Guitar Town

Harmless honkeytonk from a great voice.

3/5

Good lighthearted album. Really enjoyed some of the slower songs

Euuh, pffft… correct

I knew of Steve Earle but can’t say I know any of the songs on the album. Standout for me was “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left.

I've always bounced off country, so I was hoping this album would help me appreciate it more. It was ok but nothing stood out to me.

Too country for my taste.

79% Best: Goodbye's All We've Got Left; Someday; Fearless Heart Must-Hear? Not quite

Ok ish

I thought the Proclaimers wrote My Old Friend the Blues! Steve Earle is a supreme song writer! He almost overcomes how much I hate the steel guitar! But he doesn't, three stars.

Oh another one!

3 - I really liked Goodbye’sAll We’ve Got Left

***An ok, easy listening album

Solid album.

Wasn’t a fan of his commercial stuff…and hoping his son has some albums on here JTE

I enjoyed this. I had only been familiar with The Proclaimers version of My Old Friend the Blues. This made me want to learn to play it on guitar.

Middle-of-the-road country rock for dads.

As far as country albums go, this is very much my style. Feels tried and true with some actual lyrics that have substance past beer, hot girls, and trucks. Would definitely listen to again

Some solid knee slappin, boot stompin, tobacco spittin county! If this album was an hour long, I would probably give it a 2. I didn't really get tired of it with it only being 35 minutes though. An albums length can really add or subtract a star for me.

Generic twangy roadtrip country but quite enjoyable. 3.5 rounded down. Stand-out: Someday

I enjoyed the front half more. The back end got a little too slow and twangy for me

Liked this more than I thought I would

Have heard much better country from this list. Didn't hate it, but wasn't great either.

You better sang that shit Earle!!!

#408. While not outright terrible or anything, its pretty cheesy in the way that you can tell that this stuff is the beginnings of the modern beer, flag, and truck country we're plagued with today. And also- yet again with the one hit wonders, but the wrong album though. I should go back and count how many times that's happened so far, this list is dopey as fuck. 3/5: fine

Just some good clean obviously ’80s country music.

It's ok

I can see how this would be a standard in a genre that I don't love. The songs that skew more Springsteen are my favs.

Walon, Earle’s character in The Wire, helped save Bubbles from the needle, resulting in one of the best redemption arcs in TV history. For that alone, I love Steve Earle. He also sang the show’s theme song, Way Down In The Hole, for season 5 which is also great. But that song is t on this album. This album is nice, but has more twang than I prefer.

Country capital C but it seems earnest

как предыдущий. ничего не могу про него сказать, но слушать мне ок, пара треков приятные и запоминаются

Not overly produced pop country. Maybe that’s why I give Steve Earle a pass and actually enjoy his records. Even when it’s a bit country cliche and singing about head in’ down the highway and never looking back.

lots of great characteristics, but other than the first songs on each side, i think it lacks a certain "oomph" that the best country always has. i'm not against 80's country, but this has its fair share of both charm and relentless, relentless studio cheese. this being the ONLY Steve Earle album on the list when it's not even the sound he's known for (i was shocked he even had an album out in the 80's) shocks me -- you're telling me this was more important to add than El Corazón? really? plus, i can forgive touring the world with a "Jap guitar" [sic], but if you ever want to feel like you're sitting next to your ex-trucker grandpa complaining about how soft the world's gotten since they impeached Nixon, listen to "Good Ol' Boy (Gettin Tough)", preferably while chewing smelly nicotine gum.

Not my style but enjoyable. The emotion comes through.

“Think It Over” stood out to me—good stuff overall. I like that it’s about cheap motels, small-town shows, and chasing a dream in a broken-down van; it’s got that 3 a.m. truck stop feeling.

only country that’s decent

This has some great Americana sound, but nothing mind blowing.

Not bad. Sounded quite modern. My 9 year old daughter asked who it was so it engaged her as well.

decent album

Embarrassingly earnest but full of charm. Very listenable. Won me over despite initial misgivings. I'd listen to this again in my pickup truck windows rolled down with my faithful canine companion letting his ears flap in the wind, if I had either a truck or a dog.

Not too bad. Nearly enjoyable but not really my kind of music.

Good enough.

Gritty country rock

I had not listened to Steve Earle before, but this is about as Classic Country sounding as it can get, I guess I didn't really realize that was his deal. I guess it has more of a rocker's country and heartland rock vibe for sure. It was fine, just generally not for me.

Totally acceptable country music :)

3.5☆/5 08.24.2024

Run of the mill C&W album. Some good tunes but nothing extraordinary.

