Guitar Town

This one may be the best in its genre: Awful. Terrible.

On the plus side it’s only 34 minutes long!

Meh

I mean, he can sing. And that is everything said in this album. Its just overproduced country junk.

I went to guitar town and everyone there knew ya. Country singer song writer. Eh. Not my thing. Skipped most of this record

Still don't like country, and this is not even good country.

i prefer to stay off the ... "hillbilly highway"... and I dont want a pickup truck. No thanks

All sounds the same, and his voice is annoying.

Im very open to almost any genre of music, but god I cannot fucking stand this hokey country music bollocks. I knew immediately from the first song I’d hate this one

"Country Rock" my ass. Don't try to fool me; it's straight up Country. The title of the album is somewhat relevant, but the quiet, hick guitar gets drowned out by the dreary singing. Lord, help me on this rainy Wednesday morning(this album turns 40 years old tomorrow by the way). Favorite Track: "Guitar Town".

Nahhhh Not for me, friends. Everything sounds the same to me and I stopped listening after someday.

Steve Earle, you seem like a nice man, but I could not wait for this to end.

I gave it a chance but I just don't like country music. And this is especially bad

Country is my absolute least favorite genre. I gave it 3 tracks, then stopped listening. Didn't want to waste half an hour of my time

No. Generic Country music. Just bad.

Did not enjoy. Not a country fan

Genuinely my least favourite kind of music, sorry.

Goddamn this is some hokey, cheesy sounding country-rock-pop. Neither the music nor lyrics are particularly interesting (there’s an occasional alright guitar line), and I just can’t get down with these vocals. Clear pass for me.

Yee-nah

It’s the genre. Just lacks anything resembling originality. Hillbilly Highway? FFS

I really don't like country music, particularly this style of country music. I'm sure there are others that will rate this album higher. To me, even interns of country music this is not that good.

Evidentemente a la gente que recopiló los discos le gustaba mucho el country, ya dos álbumes al hilo me tocaron, pero este realmente no es para mí. Leí a alguien que dijo que si le hubieran dicho que era una parodia de un disco country lo hubiera creído, y es que es verdad, cumple con todos los estereotipos. Hacia el final va mejorando, y hasta le doy un pase a Someday que me pareció buen tema, pegadizo incluso.

Shit

As I listened to this album, I struggled with how to rate it. It's not bad, it just sounds like plain, boiler plate, no frills, 80s country. However, in the spirit of this generator, I remembered that this is supposed to be "1001 albums to listen to before you die", and if I had never listened to this album, I can honestly say that it would not have impacted my life either positively or negatively. As a result, it makes me mad that this seemingly average album is even included with the "1001 best albums" when there are likely many albums that could have been included in its place

I'm pretty sure when I signed up for this, I excluded country, but here it is

Couldn't finish it

This is why for the longest time I did not like country music

Not my style of music. Happy to know it exists, but I will not be going back to this well.

I really don't like murican schlager music.

Guitar Town really is not my thing. I am not a big country fan to begin with, and this leans heavily into that sound. At times it almost feels like a caricature of the genre, which makes it even harder for me to connect with. The twang, the themes, the delivery. It just does not land for me. A few tracks feel like second hand Bruce Springsteen, but without the emotional punch or drama that makes that style work so well. There is very little here that grabbed me or made me want to revisit it. The only positive in that sense is that it is a fairly short album. Favourite track: Someday. If I have to choose one, this is the most listenable. Decent lyrics and a solid rhythm, even if it still does not fully win me over. Least favourite track: My Old Friend the Blues. Relentlessly dull and the moment where the album really drags. Album artwork: A genuinely cool cover. Arguably the best thing about the record

No thank you. 1/5

Awwww shucks. 1/5

This album is around 38mins too long....

I don't like country

Bit too country bit too western, won’t listen again.

This sounds like the early days of figuring out new country. Songwriting in country hasn't changed much since this, just more mentions of "cold beer" and trucks. I'm not a fan of the machine that is pop country.

Poor.

It’s your good rockin daddy down from Tennesee… cant.

Sorry Steve you seem like a nice guy but country music ain't really my thing.

Hard pass.

Country music bad

Mid ass country that I ain't fucking with. Give me a better album book.

I'm sorry I tried but I can't

Vocals aren't good. too stereotypical twangy country music.

