John Prine

I really really like John Prine and it pains me not to give this a 5. 4.5/5

RIP John. Great guy and great album. Now THIS is my type of country.

Super good. I hear some of these songs playing at my work a lot, so they're very familiar.

although i would consider this country, i really enjoyed a lot of it! “Illegal Smile” is funny and pointed, and “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” is incredible

Did not enjoy any of this album! Too twangy for my taste!

Excelente álbum, no se me hizo repetitivo

Listened before?: yes, i think i heard this on my own before i used this site to track progress. i remember at least partially liking it Illegal Smile - 4/5 Spanish Pipedream - 3/5 Hello in There - 5/5 Sam Stone - 4/5 Paradise - 4/5 Pretty Good - 4/5 Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore - 4/5 Far From Me - 3/5 Angel From Montgomery - 5/5 Quiet Man - 4/5 Donald and Lydia - 3/5 Six O'Clock News - 2/5 Flashback Blues - 3/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ honestly, as someone who usually isn't crazy about country, this was shockingly enjoyable. while i think i enjoyed this slightly less this time around (some tracks sounded a little too similar to each other), i generally liked most of what i heard. i'd likely give this at least 3.5 stars overall, and i wouldn't mind listening to some of these tracks again

No soy personalmente fan del country, entonces no es objetivo tampoco, pero está chill, no está mal pero luego si se va volviedno muy repetitivo

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Illegal Smile I still hate country music, categorically, as a genre, but if I had to put this album on a spectrum of hate to love, it would rate slightly higher than most everything else in the genre I've listened to so far. I don't care for the musical sound - the twangy-ness of the music - but I could actually get behind some of the lyrics, emotions and thoughts being conveyed on this album (except all the bullshit about Jesus and religion). 2.4

Пиздец контейнер для реднеков

Highlights: Sam Stone Hello in There Far From Me

#476 Hard to appraise this album when on one hand, this has some pretty typical country tropes, religion and corniness. However, it also has some sharp and witty lyricism, some good anti war sentiment, and then some Dylan-esque folk, particularly in Pretty Good, which was…ummm…pretty good. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die? ❌ Fave track(s): Pretty Good Rating: 5/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This country album is too country for me

Säkert jättefyndigt när det begav sig

John Prine

I’ve thought way less of albums in the past but this list is wearing me down so bad. RYM: N Saved a song: N

Surprisingly good strong songs good delivery. Almost a foothills album. Will listen some more.

There must have been a multitude of singer songwriters all vying for attention in the early 1970s. I don't really see what distinguishes this album from others, and furthermore the country stylings aren't really to my taste.

lyrical genius

I had never heard of Mr Prine but wow what a debut album. The lyrics were so brilliantly constructed and delivered in a country Dylan style that was hugely entertaining. I need to check out his backlog.

Had never heard of this guy but wow this is refreshing, fantastic record with honest and poignant songwriting. Can see this growing up to a 5*

Great album! :)

How many times does he need to mention Jesus?

Pov bob dylan

4.3

This was genuinely difficult for me 😂 Nirvana literally ruined me for any other music. I’m sure this is great. Obviously not my genre so I listened to two songs then went straight on back to Unplugged. It’s been 3 weeks. Help. ANYWAY. // A pleasant surprise given my difficulty with the genre and style. Lyrically wild at times.

Too fried green tomatoes for me.

Lovely bit of Americana. John Prine is a master songwriter, no wasted words, full of emotion and symbolism and beauty. The world lost a great when he passed, and he hasn't been replaced. This guy is right up there with Dolly. My rating: 10/5

Frábær plata og debut plata í þokkabót. Textarnir óhugnalegir og alvöru. Sam Stone hræðilega fallegur texti. Nær að fanga það ljóta í amerísku samfélagi án þess að vera of on the nose. Þetta er ekki country þetta er bara pjúra singer songwriter snilligáfa.

Country Bob Dylan. Fannst þetta frábært þó ég sé ekki mikið fyrir kántrý.

