Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Generic and cheesy. The worst of 80s production combined with the worst of country. Featuring maybe the worst song I’ve ever heard “Little Rock n Roller”. At least we get to hear some pedal steel guitar.
The live cuts made the whole experience better
Not really my cup of tea. But I can respect it.
Oh no jag lyssnade men sen blev jag uttråkad and then i forgot sry steve earle
Nah
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
Stop trolling my 1001. I already had Dwight Yoakem this week, now I've got this uber-twangy MOR country shite. Confusingly, the book says its length is 64:59, Wikipedia says 33:35, and Spotify says 39 minutes. Oh, of course he's done a Springsteen cover at the end. He's basically Bruce with all the good stuff removed and shit country tropes inserted. Never heard any of these songs before and I hope I never hear any of them again. I found Yoakem tolerable, but this was a slogggg. I hate pretty much everything about this. No option but to give it a 1. Fortunately the book was wrong.
I've already listened to this, but I'm giving him a relisten since I like some of his later stuff. Yep, it's still meh. ⭐⭐
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
Love his politics, not too hot on his music
can't let gang know i fw this
Honky tonking at work today, pretty good.
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.
Not my style. (30 known/60 new)
I keep wondering if I've finally made it through all of the country albums on this generator but I keep getting new ones. I'll admit that a handful have surprised me, but most have been duds. Apologies to any country fans out there, but it just doesn't do it for me. "Guitar Town" really hasn't done much to change my mind. It's filled with every cliche in the book and doesn't add much musically to the genre. Country cringe gives way to 80s cringe on "Little Rock n Roller". There are some decent moments on the album as a whole and there's nothing particularly offensive. But it's definitely not for me.
Early Earle. Great talent and a good album. I’d like to live in a guitar town.
Country is not my jam. It wasn't bad but I continue to not be a fan of country.
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.
Simple but heartfelt. A lot of yearning for a better life, wanting to get out of a place you feel stuck. Extremely relatable if you grew up in a small place. I'll always have respect for older country music like this for that reason. To go on a tangent, as a kid I would seek out the radio stations that played country like this or classic rock. Growing up in the southern USA it was either that or listen to the vapid stadium country/pandering country/hick-hop (whatever you wanna call it). Music like this album were a bit of a saving grace. It's simple, sure. A little hokey at times and with a smidge of casual racism. The emotional depth is easy to notice if you aren't just hating because it's country. The love songs were a little surface level though, I'll admit
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.
I’ll get the bus back from Guitar Town if I have to
Light 4, Steve Earle rules. Is he the only Wire cast member to appear on this list?
Did not like it
I don't have the patience for mediocre country music in these troubling times. There are exactly two types of song on this record – happy and sad – and those emotions are portrayed with as many chords (pretty much). Add something, anything, resembling harmonic musical progress and we'll have ourselves a deal. The album has very little sense of progression, which is a problem I have with most single-genre artists on this list. Even though it cycles through a few moods, providing some variety from the otherwise monotonous listening, it feels more like treading water than swimming towards this fabled Guitar Town. Instead, we start in Guitar Town (a great song, by the way) and drag our feet slowly through the quicksand. Also, there's no excuse writing a song called My Old Friend The Blues and having it be anything but blues. (The Rolling Stones did the same thing on Sticky Fingers, but I'll allow that because it sounds good.) There are a few positives to shout out here. Consistency has its place in music, and it's definitely something Earle does well. The songs are similar to each other but differ through their guitar hooks, which do hold their own (even if they're unmemorable). Earle's voice is pretty good – certainly twangy enough to follow in the footsteps of the country genre. The spots of 80s production and instrumentation (e.g. the airy electronic percussion), while normally a terrible addition to music, are used sparingly enough that they spice up the album a little. 2/5 Key tracks: Guitar Town, Goodbye's All We Got Left, Little Rock'N'Roller
these are the sounds going through the head of a divorced dad as he drinks lite beer at noon on a wednesday (hump day) and tries to identify the hookers in the motel parking lot (there arent any). he is on his way to texas and he doesnt know why (she took the kids). hillbilly highway slaps 2/5
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.
Bruce if he was terrible. So sparse, so boring. Appreciate his outspoken socialist views, wish he was better at making music. He’s got back to back shows at tin pan in Richmond coming up, might have to add a rule that if the list subjects me to an album I have to go see the artist if they’re in town.
