John Prine

Well, country really isn't my genre. Not by a long shot. So I wasn't thrilled to get this album. But I hit play with as open a mind as I could and, wouldn't you know it, it didn't suck. It's still SUPER not my genre, don't get me wrong. But Prine's lyrics are clever and funny and so sharp they cut. It's amazing to me that this album came out in '71 and still feels so daggum relevant. Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore is painful in its relevance. COVID-19 took Prine from us this past year and that also feels too close for comfort. What a debut album.

John Prime’s lyrics are so beyond what I might have assumed from the young man pictured on the album cover. “Illegal Smile” reminds me of a simple way to escape troubles in life. The clever lyrics can in one moment make you laugh and cry. ‘Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down and won’. By the first chorus of “Spanish Pipedream” I'd added the album to my library. “Hello In There “ is so beautiful… left me in tears. Then “Sam Stone” followed that up with a devastating song about the impact of veteran's addiction. Every song overflows truth with an emotional heft that can change you as a listener. John Prine tackles war, government, jingoism, aging, drugs, depression, relationships, the environment and a host of other topics with perceptive and unflinching observations of humans and humanity. The organ warms itself against the stark lyrics. The guitars wander from folk to country with occasional touches of rock to elevate the stories. Every song on this album is a gem. Experiencing them together as an album is a powerful and emotional experience. This is an album that will connect you more deeply to your humanity if you are willing to listen. An amazing work of art that I will listen to again and again. RIP John Prine

Fucking country music. I just can’t. It’s fucking shit. The same snivelling, whining nasally banal tone. The same shitty, zingy, steely guitars. The same overcooked lyrics. Yee fuckin’ haw. More like yee fuckin’ fuck off you fuck.

Man I love this album. I'm a bit biased as I was raised on John Prine, but even so, what a story teller. The humor he brings along with the poignancy of his lyrics about the human experience. This album is his least polished, but also feels like the most honest.

While the music is unremarkable, it is simply the backdrop to a masterpiece collection of folk poetry. Folk music is at its purest in protest, and on this record, Prine protests war, nationalistic jingoism, and the misapplication of Christian values. Reading the lyrics, one can't help but notice the more things change, the more they stay the same. Consider politicians with their little flag lapel pins as you listen to "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore. Prine, of course, throws a few apolitical and melancholy songs about lost love and heartache for good measure. He does it all with clever flourishes and a sense of humor, too. It is beautiful. I laughed, I cried, I clicked the little heart icon.

What a lyricist and storyteller. I was glued to hearing each line. The music is classic country, with a Dylanesque timbre, but his words are what sold me.

Generally, I do not like country at all. Im not saying I like this, but I did make it all the way through the album for one reason alone - some of these lyrics are hysterical! I didn't love the music, or the voice, or anything really. But the lyrics contain little gems of comedy that made me laugh enough that I could endure the rest.

Amazing album from front to back. He's basically a country Bob Dylan. This is what country music sounds like when it's good.

To bastardise a phrase from the highly underrated radio comedy Cabin Pressure, John Prine might not be the first Country album I’ve loved, but it is the first Country album I’ve ever fallen in love with. A beautifully simple, direct, and profound meditation on loneliness and the ordinariness of broken people, with an undercurrent of righteous anger that breaks through on occasion, all told through a songwriting that couples a fantastic sense of phrasing with an oddball, yet observational sense of humour. If you want to know how good this album is, all I can say is that the song about wanking is both incredibly funny, incredibly sad, and incredibly touching. You don’t get to write a sentence like that about many pieces of music

Man. He’s not happy about war.

It's pretty country but more on the folk side of country. Having said that, there are some strong anti-war songs on here. It's not your modern red-state fishin'/drinkin'/Merica! country music. Though there is some religion-stuff in here. The songs do all kind of sound the same after a while and he's not the best singer. But in folk music like this the words/message are a bit more important than the music. And he's got some clever, enjoyable, and thought-provoking lyrics. TLDR: Interesting listen. Probably won't revisit much but I can appreciate it.

This guy's got jokes, but if you listen closely he also has a point or two. I guess Vietnam was pretty bad.

I really liked this. I mean it was folk country, but God damn if you don't hear some punk underpinnings in this you aren't listening. This is the kind of music that makes me proud of being an American, without me having to have pride in my government, and be able to criticize the nation without losing my love for it.

