Old No. 1

Decent country LP that wasn't exactly groundbreaking for its time when it dropped in the '70s considering the historical context, though it's a solid enough listen. Waffled on this one a bit, but Texas features prominently and that's where I'm from so I will give it an additional star.

This country album is a good listen. It's not groundbreaking, but excellent musicians, nice lyrics and decent songs. Just a bit little middle of the road and never urgent or surprising.

A real forgotten classic of lyricism and country. A nicely crafted album that is concise and complex while also being something that is enjoyable and having a few songs that have endless replay value. LA Freeway is a fantastic song and this album is always a good listen. 8.0/10

I'm not a Country fan, but I appreciate the excellent lyricism on this album. I also think the original list would have benefit from a couple of extra Country albums, so this is a good suggestion.

Wow just a great fuckin album top to botton. Guy is my guy

I can get down with this good country

The user albums list rocks, because on one hand, I want to write this off as one of the most bland and generic Country albums I've ever heard in my life, but on the other hand, there's somebody out there who went through 3 years of a list with humongous Country over-representation, said "nah actually, you missed one", then submitted this. Anyways, this was one of the most bland and generic Country albums i've ever heard in my life.

Excellent… this list has plenty of room for some of the classic greats of country and Guy Clark seems to qualify. Seemed vaguely familiar at times and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn I’ve listened to this somewhere in my past. Terrific!

Superbly written album. Desperados is a brilliant song

Country. Pues muy bonito.

Super classic outlaw country. A wonderful listen on a lazy weekend morning.

Forget about half of the LPs in this genre suggested by the original list. This here is the platonic ideal of what a country or C&W album should sound like. And it's been suggested by a user of this generator, not by a bunch of "professional critics". Why, you might ask? Well, for starters because it harbors a generous batch of perfect songs that are very hard to top. Not only the absolute gems "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train", but also the touching cut "Like A Coat From The Cold", closer "Let Him Roll", mostly a spoken-word track musing about death and how you have to let old friends go (a coda to "Desperados...", in a way), or "Instant Coffee Blues", who depicts the awkward consequences of a one-night-stand with subtlety, sensitivity, and an acute perception of human psychology that speaks to the singer-songwriter's intelligence. But it's not only the words used by Guy Clark that make him one of the greatest. The problem I had with country music, originally, is that, too often, it is relying on shamelessly predictable chord sequences that made most of what l had heard in that style sound flat and boring. But if you "really* listen to Clark's music on this incredible debut, what you have is the exact opposite of that. On that front, the second side of the LP is 100% immune from such flaws. And if the second half of the first side is a little less impressive when it comes to the music, it's still excellent stuff overall. And that's not all. The very subtle changes of styles -- a touch of blues here, some more folksy flavors there -- offer quite a dynamic tracklisting, which, then again, are not found in your run-of-the-mill country albums. You also have killer arrangements, served by crystal-clear-yet-authentic-sounding production bringing an extra cinematic dimension to the whole thing. You have Emmylou Harris and a very young Steve Earle singing the background vocals. And if you like cream on your proverbial cake, you have three lively tracks ("Rita Ballou", "Texas 1947" and "Texas Cookin'") proving that Clark was as good providing fun and riotous stuff as he was writing perfect ballads. What can I say? This record is "Old *Number One*" indeed. I just wish the user (whom I heartily thank here) was as open-minded to rap as I now am to genres I was initially allergic to before starting this project. You really hate hip hop at large, your galleries are pretty clear about that. Is it the profanity? Or is it something else? Well your loss. And my gain when it comes to C&W and Country masterpieces. Because I'm adding this one to my shelves gathering my own personal collection of killer works by artists such as Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons or Johnny Cash. So thanks again. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes. ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 62 (including this one). Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 81 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 148 ---- Emile... Ma propre balise temporelle... Tu trouveras mes trois dernières réponses sous les albums d'Eric B. & Rakim, Shpongle et Ookla The Mok

This is the album that got me into outlaw country. The first time I heard it, I sat up in surprise when it started, and then quickly I sat back in satisfaction. Thirty-six minutes of bliss. Barrel ridin' & back slidin' is such a perfect snapshot of the middle American, working class, Protestant experience. This whole album feels like a great big hug of every pleasure a big city can afford and then a warm embrace of every regret you feel by the cold light of day, your face turned toward home. This masterpiece has even got a couple songs about trains. Case closed.

What a solid album of well-composed songs! I’d never heard of this artist or knew any of the songs, but was impressed by the singing, lyrics, and music.

Good stuff. Found myself tapping my toes and interested in the story telling.

Something nice about a simple story accompanied by uncomplicated instruments. Would listen to again.

Solid old timey country, with all the usual associated pluses and minuses that implies. More of the pluses and less of the minuses, actually. Love the cover art. Can't wrap my head around that voice coming from that ungrizzled person. Anyway, if you enjoy a good simile, this is the album for you!