Is this the origin of all shitty pop country of the last 30 years? I can't tell, but I have a feeling that the formula was close to being defined. Was this album incredibly easy to listen to? Yes. Too easy? Yes. It was interesting to notice the blend of country and 80s beats at some points; however, there really wasn't much else interesting to this album. Vocals aren't impressive, production is pretty bland, there isn't much musicianship at any point. The storytelling is the only thing that you can probably speak to, but it's not unique in any way. It feels like an album that is designed to target people that pretend to be country in their suburban homes. Sorry! Favorite song: Down the Road I'm feeling a 2 on this.
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
Originally, my review for this album was "Country Music for people who voted for Reagan", but then I googled Steve Earle. Turns out he's a lifelong socialist and, like, genuinely incredible. Lifelong Pro-Choice, supporter of people with autism, strong focus on being anti-capital punishment. He protested against the Iraq War, Steve Earle sounds awesome. Too bad every song that sounds like yours for the next 40 years would be made by shitheads. 2 stars, which includes the bonus one for Steve being cool.
Rather enjoyed this one
It was fine. Nothing special.
I dont think this anything special but also I really enjoyed it bc its totally my shit. like I put on an album to write my paper so my brain could be blank and this was slightly too enjoyable yktv.
7/10 - It is a classic country album but I liked a few songs. I think I like country more than I originally thought
As far as actual listening experience goes this was probably like a 3 but unfortunately I don't think twangy Walmart Springsteen deserves a place on the list
Old school country/folk, reminiscent of John Denver
Perfect music to drive through the desert to, which I was. 6/10
I love Steve Earle's music. I hadn't heard this one before, but I'll be listening to it again. He's a such a great writer and performer.
Meh. I guess this album is all right if you want some softer, more countrified Bruce Springsteen/Tom Petty/something else I can’t think of at the moment. Would not revisit.
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.
Some of the lyrics describing the downturn of small-town America are actually good, and they keep with the tradition of Country songs being depressing. But for the most part, it's pretty boring stuff, and I definitely don't like the music. For a Country album, the sound is a bit too polished, and there isn't enough personality in the songs to shine through that stylistic choice.
Generic country tunes, did not catch my ear
Too country for me. I didn't hate it, but I won't ever listen to it again.
Great album. Takes me back to happier times. 1986? Jeez, 39 years! His best album (for me).
good country but why does some of this album have the most 80s synths ever???
Decent.
He likes his truck more than I care for
I’ve heard prolly 3 songs off this album before today. I’m glad I heard the rest. Great album.
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
Nope. Doesn't belong on the list. What the hell was that?
Not my cup o tea but some points for HIllbilly Highway
Not a big country guy - he's okay but it's nothing special.
NOPE, not for me
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
Musically this was decent. His voice felt like he was trying really hard to be "country" to the point it seemed like a joke.
I like Steve Earle but nothing stood out. I don’t know, it’s fine enough.
solid guitar jams
I previously only knew Steve Earle for "Galway Girl", which I grew to hate with a passion after 5 years living in Galway. So I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this - kind of like a country Bruce Springsteen. I think it straddles (pun intended) the border between country and rock really well. Alt-Country is a genre that I've only recently come around to, but I'm liking what I've heard of it so far. The run from Hillbilly Highway to Someday is particularly great. It does get a bit too "Yee-Haw" for me in places though.
Meh
2 --- Country sin chiste
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.
Wait, this isn’t a parody of country music?
I wasn't feeling this at first, but by the end felt like it was quite enjoyable. Good instrumentals and vocal work. 'Little Rock 'N' Roller' was my fave.
Maybe like a 3.75 rounded up. It's easy to listen to, blues-rock. No song comes on as overbearing, and the album isn't that long, but it's just a Copperhead Road or two short of having enough hits to be a memorable album.
Oh dai, sarà che in treno avevo le montagne innevate di fianco, ma mi è parso molto figons
Really great album. Classic country singer songwriter. Big fan.
< The Beatles
I'm sure it's a good album and has some nice songs but it's not my thing.
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.
Boring
Normally I’m down for some “alt country,” and a few tracks here were enjoyable. But for the most part I found his accent a bit grating.
This is the type of country that irritates me: basic instrumentals, foolish lyrics, and vocals that countrify every word.
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.
It's fine, it's boring, and it's not meant to be anything special are all good ways to describe this album. I don't know why the author of this list chose an album like this over stuff that's actually high quality but whatever, his loss. Just another worthless spot on the list
7/10
Surprising and I really liked it.
