Guitar Town

Muy gabacho... pero nice

Not bad, not my cup of tea really but listenable.

This is fun. I like it. I don't have much more to say than that.

The irony of an album released in 1986 having the lyrics "It's gettin' tough/ Just my luck I was born in the land of plenty, now there ain't enough" Boy, you ain't seen nothing yet

Very sprinsteeny

Pretty alright country rock, but I don't remember what any of the songs was about Standouts - 3/4

Listen, it's fine. But there's not a lot more to be said.

Not the worst country music on this list

I like some of his stuff, but not everything

Jamais écouté avant. Un album de country assez standard, un peu surproduit, aux accents rock springsteeniens (le charisme et le E-Street Band en moins). Steve Earle a néanmoins le bon goût de ne pas céder aux clichés les plus ridicules du genre (santiags, stetson, bourbon, flingues, champs de maïs et racisme) pour des récits réalistes sur les désillusionés du rêve américain dans les États-Unis de Reagan. Finalement, ça s'écoute plutôt bien, même si rien n'est particulièrement marquant ou bouleversant. Top : Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough) Flop : Little Rock 'n' Roller

Every song sounds like it should be on an episode of Hart of Dixie. I’m not a country fan, but this was ok!

Decent. Like 1/3 of it was pretty good but everything else was super boring.

Not bad for country from the mid 80s. I didn't hate it. 6/10 Top song Guitar town

Generally I like Steve Earle but this album is pretty pedestrian 80’s country rock, the title track and someday are great and there are a couple of other inoffensive ditties but nothing that really stands out like S.E at his best. Its good, not great. 3.2

The songs where he sounds like Springsteen are good. The cheesy line dancing numbers not so much. It's a mixed bag.

Steeve Earle wasn’t yet Steeve Earle.

Made for bbqs and sunsets by the pond.

I grew up in the 80s listening to mostly country, and I don't remember ever hearing this guy's name. Reading the Wikipedia article of the artist, I did remember having listened to Copperhead Road. Anyway, this does not sound at all like the country I was hearing in the 80s; though it does sound a lot like today's "Americana" genre (which is just what they call country now because mainstream country is rap now). All that to say, it sounds far more modern than most of the country of its time, with the possible exception of Dwight Yoakam who released an album in 86 as well. This is both forward-looking for its time and old school all at once. Even though it's forward-looking, I'm not sure I'd consider groundbreaking or even especially unique, though I might say that about Yoakam's 86 release. I enjoyed the album, but I don't think it's something I'll come back to. And I'll probably listen to Guitars, Cadillacs, etc, etc now ⭐⭐⭐.499999

Number: 133 Date: 05/16/2026 Artist: Steve Earle Album: Guitar Town Year: 1986 Style: Singer Songwriter Honky Tonk Familiarity: None (1) Rating: 3 Before: ======= Never heard of this artist or album. During: ======= I don't listen to country music at all so don't have much to compare this to but the opener immediately reminds a little of The Replacements album Hootenanny, albeit a very tamed down version. Too bad that album is not on this list. 4 Guitar Town 3 Goodbye's All We've Got Left 3 Hillbilly Highway 2 Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough) 2 My Old Friend The Blues 3 Someday 3 Think It Over 3 Fearless Heart 2 Little Rock 'N' Roller 2 Down The Road ----------------------------------------------------- 2.65 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= I'm not much a fan of most country music but this was decent. Apparently it is an important album in that realm. 3 my personal rating 4 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 3.7 composite rating

Overall, I thought that this is a solid album. It's labeled a country album, but a lot of this could be put into a compilation of roots rock without turning a lot of heads. You can see some of Earle's social justice views in the songwriting, but a bit more hidden than the later work. At times, the 80's production sticks out, for instance with the use of synthesizers at times, but nothing too egregious. I like some of his other records more, but this is pretty good.

Light 3

Country ist immer gut zum anhören

5/10 It was a fun listen although I'm not big into this type of country. Still enjoyed.

This was neato.

I can't explain it but if this came out in 2026 it would be awful but since it came out in 1986 I like it.

I generally do not like country music. I will dip into “country and western” of the Hank Williams, George Jones and Johnny Cash variety. So the twang (voice and guitar) had me on the defensive, but it wasn’t bad. In fact, I learned that the Proclaimers “My Old Friend…” was a cover. Good song craft here.

Not my style, but it was fun to listen

i had a friend in college named Bob. Bob was smart. Bob wrestled. Bob was from western maryland. Bob played he guitar in our house all the time singing about refrigerators. Steve Earle reminds me of Bob.

won't lie, saw that it was "country rock" and got scared. i should've looked at the date and realized it was pre-9/11 so the chances of it not sounding like shit were drastically higher. with that said, i like this! it sounds like something i'd listen to in a gas station. a welcome vibe. 7/10 FAVOURITE SONGS: GUITAR TOWN, THINK IT OVER, DOWN THE ROAD

Some songs were really soothing.

A real pleasant listen although it is not my preferred style of music. favourite: "Someday"

Eh, good enough

I enjoyed it but didn' overly love it or anything. It's quite alright for what it needs to be.

Chillig Country

Always liked Earle's snarly country voice, but his big guitar sound isn't on this first album. Check in later, he's got a lot of albums over the next 40 years.

This really annoyed me when I listened to it last night, but it doesn't bug me as much today. While I'm not a country music hater, there's something about this album that I don't love. I think it's just boring? The songs kinda just plod along and they all sound pretty similar. I also don't particularly like Steve Earle's singing voice. Not a terrible album, but also not great.