Yes, it's pretty awful country and folk rock. During the second song, I couldn't take it anymore and had already heard too much. Terrible. 1/5

Is this real? Or is it country's Spinal Tap moment? Awful if the former and not funny enough if the latter

Why are we listening to another country album that only got a single to #7 when it was released. Whilst we're at it, why is country? Johnny Cash nailed it, and it should have just stopped there.

Now I'm gearing towards the end of the 1001 list, I'd hoped the duds were behind me... but nope, there's always one more to bring out that good olde apathy and indifference... Welcome to Yawnville! 🥱

OH HEELLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOO. this is stereotypical country that makes me SCREAM

Redneck rock

After the first three songs, I knew for sure: I couldn't stand this crap. Actually, I knew after the first one, but I wanted to give the guy a chance. Country is country, no matter how much you tweak and manipulate it. This kind of music is simply awful. Let the Americans and a few weirdos be proud of this garbage; it just makes my toes curl.

I’m gonna kill myself

Steve Earle is a GOAT. He is bleeding heart citizen of the world, and he has always been a legendary individual. But I cannot do country. It's not Steve Earle, it's me. This album IS country, if you are into country this is the album you should listen to. There is a reason why he is in the Nashville hall of fame: a singer, a poet, and an author. But in keeping with the "personal" aspect of this project I want to rate this based on my time with the album, and it was not good. 1.5/5

1.5 - Bad

#160/1001. I am super glad I got to listen to this album before I died so I can tell the rock and roll angel in the afterlife that "Hey, I already listened to this in my previous life, so could you please shut that off".

How about "Shit Town" 1.5

This makes me feel like I'm in a smoky, dimly lit, bar where everyone's calling me slurs. I'm not finishing this

This was very boring country rock. I know there's a link to the wiki page, and perhaps I should start reading it because I don't see why this was so great

Another bloody country album!! Admittedly, not quite as clichéd as the others. Was hoping for something more like Copperhead Road, which at least has an edge to it. Not for me.

Country, 29eme album =>1/5

"hillbilly highway"... come now.

couldn't care less about this album. annoying country music

Poppy country. Why is this on the list?

Not my vibe. Don't drink enough sarsaparilla...

So, I hate the country and western sound. This did not dissuade me of this feeling. This is the first album that I didn't listen through (hell, I couldn't get through the first minute of the first track before hitting skip). Just awful.

veredito: muito ruim filho pqp

Not my vibe

Country sucks, populism sucks. But I guess these days it doesn't pay to be a Good Ol' Boy. Cry more.

Each song sounds like it might be playing on loop at Cabella’s.

Couldn't finish

Late 80s, early 90s country like this is why for years I said I hated country. This stinks.

"Oh we got both kinds: country *and* western!"

Awful.

Nope

It’s a country album. The fact that any nominations it achieved for any awards were in specifically country sections suggests the cross-over of this, of much of the genre, is non-existent. I wouldn’t listen to this again, but then I wouldn’t have listened to it in the first place had it not been on this list as it’s country music. I didn’t think I’d need to listen to this before I died and I was proved right. 1 star.

I’ve tried to find out, why I really disliked this album for a few days now. Then it got to me. It feels completely dishonest. Steve Earle doesn’t really have anything important to say and the result is an album you definitely don’t need to listen to - ever.

Never getting past that accent

Yes well done you proved your point, you can play guitar.

-abysmal rhythm -insanely slow tempo -Hard to understand lyrics -Basic ...Honestly I had a slight headache before listening to it and this just made it worse

It’s country boy asking girl to come to guitar town. :/

I watched a video on a social media recently when a lady said "you can hate this country music" and played some. Then she said "you could hate this country music" and played something else. It repeated about 10 times with the last line being that you can hate any one or more of them, but you can't hate them all. She was wrong. This is just pants. Play a different bass line, please! Also, do country musicians just put on the weird voice, since it seems to come and go in songs that they ham up? I'd listen to more to find out, but I'd probably hate them too.

No country Boy

I am a day older than this album. I sure as hell hope I’ve aged better.

Did this have any impact on music back in '86? It certainly didn't have any impact on me today because I don't remember a single note from it.

Hell yeah

Hmmm.. State Trooper is blijven hangen, nochtans niet de moeite. De rest van het album hoefde niet.

This is so Springsteen-coded that it hurts. Springsteen for my tiny hometown. It's not bad but it's not exceptional either. The lyrics are hackneyed.