Alright, good background country
Surprisingly really enjoyed this. Solid
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.
Liked this way more than i thought i would! Need to listen a few more times to figure out exactly what works, but the clean sound stands out. I think country is a blind spot for me I need to explore.
Sort of a cross between John Mellencamp and John Prine. The sort of country music that feels more like roots rock, with clever and effective lyrics that make feelings of small town confinement and ambition seem like especially American emotions. The sound is nice and clean and uncomplicated, with each song drawing from the same tonal palette but still feeling unique in construction (the distinct and catchy lyrics - ie. "goodbye is all that's left to say" - are a big part of this). Though the country twang and southern references probably make this considered country, i think it's more of an ancestor of Wilco or (Pat nailed it) Ryan Adams, than Toby Keith. I would like to drink some beers around a firepit in my Dad's backyard and listen to this album while he's talking to himself about politics.
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
This kinda sounded like a spoof of a country album. Such an over the top twang in his voice, so so heavy on the bendy guitar, so many lyrics about being from a small town and wanting to get out. This isn’t for me. If we have this in here, I demand more hip hop
Knew the name and actually saw him play at a festival a few months back, but had never really dug into any of his recorded stuff. I grew up listening to a lot of Ryan Adams, who I guess we’re not supposed to like anymore because he was a bad dude to Phoebe Bridgers and Mandy Moore. C’mon man. This album reminds me of early Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Bruce, Mellencamp, more Americana than country. Great songwriting and vibe. Favorites were Guitar Town, Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left, Good Ol’ Boy, Fearless Heart. This State Trooper cover is also pretty nice.
He's like Hank Williams meets John Prine
2.9 2x catch up 2/19
I am not a country music afficionado, so my review isn't worth much. I always loved Copperhead Road, and a few on this album were fun. But playing the whole album one song after the next was kind of monotonous. Too much twang for me.
"My father is my uncle" Country
Far too country. The lyrics are just too hokey.
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
I start off biased because this music is something that I will never consider impressive to me. This, given its genre, could have been worse. I just think the twang is something I don’t appreciate so I can’t really tell what’s good from bad because it’s all pretty meh to me.
At best I could generally say this is fine. It's not a genre I often like and with the 80s reverb wash over everything it sounds incredibly of-its-time which is not a great sound. I have a hard time connecting with music like this - it could and probably would be fun to hear this / him / them in a live setting, but the rote and uncreative 4 chord country rock washes over me in a forgetful way; i.e. I don't feel any emotions or chills at all, it's just.... *there* - how has Steve Earle gotten so (relatively) famous? I expected and maybe wanted more. This is - as the kids say - pretty mid. Also, simple (I could say boring...) music like this almost forces you (me) to rely on something else, which I suppose the only other thing IS the lyrics which are laughable - almost a self-parody. They do absolutely nothing to me other than - I admit - allow me to adhere to certain stereotypes. Hillybilly Highway, good ol' boy, etc.... Ok...there is some decent stuff midway through - "My Old Friend the Blues" is nice - will definitely give points to this slow one; gives a little of an old-school feel which would have been nice to hear more of. "Someday" has a strong Springsteen vibe although the lyrics start to dance that line between Bruce and Bon Jovi.... Overall though - a disappointing pass. 3/10 2 stars.
nice stuff, really liked Someday
This is the kind of country I used to associate with the genre before listening to it. Just down on your luck, life kinda sucks but its a hot day with your buds and you can still have fun even if you never leave your hometown. Its fun, and I love the distinct sound Earle has.
What a great country album. Loved his guitar sound. Lyrics about shitty rural life and the dream of escaping it. Good luck bud!
Good vibe.
Country. 6/10
I just really struggle with country music…
Initial thought was not more good ole boy American country rock - which really is not flavour of the month currently. However after 3 listens its really growing on me - with a couple of really good tunes (esp Someday, Fearless Heart) and I am suddenly realizing were the Saw Doctors (a formative band for me!) got a lot of their inspiration from. The sun is shining and I'm feeling generous so going to give it a low 4.