I'm not a fan of country music, and to me this album sounds like many others in the genre. When it was released in 1985, it became a sensation on the U.S. country charts, but today it feels repetitive—the same sound and formula throughout. That said, my perspective comes from not being into country music; for fans of the genre, it might be a great listen. I’d recommend giving it a try and forming your own opinion.

mid '80s country music. good handful of little humble songs about earle's own life, his dreams, experiences and his own perspective growing up the way he did. meh. meh meh meh meh meh. i'm not a country guy! i'm not! i'm really not. as a listener i like to be challenged with all sorts of audible noise all over the spectrum and the more country i hear the more they just blend in together. is the sound fine? yeah. it's fine. it's clean, it's good. but it's not for me too much. i'd love if a country head could tell me what sticks out to them when it comes to this. i feel like i could play this on the texas roadhouse jukebox and people dining there would like it.

Country something

Good

Maybe I've listened to this several times, but it still feels new, still feels different, and at the time wasn't like anything I'd heard. Maybe it's because it sounds a bit like Texas to me. For a debut album, I think it shows really strong songwriting and listenability - lyrically kinda meh in spots. It didn't fit the cookie cutter country songs of the late '80s early '90s. It's refreshing to hear something different than original, musically. I won't listen to it often, but there's some really good tunes on here and you can learn a lot about songwriting. 2.5 out of 5.

some pretty decent poppy country. its alright but doesn't really stand out to me very much

Okay

Let's say a low 3. The music itself is ok, the text and culture behind it is too American to enjoy (cannot relate...).

Pretty good, those chords are beautiful

Enjoyed this much more than I was expecting. A classic country sounding album that gets a little more country as it goes on. It's a solid 3.5 in my book.

Me gusta el country-rock, se me hace agradable para escuchar. Las letras son bastante similares y no me termina de enganchar del todo, pero me gusta la música

Listened in the car. For a country album it's totally fine. I didn't really like it but it sure beats the stadium country that we get these days. It's fine.

Some authentic twang to seep into your soul

Very much old country

Nothing sticks out, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless

Overall: 5/10 Very mediocre country music. There were some good moments but I mostly found it corny and lame. Fav Song: Someday

By industry standards, Steve Earle took a long time to get going — despite his extensive songwriting career, he released his debut album at age thirty-one. Perhaps it's for the better — he had more life experience to write these songs: he'd played bass in a local band, did some blue collar jobs, and married three times. The result is a record at the intersection of country and heartland rock, a classic example of both genres. The music is fairly simple, the lyrics describe the everyday life of an average American worker from the South, life on the road, the prospects (or rather, the lack thereof) of small towns, and personal relationships. Bruce Springsteen, to whom Steve has often been compared, did something similar on a larger scale; to me, he reminded of a less produced Bryan Adams. A pleasant album for a short drive.

As far as twangy 80’s country rock music goes, I guess this could have been worse.

🎧Middle-of-the-road country album

Quite generic country/roots, not my cup of tea at all. It's ok, not going to say anything else. But it's one of the albums that I will quickly forget, even if they're technically good and quite pleasant to listen to. "Goodbye's All We've Got Left" was my favourite piece, will possibly go back to it once in a while.

I went in a little concerned it would be bad country but it began leaning more toward Americana fused with John Mellancamp style rock.

This is Ok. I am ready to be done with this project. 3 *

Sharp songwriting and a lot of restless energy. It feels like driving with the windows down, even when the stories get heavy. A few tracks blur together, but the attitude carries it.

Little too modern country for me. I'm an old C&W guy. Though I do appreciate his lyrics some.

Far more country than expected. Not terrible.

Not as good as later, more overtly political (and less country) work. But still good.

The album sounded very American to me, almost like something that could be used in the soundtrack of an old film. I didn’t find it unpleasant at all, but at the same time it didn’t leave a particularly strong impression. Listening while doing other things, it seemed to pass by very quickly. Fearless Heart might be my favorite track.

That was somewhat enjoyable though forgettable. For me, not a must-listen or stand-out. 3/5

Gezellig, maar wel precies een parodie van country zo overdreven da het is.

Love Heartworn Highways, you can tell his songwriting is generally solid. That being said, this feels like a pretty standard country rock record.

Decent Country album.

для любителей кантри.

This album was highly stereotypical country. I didn't hate it, but it also did very little for me. It was acceptable.

I went through a country phase in the late 80s, and the title song sounds vaguely familiar. The artist, however, doesn't ring a bell at all. The album's okay, nothing really stood out.

Yeah it’s country. Lost his job, found a truck, had a cold beer, lost his paw …. Got old fast

Well that's honky and it's tonky and I don't mind it but it's a bit too honky and tonky for my taste

55/100. Just an okay country record. It is solid, well played, and easy enough to listen to, but it never really jumps out at me. The guitar work is definitely the highlight. Sometimes okay is simply okay.

I did not hate it, but I was surprised at how country it was. A little too twangy for me at points. 3.0.

Yea this was cool kinda just ended tho nothing I’ll take home with me 3/5

It’s not my jam, but I get it. Decent writing for sure.

Some country, some Rolling Stones, a lot of beer and quite possibly other substances as well.

Good listen, some excellent songs. Made me want to drink beer with a big hat on

Enjoyable little country folk album. Faves: Guitar Town, Hillbilly Highway, Fearless Heart, Down The Road

I think I'm just incapable of getting into country music (with very few exceptions). This is decent but I can't give it more than 3 stars because it just isn't for me.

The Wire's best country singer.

He’d get better. For a debut, it’s all right. He’s got that snarly twang locked in and the guitar playing is solid. I like “Hillbilly Highway” more than I probably should.