Certainly enjoy this style a lot but nothing stood out in particular. 3.5/5

Pretty good, a little too country for me though.

Country is not my jam, but this is decent

Good ole boy from the good ole 80s.

Loved him on The Wire. But honkey tonk makes me stabby. I know it’s good, but I just can’t listen.

Pretty easy to listen to, albeit safe and somewhat cliched heartland/country rock. Seemingly riding the wave of the Springsteen heartland rock sound of a few years prior.

Decent music, the accent feels a bit forced.

This was pretty inoffensive if a little basic. The production is solid but it failed to really make me feel anything. Would be happy to give country music another chance, but maybe not this album.

This isn't a fair review because I really don't like c&w. I listened through twice and it's probably pretty good for this style, it just doesn't do much for me. Giving an extra star cause it's miles better than any bro country I've heard in the last decade.

Steve Earle had a long career as a singer/songwriter who recording an extensive catalog. Guitar Town is is debut album, which was very well received as a a country album. This is a collection of country rock songs that that aren't particularly noteworthy or memorable.

Not bad, appreciate some American county/rock now and then. Much better than some of the modern stuff.

First time listen but I had heard a snippet of the title track before as well as other Steve Earle songs. I liked this album enjoying pretty much all of the songs on it with the title track and someday being personal favourites. An enjoyable 35 minutes and will be occasionally listened to in the future.

Pretty good. Sounds a bit like Tom petty on some tracks

Steve Earle spins good stories in a country rock hybrid. Never would have listenEd to this on own but enjoyed it.

This was country before it sold out. It’s not my genre so I can’t really judge it very effectively, but it was well crafted

Basic. Good guitar and vocals

Good

Some decently enjoyable country. Doesn't do anything too interesting with it, but it's a fair way to spend 30 minutes. Gets you in that country mood.

I don't normally like country music, but if I had to listen to a country album, I wouldn't mind listening to this one. I liked his voice and the production of the album.

Nice suburb

Pretty cheesy, some of it awful, some not too bad. Overall I guess it just about scrapes an average 3 stars.

2,75 / 3

A great bit of country pop that manages big themes while still keeping the vibes up. Nice.

Decent album.

Well recorded & executed but not really my thing at all.

Not a country fan but pleasantly surprised. At times it felt cliche but the songwriting stood out to me. Verses weren't complex by any means but they were tight and catchy enough. After reading into Steve Earle's bio it makes me curious to hear more of his folk and rock albums that he released after he broke out of the genre.

Just sitä mitä sopi odottaa. Nippa nappa kolmoseen nousee, vaikka eihän tällaista levyllistä usein jaksa.

Onhan se kantria! 3/5

Country is not for me, but this was fine. Solid production and good musicians.

Country never disappoints, happy times, good songs here

This is the type of album I really want to be into, but I can't get all the way there. Some good songs, but the overall effect is less exciting than I want it to be. It's good, but still a bit disappointing for me.

There’s no copperhead road but what there is is a pretty good country rock record

A bit hit or miss for me. The misses are mostly just in a style I don’t enjoy, but the hits are solid examples of 80s country rock.

3.2 - It was good, but I'm not sure there is much substance behind it.

Didn’t grab me at any point, but I can see how someone could really vibe this. 2.7/5

Is it rock or is it country, it's country-rock. For Bruce Springsteen fans who lean more towards country than rock.

Easy to hear elements of his more rock future in this country album. Alternating suspended to straight cord riffs, etc. Some good songs. Poor man’s Dwight Yoakum who has a similar style but who’s had many more good songs.

Decent country record that’s easy to listen to. Mostly relaxed tunes with some upbeat tempos as well. Not an every day listen, but I’ll revisit it.

solid country album, not overly distinctive, but good.

3.3 stars rounded down.

Zieht die Cowboystiefel an und lasst es rocken. Schöne Platte mit gefälligem Country Rock.

Pretty earnest stuff going on here that I could see growing on me. Earle has always been on my radar but never really dug in my spurs to what he's all about. The "80's Springsteen" comparison is not without merit, although he's clearly got his own thing going on, and certainly more western. Can't help but to think about how these songs would sound more stripped back. "Little Rock and Roller" is a great song for instance, but the 80's production complete with digital keys, chimes, and swelling synth strings are a bit distracting. At the heart of this collection, however, is clearly a legend with a lot worth saying, however. I'm looking forward to the next time this ol' tumbleweed comes a-blowin' my particular direction.

Best wel chille country

Cleary not my preferred style, but I kind of enjoyed it.