Guitar Town I really like Steve Earle. Copperhead Road is a great album and he has an excellent run from I Feel Alright to Jerusalem, where he branches a little further away from his country rock sound. I’m not as familiar with this album as those, but this is a very enjoyable country rock album, with some rockabilly and Latin accents here and there, if not quite as ambitious as some of his later stuff. Although the production is pretty conventional 80s country rock, particularly the drums, I do really like the ‘big’ sound to it and there is some interesting instrumentation on some of the songs, the odd synth or string part here and there, and there is some good country guitar riffing and interplay too. Lyrically he is quite atypical for the genre, there’s a lot of Springsteen in the tales of blue collar hardship and longing to escape, but he’s also not coming from a Conservative-Christian-Country viewpoint, he has a much more empathetic, progressive perspective and some righteous anger about lack of opportunities and small town hypocrisy. It gets off to a great start with the first 3 songs, all great uptempo country, and Good Ol Boy is great as well, a more rocking song with a nice organ and guitar line. Someday has a really interesting loping swing to it, always feeling like it’s slightly behind the beat, and a very Springsteen small town lyric. Little Rock’n’Roller is a good song too, it has a kind of doo-wop country vibe. I really like Down the Road, it has a Tom Petty vibe to me and I really like the organ and mandolin. 🎸🏙️🎸🏙️ Playlist submission: Good Ol Boy
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.
This album is in the wrong book. It should be in the "The most generic songs of all time: How to do it in less time"
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.
Nej tak
Federe produktion end den slags plejer at have, men sangene var ikke så meget min stil
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.
2.5 ok country. Can tell it’s a predecessor to studio country. Fav song My old the blues
I thought it was generic country, and a bit of a Springsteen derivative. Then I thought I shouldn’t compare every 80s American male singer/songwriter to Springsteen. Then I got to the Springsteen cover.
Harmless honkeytonk from a great voice.
3/5
Good lighthearted album. Really enjoyed some of the slower songs
4.0
Euuh, pffft… correct
I didn’t know this artist. Did not know what to expect and then heard the first 30 seconds and thought “oh this is very country.” Country’s not my thing, but it wasn’t too bad. Some tracks I would rate 2, some 3s. Averages out to an overall 2 for me.
This hits hard. I’ve never really listened to Steve Earle but I love his classic voice and the modern country instrumentation.
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.
This album taught me (once again) that Country music is not for me.
Not sure how this wound up here- I hate country.
This is the most generic country rock album I’ve ever heard
I was surprised by how much I liked it, especially the last half of the album
A bit of a discovery. Like country with all the fat trimmed off. Lean. Great tunes. Four stars from me. Not a physical purchase but added to playlists.
1. touun - 1.5 2. left - 1 3. highuuay - 1 4. good - 1.5 5. bluez - 1.5 6. zomeday - 1.5 7. over - 1 8. heart - 1.5 9. roller- 1 10. road - 1.5 11. trooper - 1.5
No
I don't like it at all. All by the book, no emotion whatsoever. Favorite song: my old friend the blues, but I don't like that one very much either.
OG Outlaw Country doing it best.
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
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the first few songs of this album, usually this isn't really my thing.
I’m not sure why I dislike country music as passionately as I do. But I definitely do and this album helped me to prove it. Too much boot scooting twang for me.
This is probably good for country - but I just really don't love country
Only connect with some of the soul put on display here. Didn’t like it too much
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.
I don't have an ear for country. I like blues, I like folk to an extent. But not country. This album did not change my position. In fact, My Old Friend the Blues, when compared to the Proclaimers' remake of it, sucks donkey bal...[user edited for questionable moral character]
Oh another one!
3 - I really liked Goodbye’sAll We’ve Got Left
perfect "Americana"
Look, I'm not at all a country fan, but this is good stuff. Other people might not agree, but I probably feel this way because this album aligns quite a bit with my small-town experience. This is especially the case for "Someday," a song that is disturbingly relatable to me. I also rather enjoyed the title track and "Good Ol' Boy." I wasn't looking forward to this album, but I can see myself coming back to it occasionally in the future.
Pretty solidly mediocre. Nothing to despise. Not much to like. A couple catchy bits, mostly where he sounds like Springsteen. Definitely not enough to make me like country music.
This album presaged the coming explosion of alt country and roots rock. Guitar Town is an excellent listen. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-guitar-town-by-steve?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
My cousin is a huge Steve Earle fan, but he never really clicked for me - until now. Technically, this is folk-rock, but these are perfectly formed popsongs, the sort of heartbroken ballads that Taylor Swift would launch into the stratosphere 40 years later.