Good but average country music. Nothing really stands out, but it's not bad per se either. Just some nice music to play on the background while doing something else, and you'll have a good time. 6 / 10

Typically I don't enjoy country or country-rock. However, I do love folk music and I have a soft spot for outlaw country. A good amount of early country was quite good and retained the essence of its roots. There's still a few artists in this category today; they just don't get played on the radio. Steve Earle is one of the greats from his time. I understand that many will roll their eyes and groan when they hear that country sound, but comparing Steve Earle to these 21st century hacks is a complete disservice. Hilariously, one way you can determine the legitimacy of a country artist is by investigating their politics. Anyways, despite all this defense of Steve Earle, I wasn't exactly blown away by Guitar Town. "Someday" was probably my favorite track, as it felt rather personal and reflects my life as well. Some hits here, some decent writing at points, and the singles are pretty good, but largely an album that won't stick with me in the long run. A worthy addition to this list, and a respectable 3 stars.

Good Album, enjoyed it.

Helt enig

Likes: good guitar playing and tones given the genre, good classic country storytelling and turn-of-phrase songwriting, good energy, some rockers in the track list Dislikes: stereotypical lonesome troubadour energy on some tracks, a little too twangy for me Overall, not bad, just not my jam. You can hear a lot of old and newer country in his sound, almost like a bridge between the classic and millennial eras

3 stars

A fine mid-80's country album. It didn't really stand out to me in any way but an easy album to throw on and chill out to nonetheless.

No real complaints from me. Just a solid 80s country album all around. Can feel a little too corny at times but it's all part of the charm. The steel guitar work is great and really stands out.

Decently front-loaded like these newer 80s country albums can be but I really liked the stuff I was fucking with. Steve Earle can be a little scattered but this is pretty focused albeit with the guiding hand of the studio producer hanging over every minute. Earle's later work is definitely more driven by himself. Never knew his hair looked like that... Favorite Tracks: Guitar Town, Hillbilly Highway, Good Ol' Boy (Gettin Tough), Down the Road

Earle sings like a man who’s been wronged, underestimated, and told “no” one too many times, turning every verse into a steel‑toed stomp on the throat of polite Nashville.

You know, I didnt mind this actually. First track was great, slid off a bit after but not too bad.

Not my taste. But it's not too bad.

Feels like I'm at a karaoke bar somewhere in Alabama. These were all very sing-along-able. Not bad

Country...

Great Songs: Good Songs: Guitar Town, Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Hillbilly Highway, Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough), Little Rock 'n' Roller, Down the Road Mid Songs: My Old Friend The Blues, Someday, Think It Over, Fearless Heart Bad Songs:

I love a good slide guitar.

Not bad

For a country album, this one was alright.

Some easy-listening alt-country from the 80s was exactly what my overworked brain needed when I listened to this.

I couldn’t get that Osmonds’ track out of my head: I’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. Very distracting when your head is full of a cheesy ear worm and you’re trying to appreciate something else. I knew of Steve Earle, but I don’t think I’d ever listened to much, if anything. I could hear lots of influences and he was a little bit Springsteen-esque. Decent but not earth-shattering. Sing along with me – he’s a little bit country, he’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. Is the ear worm stuck in your head now? You’re welcome.

I went to see him in 97 or 98 when he was doing his comeback tour (he'd had a very serious drug problem). I knew nothing about the guy, had never heard a lick of a single song, I just knew that the alt-rock dudes liked him, and I was getting into country at the time. He put on a decent show, and I came away liking the cut of his jib, if not ready to do a deep dive into his career. Such was the case here. This album has some really nice moments, though there are a few too many "school/fool" rhymes for my liking and some of the clichés are too much to bear. (At times, he seems to turn the clichés on their head, like on Hillbilly Highway, but only at times.) Anyway, before Wilco, Old 97s, and Whiskeytown, before Uncle Tupelo, even, you had Steve Earle. And he's cool. He's like a cross between Bruce Springsteen, Merle Haggard, and the Replacements. I'll never exactly be a fan, but Country Music is better with him in it.

6/10… country / heartland rock / *1986

Meh, its not my sort of thing. 5/10

2.5 first listen, it had a decent single in Guitar Town, I think he was looking for his outlaw sound, and kinda got muddled in the flat belly Nashville sound.

The trad country stuff was fine, but I preferred songs like "Hillbilly Highway" and "Fearless Heart" that embraced more heavily produced '80s sounds

Ja to nawet lubię country, ale nie w takim natężeniu. Jedna-dwie piosenki ok, ale cała płyta takiego hardcore'owego country? Nie. Zdecydowanie nie. Radość przeplatała się u mnie z irytacją. Za dużo country w country. 5.5/10.

Steve Earl is among the better modern county artists, especially when he integrates rock and americana. I had never listened to his debut “Guitar Town”, an album that ultimately was important in instigating the alt-country movement that flourished in its wake. Most tracks on the album are well structured, often with theatrical lyrics about everyday American life. Country has always been known for this such storytelling, but Earle does a good job of giving it a modern spin. Instrumentally, the album also features traditional twangy guitars and fast-picked mandolins yielding a distinctly country sound. Again, Earle updates the sound by incorporating elements of rock. One can hear him channeling artists like Springsteen and Petty. Not my jam, but a jam I enjoyed, nonetheless. Although, it not likely to enter my regular rotation.

Not bad.

I would move to that town for a little while

Not bad, but not memorable.

Decent Country album

I wouldn't mind living in this so-called guitar town.

That sure is some honky tonk. Hear a lot of influence on the 90s country I enjoyed so much

Interesante, full guitarra, se deja escuchar, pero ninguna favorita.