Sure is Country like.

It was ok

Max music

Despite the fact that I don't really enjoy country music (largely because of the horrors of modern pop country), I'm always happy to get a country album on here because they are usually pretty good. I didn't particularly vibe with this one, but still it's a good piece of country music history 3/5

I liked this. Just classic country. Also, I knew I recognized the guy from somewhere, he was in the Wire and in Treme. Pretty cool, didn't know that he did country music.

Yet another country album that is alright as a background listen but misses the certain special element that makes it stick out of the many releases in country music.

Cringe country

Rating: 6/10

Pretty solid guitar album with the real Americana field. Not really my expectation for some reason. I liked it though.

Country. Normal.

Twangy and a little corny. A farmers delight.

Guitar Town gets nothing more than a "meh" from me. Nice use of steel guitar, but other than that I was mostly bored by this unimaginative album.

pretty middling but occasionally sweet lil country record. i feel bad that i haven't given good reviews to country albums so far with this project, because i am a country defender! its just that a lot of the popular stuff is quite bland- same as any other genre. this record felt like springsteen, if you took away the interesting production/instrumentation and a lot of the songwriting talent. there were a few tracks where some really interesting storytelling shone through, but i don't really like this guy's voice overall, both literally and more generally as an artist. 6/10, fav tracks: down the road, someday, little rock 'n' roller

this is so not my shit but as an immigrant i sure can relate to a song about leaving your small town someday

Would be a three and a half. Solid album. Glad I listened.

Can hear the foundations for modern country. If his voice was a bit stronger, it would be pretty good!

I didn’t think I was going to like it at first but I ended up enjoying it pretty much

Songs about heartbreak - what did you expect? Guitar Steve certainly carries the Johnny Cash tradition. He knows how to kick some shit out of country. A very decent debut.

Monstrously important album from an historical perspective. Alt Country/Americana wouldn't exist - at least in the way we know it - without this effort. The missing string on the cover photo is a perfect reflection of what's inside. Sounds like he's not sure what he's doing or why, but he has to do it so here goes! His later stuff has aged better. But his commitment to making this music at this moment has given us so much that it's hard not to love it anyway.

Solid country album. The songs really seemed to come from a genuine place, not some guy who had grown up in LA and decided to write about the 7 hours he once spent in “the country”.

Not quite my cup of tea personally but a really good example of what good country music can be that doesn’t follow the typical modern day formula of the likes of Kieth Urban etc

Good, but nothing remarkable.

it's heartland rock 🤷‍♂️ guitar town goodbye is all we've got left someday down the road

It's not Steve Earle's fault that you can hear Nickelback and modern country coming. But you can. Never liked his songs as much as I feel like I'm supposed to. There's a tacky Bruce Springsteen thing going on trying to emphasize vocals with phrases that don't have much hook. Having never looked at release dates before it's striking to me that Steve Earle's appearance in Heartworn Highways is so long before his first album. I like the Heartworn Highways stuff more than any releases I know. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

I like Steve, I like him more and more as he gets older and rougher around the edges. But this one is good too. My wife heard this one and said “This is Gido music”.

Liked it

Niet bijzonder maar ook niet kut

Ja, he. Country. Not great, not terrible

This was a really fun country album. Leaned into that rock space which I liked. And only 30 minutes. Kept a few and glad this was on here!

not bad but a bit boring

Decent. Bit like Springsteen but more country

Too twangy for me but food guitar

What is a listen to Steve Earle without Copperhead Road? That shows my bias. This album sounds like someone turned the country up on a John Mellancamp style of rock. At least the first six songs - the last four sound more like country-first (a little softer or a little twangier). Whatever the case, I don't mind it. I still pine for Earle turning up the hard rock on his style of country rock but I can get behind this style of country music...from time to time.

I recently reviewed N.W.A. If I were to describe the exact opposite of N.W.A., this would be it. Probably didn't need to hear this before I die, but it was ok as far as country goes, I guess. Favorite tracks (I guess): My Old Friend the Blues, Someday, Little Rock 'n' Roller (what can I say, I'm a sappy dad).

Listened Before? N Pretty good! It's kind of a dichotomy between a country album and an outlaw rock album (ie Springsteen or Mellencamp). Everyone knows Guitar Town (the song) but after that I kind of found it just background music. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist; Guitar Town

Not a country fan, but I found this album to be very easy going, very folky, and very pleasant. There's nothing earth shattering happening on here, but soulful lyrics and good compositions make for a good listen.