***An ok, easy listening album
Steve Earle - Guitar Town Listen, I tried to be as fair as possible with this album, but this isn't for me. And the thing is, this is a decent album, but compared to the other albums that I'd listened in the past (including this list) are miles better than everything this album is, even albums that are chill and relaxed sound better than anything this album stands for. This album really fits into the "country music" stereotype, at least I'm glad that this album is short, longer than that and I would've take time to reflect at how dull and boring this is. Even an album like "Strange Cargo III" (an album from this list which I didn't like) failed to do something experimental, but at least it tried to be innovative. But this album though, this is bad. 1.- Guitar Town = 6/10 2.- Goodbye's All We've Got Left = 7/10 3.- Hillbilly Highway = 5/10 4.- Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough) = 6/10 5.- My Old Friends the Blues = 5/10 6.- Someday = 5/10 7.- Think It Over = 4/10 8.- Fearless Heart = 5/10 9.- Little Rock 'n' Roller = 7/10 10.- Down the Road = 5/10 FINAL SCORE = 5.5/10
Solid album.
General impression: country-rock preceding “alt-country” Detailed review: Ugh, I hate this dorky country sound. I can barely stomach it when it’s coming from Springsteen and he’s not even country. I can’t deny that he’s talented and I imagine if you like this style, you probably love this album. But it’s very much not for me. Deeper thoughts (context): Score: 1 Number of albums left to review: 931 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 41 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 29 (including this one)
Every song made me think of "Copperhead Road." So it was very meh.
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.
Wonderful artist and album
Loved it. No real A+ songs (which is why it’s a 4 and not a 5) but fun and pop/rock/country feel. Reminded me a little of Tom Petty.
I really don’t like giving out 1 star reviews, but I couldn’t even finish it. Can’t stand country music.
Didn’t hate it
With a name like Guitar Town I really expected some more impressive guitar-based material. This is false advertising. It’s just not my style of country. I don’t love his voice, and the backing band does little more than exist. It sounds excellent, very well-produced, but at a certain point it becomes too polished.
No
Middle-of-the-road country rock for dads.
Cool, thanks for coming by
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
This album feels like it’s the background music the live band is playing at the honky tonk while youre more focused on getting the girl with the ruby red lips blonde hair blue eyes and are about to bid your heart goodbye. Pretty boring and forgettable. But thank u Mr Earle for giving us copperhead road.
Didn’t mind it, but wasn’t super into it. I liked the part about his “…brother going to college to play football, but I didn’t get to go cause I’m a little bit small.” In general fairly neutral album.
Maybe my ignorance is showing because I’m not a huge country music fan, but I really don’t see the influence here. It’s mostly unremarkable 80s country for me.
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.
I was hoping to like this more. I often like the better country albums I get exposed to. This one didn't do it for me. Just seemed boring/generic country pop. Formulaic structure, standard tropes, meh instrumentation, all polish no substance.
Most excellent. Hadn't heard all of this before.
Just when thought I started getting into country, I got this and didn’t like it at all. I’m not even sure what I don’t like about it. It just feels really bland and uninteresting. Still I didn’t hate it and liked some aspects- especially the steel guitar. I added Fearless Heart to my playlist for its great solos. 2/5
Sleeper, uninspired, and innocuous if you could condense it all into one album. I really tried vibing with this but it was all in vain. There really isn't much to say about this other than I wish it was better and it wasn't so corny at times. Top 1: Guitar Town Not sure I'd call the rest of it bad but it was definitely mid. 2.50/5
I don't like country. It's all the same. This sounds ok but it still is country.
I don’t like country. I really don’t like commercial country..
Could be the worst county I have ever listened to.
Phenomenal album. Steve Earle is seriously underrated. Glad to see him on here.
Was ist das denn für ein Country-Unfall? Hey pretty baby, lass uns down the road in den Sonnenuntergang reiten... Gruselig.
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 Song added to playlist: Guitar Town I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Just some good clean obviously ’80s country music.
It's ok
Little Rock n roller takes on a whole new meaning after the passing of his son.
I met Steve Earle once. There was a guitarist that everyone in the music business knew named Danny Gatton. He made solo music, but also was very well known as a session guitarist on everybody's albums. A virtuosic and beloved guitar player. And then he suddenly died young in 1994 leaving young kids behind. So Steve Earle showed up to create a benefit concert to help pay for his kids' college. And I, a young twenty something with my brother got to wrangle cable for the film crew that made a documentary about it a few feet away from the performances of numerous musicians. It was the first time I had heard of Steve Earle, and it's still my understanding of him. The guy who shows up. A living treasure. This album is no different. We need him now more than ever.