John Pine is a legend and this album is a treasure.

John Prine Despite the obvious influence of Dylan on some of his vocal inflections and vocal melodies His voice is slightly unusual, but after a couple of songs I forgot all that and just found myself enjoying this immensely. I didn’t expect it to be as country, thinking it would be more folky/folk rock, but for me that was great, setting it slightly apart from other early 70s singer songwriters in the same field with its more overt country sound. I really like the slightly unusual song structures like on Illegal Smile. Clearly there is an obvious debt to Dylan in the opening stanza, it moves back and forth from folk to country and back again with some quirk little stop start moments. The little run from Hello in There to Paradise is great, again overtly country but with some little variations in style and instrumentation, like the electric sitar on Sam Stone, again giving it a slightly unusual feeling. With country you can often predict how the next line will sound, and while Paradise is relatively conventional in that regard, it still has that feel that it's going one way, but then it takes a detour or little left turn, maybe arriving back where you thought it would, but not necessarily in the obvious way. Pretty Good obviously evokes Dylan, but there’s someone else it reminds me of that I can’t put my finger on. Anyway the electric guitar is another great little musical moment, particularly in tandem with the electric piano Your Flag Decal is great, and also still apt today when you see those MAGAts driving around in shitty pickups with hundreds of Trump Flags and stickers. Angel from Montgomery I absolutely loved, I don’t think I’ve heard it before but it had that feeling of instant familiarity that you occasionally get with great songs. Quiet Man and Donald and Lydia is another great one two, the slight Hendrix style guitars in Quiet Man are great and I like the slightly existential ruminations of Donald and Lydia. I love the bass on Six O’Clock News, and with the organ it gives a slightly unusual contrast to the country elements. Flashback blues is excellent, again it feels like a conventional country song, but the slightly hurried vocal metre gives it a slightly off kilter feeling. Lyrically this works in a similar vein to the music - some of it is extremely affecting and moving, grounded in autobiography and his experience, but also humorous and occasionally surreal, going off on some fantastical tangents and diversions. On first listen this was an easy 4, but it got better with each subsequent listen, with those little moments and diversions coming to the fore. I think it's going to be one of those albums that will keep getting better and better, so it's a 5 for me Clive 🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽 Playlist submission: Angel from Montgomery

Basically a top 10 album at this point… easily my fav country album ever. So many songs on this thing utterly blew my mind when I first heard this… I prob discovered John Prine in the last 6-7 years and I just think he is brilliant… authentic and sardonic and rebellious! This album is so reliable for me, and listening to John Prine all day was pretty healing! “Your Flag Decal…” is one of the coolest songs of all time, and “Angel from Montgomery” is one of the prettiest.

It took me too long to discover John Prine, but I'm glad I became a fan before he died. I'm a big fan of Jason Isbell, who was a good friend of Prine's during his last years, and dug into John after hearing Isbell talk about how much of a songwriting influence Prine was. Prine's debut is brilliant: incredible songwriting presented with his unique and charming delivery. Every song contains an interesting story, and they're all pulled off with what initially appear simple lyrics that surprise you when they grab your brain and make you think deeply about them. "There's a hole in daddy's arm where the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose." "Blow up your TV" "Your flag decal won't get you Into Heaven any more." "We lost Davy in the Korean War And I still don't know what for Don't matter anymore" There are dozens more nuggets like these. You could write a dissertation on the meanings of these lyrics and on why they are so evocative. It really is a masterclass in songwriting. Prine's genius is most evident on Angel From Montgomery, a beautiful and catchy tune that I probably heard ten times or more before I realized that he wrote it from a woman's perspective (not sure how I missed this... "I am an old woman" isn't exactly cryptic). Just the fact that he's singing this woman's story in the 1st person is thought provoking, but by the end of the song you're no longer thinking about that and more contemplating on your own life and decisions. Top songs, although they're all good: Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Sam Stone, Pretty Good, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore, Angel From Montgomery, Donald and Lydia

Your Flag Decal

Folk country. I liked this album a lot. Pretty simple but the songs carry a lot of emotion, with some humorous lyrics sprinkled in. On a personal note it also felt like an album my dad would enjoy.

“Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios”. “Sam Stone” is about Sam Stone; but the song keeps returning to those kids running around in other people’s clothes. Sam Stone is dead center of the picture, but the artist has painted it in such a way that the viewer’s eye keeps being drawn to those kids, almost without the viewer knowing why. If they really look, they will walk away thinking thoughts they may have never thought before. They will be a different person walking away from it than they were when they first looked at it. John Prine accomplished more in a few lines than most artists do in their entire careers, all so a bunch of Philistines could bless the internet with insights like “I don’t like country music hur hur.”

Really dig this album. Illegal Smile is a gem of a song.

well done, hot dog bun, my sister's a nun

Interesting, whimsical stories with catchy as hell melodies, and some real nice playing to go with it all. John Prine did his thing extremely well.

3.5 | Muy agradable country-blues con toques que a rato me recordaban a Rodriguez y a otros a Willie Nelson. Como dijo Casper, letras mucho mejores de lo esperadas, pero además muy buena instrumentación: desde Paradise, súper tradicional, con ese fiddle que es excelente, hasta algo como Quiet Man casi casi se sale del Country para darle con todo a la música como de protesta. Y sí me da curiosidad de escuchar más material de él. Como curiosidad extra, creo que es el primero que escuchamos que murió víctima del COVID.

Really nice guitar melodies, but vocal twang a bit much for me. Angel from Montgomery is a beautiful song - Into the Wild

cheeky hippie folk music unmistakably from the early 70's. there are definitely some clever smiles generated, but it's hard to love it given that it is for a distant time and place.

very good record. powerful storytelling and so much emotion Sam Stone - wow, this one hits so hard. I was listening to the album in the background not really noticing anything when THAT lyric caught me right in the head: "There's a hole in daddy's arm, where all the money goes". holy fuck what a song. Paradise tells a heartbreaking story as well. great song.

Well, I never used to like country.. Still don't, but I never used to as well. Not for me thanks.

I'm really disappointed. Adrianne Lenker is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. John Prine is one of her largest inspirations, and while I can see the clear link on Big Thief's previous album, Prine's music is just not what I was wanting to hear. The lyrics are wonderful, and he's a great storyteller, but the music is unbearably boring. I'm just not a country gal, but I wish there was better music to go with the stories.

One of the albums to scratch a wash board to of all time

Country is not terrible, it is just not for me. Prine's voice is nice, but the lyrics do not come across as humorous but rather corny. Favorites: None

This is my ideal form of folk/country music. Sweet without being sappy, simple without being condescending, with a biting wit and the catchiest choruses you could ask for. I’m gonna listen to this all the time.

Some of the best country songs I've ever heard. Loved Prine's lyrics, especially on Flag Decal and Angel from Montgomery.

Classic.

John Prine is one of my favourite country/folk artists. He has a way to spin song lyrics that can make you laugh or make you cry, or both. This man was a poet. One of the best lyricists in the genre. This album deals heavily with the Vietnam war, and the troubles faced by the veterans when they came home (Sam Stone is an absolutely heartbreaking song. Prine's lyrics spin such a vibrant story. You almost feel like you knew Sam Stone personally). My all time favourite Prine song is on this record, Spanish Pipedream. It is such a hilarious and poignant song! "Blow up your TV Throw away your paper Go to the country Build you a home Plant a little garden Eat a lot of peaches Try an' find Jesus on your own" Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore is an amazing anti-war song that is still so relevant today. Angel From Montgomery is an absolutely amazing song. I absolutely love Prine's music. I am not much of a country fan, but I always had a soft spot for this man's ability to tell a story. The man passed away a few years ago, but wrote music right up until the end. He wrote a song on his last album to be released before his death (the Tree of Forgiveness) called When I Get to Heaven which has the most beautiful lyrics: "And then I'm gonna get a cocktail Vodka and ginger ale Yeah, I'm gonna smoke a cigarette that's nine miles long I'm gonna kiss that pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl 'Cause this old man is goin' to town" Amen Mr. Prine, Amen. I believe you did do all of those things. Thanks for the amazing music. RIP. Favourite songs: Spanish Pipedream, Angel From Montgomery, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Sam Stone, Donald and Lydia, Illegal Smile, Hello in There, Paradise, Six O'Clock News, Quiet Man, Flashback Blues, Far From Me Least favourite songs: None.... It's all gold 5/5: perfection on record.

Classic Prine

I really liked it. It's old country but the lyrics don't take themselves seriously and the instrument work is excellent. John's voice is very nice also.