What kind of music do you usually have here? Oh, we got both kinds. Country and Western

Not bad, I liked it but didn’t really love it. Might grow on me though if I listened to it more

I like the title track, which opens the album in a high energy, exciting fashion. But as the album continues, I find little that is new or interesting. I’m not crazy about country music, and this album in particular has a bit too much hokeyness for my taste. But it has its moments.

To be fair? It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It had a calming quality in traffic and was able to appreciate bands like City and Colour and artists like Dustin Kensrue a lil more deeper.

Not my type of Music but I didn’t hate the experience. 3/5

Gewoon country album. Niet al te speciaal

2.75

3,5. ungur steve earle skítlúkkaði. þekki af eigin raun að hárið kemur og fer. full mikið honký tonk fyrir mig en þarna er samt texas köntrí inn á milli. á skilið aðra yfirferð.

Country. Normal.

Typically American. Hooters music

Better than expected. I am often taken aback by interesting country music. I don't love it still, but I like it. 3.25/5

Decently pleasant to listen to but nothing to write home about

I knew only one song of his coming in, that being “Copperhead Road.” This album was more of a generic country sound than I was expecting. Kind of mediocre considering it’s on this list. Nothing really bad here though. Compared to country music today, it’s amazing.

For a country record, decent. Had a ton of cliches, but some personal moments also.

I really wanted to love this album because my mom said it’s one of her faves, but the country tones are just too much for me. A few songs are awesome, but then turns to country too much. Listen again: probably, with some song skips Purchase for my collection: I own on vinyl ;) Favourite Song: Hillbilly Highway

3.5/5

Hmmnnnmmng Country baby Album de country assez simple mais efficace je dirais Pas hyper intéressant en terme sonore, à part quelques bonnes guitares mais wow cette baterie n'est vraiment pas incroyable et le synthé sur little rock and roller est immonde (objectif) 2,5/5 Ni bien ni nul, juste coauntrie cawboye

I like his sensibilities when the music is more upbeat. This good album loses steam.

first listen a few decent tracks but the rest is pretty forgettable

inoffensive, fine enough while its on. maybe im biased from growing up in the rural south but i find this album pretty fun.

This was an alright album was pleasantly surprised may have to try another album by them.

Much better than modern day long dirt road, old pick up truck, short jean shorts, and beer country music. Highlights: Guitar Town Someday Down The Road

I grew up with parents who basically listened only to 80s country. I had little exposure to anything else until I was about 13, so this is right up my alley. I wish my mom had played more Steve Earle and less Dolly Parton/Reba McIntire.

Music I don't identify with, but solid country blues it felt like to me. Not too pop-country for me, that's one of my main problems with country. This felt legit.

Good strong Americana - on the same feel as Bruce Springsteen (the edition I heard had an excellent live cover of State Trooper) but a lot more country. Somehow I always had a soft spot for Steve Earle - especially after appearance in The Wire - but it’s not like I’m ever going to seek this specific record again just for kicks.

Pretty solid country album surprisingly.

First half was much better than the second, decent across the board.

Very country.

Pre-Copperhead Road. Enthusiastic and energetic but he's still got the Johnny Cash thing going on, not really developed his own style yet. Smiled to hear "My granddaddy..", "GI loan" and "turned out the lights" all feature somewhere on this album.

Guitar Town has a recognizeable guitar melody My Old Friend The Blues is a lovely ballad. Overall a regular country twang album.

Well boys, if am going to listen to this, I am going to need a Trucker handle (name) for my CB radio chatter , but cant decide between Moonshine & Luna Moon. Which is more me, a double entendre or the tautology? This smooth album, err, "transports" me to a big barn style bar with neon and barrels and peanut shells and sawdust around. The warm relaxing tones are welcome on this album, and unlike most country, it doesnt grate and need not be weaponised in the Mars Attacks style. I suppose I do miss my 80'thundering Copperhead Road (Pogues influenced). Does the album below here? not qualified to say Do I love it? It is pleasant enough. Comforting. And the lullaby "little rock n roller" finally mentions a Truck Stop, and is kinda sweet. 3.5

Never heard this album before. But I do have a bunch of Earle’s cd’s. And 5 of the 10 tracks appear among the 13 tracks on Essential Steve Earle (1993) - pretty good, considering he’d released 4 albums up to that point. ( By contrast, there are no tracks from this album on the 2003 live album Just An American Boy). It’s an easy listen. He’s in fine voice & the musicianship is first-class. And every now & then I hear a lyric that confirms the class in what he would go on to do. But somehow it all sounds a bit generic. Like I’ve heard it all before. Little Rock’nRoller? Really?There are times when I think it’s a Jimmy Buffet album (not that there’s anything wrong with that). On the remastered 2003 cd, the best track is the bonus track - a live version of Springsteen’s State Trooper also recorded in 1986 - the band sounds so good.