This was really not good. I try not to give 1/5s, most everything has something to offer. But this album was just boring, didn't make me want to listen to any more almost immediately. I will say that perhaps if I had heard this years ago or years into the future my tune would be different. But that might be a stretch.

Pile of shat

Trite. Boring. Throwback jams without a spark of life. Nope.

This was pretty boring.

If I were walking around a small town country fair, maybe I'd find this mildly charming? But I'm not, so I don't. Could't get past the halfway mark.

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.

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.

Nope. Doesn't belong on the list. What the hell was that?

NOPE, not for me

Wait, this isn’t a parody of country music?

Nej tak

This album taught me (once again) that Country music is not for me.

Not sure how this wound up here- I hate country.

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’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.

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

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)

I really don’t like giving out 1 star reviews, but I couldn’t even finish it. Can’t stand country music.

No

I don’t like country. I really don’t like commercial country..

Could be the worst county I have ever listened to.

Was ist das denn für ein Country-Unfall? Hey pretty baby, lass uns down the road in den Sonnenuntergang reiten... Gruselig.

Probably very good if you think it's OK to sleep with your cousin.

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

A song called guitar town should have more and better guitar. This was execrable

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?

Bog standard (modern) country

Very average Country music...to my ear anyway. I'm sure some will love it, but not for me.

Not for me

Can't honestly say there's anything here of any merit. No originality or unique vibe to bring to the show. Awful.

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

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

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.

First listen Saved 0/10

Why do so many reviewers compare this country cringe with Springsteen? I finally realised why I like some country and absolutely despise others. If you're going to put on this "good ol' boy" accent then you are going to set yourself up for all the cliches. Unlistenable garbage.

I really wanted to like Steve Earle. I’ve known of a few artists I love that were in some way compared to him, but never actually listened to his stuff. Turns out this was just 40 minutes more country than I wanted to listen to on a Wednesday morning. Sadly, all I heard here was a contribution to the blueprint of the bro-country, d-bag noise pollution of today.

1.5

not my music

I could not listen to this.

If this was satire I’d give it a 2.

Awful, twee, country bollocks.

Fuck fuck fuck. I found myself tapping my foot to some of this. Dare I say it but this is the first country record of this style where I didnt really hate every song. Dont get me wrong, it’s shit and corny and his vocals are so fake and strained it’s ridiculous, but I didnt hate every song like usual. A strong 1

Really easy to tick off country bingo with this one. Shocked that it came out mid 80s and is considered an essential album, thought it sounded pretty dated for the 60s that I originally thought it came from. The whole shtick was laid on a bit too thick throughout but none more so than little rock and roller which would make a great parody song. Laughed a lot. Surely this guy is nobodys favourite, even people who like country can't be into this.

Shite Country music

Please Steve, I've had enough...

Yee-hah? Yee-nah.

This could have been one of my favourite albums of all time! Except for all the cliche Country sounds, lyrics, and attitude. Did he really write a song called 'Hillbilly Highway' and expect me to be able to appreciate it for its fine Nashville nuances? I'm sure to a stetson wearing aficionado, they could tell the difference between a Steve Earle song and a Waylon Jennings. I personally can't. It is truly so by numbers rubbish, that I hope I never hear another song by Mr Earle. That being said, I did like the tone of some of his guitar playing, just not the style. Then the slide guitar kicked in....... 0.

I got about half way through before it bored me enough to start yawning, I had to check a few times to see whether the track had actually changed or if it was the same snooze fest. It obviously speaks to some people because the man has had a long career, but sweet baby Jesus write something different Steve.

Lol oh God no. Wtaf

I am thankful this is on the list. I definitively now know what I do not like.

I have visited Guitar Town. Briefly. I will not be returning.

mundane hillbilly crap. this was as annoying to listen to as country and western. I want the 39mins I spent listening to this horsecock back.

Clearly I'm far too European to get this shit

Gave up after 3 songs. Clichéd and plodding.

I tried, I swear.

Hated this

Woof, country, getting through this might suck. It starts super generic, and continues to sound super vanilla in the production. It's also very telling when the first song Spotify plays after an album is already miles better than the last 40min-1hr of listening (Mama tried, Merle Haggard -- and I really don't like country).

This starts out being obnoxiously country. There's the briefest of pauses where the music becomes tolerable but it then rapidly descends into interminable slide guitars and cowboy boots. Euch.

