roller." I liked the old school country sound of "Think it Over." What I hear is an 80s country album. I don't know enough about the genre to know what might be special or innovative about this particular album. I don't know what makes it stand out, although I know that sometimes it was the first to sound this way.
As a general rule, I like Steve Earle. I've heard a few songs here and there since the mid-90s and I've heard some performances for radio stations in his the more recent portion of his career, but I've never heard a full album. "Girls & Boys" was the track I liked the most from this listen. It had a good driving rhythm to it. Overall, the album was good, but I'm not sure if I will remember this album long enough to want to come back to it. I'd be happy to listen to more Steve Earle though, in general.
Hayride Springsteen. The precursor-to-Stadium-Big-Hat-Country production occludes the songs a bit.
Rock solid country music. I liked it. Maybe I'm being changed by mere exposure to country. I should probably go back and see what I think of Willie Nelson, now.
Not too shabby old boy, started breaking down into a lot of country, so 3 stars, because I ain’t about that.
I've heard of Steve Earle thanks to Lyle Lovett's excellent cover of Earle's song 'Lungs,' but didn't really know Steve Earle's music beyond that. This album is a lot more country-style than the music I usually listen to or tend be drawn to, but I like it. I find the songs to be well-written and performed nicely, too. Kind of music that reminds me of road trips, or playing pool at a bar. Romanticizing this all in my mind, I know, but that's what music often does. I'll take it.
Know the name, but never knew a single lick of his music. It’s definitely country. But not as dull as I was expecting. There are some major pop elements throughout that make it more listenable than run of the mill guitar and twang country. Steve’s alright with me.
Guitar town - not my style Goodbye's All We've Got Left - pretty good. I liked it when the piano came on. Hillbilly Highway- really catchy! liked it a lot. Good Ol' Boy - little repetitive, but fun to listen to, i'm in the mood for some traditionnal country My Old Friend the Blues - oof... good song Somedays - most eighties poppy song in here, so not my fave. but not that bad either Think it over - waaay too traditionnal and repetitive Fearless heart - mmmmmeh Little rock n' roller - too cheesy for me Down the road - funky still better than bad by michael jackson, so
Voor mijn gevoel typische moderne amerikaanse country-muziek, met zo'n pop sausje er overheen. Klinkt wel lekker eigenlijk. Mijn favoriet is "Good Ol' Boy". ***
Never been a fan of C&W, just can’t get into the genre. There are tracks on this album that are more listenable than other and the album does tell a story of 80’s America and the struggles that parts of the country encountered.
This is weird music. It is like Bruce Springsteen, but more 80s and new wave but also more country. This album really confused me.
File under : Albums I’ll keep in my jukebox in the scenario I play in my head sometimes where work goes sideways and I move far up north or down south and open up a bar where someone is always in the corner playing darts
Not usually my cup of tea but jangly enough to keep me entertained. Had to go and listen to Copperhead Road as well for good measure after realising it wasn’t on this album.
Honky tonkin guitar from the 80s. if thats your vibe then boy howdy do we have an album for you. Its well produced, and Steve's voice has a charm, I just dont like this hyper prodcued country sound.
todays album was very interesting to me. Every song on it felt familiar but at the same time it felt like he shouldn't be the one singing it. BUt it was not a cover. so weird
Pretty good debut. There were some great tracks but also some very dated tracks that firmly place this record in the 80s with the over use of echo. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but with a genre like country, you expect more of a timeless quality to it. I really like Steve Earle and this album clearly shows his songwriting prowess.
I could've sworn that I'd listened to this before and liked it. Not my cuppa tea, but it did feel very much like something Josh and Howard would like.
Steve Earle, this album cover and it's name look like a fake album from a movie hahah. || I was hopeful for an interesting country album, I've been looking for more Country music to enjoy that isn't god-awful stadium country. Unfortunately this looks to be an 80's precursor that style...
This guy really wanted to write an old fashioned country album, and I think there’s a bit too much of the late 80s in there for me... not a bad album by any means, but just not great Favorite Tracks: “Guitar Town” and “Hillbilly Highway”
Net als bij Emmylou iets teveel pure country naar mijn smaak. Na een paar nummers uitgezet.
Sounds like generic country music to me. Every time I sample a high point of this genre, I wonder what the low points must sound like... because this just sounds exactly how I expect the genre to sound in my head. I've listened to another of his albums in the past, and that made no impression either. 2.5... I don't feel equipped to judge country, so "it's not you, it's me".
Nah, not having it. Was looking forward to Steve Earle. Saw a bit of it kicking around in my old boys collection. Country though isn’t it. Absolute tosh. Track 4 and it was off. Nothing special and nothing that was going to make me change my mind about how SHIT this kind of ‘good ol’ boy’ music it is.
This country album is an album that reminded me of all the jokes people make about country being basic chords backing tracks primarily about trucks and your dog and drinking and the good ol' days. Those genre stereotypes are definitely because of albums like this. And while I enjoyed some of the B3 piano on the album, I was quickly reminded why I was never into the traditional country that this falls into; it mainly just bores me.