A pretty fair cross of country and rock. Highly influenced by Springsteen; the version I listened to included a pretty good cover of "State Trooper" on the end, just to make that influence super clear. It's OK, but does not set my world aflame.

6/10. Or a low 7. Nice bit of country rock

It would be hard at this point to convince me that those involved in the creation of this list didn’t just throw a dart at the top 40 country albums every couple of years and call that representative of the genre. 6/10

The country really didn’t stop coming! Lower score overall but still good

Idk man de va helt okay men hade inte en övertygande country swag faktor

Fine country I suppose. Almost Springsteen-ish at moments. Definitely typical cliches of country but this was 1986 so I'll cut it some slack. I'd rather live in a Guitar Town than a Small Town.

Ce n'était pas mauvais, mais à la longue c'était un peu trop country à mon goût. Heureusement, c'était un album de courte durée et il a terminé juste comme j'étais tanné, mais je dois admettre que c'était bien fait. Je prendrais certainement ça avant bien des groupes country contemporains. 6/10

Soft country

A very good country album that was pot outlaw but before the pop country. This is a good level of country music and rock sound that makes it enjoyable and still gives it a humble sound. More country albums should have been like this but instead they just aim to make money. A shame because this is quality. Would relisten but overall this isn’t anything groundbreaking just good. 6.8/10

Started strong, fell away towards the end. Good country music. 3 / 5 stars.

Some really lovely guitar work here (fits the name). Unfortunately everything else is just average.

Very solid debut album. Songwriting and arrangements on point, and Earle’s delivery is perfect toungue-in-cheek tragedy. Not my style per se but I appreciate it nonetheless.

If I'm going to do Steve Earle, I believe this is where it starts and stops. Not bad at all.

Solid ‘80s country album but nothing really blew me away. I enjoyed the storytelling quality of the lyrics but a lot of the album runs together after a listen.

This isn't really the country music I enjoy. It just feels so off... 2.5/5

Okay for what it is. But nothing spectacular.

I love My Old Friend The Blues.

It’s country by Steve Earle so of course it’s good but nothing stuck out to me too much. Maybe that was just the circumstances I was listening to the album in but it just gets a high 3.

Standard country rock schmaltz.

Like an uninspired, country version of Bruce Springsteen with less feeling. Nice basic songwriting and structure, nothing extra. Nice album to throw on just to have some noise, but isn’t really deep. It’s fun and I enjoyed it. No substance though. 3/5

If modern country sounded like this I would definitely listen more Guitar Town sounds like a fun place This album makes me want to jump into my Toyota T100 and drive endlessly down a dirt road

3.7 - It's got a strong John Cougar Mellencamp vibe but with more distinctive writing and country music production to square it to a Reagan-loving American heartland demographic. I was slightly put off by the "funny talking man from Iran" line. I also don't love the synthesizer lines that remind of terrible ballads from Ed McMahon's Star Search show from the 80's. But overall, it's a tight and well-crafted pop country record that gives voice to an everyman persona. Standouts: "Hillbilly Highway", "Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough)."

I love when I get to put on my 80s/90s country hat for this project. Upon hearing this album, my initial bias was "well, this isn't nearly as good as X 80s/90s country album that I love! why was this included instead of X?" Well, I think I can somewhat answer that now. The late 80s into the 90s was a transformative time for country, as rock and pop music began to creep more into the overall sound. This album arrived during that transformative time and is probably a very early example of that sound transformation being put into heavy play. A lot of the "heavier" instrument sounds of heartland rock/pop acts were directly transferrable into country music. Bruce Springsteen was definitely among the most influential here, which is why his overall sound and voice affectations are so prominent in this era of country. Steve Earle still has a lot of classic country sounds going on here in these early days, but the Bruce Springsteen-isms are undeniable. Eventually, the Springsteen-isms would take an even heavier hold in the 90s country music scene. This project is known for paying dues to early influencers of various musical movements and sounds, and in the case of country melding with contemporary rock and pop, I think the presence of this album is again an early example of that. And while other artists that came later did this sound better and more famously, this album is in the midsts of the birthplace of the 90s country craze. So again, not a favorite album in the grand scheme of 90s country, but as an appreciator of this country music era, I did baseline enjoy this album.

ммм кантри) нет

I’ll be honest I’ve never been a country person. This album is good at keeping what makes genre recognizable but making it accessible to those, like me, who aren’t big into the genre.