His voice isn't great but his enunciation is clear, which is important because this is all about the lyrics and they are full of amiable wit and occasional wisdom. I found most of the musical settings unremarkable, although Hello in There is lovely

A little boring, but in the right mood I could see this being exactly perfect. Just enough country for me not to loathe it for being too singer-songwriter-y.

Just really good country music. Occasionally adventurous in its instrumentation, but also very comfortable with staying in the hay. Great writing and fantastic guitar work. 8/10

Not a terrible album by any means, just not for me at all. Not one I’ll ever go back to and more than likely will have forgotten it within a few days.

The unmistakable voice of John Prine. Great album

God damn I love you so much John Prine. R.I.P.

Guy sounds like a bit like Bob Dylan but has a different style of songwriting. Cool, but not something I see myself revisiting in full.

This is one of my most played albums over the last twenty-five years or so (after I first saw John Prine live - which was great). The songs are funny, sad, and often too real. It's a straight 10/10 and Quiet Man might be my favorite song that Bob Dylan didn't write.

I understand this guy is the master of his genre but it sounded pretty uninteresting to me.

Yessir. One of the finest songwriters to have ever recorded. This is an album overflowing with amazing work.

Medium

Thoughtful lyrics and melodies.

I have covid dont make me

I won’t argue that the songs here don’t have their own beauty and charm, but this really isn’t my thing at all - seriously, it’s just not for me. I suffer and get bored listening to this stuff. On top of that, Jorge Palma has passed away, and he - now that’s someone who had beautiful songs, adorned with exquisite poetry. It was a bad album for me, and it came at a bad time, too. Too bad - maybe next time :-( Rest in peace, Jorge; your loss has left us all feeling fragile :'( ========================================================= Não vou discutir que os temas aqui cantados não têm a sua beleza e encanto, mas isto não faz mesmo nada o meu género, a sério que não é para mim - sofro e aborreço-me ao ouvir estas coisas. Ainda para mais o Jorge Palma morreu e, esse sim, tinha lindas canções, decoradas com belíssima poesia. Foi um mau álbum para mim e num dia que também não calhou bem. Azar, talvez numa próxima oportunidade :-( Descansa em Paz, Jorge, deixas-nos a todos fragéis com a tua perda :'(

John Prine was a national treasure. Some extremely evocative lyrics, and some songs that still resonate today. I feel like he's be criticized by a certain demographic for "You Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore". The music style is not my favorite. A little too country for my overall enjoyment, but Prine's lyrics makes this a joy to listen to.

I liked it enough. Kori said it “wasn’t the worst country album he’s heard”

I think this album has a lot more depth to it than is evident at first. I remember hearing lots about John Prine right after he passed away a few years ago and seeing so many big artists paying tribute to him. That made me realize how much of an impact his music had on the country and folk genres. These songs are relatively simple, but the lyrics bring something more to the table. There's humour here, but also deeper truths. I definitely want to return to this album again.

You know it was still country. But it was more tolerable.

Yup, that was John Prine. I found it funny that so many of the songs started with the same guitar part

The focal point of this type of music is the poetry, cleverness and wit within the lyrics. Although I can apprecaite this from a distance, I find John Prine makes it difficult to focus on what he's saying when he sings it in the same way over and over. Recycling melodies and patterns throughout entire songs, making everything overly predictable and not enjoyable for me. I need some more thought put into other sections of the album John, you can't put all of your eggs into the lyric basket. I will say I did really enjoy the first song, but song after song being beaten down with his southern twang, it broke me. By the end of this I was toast, wanting it to be over, not being able to really focus on what he was saying due to country sickness. But hey, people really seem to like this guy, so maybe its just me. But I think this was a bit of a slog to get there, and I may not be the target audience. If I am going to listen to a singer song writer for an hour, their voice better be smooth as butter, and easy on the ears. Johns voice and steel lap guitar is not that.