Not my speed. But ok.

Not bad, but not my favorite style.

I was prepared not to like it but I did. Alan Jackson he's not and that's high praise indeed but I wonder if the accent is real.

It grew on me. Little bit Springsteen, little bit Blues. Liked the guitars, liked it lyrically.

What a beautiful way to end an album.

I didn't hate this album, but didn't love it either. It's good, but not really great.

I mean, I like him and the music is solid, but could be any one of twenty artists.

I appreciate the twang.

First song great

Heaps of corny country lyrical stereotype boxes ticked, but also a lot in this taken straight from the Springsteen playbook, which gives it a bit more substance than I was expecting. I think the trick to enjoying this one is to not take it quite as seriously as it may have initially been intended.

Pretty good country album, just felt a lot of songs left me wanting more

Country music is probably the most divisive musical genre. It’s very easy to be snooty about it or just see it as schmaltzy stuff for rednecks and hillbillies, and to be fair there is, as with every other type of music, a lot of dross out there. On the other side of coin, the very best country music taps into authentic America folk traditions and is played with genuine emotion and talent. This album falls somewhere in the middle. I was all prepared to write this off as some sort of parody, judging by the opening title track which leans into the familiar tropes with glee. Indeed, one of the later songs is called ‘Good Ol’ Boy’ without a trace of irony. However, it didn’t take long for Steve Earle to win me over. It’s obvious that he loves the music and the songs, and it’s nicely done without going over the top. On top of that, he seems like a genuinely nice guy - he’s a socialist, pro-choice and anti-death penalty, and he’s not been afraid to criticise the current president, as well as pointing out that the Democrats should do more to engage with working class Americans. Not the world’s greatest country album, but a solid three stars nonetheless.

To me this kind of just falls into a bit of the like Dwight Yokam, Tom Petty, maybe a little bit of Cougar Melloncamp type feel. I don't know how to differentiate what of the 80's country adjacent music is worth knowing about or legitimate. But I will say that the album carries along pretty well and it finishes with a pretty great live cover of Springsteen's State Trooper.

Had some fun guitar parts. Not the biggest country fan but this was an enjoyable listen

Fine enough, but nothing memorable.

Such a young Steve Earle. Fun to hear him in his most straightforward country moment, young and hungry but already with a vision. Some great songs, some good ones, some okay ones. Thumbs up

3.5. I love Earle, but enjoy his rougher later career stuff over the commercial country. The Mountain, Copperhead Road, Transcendental Blues, all 4 or 5s. This feels overproduced, but his songwriting is great. “Someday” is an all-time classic. Great artist, glad he’s represented on the list, this just isn’t my go-to album.

As country as it gets for me. Pleasant enough listening, but not my milieu.

Actually, I quite liked this country album. Is there something wrong with me? Is all the country music I've been listening to starting to have an effect? :-(

Only listened to part of album. Country rock

A pretty run of the mill country album to me. It was not bad just not always my genre.

Bored. But whatever.

Totally fine! Very 80s production

Basique

Rock banal

Sympa, il joue bien et chante bien mais c'est pas transcendant

Ok

Earle is really good at putting the listener where the stories took place. This is an Americana album about a young g man who grew up in a shitty small town and I felt like I was right there watching Steve Earle pumping gas on the side of a dusty interstate road. He’s a great story teller, there are some solid tracks here. Opens strong with the title track right off the hop and Hillbilly Highway is a great rollicking tune about his Dad leaving town for a better life. Good ‘ol Boy is kinda corny but I actually really liked it, it’s a well written dumb country song. I did think I’d like this more overall, while the songwriting and imagery is strong, I felt like it lacked musically. Just sounds a little Nashville studio and lacked punch. Decent listen though 3 stars

While Guitar Town catches my ear the rest of the album ends a bit ho hum for me. While I have historically been a fan of country music the ear worms on this album just don't seem to be there. I won't dispute it's impact or that it's a good album. Just doesn't really hold my attention.

If I was a bigger country fan I would’ve enjoyed this thoroughly!

Nettes Gitarrrenalbum für einen gechillten Saturday Afrernoon.

giving this extra stars because this is true heartland music by a woke king. god bless america.

it's a good album, I haven't listen it all already, but I am enjoying.

“It’s just classic country imagery”. I didn’t know any of these songs though they all had that familiar vibe.

nonie ghört. erste song dchöni tremolo gitarre. de song isch niiix vsunders. zweite song au die gitarre hä. und er isch hert nöd spannend? little rock n roller en song a sin sohn wo trurig isch well sin papi isch weg well er isch truck driver?? er isch mega en lefty das macht die songs chli besser? so trucker songs vomne rechtw guy wäred chli weird. aso normal aber fänds denn chli ass. down the road au hezig. ich find etz nöd dass das album viel uf dere liste z sueche het aber wells kinda herzig isch gits es 3.

de ahfang isch chli lagerfür-country/folk, es subgenre wo ich NÖD gern han ok nachane wieder meh eifach country HAHAHA kei ahnig wiemmer de nennt aber de DONG bi jedem takt isch soooo 80er hmm bis jz isches eifach megaa ok, aber chli die emotionali komponente fehlt mier meistens? liit vlt auchli ade 80er-production aber han da au z wenig ahnig das han ich sicher auchli s gfühl wegem ziitliche abstand, aber us de jetzige sicht würkts fast scho wiene karikatur vo dere poppige art vo country LOGIIIISCH packt mich s lied woner "SOMEEEDAAAY I'M GONNA LET GO" singt😭😭 was au immer s chline solo uf fearless heart nachem refrain macht, s gaht direkt daa inne daa herz, chli di emotionali response wo ich gsuecht han joo es 3? hanmer es 2 überleit aber es isch teilwiis schono cool I guess?