It's fine. One of the best country albums I've ever heard, so let this 3/5 be an indication of how low the bar has been set so far (except for my man Johnny Cash). Nice one, Steve.

The honky tonk beats left me feeling calm and even gave me some bounce as I worked on organizing receipts. Feel good music, but I’m afraid I can’t recall anything that moved me.

sanoin pojanklopille sitten että miks et oo töissä... tuli semmosta vastausta että piti terassilla käydä KOLME röökiä savuttaa ennen kuin hilseet laskeutu takasin alas. menin sitte pojan isälle puhumaan, kysyin että minkälaista taloa siellä pidetään kun ei voida edes TÖIHIN mennä. kyllä niitä töitä tässä maassa riittää... kankkulan kaivoon koko saatanan valtakunta valumassa kun istutaan vaan kotona ja vouhotellaan niistä peleistä.... fearless heart

they type of country I enjoy kinda wilco esque sonds about small towns 3.5

Kinda old school country before it went more pop with a Springsteen like vibe

Not my favorite but extra star for playing Walon in The Wire 3/5

Best prima

Not a huge fan of country music but that's the only thing I don't like about this. Good melodies, good music.

meh

Ok but not great

Easy listening soft country. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me as the music passed by, either as good or bad.

Some forgettable tunes but a few belters, not one I’d be rushing back to but a good listen nonetheless Hillbilly highway best tune for me

Solid old country-rock, not exactly my thing but there were definitely some good songs here.

HL: "Fearless", "Hillbilly Highway", "Someday" The blend of mid-80s radio rock & country kinda slaps for the most part; I‘m skeptical that it’s Earle’s best album but it’s probably the first I’ve heard front-to-back. January 19, 2023

Someday rocked

I am a Steve Earle fan, but this is his early stuff that is a lot more twangy kinda country, than the rockish, southern fried version of his later years. But I did enjoy this album. I have listened before and will probably hear again through my random plays on Spotify. I liked the first several songs on the album. Some were your cheesy kinda songs, but some times I'm into the cheesy, sappy kinda songs. Special shout outs for Hillbilly Highway, Good 'Ol Boy, My old friend the Blues and Someday. And the song that touched my heart was Little Rock n Roller. If some day you are blessed and have children, I am confident this song would make you smile and think of your kids when they were growing up. Shit, you even think of them now, when they have grown up! "I know there's an Angel just for Rock n Rollers" I'm giving this album a 3.5. 3 for the album and a bonus .5 for making me think of my children 3.5 will score a 3

I've actually never listened to Steve Earle but I listened to the hell out of the music of his son, Justin Townes Earle. Justin tragically passed in 2020 at the age of 38 after falling back in love with drugs after years of sobriety. I was really sad when he passed. Steve Earle was doing this weekly podcast/vlog thing named after this album called "Guitar Town" where he would talk about some of his interesting guitars and assorted music stuff. I didn't really follow it because I didn't really follow him but I tuned in to the one that he did the week that Justin passed because I had heard that they had like an on again off again relationship that ultimately ended with both of them being very close with one another. It's interesting to look at because this was Aug 2020 which meant that the pandemic lockdown was still somewhat early but definitely in that phase when people were starting to wonder about how long this thing would last for, and I think that Steve was doing this vlogcast thing to keep himself busy. In the video towards the end, there's this very short and surreal moment where Steve is playing an old mandolin that he describes and spends like 5 or 6 minutes playing and strumming and then he finishes the video by saying "1910 Gibson Model A Mandolin... Justin Townes Earle, 1982, 2020" and then ends the video. The comments section is filled with people sharing RIP sentiments and the difficulty of losing a child and how much they loved Justin but I was just surprised by how he doesn't mention much besides that. He does allude to Justin's passing earlier in the video because he says that he will do "less of these videos, little bit of a break because we had some bad stuff happen around here" and that's it. (Here's the video with time stamp: https://youtu.be/oa8zJWVpm-0?t=568 ) These folk/country lineages I know are always temperamental and drama filled- like the most famous one being the Hank Williams' musical dynasty. IIRC they all hate eachother, and from my perspective, Hank senior is really legit heart breaking roots country, Hank junior is a crappy conservative rockin country pop act, and Hank 3 is the bassist of one of my favorite heavy metal acts, Superjoint Ritual. So they really do their own things and live their own lives.. Anyway, back to this album hahahah! The songs are definitely more country/folk pop than I would have thought. Not exactly my thing but I can pull out elements that I like, like the guitar playing on the otherwise cheesy song "My Old Friend The Blues" is particularly tasteful. "Fearless Heart" is great. To me it sounds just like a song that Justin Townes Earle would write but with much less of an edge to it. I also hear Justin's mumble inside of the singing in "Little Rock 'N' Roller" which is pretty fitting. Makes me sad and the ending being a lullaby really reinforces that. The "State Trooper" cover at the end was nice. I dug the slower, crawling pace of it. Overall I liked the album. I think it fits on this list. It's probably a 3.3/5 for me.