Arlo vibes

Too much twang

influencial folk artist; e.g., BS Ghost of Tom Joad

And we were on such a nice run

John Prine writes smart songs, picks folk guitar Travis style, and sings a little like Bob Dylan hamming it up. I like him.

I prefer folk to country, so not everything on John Prine's self-titled is for me, though for the most part it’s a solidly written effort with some soothing, pleasing songs. I must confess though there is the odd moment which made me weary (Your Flag Decal…) and my favourite bits are those that reminded me of Bob Dylan.

John Prine is getting a solid 3, enjoyed the songwriting and the arrangement, voice is a little too country for my tastes

Do we really have to hear every above average country album? I don't think so as I am pretty sure there are more interesting folk songs from Japan, Turkey or India than yet another one folk / country album from the states.

Wunderbar!

It was alright, not a country fan but a few songs were good

If you imagine Bob Dylan doing country and western this would be close to the end result. Not very entertaining.

This was really enjoyable and it helped me discover the link between Spiritulised and John Prine. Mid 3s.

Better than expected.

If Bob Dylan went full country it would be this. Not my sound at all, was not an easy album to get through.

I never heard any song from John Prine Country music is not really the music I like to listen to… But I like most of the lyrics, kind of „ballades“/ telling from live, war, getting older. I saved several songs from his album.

Great songwriter! Favourite Songs: - Illegal smile - Hello in there - Paradise - Far from me - Angel from Montgomery - Quiet man

It’s just “Talking over music” … isn’t this the same stick boomers used to deride rap when it started. Country folk . Telling stories accompanied by steel guitar. . Joan Baez version of “hello in there” is vastly superior. Ironically “Pretty Good” is well “Pretty Good” Which is the only reason it’s not 1 star

didnt even know this was an album with so many songs I already had saved. how the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say. 3.9

Slam dunk. Prine is right up there with snoop, wiz, and Willie in my dream smoke sesh. There’s nobody quite like him — his music is very singular, and his ability to turn a phrase, both in humor and deep metaphor, is really second to none. I’ve known several songs off this album for some time, and found so many more goodies though my listens. He’s one of those guys, and this is one of those albums, that can make you giggle and then send you right into existential thought & a new philosophy or mantra for life. And it’s present all the way through this album. Sam Stone is probably the biggest new find for me — “a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes”. Case in point. Illegal smile, Spanish pipe dream, pretty good are so fun and simultaneously thoughtful. His performance of angel from Montgomery w Bonnie raitt is just so beautiful. Seems like a guy that had a lot of fun making music, and a lot of fun living. His music is so fun, so playful, and so thoughtful, and though I never met the man, I’d guess you could describe him the same way. More of this pls. As my brother said when I shared it with him — “phenomenal”

As good a songwriter as you will find anywhere in folk and country music. 5 stars or A.

I just struggle with country

Apparently Roger Ebert, a film critic, is responsible for "discovering" Prine. Another interesting observation is two of the "country" artists on The List hail from the State of Illinois. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco & Prine, respectfully. Illinois is not a country hotbed like The List says it is. He does not have a traditionally good singing voice but makes up for with a great cadence when he sings. Amazing songwriter & funny, too. He is great with words.

This was surprisingly good. It suffers a lot because the first two tracks are really poor, so I thought I was going to hate it. In fact, it took a couple of goes to get past them and listen to the whole thing. When I did, I got 11 other, mostly very good songs. Hello in There is great.

Few artists have the ability to make me laugh in one song and cry in the very next. Prine can sometimes do it in the same song. One of the all-time great songwriters. He has a knack for knocking you back with a single line ("While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes" from Sam Stone or "Well, ya know, she still laughs with me But she waits just a second to long" from Far From Me), writing a chorus you want to sing along to and a verse that makes you want to be a better person. This is a no-skip album. I need to a physical copy of this.