Depending on your location, the inbreeding of Country and 80's music made for either the best or worst of times.
The vague misremembered bits in the back of mind had framed Steve Earle as a country rock guitar icon. But maybe I had him mixed up with someone else. There are some decent guitars on “Guitar Town,” but not enough to devote an entire municipality to. Past that, Earle delivers some pretty generic country songwriting and vocals, which are not typically my thing. Maybe Earle was the one who made it generic. Not sure if that would deserve more credit or less.
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
This album isn't bad, but it doesn't stand out as exceptional either. It feels very mediocre and middle-of-the-road, falling short of being worthy of a "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list. I'm not the biggest fan of country music, so perhaps I'm not the best person to fully appreciate it, but I can confidently say I won't be revisiting this one.
01) Guitar Town - 6,0 02) Goodbye's All We've Got Left - 5,5 03) Hillbilly Highway - 5,5 04) Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough) - 5,0 05) My Old Friend the Blues - 5,0 06) Someday - 5,0 07) Think It Over - 4,5 08) Fearless Heart - 5,5 09) Little Rock 'n' Roller - 5,0 10) Down the Road - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,20 (52/100) Current ranking: 331/363 Listening to this album is the equivalent of watching paint dry on a wall. I'd rather listen to Shania Twain, at least she's entertaining. Speaking of Shania, we can evaluate this album in her words: That don't impress me much!
как предыдущий. ничего не могу про него сказать, но слушать мне ок, пара треков приятные и запоминаются
While I think I prefer his later work, this album is really good. It slips though the folds of country music and stands apart as something unique
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.
Got too twangy for me
I always say that I'm just not a country fan. Then this generator generates "county" music that I like. I liked this, I liked the singer-songwriter stuff. It did get a little twangy, at times, but I just liked it. I would probably classify this more as Americana a-la Tom Petty than I would full on country. Or maybe I like country more than I thought I did.
Probably very good if you think it's OK to sleep with your cousin.
A little corny and certainly follows the tropes and stereotypical themes most people associate with country music. The dude is a good singer and the record itself isn’t bad, it just feels a little… generic. Like, if A.I. was asked to write lyrics for a country album, you’d likely end up with something like this. Again, not a bad album, it just doesn’t feel unique or blow me away enough to be on this list. Favorite track: Fearless Heart
A buddy of mine has often called me a "god-damned proper American." I think that means I'm built to like this record, and I do. It doesn't quite do enough for 5 stars but I'll happily go 4. Also he hates Trump which is cool.
i usually hate country music and this record didn't change my mind, honestly didn't like it at all
I thought it was fine. Very country I think, though not my taste. It didn't stick out to me
too country & western for me, couldn't get into it
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.
It's not the worst but it's not really my cup of beer. A couple of reviews here used the word "cornball" and I think that's pretty accurate. Sorry to say that I don't think the intervening years have been very kind to the good ol' boys.
A song called guitar town should have more and better guitar. This was execrable
Maso
This is just all kinda the same, but not in a good way. It's just generic country. The music video for 'Someday' is good but the song is just okay. Steve Earle is pretty hot.
fuck its so commercial
First album that I’ve listened to in this project that I’ve really question its place on the list. It’s just straightforward country. Absolutely nothing noteworthy about this whatsoever. Nothing. Nadda.
Why?
I enjoyed a couple of tracks (guitar town was a good start) but not much after that. It’s a style that just doesn’t do anything for me.
Some of the most generic country I have ever heard. Sounds like wanna-be Springsteen. I'll be honest, I completely zoned out during the last 5 songs, but if I remember correctly they all sounded exactly the same. Low 2.
Bog standard (modern) country
Fine whatever
Ah, creating the stereotypes. It's good, but it tired me out. I guess I find it too safe Between 2 and 3 stars for me
Hyyy -haaa cowboy 🤠🤠🤠
Wasn't a fan. Seemed to teeter on the brink of parody at times, and felt much longer than 34 minutes. A couple of decent songs though.