Korrek

There are Steve Earle songs i have known and loved for decades but I do not enjoy country music as the norm. That being said, for some reason listening to this album didn't make me want to instantly turn it off. I'm still giving it a 3 .. but that's high praise for country from me.

If they would speed it up a little and make it a rock 'n roll album, it would have been great, but now it's just boring country music. I liked the last song (live) which had a little more energy.

Not really in to country music but not bad.

Fun 80s country rock, but forgettable.

Not a big country fan, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

Country suave a bordo de una guitarra. Buena voz. Para muy amantes del género

I'm not one for country music but I didn't mind this album. The upbeat songs were fun and while I didn't enjoy the "sad" songs, at least the twang and cheesiness weren't too overwhelming

Very standard 80s/early 90s solo country male sound. I enjoy this kind of music in pieces, the entire album itself got to be a bit much. But I do like the songwriting.

Country

I love Steve Earle, but I prefer his rock side versus this album which is more pure country/twang kind of stuff. It's still good, but I think when he started blending elements of rock and country and folk and bluegrass he really hit his stride. 3 stars.

Some good time country songs but the 80’s digital country tones just aren’t the same as the old timey stuff twangy guitars are happening but they sound so thin and lame compared to George Jones records Little rock n roller is a truly horrible song. Sounds like something we would have to play at a wedding Really not digging the twinkly 80’s piano on hillbilly highway Any album with pedal steel is gonna get a decent rating at least. But man everything sounds so bright and digital. I miss the warmth of old 60s country. Surprised but I actually kinda like the synths sounding guitar on fearless heart Really like the last track. Singing is great, mandolin is great

Great lyrics, but this twangy cowpoke era of his music is not something I'd revisit often. Yeehaw. That little rocker track is even more poignant now since his son's recent passing. Jesus.

For its genre, its pretty strong

I was excited to hear a country/singer-songwriter album, but this didnt do much for me.. it was fine, but I couldnt hear what made it "1001" worthy, if that makes sense...

Malgré une réelle volonté de se débarrasser de ses influences country sur cet album, notre ami Steve Earl ne réussira que partiellement son entreprise et se trouvera bien bête au moment de terminer son projet sur un morceau à la gloire du rodéo et du port d'armes. Bien essayé, toutefois.

Steve Earle tentera tout l'album de se dépatouiller de ce style country tant décrié, sans jamais complétement réussir à s'en extraire.

Just some classic guitar-slammin' country. Makes workplace lethargy slightly more endurable. That said, vocals and songwriting were just okay IMO. Production was smooth and nice at least. Worth a listen, but largely wouldn't re-listen to most of this Fave tracks: "Someday," "Fearless Heart".

A slightly more guitar ‘rock’ side of country or Americana resembling Ryan Adams at times. Ok.

-Ok enough country rock -Not actively unpleasant -That's about all I got

Aight

OK but not my favorite of his. A little too much country twang and not enough rootsy Americana.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

A bit bland I really don’t have good or bad things to say about it

i’m always down for some nashville country, but this album didnt really speak to me. it was fine?

Hmmm, it's sub-Springsteen Americana, a bit samey. Hah, I was going to pick "State Trooper" as my fave track, but it turns out that A) it's a bonus track and B) it's a Springsteen cover! Fave track - "Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough)", maybe, or "Someday"...