I don't hate this. It is kinda more southern rock overall than I remember, but I kinda knew it was that from back in the day... I suppose it is poppy enough to be mildly interesting and has a couple of straight up good songs to be sure. I suppose the genre for me kind of holds it back more than it deserves? But it is me and I am sure I "over rate" albums that are more suitable to my style so it is a wash. Anyhow, glad for the recommend as it is worthy and interesting.

Very enjoyable album

GOAT

Good songwriting and performances, though the production is a little "90s thin" for me. Great debut but I think there's more depth later in Steve's career.

Dang! It’s country so not my fav. But this one was more listenable than many other albums on the List and I felt like we got a bonus at only 35 minutes run time. Song topics (like as Hillbilly Highway, Good Ol’ Boy, My Old Friend The Blues) and that southern twang put Guitar Town into the “typical country” pigeon hole. Kind of a mashup between Johny Cash and Johny Meloncamp - but not as good as either of them. Although released 40 years ago, sounds like it could have dropped yesterday. That’s country for ya! (2.6*s)

yeah it was alright

Tone set with self-titled track to kick things off. Feel that dirt road, guitar in old case on top of torn truck passenger seat fabric, feel

A middling concept that's executed well: solid production, engaging lyrics, and sufficient enthusiasm to convince me it's worth revisiting.

Not my really my style. State Trooper brings it from 2 to 3 stars

Dahora! A guitarra é a estrela desse álbum, bem como o nome diz.

Better than most 80s country. I like the song fearless heart.

I am not fan of country but it was quite good.

Country. It was nice, wasn't it. Nothing extraordinary, but it was a good listen.

A town worth passing through, perhaps, though not one I intend on spending more time in.

This is some good heartland country rock. I feel like this is the sound track to that fictional America people have in their heads when they talk about how things used to be. But this album is mostly about how fucked up thay place is.

i like wilco and finally i got an album with lyrics so excited to listen jk this album kinda mid theres like 3 good songs

Not his best stuff, but still better than most pop country out there now.

Didn’t hate Bruce Springtwang but it did sound like AI music from the 80’s.

Thankful for a country music break amidst my recent algorithm picks. Classic!

Strong songs that to my ear weren't enhanced by MOR 80's pop production. Still, some very memorable numbers.

Very good

Pretty alright country, can be a bit samey though. low 3/5

no amount of tennessee blood in my veins will make me like this, just let dolly do it

Not bad- kind of a nostalgic country sound

Aardige country, maar ook niet meer dan dat, afgezien van een vrij kansloze poging tot Bruce Springsteen. Geen straf om te luisteren, maar er blijft weinig hangen. We rijden Guitar Town binnen, maar ook weer schouderophalend uit.

Zoals al aangehaald door mijn Brabantse luistervriend (niet te verwarren met onze gezamenlijke Brabantse cuntrymakker), is dit vrij generieke country. Je hoort er overduidelijk de 80s in, want hij had net zo goed op een braderie kunnen staan met alleen zijn gitaar en de rest op tape uit een portable speaker. Of zelfs zonder zijn gitaar, alleen een beetje zingen. Aan de andere kant kan het ook wel weer met complete 8koppige band op een kleine verhoging in de hoek van de bruine dorpskroeg gepropt, waarbij je je dan bij de helft vd bandleden afvraagt of en zo ja welk instrument ze dan bespelen. Maar ja, iemand moet de triangel of de tamboerijn vasthouden. Ik vind country er altijd wel makkelijk ingaan, dus je komt al snel op een 3 uit. Er zit weinig bij dat niet vergeetbaar is, dus ook dan kom je al snel op een 3 uit. Laat ik dan maar gewoon snel op de knop van 3 sterretjes drukken, voordat ik door heb dat het allemaal maar heel magertjes is.

Okay...

Chill

Enjoyable to some degree, definitely more rock orientated country music which made it easier to listen to. Solid 6/10

3/5

Decent very Bruce Springsteen I like the old rock n roll country american blue collar vibe to it.

Sometimes I like my country with a little cheese, so I like this.

Nice country but like nothing special. Not annoying though.

Not a bad listen, some good country songwriting

A fine country album, but some tracks drift just a bit too twangy for my tastes. It’s just not quite where I want my country to sound. I do dig the storytelling - Good Ol’ Boy feels like it tells an story you might even still hear today, and there’s something about a lonesome country song like My Old Friend the Blues that can’t be captured in any other genre. I liked some of the rock elements brought in more towards the back half of the album and liked the journey through heartbreak and loneliness in the middle of the album to the more hopeful and touching back of the album. Standout tracks are My Old Friend the Blues and Good Ol’ Boy.

Nothing notable.

he just played at one of my venues over the summer but i didn't go. solid album just classic shit. 6/10

I like early country, Merle, Johnny, that sort of thing. It's rare for me to like more modern country, and this wasn't any exception. This album is fine, but I didn't think it was anything special.

Good 50s country from the 80s.

Weird album. Feels like it's in between a bunch of stuff I do like, but this does nothing for me. A little too country, a little too 80s rock, a little too 60s nashville, a little too troubadour, a little too slick, a little too rough? Obviously talented and well-composed and it seems like this is a good dude, but I think I'd put my energy elsewhere. Gonna check out his other stuff to see where he evolved, because I'm sure it's somewhere more at the edges than this, at the center.

Nicely produced but modern country is just not my thing. Did not really get anything out of this.

It's not the worst country I've ever heard, but I'm not sure why it's on the list. 2.8

Average and quite catchy.