Heard of him but it's my first time listening to him. After the first song I thought it could be an interesting album but I was mistaken. The rest was absolutely not interesting to me, it was just ok at best 2/5

Surprised at how much of this I remember from my younger days.

Album #200: John Prine – John Prine ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Maybe three years ago, I was at a country music festival, and they did a tribute gig to John Prine, where all these different artists came on and did covers of his songs. At that point, I knew who John Prine was. I knew how respected he was. Musically, I only knew a handful of songs, and they were all from this album. So despite not being familiar with his music, I did find the gig incredibly touching and moving, and I couldn’t get over the quality of the songs being sung. I promised myself I’d do a deep dive into John Prine, and like a lot of promises, I broke it and never did it. So it was really nice to come to this one today and give this album a full listen. The first thing to say, and it’s nearly the only thing to say about the album, is that lyrically this thing is immense. You would struggle to find better lyrics on any other album. He’s just an amazing songwriter. A songwriter’s songwriter. Every song is so relatable. Every song is so sad, but so profoundly and devastatingly funny. He’s able to throw off a quick quip like, “The topless dancer had something up her sleeve,” to “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where the money goes,” to “Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose.” I mean, to be able to whip these lines out from one lyric to the next is just incredible. And on your debut album as well. This dude just came fully formed out of the songwriting earth. It kind of reminds me of someone like Dave Berman from Silver Jews, someone able to be so sardonically funny but also able to make you cry at the same time. That’s such a rare feat as a songwriter, and John Prine should be the face of that style of songwriting from this album alone. The lyrics are obviously the biggest strength of the album. His singing is great, if a little one note. But, he’s got a great voice for his songs. Musically, I just feel like it’s not the most eye-catching thing in the world. It’s very understated, and I get that. There is a good bit of variety on it. You get a bluesy kind of Stones-style song, with Pretty Good. You get a lot of low-down country stuff. You get a little bit of traditional folk with Paradise, for example. So there is variety on it. I just don’t think the performances are very powerful, or that they necessarily back the songs up as well as they probably could have. It’s quite a low-key album. But I suppose it’s about low-key people. It’s an album about loneliness, and who hasn’t experienced loneliness? And it’s all so true. It cuts deep because we’ve all been a character in a John Prine song at some point. And it scores some political points too. “Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore,” I mean, that song’s truer now than when he wrote it, I’d say. With the musical reservations here, it brought me back to that gig, and I realised that the songs are so good that when they’re sung by other people and given more of a performative element behind them, I think they really shine. I think that’s why he’s covered so well by other artists. The obvious one being Bonnie Raitt’s Angel from Montgomery, which is absolutely stunning. So yeah, his songs were made to be covered, in my opinion. In the right hands, these could be some of the greatest songs ever recorded. I genuinely do think that. Fantastic album, a strong four. Not a full five for me, but really, really enjoyed it. And maybe I will do that deep dive into his discography now.

Ok

Ok

Such tremendous songwriting. Open airy songs with space for the singer and the instruments to breathe. Some sad songs and songs and overall very enjoyable.

Don't love country. Do love great writing.

Every time I listen to this album, I’m pulled in by the most poetic but devastating lines: “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where the money goes” or “Then the coal company came with the world’s biggest shovel.” Prine is crafting with the simplest of materials and making of them the most beautiful of treasures. More Americans should listen to “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore.”

“Pretty good, not bad, can’t complain. But actually everything is just about the same” is a lyric I’ve left as my review for several albums on this project Song writing: A++ Band: A+ Cover: A+ Artist talent: A+ The lyric “bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down and won”: priceless Every song here is perfect aside from Flashback Blues which feels like it should’ve been included on a re-release as a bonus track.

Been a fan since Chicago days

Superb. An American treasure.

(6/7) a very classy twang of country

Great lyrics and stories but I just really hate country.

This is as monotonous as you can get. The tunes are plain vanilla but the rouse is in the lyrics. As clever as that might be, it’s not for me.