Before today, the only John Prine album I'd listened to was 'Tree of Forgiveness,' which I'm pretty sure I listened to in the year of its release. I remember thinking it was really good, but it also wasn't exactly my cup of tea, so I never listened to any more of his work, even after his passing a few years ago. That was a mistake. This album is insanely good. I don't think I've ever heard lyrics like this before. I love that Prine doesn't sugarcoat anything, and there's no room to guess as to what message he's trying to convey. While his messages are straightforward, the imagery and language he uses are a little more "elevated," (that's the best way I could think to phrase it) and it completely works here. The instrumentation isn't anything extravagant, and it doesn't need to be. The main attraction here is the message, and the music is the conduit that Prine uses to convey his message. This is an amazing album, and I look forward to listening to more of Prine's work.

Excellent guitar, good balance of songs equally witty, powerful, emotional. I love John Prime. RIP

Soprendendente. Maravilloso... Make me an angel...

A fantastic reminder of how good country music can be.

9/10 emotional rollercoaster of an album, simple arrangements but stellar songwriting

Exceptional songwriting; funny and thoughtful. 5*

Very good country album

Ahhh, the eponymous debut of a terrific song writer. The themes here may diverge from one another, but on the whole it plays like a greatest hits record. Prine swings for the fences here and connects on nearly every song. I suppose it makes sense - he had his whole life to write the songs that appeared here, and it shows in everything from the musical arrangements to the turns of lyrical phrase. I must admit that I've never cared for his voice, but he delivers the songs earnestly and with feeling. Top notch for the genre.

John Prine was quite simply, one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. He had the ability to tell the stories of others with striking empathy and humor. Whether it was from the perspective of the lonely old in 'Hello in There,' the story of a Vietnam War veteran who came home with a heroin habit in 'Sam Stone', or from the perspective of an older woman who never got to live the life she dreamed of in 'Angel From Montgomery', John Prine could be trusted to tell that story faithfully. His songs became instant classics and his loss will be felt for a long time.

Beautiful. Just absolutely immersive listening. This is storytelling and songwriting. This is not folk. This isn't bluegrass. This isn't country. It's John Prine and this is music I can get behind. Highlight Tracks: ALL

What a solid slice of Americana. I could get behind this country music

Pretty damm good

I will always love John Prine. His lyrics are so balanced in profundity and unpretention. So wonderful. And oh boy is “your flag decal won’t get you into heaven” still relevant today

I'm quite baffled that I didn't know this before.. that's just right for me, really nothing to object to Perfection

Fun!

One of my personal favorites, I know every word to every song on this album. My dad played John Prine records all through my childhood. Prine was an American treasure, one of the greatest song writers ever. This album is perfect. Favorite track: Paradise

Only heard of him recently after his passing. RIP Excellent album

Surprisingly really good. And I noticed that after I found out it's not technically country I liked it better, which is something I need to work on.

Loved it. Saved forever

Powerful country-folk, I was especially moved by "Sam Stone" and "Angel From Montgomery" :'( They're all so sad.

Made me found jeezas

Haven’t listened to much folk but this was some of the best folk music I’ve ever heard. Loved the general vibe and the lyrics.

The singing mailman is one of my faves.

John Prine is pretty good.

Stone cold classic. 10/10

The Man

such a great songwriter

Lyrically this album is excellent and is a way to dive into folk music

I had a boss who was really upset when John Prine died at the beginning of the pandemic, and now I know why. "Subversive" isn't really strong enough a word. To be playing songs like these in a country circle must've gotten him hell. Whip-smart, funny lyrics; great, catchy melodies. Favorite tracks: "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven", "Illegal Smile", "Flashback Blues"

It took me a couple of listens to warm up to this album, but it's impossible not to feel its considerable charms if you stop and listen. The fact that this a debut album from a man who was 24 years old when he recorded it makes it even more remarkable. Singers can work for decades without reaching Prine's depth as a songwriter and natural talent for delivering a line. These are songs that have become standards in the 50 years since they came out, and you can hear Prine in practically every singer-songwriter who came after him. He exudes warmth, wry wit, and sensitivity with such ease in these songs. You know, I first caught "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" before I had really heard of Prine and I assumed it was some sort of post 9/11 song. No, it's just a sad testament to the fact that this nation perennially fails to learn from its mistakes. It's also a pretty brutal takedown of false patriotism, all the more cutting for how he delivers it with humor. "Sam Stone" and "Paradise" also highlight how the problems of 50 years ago are still somehow the problems of today and remain fresh all these years later. Favorite songs: Quiet Man, Angel from Montgomery, Far from Me.