Not my style but enjoyable. The emotion comes through.
dont care for country, skimmed and skipped
🥸
I don’t think I’d heard of Steve Earle until I started reading Dorian Lynskey’s 33 Revolutions Per Minute. However, I’ve line danced to “Copperhead Road” countless times in my life, but I just never knew who sang it, or if I did, it never stuck in my memory. Regardless, based on what I know about Steve Earle, I’ve been looking forward to listening to this album, so I hope it lives up to my expectations for it. While this wasn’t a five-star album for me, I still thought it was really good. I’m not terribly familiar with a lot of country music from before 1990, but I’ve enjoyed the few country albums that I’ve listened to that came out before the nineties. This album had a really great ‘honky-tonk’ sound, combined with a few elements of eighties pop music. The guitar playing was great, and I enjoyed Steve Earle’s singing, and I really loved the songs that featured organ playing. I really love when country music uses an organ, so “Guitar Town” and “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left” were a couple of my favorite songs on the album. However, the pedal steel guitar on “Fearless Heart” was my favorite part of this album musically. The songwriting on this album was pretty good too, but some of the love songs were a bit drab and unoriginal in my opinion. One of the things that excited me the most about this album was knowing Steve Earle’s political positions, but I was a little bummed that there were only two songs that featured any social commentary. They were good songs, but I would have loved more of them. Maybe I just wanted a conduit for my distaste for Donald Trump and the GOP now that the 2024 election is only a few weeks away. I digress. I really enjoyed the overall sound of this album, and it definitely has a mood that feels pretty distinct to the eighties that I’m struggling to put into words. I guess it feels like it was driven by songwriting and not by some producer trying to sell records, and I think that’s something that’s definitely missing from post 9/11 country music. While I wasn’t blown away by Guitar Town, I still thought it was really good, and I’d be inclined to listen to this album again some day, especially on a road trip.
Very reminiscent of Garth Brooks, fun album
Very average Country music...to my ear anyway. I'm sure some will love it, but not for me.
Country rock is a huge hit-and-miss. If they're playing it safe, it's a near guarantee of a miss.
Nice country album. Highway songs, my kind of music. Love it!
it’s a 2
Pre-listening thoughts: absolutely loving this run of short albums we’ve gotten for the past few days. This is country??? Crazy, I don’t think we’ve gotten any country in like 80 albums thus far. Post/during listening thoughts: it’s like objectively okay country but man I am not a big country fan. I like some country by women but as soon as it’s a man singing it I’m super disinterested. I love fitting lesbian stereotypes lol 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nope Fav tracks: ??? Least fav tracks: Good Ol Boy (Getting Tough)
Not the best singer/songwriter of all time - but it’s not a mistake to put his name in the conversation of the top 20. Very solid piece of work
“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.
Americana jams.
Not for me
I picked up a used copy of this album on vinyl several years ago, sort of on a whim. I was aware of Steve Earle, mostly because I had seen his son Justin Townes Earle in concert a few years before and liked his music. At the time I held an uninformed opinion that the son’s music was vastly superior to the father’s, and I liked Justin’s singer-songwriter vibe more that I liked country music. What I discovered in Guitar Town was a flavor of country music that I hadn’t quite known yet, and I found it delicious. I love this album. It’s great for many reasons, not the least of which is it’s filled with incredibly well written songs. These aren’t songs about drinkin’ beers on the tailgate of a truck, or putting your boot in someone’s ass. These songs contain stories about many aspects of the human experience, and there’s nothing recycled or phony about it. Even a song with the title “Good Ol Boy (Gettin’ Tough)” is void of cliche, and cliche is the single biggest issue with most modern country music. The music itself is an interesting take on country. The lead guitar on the title track is infectious: it’s simple but doesn’t sound very country to me. Much of it sounds like what would later become “alt-country” from artists like Uncle Tupelo and Sturgill Simpson. One of the album’s best songs is My Old Friend The Blues, which wouldn’t sound country at all without Steve’s mild twang. The biggest takeaway from revisiting this album this time was the song Little Rock ‘n Roller. It hit me that this song is about his son, which had not occurred to me before. Justin passed away since the last time I’d listened to Guitar Town, and this song nearly brought me to tears. What a sweet gift to his son this song was. Justin didn’t have very nice things to say about Steve at the concert that I saw him, and I really hope they made peace before Justin died.
only country that’s decent
This was ok but not something I’d want to listen to again.
This has some great Americana sound, but nothing mind blowing.