"Guitar Town" is Steve Earle's first album after years racked up as a session musician and songwriter. He broke out here with commercial success and multiple singles hitting the country charts. My dad, ever keen to present me with easy-going soft rock with shades of country, gifted me this a few years back as a random selection from the book. I dismissed a bit as lightweight and am only just coming back to it now. I was wrong, Dad. Well, a little bit. The opening track "Guitar Town" gives a good idea of what to expect: super polished, pristinely produced guitar country. There are walls of shimmering acoustic guitar and a clean twangy lead with plenty of tremolo. Drums are stompy, handclaps punctuate the choruses, swells of organ fill in the gaps. The lyrics are unrelentingly cliched and "been-there-done-that" to the point they don't even register, but feel like well worn shoes to dance in. The poor lyrics aren't too much of a problem: the hooks come from the guitar and Earle's unfussy vocals (often with some lovely harmonies, as in "Goodbye's All We've Got Left"). The best songs here are "Guitar Town", "Someday" and "Fearless Heart" (with a cracking chiming guitar solo). Elsewhere there's country blues ("Hillbilly Highway", "Think It Over") slightly dodgy attempts at harder rock ("Good Ol' Boy") and tepid ballads which bring the pace grinding to a halt ("My Old Friend The Blues", "Little Rock 'N' Roller"). Instrumentally, it's very accomplished: not particularly spontaneous or rough around the edges, but it serves the songs well. In 1986, "Guitar Town" must have been completely out of step with the prevailing popular styles of the day, regardless of what was happening in country. Hearing it now has made me appreciate Steve Earle a lot more, but it still isn't really my cup of tea. I'll keep waiting for Travelling Wilburys to come along for this formula to truly click.

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.

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

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.

I liked several tracks but I really preferred his newer material

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.

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

Just a nice country boy singing his nice songs. Inoffensive

Little too country for my liking but still enjoyable

why is this on the list

Seems well produced, not my thing though

This is weird music. It is like Bruce Springsteen, but more 80s and new wave but also more country. This album really confused me.

Spooky in hindsight. An ok debut.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Country. Normal.

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.

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". ***

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

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.

Yep that's honky-tonk alright.

i do not have thoughts ever

Dope and dumb

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.

Not too shabby old boy, started breaking down into a lot of country, so 3 stars, because I ain’t about that.

OK. Expected more.

Good old country

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.

Hayride Springsteen. The precursor-to-Stadium-Big-Hat-Country production occludes the songs a bit.

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.

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.

Too country for me but better than most country

Better then expected

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 get the appeal, but not for me

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.

Good country. Some sad boy jammers. 3.5/5

upbeat country, alright to bop along to but nothing particularly memorable about this.

If I was a trucker in the 80s, I'd probably have played this

A nice album with a cross between different musical styles. Very easy to listen to and be entertained.

Classic Americana. Springsteenesque. Not as good. But still enjoyable. 3/5

Decent country album but ultimately fails to leave an impression

A good album that isn't exactly my thing, but I enjoyed it for what it was

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.

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

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.

Quite enjoyed this 3*

Old style country, dece, but not super good

Good example of "classic" country / country rock. Easy listening, but not super captivating.

I'm not a big country fan, but this is pretty good country, I think.

Good Country

This album had its charms but was a little too something (maybe kitschy?) for me.

Good solid Country album

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.

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

Wel erg country, maar een fijne stem

Copperhead road is not on this album.

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.

Not bad fair play

Nett

I suppose a yee haw is in order. Pretty inoffensive country album

Country/Americana Yeah!

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.

Less dopey than much new country but not really my thing.

Classic 70's american rock. is okay.

Not a country fan

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.

Expectation: Dull American singer-songwriter. Outcome: More honky-tonk and good-ole-boy country than anticipated, but it's another dull American singer-songwriter who, in my opinion, doesn't deserve to be on this list. Immediately after this, Spotify played what I gather is Steve Earle's big hit, Copperhead Road, which is an order of magnitude better than anything on Guitar Town. Rock and folk influences, bagpipes (?), foot-tapping tune. Good stuff, shame it's not on this album.

Not drinking nearly enough cheap room temperature beer to enjoy this one as much as I should. A whiff of Springsteen about it

I thought Steve Earle was someone completely different to who actually started singing when I first played it. Very confused! I am not sure who I mixed him up with…. Haha Anyway, First of all I hated it but the more I listened the more I started enjoying it and it grew on me a bit. Still not my sort of thing though.

533/1089 - Corny country + default DX7 patches? I might vomit.

Aside from the title track being pretty catchy, the rest of this record just sounds like a typical, generic late 80s or early 90s country album. It’s tough to get through because it leans way too heavily on that standard, overly polished Nashville studio production of the era, which completely washes out the raw edge you usually want to hear from a country project. Steve Earle is often praised as an outlaw country pioneer, but this specific debut feels a bit too safe and radio-friendly to back up that reputation. His backing band plays flawlessly, but the arrangements quickly settle into a formulaic, mid-tempo crawl that makes the deep cuts fade into a repetitive background blur. He clearly has a natural gift for working-class storytelling, but the uninspired musical backdrop fails to do those stories any real justice.

This was bit nothing. It was fine and that was it.

Kinda boring