Country / Folk Wow, this is hilarious. Solid songwriting - made me laugh out loud multiple times. Every song is golden.

“Twenty-four years old and writes like he's two-hundred and twenty” A shame I can't find the person who said this, but this sentence sums up John Prine's self titled very fittingly! This record leaves me speechless. Wow, just wow, the lyrics are so livid, intense, real and from the heart. John Prine is an ACE songwriter, right up there besides Dylan and other great songwriters. These songs are orchestrated beautifully and the stories channeled through the lyrics accompany the songs very well! Very powerful record! This is an album I doubt I'll ever forget. Favorite lyrics: - Ah, but fortunately I have the key to escape reality. - Chased a rainbow down a one-way street, dead end. And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen. - For I knew that topless lady. Had something up her sleeve. - There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothin',I suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, don't stop to count the years. Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. - Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken. Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man. - Moonlight makes me dizzy. Sunlight makes me clean. Your light is the sweetest thing. That this boy has ever seen. - Ain't it funny how an old broken bottle. Looks just like a diamond ring? - If dreams were lightning, and thunder were desire. This old house would have burnt down a long time ago. - But that was a long time and no matter how I try. The years just flow by like a broken-down dam. - Just give me one thing that I can hold on to. To believe in this living is just a hard way to go. - Oodles of light, what a beautiful sight. Both of God's eyes are shining tonight. Rays and beams of incredible dreams. And I am a quiet man. Key tracks: Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Hello In There, Sam Stone, Paradise, Pretty Good, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Angel From Montgomery, Six O'Clock News 9,5 out of 10

Most underrated singer songwriter of all time!

An album I've been very fond of for a while now. Prine for me is a songwriter that transcends his genre, and connects with something primal and human. Lovely stuff. If country music is the music of the people, then there's none more country than this.

Way better than Dylan. Clever songs, great simple melodies. Super fun album.

Great storyteller

Best of the best.

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I might. The Americana that just drips off this album is so great and Anti Redneck its perfect.

John Prine is an American treasure. While he always praised for his witty humor, it's his almost gut punch emotional songs on this album that get, Hello in There and especially Sam Stone, wow just powerful stuff. Yeah this deserves to on the list.

This is a stellar album. Prine can tell a visual story with just his words and is one of the strongest songwriters of the era. Really excellent album, and glad I got to listen to it again.

Incredible song writer. Even better storyteller. Josh Ritter, Dylan, Prine. He's in high cotton here.

This album is well done! Hot dog bun! My sisters a nun!

Wild that I can enjoy country when it's a little more anti-capitalist, talks about drugs, and is genuinely clever and witty.

man i love vintage country so much

Wow. Just… wow. Gorgeous music that paints a painful picture of a very real and imperfect world.

Looking forward to hearing more.

And this is his FIRST album. Jesus Christ, what a talent.

Bit of a surprise, worth revisiting

such a good vibe

cool

The king

lovely album, phoebe bridgers must be inspired by this

Top 10 all-time album.

I never thought I consider giving a country album 5 stars. Maybe it’s the content I usually dislike as much as the delivery? This unpatriotic antiwar album works for me.

One of Prine's best albums, this is the country side of Dylan, but on the side that has inspired so many great alternative country and indie-folk bands. This is simple music with an attitude, a huge sense of humor and sarcasm, this is the way it should be done. Prine was an ignored artist most of his life, but at least his music became appreciated before we lost him to Covid-19. Prine will be sorely missed.

Such a talented lyricist. I listened to each song as if I was watching a movie, waiting to see what. Happens next. The story telling, he makes it so visual and through it all, even in the saddest tracks, he places humor just right. Amazing

I'm not the biggest country fan, but this is the type of country music I enjoy. It's also cool to hear all these songs that I've heard other singers cover in later years. Really appreciate how influential John prine was

Just as relevant now as then. Excellent

An American treasure.

Great lyricist. Sam stone is a great song

THE BEST EVER RIP SIR

This record broke my heart and made me laugh out loud. He's a genuine poet and a heck of a story-teller. I loved pretty much every track (even Pretty Good with its glib mention of dog rape (WTH???)). This kind of album is the reason I'm here.

nossa, audição muito facilitada, incrível o album