Ein bisschen Country

This is satire right? Like it is way to on the nose for country music to be legit. Seriously the first song has city names, a truck stop, boots and pretty baby. It has to be making fun right? Alright I think this is the the county album that combined ALL of the tropes. It has it all so far. If he sings about his dog, trailer or tornado I'm out, I will not finish the album. This album is kind of amazing, I swear it hits all the country themes before 9/11. It's almost a parody of itself how far it goes. I'm not convinced Steve isn't having fun with it. He had to have sat down and went, "I will write the MOST country album ever!" Some producer heard the demo and told him yes and this album was born. What's wild is it's not bad, dude can play, the band is solid, good production, the lyrics are.....very county & western. If you're into the genre you will probably love it. I'm giving it a three because I enjoyed it but not for the reason I'm supposed to..

I didn’t hate ‘Guitar Town’ anywhere near as much as I thought I would. In fact, I didn’t hate it at all. I mean it’s derivative and leans heavily into that Bruce Springsteen Americana sound and style, but that’s what makes it grab your attention. It’s calculated for sure, but at least it makes for a listenable album. Surprisingly so.

Fun album. Sits somewhere in that rock/country music mix.

An enjoyable enough listen without really leaving its mark on society...

pretty good debut album from alt country singer/songwriter steve earle.

Not my favorite Steve Earle but it’s got some good ones on there.

This one is not my type of music but I didn't hate it. 3 stars.

It was fine

Steve Earle is great. Maybe an icon of contemporary American music. A living legend for sure, and a legitimately deep inspiration for fuckups the world over. Unfortunately, most of his albums are not so great. 80s and 90s mainstream country production styles did not serve him well. He would have done better in the underground, but he was born too soon - there was no Alt-Country or Americana genres when he was coming up, even though now he's revered by those camps. The record he put out after he got out of jail is very strong and although I lost track of his career after that, I suspect his work ever since does a much better job of putting his songs into the musical settings they deserve, as opposed to the overproduced, thin sounds of albums like Guitar Town. I get the impression that serving time released him from the stifling constraints of the Nashvegas celebrity machine. Prison freed him, funnily enough. Despite that, on occasion his superior songwriting shines through, as it does on the title and a couple of others in this, his debut album.

I mainly know of Steve Earle from his "Copperhead Road" fame, so it's fun to get a full album without a single mention of Copperhead road, although I'll admit he doesn't have a huge range, so all of his songs kind of blend into each other to some degree (although "Little rock 'n' roller" unfortunately distinguishes itself as being atrociously syrupy). The strongest tracks on this album are also the singles, especially "Guitar town", "Hillbilly highway" (just down the way from Copperhead Rd, I'm sure), and "Someday" (very Bruce Springsteen-esque, down to the video). I'm also impressed that he wrote (and played) "My old friend the blues," which I first heard by The Proclaimers, and I still prefer their version. Overall, though, nice to have Steve Earle in this collection.

Would like this if I was a drunk texan.

There is much better country music to put on this list. This is okay. The guitar is good.

One word: meh

Totally mid. Did nothing for me. I don’t see why this is supposed to be influential or important.

another day, another "meh" album. offensive, annoying, or painful to listen to -not at all. boring & forgettable-yup

Cool country with a guitar emphasis

Decent but not special at all, in my opinion. Somewhere between 2 and 3 for me

Better than I would have expected.

It was okay, not my favorite country album.

Sounded like a rock music with a country singer.

This kinda seems like easy listening country, super cheesy . Dude fucking hates trump though so that’s an extra star in my book!!

I remember digging this back in 198-whatever and it's still pretty darn great. Interesting, though, how much it sounds like Born in the USA, which I'd never noticed before. Wonder how that happened. Is that what the record company wanted? Was it just in the air? Was that what Steve Earle was going for? Not my first pick for a Steve Earle album, but it'll do.

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Not sure I would have made it past 34 minutes, however.

Pretty typical country music album, nothing special

fine

NOT what I was expecting Steve Earle to sound like outside of Copperhead Road. A lot more country than I expected.

Good country feel all the way through. Solid album.

Pretty good guitars, quite danceable. The singer's voice is so twangy that it almost seems like a parody of a country singer. I listened to the album twice and it didn't really grow on me. Plus the slower songs are a bit of a snoozefest. But decent overall

A decent country-rock album. Tasteful, but not particularly gritty. Pleasant, but won’t leave a lasting impression. “Guitar Town” is a pretty apt title as the guy is clearly quite good at the thing. I must confess that I don’t generally listen much to this type of music, but I’d say it won’t hurt to check out if this sounds up your alley, especially because it is rather short.

decent but repetitive and not very memorable

Not really my thing

A few solid songs, but not enough for me to want to listen to the whole thing.

I've mostly known Steve Earle as the guy from Bubbles' rehab sessions. Nice guy, but he went through some heavy stuff - this isn't his heaviest work, though. Last time I heard his music was in the most old-fashioned coffee shop in Amsterdam, so this folk rocker of an album hits a happy spot. Favourite tracks: Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Someday, Down the Road

Good album! Cool that Joe reps him! 7.1/10

Proper country.

Some classic country, a little cheesy, nothing breaking the mold, but pleasant to listen to

hated the first few songs but then it kind of hit??

It was decent, some twangy guitars and enjoyable songs.

# 508 / 1001 : Guitar Town They've done a pretty decent job. Not a fan of (modern) country music. It's corny and not ground breaking, but there is some good guitar music here that I Liked more than I thought I would. Listened: 23/06/2025

It's OK. I prefer his more recent stuff but it's not bad.