Not too long ago, I could not conceive of a time when I might listen to a country album and give it a perfect five stars. This album has me doubting that belief. The imagery and thrift of language on this (debut) album showcase Prine as a fearless lyricist with an peerless gift for evocative phrasing, all at a mere 24 years old. I mean, when Dylan calls you a great lyricist, people should take notice. “There’s a hole in daddy‘s arm, where all the money goes, and Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose. Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.” I mean, Goddamn. How do you not feel that one? When Angel from Montgomery is perhaps the third-best song on the album, you’re dealing with some powerful stuff. Ultimately, this one sticks at a 4.5 because the musicianship and vocals haven’t quite matured to match the intricate nature of Prine’s lyrics just yet. He would have plenty of time to grow into that over the next 5 decades of his career.

Dude can write a song. Angel from Montgomery has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, I think I knew he wrote it, but never heard his version (Bonnie Raitt's version is a treasure) which is fitting because John Prine was a far better writer than he was a performer. I don't care what you think about county music, John Prine was an amazing artist and this album is a great showcase of his song writing talent.

Älskar illegal smile. Resten låter som regular ass country

Boring country music.

2,5

I had previously heard of John Prine but did not know any material. I didn't even realize he was a country artist. I'm not generally a fan of country music, but this was pretty accessible actually. Some of the lyrics are very compelling; Sam Stone is a standout for this. While I wouldn't necessarily mind hearing this again, I probably won't seek it out.

Looks like John Prine was in his John Prime when he made this, eh? 4/5

Dylan made Rodriguez

I am rarely this confident about a 5 on first listen, but holy shit. I like country music quite a bit, and I have to say that this is like damn near the platonic ideal of the genre. I know some people insist that this is a folk album, and I guess it is *folky*, but I also resent the idea that any sufficiently good country album must be reclassified as folk, so I *am* going to call this country. Anyways, to start, on a musical level, the songs here don't exactly reinvent the country wheel, but they are magnificent examples of the genre. The guitar feels simple and quintessential, the arrangements are sparse but complete and surprisingly varied, and the melodies are often gorgeous, and always compelling. But for as good as the music is, it is also very much a delivery system for John Prine's *brilliant* writing. There is just so much he is good at, it's incredible. He is so incredibly witty and he is able to write passages that are utterly heartbreaking, darkly humorous, deeply sweet, strange, just plain funny, or even crushing. I just want to post a few (okay several) favorite passages real quick. "A bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down and won" "Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man" "Blow up your TV, throw away your paper Go to the country, build you a home" "I met a girl from Venus Her insides were lined in gold" "There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose" Of course there are more, but I think I have made my point. I don't know if it's worth analyzing these lyrics when I can just let the man's incredible words speak for themselves. I would however like to make very special note of the jaw-droppingly, and very refreshingly named "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore". While it is a sad reality that this song is still as relevant as it is in it's utterly *scathing* takedown of good old fashioned US patriotism, it genuinely feels like a sanity check to see someone with as much real country credibility as John Prine say this stuff. Sing it with me, "But your flag decal won't get you into Heaven anymore They're already overcrowded from your dirty little war Now Jesus don't like killin', no matter what the reason's for And your flag decal won't get you into Heaven anymore" And I would like to make special note of the last verse in which the protagonist, literally blinded by patriotism, dies, then does *not* go to heaven. This album is just incredible, and it kept giving more and more. And I've been listening to it all day, and let me tell you it just doesn't *stop* giving. John Prine has made an unbelievable shot to damn near the top of my favorite country albums *of all time* with, honestly, just one listen.

On any other day, I could give this at least another star, but this is another album in a long string of country ones I've been hearing recently, and this just takes it over the edge. Alternatively, not sure if I'd really like it in isolation anyway.

I liked this immediately and was familiar with Pretty Good. Some good track and some good lyrics too but I can’t see myself picking this up again from my own volition even though it’s in my wheelhouse. Nothing wrong or bad but something’s missing to want to go back to it.

Country is probably not for me.