You know, I really don't like big Fifties musical numbers, of which there are none on this album.

count even finish it, not a country music guy rn

Too much twang for my taste.

Seriously sounds like the most generic country possible. Is it the first of the generic country so it makes the list? Very much doubt it

I made it to "My Old Friend the Blues" before I had to stop. This is bad country dad rock, and I don't get why it's notable for that time at all. The first thing I noticed is that the production value is good but I hate the way it's mixed. This might be more related to a stylistic thing from that timeframe because some of Dwight Yoakam's stuff sounds similar but in any case, I don't like it at all. Secondarily, I really struggled to appreciate Steve Earle's vocal. At times, perhaps intentionally, he was flat and his vibratos were misplaced and lamby, particularly on the ballads. I like country but not this.

shit. not my cup of tea at all

Country nope

Country music 🤮

What a crock of shite.

A little too country for my liking

Too country for me

Ach, toto veru nie je moj sialok

Not bad, but not good. I think it just isn’t my style of music.

Country Springsteen? No thanks. I muscled through. But hillbilly Mellencamp is not for me.

This was so cliched, boring, tropish, awful.

I hate this style of American country music. Dogshit.

Totally shite. One of the worst albums in this book. Music for wankers

Really struggled to get through this one.

This is the first time I've rated one of these albums midway through the first track but fuck me, that's dire. What did we do to the author of 1001 albums to make him hurt us like this?

I can't rate this, not my kind of music

Yee Haw

Shit billy

Akkúrat svona köntrí finnst mér óendanlega leiðinlegt.

Sure it is not super twangy country but it is still country. Avoid it.

Musica classica de cowboy falando sobre o truck dele

No thanks I'll cut my ears off next time. I wish they gave 0's. Is this where country took a turn for the worst? Apologies to all the other artists I gave a 1 to compared to this.

Country Rock. Ugh, why is it so popular? I love me a good guitar, but I can't get past the real country twang vocally. Please get it away from me. Best: Guitar Town Worst: Hillbilly Highway

Man I had hopes for this, because I know Steve Earle is a cool person, and Copperhead Road is a banger. But this album... sucked. This was genuinely boring country rock that pulls the least interesting bits from each of its parent genres and stitches them together in the hopes of appealing the least common denominator. I hope he's got better stuff out there, but if not... at least we still have Copperhead Road.

Horrible

Really crap

absolutely gash.

What a shit album title I'm 8 seconds in, it's country. Fuck my life.

Tosiaan hyvä eka biisi, sittenpä lopahtaa. Ilahduttavaa toki se, että jotenkin tässä on uudempi soundi kuin ilmestymisvuosi voisi antaa olettaa.

Boring, annoying country voice. Really struggled to get through this one. Luckily it was fairly short.

Sounds to me like the country version of the kind of stuff tom petty and Bruce Springsteen we’re doing in the 80’s. Hard to believe his vocals were Grammy worthy. Songs are alright but don’t seem like anything special to me- I am not super familiar with country of the 80’s so I might be missing something here- Maybe it was influential to a lot of modern country with the same kind of sound?

Hated this. If you walk into a bar and this sort of music is playing, you know you're just a few minutes away from some redneck good 'ol boy saying "you ain't from round here are you boy" and then punching you in the face.

I swear this music is a joke right?

When people say Nashville Country, this is what I imagine (granted I have no idea if that’s accurate). It’s like pop country but when pop was rock.

Unerträglich banal

Is this for real? It feels like it is making fun of country music. I like some of his other stuff so I'm not sure why this album really rubs me the wrong way.

Put on yer shit-kickers and kick some shit

This ain't it chief

Yeah, not my thing at all. Tough to sit through.

I know why people can like this. It's this time where people like Earl blew some fresh air in the country music. It's just still really not for me, and as far as I can tell, musically also nothing special.

Alright, nothing special.

This is absolutely not my style of music at all, bleh

1986. Guitar Town

Meh. Specifically unchecked country music….

Boring and tiring. Same ol country music. Too much of that recently! I don't care

I've said before how I don't like most country and this is the perfect example of the kind I don't like. Boring

Basic. Shit.

A little too yee-haw for me.

There is some country music I like. Steve Earle pretty much typifies the kind of country I do not like.

Niet mijn muziek, na 2 nrs afgezet!

Nope. Not for me

can this dude actually shut up

not for me.

sucks lol. not my style at all