Though I'm not a fan of country, there are some nicely subdued tracks on this that make it a decent album.
Nekakav western-country album koji nije loš uopće, ali jednostavno je sasvim okej. Ništa posebno.
I feel like this is what uneducated people think Bruce Springsteen is, just an American bloke with a guitar singing about big trucks and shit. It was all a bit hollow. HOWEVER, the only good track was the live cover of State Trooper which is a Springsteen song.
Most of this was...fine? I guess? (shrug emoji) I like the guitar playing and the instrumentation but mostly this leaves me cold and wanting to listen to a country album that I like. I liked Hillbilly Highway. Good 'Ol Boy is ok, though I don't really get why someone from Iran partially owns his truck and it reminds me a little of the song Gettin' Bi from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I do really appreciate the line, "I was born in the land of plenty, now there ain't enough." And I don't know that I like the song all that much but I sure feel the sentiments in My Old Friend the Blues.
Listened to this after pulling an all nighter for a hackathon. God it didn't help keep me awake on the way home
Guitar Town came out in 1986, one of the worst years for music ever, and it doesn't outright suck. That's some kind of accomplishment, right there. First off, the sound of the album is pleasing. There's a nice balance between guitar, keyboards, singing and drums, which is down to producers Emory Gordy, Jr., and Tony Brown. Yes, the backbeat on the drums is overly literal, but I'd be shocked to find an 80s mainstream album that didn't have that. The songs and musicianship are pleasant enough. Oh, another thing: the keyboards are period-specific, but they don't make me want to puke. And yet, I've got to ask, why is this album on any kind of list? It's bog-standard mainstream country from start to finish. Nothing musically interesting about it. And Steve Earle doesn't have anything new to say lyrically. Still, you could do a lot worse. If this came on in a barbecue restaurant, it wouldn't make me want to take my ribs to go. One last note: The most assertive, appealing songs are frontloaded, so the album steadily gets weaker as it goes along.
I really don’t like country, holy shit this album was difficult for me. I’ll give it a 3/10, the only part of the album I liked was in Fearless Heart at around 1:45 and 3:18, it was a pretty nice 80’s style hook that I appreciated the rest of the album was lackin tho
Didn’t speak to me. Feels like the precursor to late eighties/early nineties pop country.
Not bad, but too twangy for my tastes. And if you've heard one song from this album, then you've heard them all.
Guitar Town by Steve Earle (1986) This album was probably appealing in 1986 because it was one of the first digitally recorded country albums. And indeed it does have the clarity and sonic space of a digital recording. Also, it was likely embraced by younger country/western fans, who could appreciate its innovative rock flavorings. But musically, it doesn’t offer much, and the lyrics are sub par. Singer/songwriter Steve Earle has a competent backing band, but there’s inadequate genius at the artistic center. The closing track “Down the Road” stands out, but the a cappella solo passages are too brief, and they could have used at least one other voice in harmonic backing. Disappointing. For an album titled Guitar Town, there is precious little guitar virtuosity here, basically just strumming and plain, simple riffs. And Earle’s vocals are overly affected, with a sassy twang yet insufficient range, especially on the low end, in the ill-chosen (but easy to play) key signatures. There’s lots of mumbling toward the ends of phrases, as if Earle doesn’t take his own thoughts seriously. So why should the listener? Underwhelming. 2/5
Oooh that’s county alright. And I really don’t like country. I feel like there’s a possibility that this is a seminal album that might have set the mould for things to come. Don’t really care though, as it’s such a shitty mould. I did however, find my thumbs being inexorably drawn to the belt loops of my blue Levi jeans, so there maybe something powerful in this boring dross.
Generic country with repetitive music. I kept waiting for the sound that worked explain why this was a 1001 selection but I never heard it.
Best Song: Guitar Town. Really hits you in the mouth with the twang, but it's early enough in the album that it feels like a nice novelty rather than a ludicrous affectation. Worst Song: My Old Friend the Blues. Call me cantankerous but I really don't think "the blues" should be sung as sweet-faced as this. The blues are gritty, not this saccharine stuff that feels like it should be playing at closing time in a rib restaurant. Overall: You'll only find long vowels in this ol' giddyup. Feels like it has a classic rock feel in parts, almost like Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi, but also devolves into modern pop-country crooning. I don't really like the genre, but when I do it is at least has some raw and rough qualities. This kind of polished country feels like an oxymoron that's antithetical to the best parts of the genre.
Did I like this? Absolutely not! Was it the worst thing…close. It’s clear Steve Earle is a decent musician it’s also clear that his brand of country on this record isn’t for me.
There is some country music I like. Steve Earle pretty much typifies the kind of country I do not like.
I've said before how I don't like most country and this is the perfect example of the kind I don't like. Boring
I know why people can like this. It's this time where people like Earl blew some fresh air in the country music. It's just still really not for me, and as far as I can tell, musically also nothing special.
Is this for real? It feels like it is making fun of country music. I like some of his other stuff so I'm not sure why this album really rubs me the wrong way.
sucks lol. not my style at all