Cool country rock album. Fearless Heart is a great song. Very Springteenish but more twang and country.

Not sure why this must be heard, but it's not bad. It's all pretty average for '80s country. It's also clearly a debut, as it's just a collection of songs rather than having any real album structure. Confident it won't stick with me, and it sure won't get added to my rotation, but at least it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I like Steve Earle. I like the breakfasts you get in the truck stops he sings about, but they often need salt, pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. Steve’s music could really use more musical salt and pepper and a big splash of hot sauce.

Enjoyable. Steve's voice bridges the Everly Brothers with David Gray.

es un álbum que me pondría de fondo mientras hago cosas. no están mal las canciones pero no lo volvería a escuchar, porque no me gusta el country.

That was good.

6/10 This could have been worse! Huge swathes of it were route one country rock that didn’t do much for me. But a good chunk was more interesting to me, being country blended with heartland rock - think a country-fied Springsteen. Best: Fearless Heart

Well, I heard Steve Earle had lots of wives / About as many as cats have lives / Met him on his records and we're good friends. He writes a song for everyone / They fall in love and before it's done / He writes an even better one when it ends

Not bad at all. Spirited songs with twanging guitars. Little bit of blues and a lot of heart

Guitar Town is yet another case of an album on this list that is unremarkable but still pretty solid. This album basically is your typical run-of-the-mill 80s folk country rock album that is more or less just like its contemporaries but doesn't really do anything that much better or worse than any of them. The music, vocals and lyrics are all in the same boat with them being neither great or terrible. This album was thankfully pretty quick so it never got to the point of being a super tedious listen. I think this review might actually be shorter than my other ones because i genuinely don't know what else to say about this album. Best Song: Hillbilly Highway Worst Song: Think It Over

Musical equivalent of comfort food 3.15

3/5

Eingängig, gute Melodien, hat Spaß gemacht. 3 1/2.

You can certainly hear the link between this music and that of his son Justin / Ryan Adams / Jeff Tweedy that came shortly after. Yes, it's cheesy, but so was nearly everything in the 80s. This album is more on the Brice Springsteen / Billy Joel end of the spectrum, but these are well-written songs. Loved the live cover of State Trooper at the end.

As always I have a hard time with country deciding if it’s groundbreaking or just staple ware. Sounded decent, but didn’t raise any eyebrows for me. Weak 3.

I liked the Country, Country-Rock, and Americana influenced on the album, but the 80s Pop schmaltz didn't totally work for me, but "Fearless Heart" and "Someday" both won me over

Not my genre but charming

Modern country sound Tip toeing around the cheese Twangs successfully

3/5. Yeah that's country alright. The guitar work is great, up and center with crisp and clean playing. The lyrical content is young and optimistic for someone with big dreams and love. It's honestly kind of inspirational for those afraid of change or trying something new. There are some sad songs as well and even the optimistic ones have a tinge of darkness to them. Felt much better about the album by the end but wasn't crazy about it. Still a good listen and maybe better with repeat listens. Best Song: Someday, Fearless Heart, Goodbye's All We Got Left

Good little album, good songs.

The live cuts made the whole experience better

Not really my cup of tea. But I can respect it.

Have always enjoyed myself some Earle. His Transcendental Blues might be the first pseudo-country album I ever purchased. This was another great entry into his catalogue, but relatively typical. Nothing amazing, just super solid. 3.5/5

Steve Earle goes on to do albums I like a lot more, this one is just a bit too mainstream country in arrangements and production. It speaks to how good he is that I could listen to the whole thing anyway (I usually wouldn't get more than thirty seconds into an album that sounds like this). on the deluxe edition he does a killer version of State Trooper too. anyway, everybody starts somewhere. I like Steve Earle a lot- this record, not so much.

Not bad. It’s not Galway Girl for sure, but none of the songs terrible.

‘All Aboard The Train To Guitar Town’ was something Len would always scream to the crowds right before a lavish and very much unnecessary, self absorbed guitar solo! It was so off putting! But hey, that was Len and without Len, there wouldn’t have been any Houmous & Chutney. Just a lonely Ken Chutney! 3.2

Dosta smiješno simpatičan album. Na trenutke mi ima vajb glazbenika koje volim, tipa Steely, Crosby, Stills & Nash i taj skori, ali onda kao da malo prijeđe na cringy zavijanje 😂 i dalje mi je nekako zanimljivo, tako da će dobro proći ovaj put. 3/5, 5/10

When the songs stray from traditional country music tradition, Guitar Town is at its best for me. Respect to Steve Earle for his work on The Wire, though - he is excellent as Bubbles’ sponsor, Waylon.

Country is one genre that I have a really hard time getting into. I can't really evaluate this album's import within the genre. The performances are all noteworthy, even if I don't like the style. I don't think I'll listen to this album again, but I can't deny that it's well-crafted and well-performed. 3 stars.

I can't help but notice this album feels like he took the best parts of 80's rock and just added country into the equation. Whether he was the influencer or the influenced, I don't know, but ultimately it's generally just fine to me? I'm not huge on country so it takes something special to get me interested, and I'm not hearing anything I haven't before (although thats partially a factor of it being 40 years old). That said, and couple tracks on the back end are solid, Fearless Heart and Little Rock 'N' Roller. But yeah. Not really my thing. Feels like John Mellencamp but Mellencamp did the heartland rock thing better.

Overall a fun listen but to me it felt a little generic. Like a watered down Bruce Springsteen at times. There’s was some unique phrasing on Guitar Town which made me understand why people like him as a songwriter. Goodbye’s… sounds like Jimmy Buffet! Probably will never listen again. ————- So anyway I spent most of my day listening to the John Prine album from Saturday. What a 5/5 banger.