I expected this to be a redneck delight but was pleasantly surprised. Steve Earle is a fantastic songwriter and genuinely multi-faceted.
no me interesa lo siento 5.5/10
Not very interesting country stuff. Some songs were mildly catchy
Not for me
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.
pretty crap 2 stars
Started ok, but turned into too much country
Not too bad. Nearly enjoyable but not really my kind of music.
So generic, so perfectly 80s, that I feel anyone slightly a fan of country from this era must love this. Unfortunately, I am not, and this sounds grating, and I feel like even ten minutes more would've pushed it over the edge for me. However, this album isn't offensive enough to warrant it, and instead I'm just left feeling like these are the same thoughts I have coming away from every country album from this time. I've just hesrd enough of it now to be used to it. Not sure if that's a positive or not.
Just really not my thing, and a few of the songs were real skippers for me (but I didn't skip!)
questa selezione e' troppo americanocentrica
Good enough.
Gritty country rock
Fn country album
Brilliant. The Bob Dylan of country.
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.
Hardly a good voice and the rest of it, lyrics and instrumentals, well... they were there. At best a band you'd hear playing at a bar somewhere in Oklahoma or something like that. Hardly any country on this list and surprised that this one snuck in. 4/10.
Love it
Country. Not really my favorite genre but not offensive.
Really good, this is the kind of country music I like.
Nice country album
Can't honestly say there's anything here of any merit. No originality or unique vibe to bring to the show. Awful.
didn’t listen yet but will do
Totally acceptable country music :)
Today is yet another album that I’d never come across before. I wasn’t expecting to like this since Apple Music describes it as country. However, this ended being a jaunty little half hour of fun. It doesn’t go too far into the Wild West, but is still definitely sitting in the country music genre. Perhaps I enjoyed this more than expected because the guitar playing is generally interesting throughout. Either way, I’m happy I came across this. It’s a bit of a gem.
No. 242/1001 Guitar Town 3/5 Goodbye's All We've Got Left 4/5 Hillbilly Highway 3/5 Good Ol' Boy 3/5 My Old Friend the Blues 3/5 Someday 3/5 Think It Over 3/5 Fearless Heart 4/5 Little Rock N' Roller 3/5 Down The Road 4/5 State Trooper 3/5 Average: 3,27 Not a ground-breaking record. I'm just a sucker for guitar music and this is done pretty well here.
3.5☆/5 08.24.2024
is this supposed to be a beacon of country music? i’m likely not tuned in enough to the genre to understand why. didnt like this much
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.
Don't know much about country, but it was really good.
Decent enough country.
Country is not my jam, but this is decent
No no no no. Got as far as Hillbilly Highway. That voice sounds like someone trying to dona parody of country to show how annoying it can be. How is that an actual voice. Just stop it. 2* as without the stupid accent it would actually be not terrible music wise. Starting to understand how Americans feel when they hear drill or Lily Allen or something.
Good ole boy from the good ole 80s.
I like country music but modern country just isn't my thing. This was basic, bland. boring and there's nothing here I'd want to hear again.
j'aurais pu mourir avant d'écouter cet album mais ça reste sympa. ça me fait penser aux vinyles qu'on peut trouver dans des piles énormes qu'on regarde même pas vraiment. C'est pas si terrible, surtout oubliable
Loved him on The Wire. But honkey tonk makes me stabby. I know it’s good, but I just can’t listen.
Liked this! Pretty calming and nice. Solid 4
no thank you
Cheesy country rock. Really Really not my thing. However he hates Trump and has been married 7 times. Not sure that is important but have a ***
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.
First listen. Ok
Sorry but no. This sounds like true contry to me but what do I know. Not 'difficult' to listen to but not that fun either. Production is good, his best song is not on this album but it's pretty cringe
I apologize in advance for the shitty review but oh my god I fucking despise country. The shitty guitar strumming, the same chords over and over again, the same electric guitar arrangements, the same vocals, the same shitty lyrics (this mf literally opens up saying "pretty baby") and on top of repeating those factors over and over again in every song, you'll find them within every song, there isn't a single interesting change in any track, ever. The only times I actually enjoy country is when I played Fallout New Vegas and random 1950s country music would play in the radio with banger after banger (Johnny Guitar) or if I'm listening to CCR which are amazing.
I'd hesitate to give this 1 star because it's not absolutely terrible, it's just completely not my thing and very very boring. A very generous 2 stars.
Great revitalization of country music. Still sounds incredible and really fun to listen.
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.
If you like country, you like this. I don't.