I liked this more than I thought I would based on the description. I like the twangy guitar and the songwriting was pretty good. Only song I really didn’t care for was Little Rock N Roller. I see a direct line from this to Tyler Childers today. Strong 3/5

It was fine. Nothing special.

Perfect music to drive through the desert to, which I was. 6/10

Here's another album that I don't have a ton to say about. This is a fairly run-of-the-mill country rock album. It's not my thing, but I'd still call it good. The style is solid. The singing isn't too annoying. The title track is pretty cool. In my opinion, I think the thing that separates good country from bad country for me is the songwriting. One of the things that I hate the most about modern country is how shallow and corporate it feels (Emphasis on corporate: too many brand names). Fortunately, Steve Earle's songwriting isn't shallow and corporate. It's nothing special, but it does its job of fitting a country rock album like this. I've seen some people compare this album to a weaker version of the works of Bruce Springsteen. I wouldn't know if that's accurate though since, despite him having 5 albums on the list and me being over 500 albums into this project, I have yet to get a single one of his albums. Crazy. This album's alright. 3/5.

Decent.

I enjoyed this more than expected. I don't know that I'd listen again, but I'll give it 3 stars because it's better than any modern country music by a longshot.

Classic country tunes

I groaned a little when this kicked off as I am not a country music fan. But as it wore on, I found myself really enjoying a lot of the songs. I do like a bit of sparingly deployed slide guitar, the drums were on point and anchored the solid, driving rhythm section. It also veered on the bluesy side quite often, which I am generally on board with. There are a few cheesy clunkers near the end but a couple of songs here I really liked.

This is middling country. It is not innovative, but it isn't wildly offensive either.

That's ok

I like Steve Earle but nothing stood out. I don’t know, it’s fine enough.

I don’t know if it’s because I wasn’t paying enough attention, if I wasn’t in the mood or if it genuinely isn’t anywhere near as good as its country rock contemporaries, but Guitar Town was somewhat of a let down. Considering that I’m familiar with a small portion of Earle’s work, most of all the punchy Copperhead Road, I was hoping for this to be a similarly guitar-heavy outing, but instead I was met with a collection of throwaway, nice enough country numbers. I would try again, but there’s more albums to catch. After all, this is one of over a thousand and one.

Pretty solid country rock, got me tapping my feet along as good country does. Wasn’t anything exceptional though, just another fine album in a growing list of albums that were just fine.

I actually didn't mind this.

This one's tough to rate for me, but with familiar reasons why. Some good lyrics and some good songwriting. I think Steve can sing well, but I don't like his singing style. Probably why I don't like most country, in fact. Even though I liked some of the individual songs, by the time I was halfway through the album, I was ready to not listen to his singing anymore. So I guess it all averages out, in the end.

Alright, good background country

Guitar town!!! Great name for an album Steve, very cool. The music was pretty good and he had a good twang, but the lyrics were very dumb

Solid, unknown bangers but didn’t grab me crazy

Drei bis vier

Good old school country album, was really enjoyable.

I was actually really excited to see this one—I’ve been meaning to listen to Steve Earle for years, ever since I read his book not knowing anything about it or him. Anyway…I liked this? There were a couple of songs I liked a lot, and the rest were fine. I’m gonna rate this a 3/5.

Steve Earle is like John Mellencamp with a little more country twang. I honestly didn't love the album, but I really really really liked two of the songs -- Good Ol' Boy and Someday. Those songs definitely pushed me into some daydreams of my teenage years back in rural town USA. Nothing to do, no point in stoppin unless you're going to the lake, I need to get out lol

2.9 2x catch up 2/19

plucky 80s country. was fun for a listen but i wasn't super drawn to anything. certain songs felt v jimmy buffet-esque. 2.75/5 stars, I'll round up to 3.

Soft core country for me, it was fun and sassy lol

nice stuff, really liked Someday

Good vibe.

Country. 6/10

It did grow on me after four or five listens. He's clearly a good songwriter and retains a great pop sensibility through all the country clichés about leaving this one horse town and hard drinking pappy on the farm, since Billy died at the factory, goin via the gas station down the interstate in the Chevy 67, hear the rubber on the blacktop, past that truck stop to get a beer and play ball and get a gal and Grandmammy's crying cos most people live and die here and the bank's fucked us over, but you could get that ol Greyhound outta town, one day it's gonna be fine, and you don't need to end up like your Daddy, yeah one day it'll be fine. One day. And on balance that's a three.

I was familiar with some of Earle's work from later in his career (early 2000s) but hadn't listened to this album before. I think I'll give Copperhead Road a try as generally enjoy when he rocks out q bit more than on this debut.

Nothing stand out* but a pleasant listen, as country goes. *Except for Someday, which is really nice and a gut punch reminder of the Bridge to Terabithia scene it's in. Also Fearless Heart is quite sweet.

Felt like my car was converted to a pickup truck, for an albums length... Yihaaw

El problema de Guitar Town, lleno de estupendas canciones es que en 1986 se publicaron discos memorables y este quedó relegado a pesar de su gran éxito entonces. A pesar de haber sido catalogado como (otro) nuevo Springsteen, no ha llegado desde luego a ese nivel en ningún aspecto (algo que tampoco han logrado artistazos como John Mellencamp o John Hiatt). Tampoco es que lo pretendiera mucho. Adicto a diversas drogas, activista de izquierdas en un género en las antípodas de estas cosas, ha mantenido una carrera regular en la que este ha sido su mejor disparo. Muy disfrutable, en todo caso.