This is some pretty good, pretty simple country. Not too heavy on the folk, but bearable when it does dip its toes in. 4/5.

Just solid outlaw Country here. Good writing, well performed and great, understated use of backing vocals. A lot of the lyrics are maybe a little on the nose - typical of this idiom there is not much subtlety. But I can be there for perfectly straightforward for an LP.

Good stuff. It’s funny, I absolutely hate modern country like Toby Keith and all that other bullshit, but stuff like this I love. Thanks for adding this to the list!

Classic country album that I had not listed to for quit a while. Not my genre but still an easy 4 due to the strong songwriting.

Oh, Guy Clark, very nice. Classic country of the outlaw variety. Earthy, easygoing, excellent songwriting. So much to enjoy here. Heck of a backing band there, by the way. When you've got Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earl and Sammi Smith singing backup for you, you're doing something right. Fave Songs: L.A. Freeway, Rita Ballou, Desperados Waiting for a Train, A Nickel for the Fiddler, Like a Coat from the Cold, Let Him Roll

I feel like I’m in an old Hill Country bbq joint. This one has as much right to be on the main list as anything by Gram.

Cool Texas country from a time long gone by.

Some of the best country artists started out as songwriters for bigger Nashville stars. Clark's credits can be found in the likes of Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, and Everly Brothers records. While he never made the biggest splash as an artist himself, Guy Clark's contributions to other artists made him a cornerstone of the country music community. Comparable to the great Kristofferson (also not on the original list!), Clark is the epitome of great country with the soul of a genuine singer-songwriter. Songs like LA Freeway and Texas – 1947 whisk me away to a different place and time; a testament to Clark's penmanship and performance. The great thing about country music is that there's a whole hidden world of musicianship to be found, like bugs under a log. Dare to explore the finer things. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Yessiree add it!

One struggles to get too excited about this guy, who's such a songwriters' songwriter as to seem invisible to amateur appreciators. One hears only one transcendent line (the one about "getting killed or caught") , but many others seems willfully odd or just short or sideways of scanning properly. There's no doubting the old-school authenticity: he seems so DIY and rough around the edges, as well as given to somewhat silly jokes and puns, as to be John Prine-lite or a poor man's version of same. Great album cover. Guy Clark could definitely fill one of the spots wasted on say, Scott Walker, or even Bowie or Nick Cave, and the list would be slightly improved – though only very slightly. One's rounding up on one's own personal scorecard is meant as a gesture of recognition of the likelihood that he deserved better (but of course than can be said of so many artists).

good ole country

Really impressive and emotional country. It avoids a lot of the cliches that make country music often very annoying for me and instead delivers some damn good songwriting and guitar playing

I love this album. So heartfelt and genuine. Lyrics, production, instrumentation, and arrangement are all fantastic. I wish there was a tad more range on the front end, but ultimately it all works out. Great album. Thanks for the submission. 4/5

This is what I remember country music as. Also reminds me very much of John Prine.

In 2014? Seriously?

Pretty enjoyable album I probably wouldn’t have found without the generator

This was a fun album. I always love getting an old country album mixed in with all this newfangled rock and roll, but I don't have a ton else to say about it 4/5

As an extreme late comer to quality Country music, this was a great listen. 4/5

Hard to see what is special about this. Some generally up-tempo country storyteller vibe. Some fine songs, and maybe Let Him Roll was racy for the times, but nothing that makes this a really compelling gap from the original list.

Old macdonald had guy clark, he was number one

Rating: 6/10

Typical old school country music. Good singing voice, easy listening music

3 Got nothing to say about this album

Outlaw Country, Progressive country. Ni fu ni fa.

Ngl I barely remember this past thinking that it was some pretty good country music and that the Wikipedia page sounded self written.

Witty country

Old country is still a million times better than modern pop schlock country.

I like me a bit of country and I enjoyed hearing the originals of some songs done by more well known artists. But by the end I was countried out I’m afraid.

July 20, 2025 HL: "L.A. Freeway", "She Ain't Going Nowhere", "Desperadoes Waiting For a Train" Solid

It feels more "western" than "country," if such a distinction even exists. Old No. 1 feels like saloon stories told with quiet grit and a well-worn acoustic. Guy Clark has a knack for simple, well-crafted songwriting that doesn’t ask for attention. It’s not a favourite, but it’s far more listenable than most of the country that made the original list. Respectable, even if it won’t be on repeat.

Better than a lot of the country albums on the actual list. It’s very decent with a few songs being great even - e.g. “That Old Time Feeling” and “Desperados Waiting For A Train”.

Run of the mill country with great lyrics and an all around pleasant listen. Really enjoyed 'That Old Time Feeling'.

This one was interesting as it almost reached my threshold for completely enjoying it. I may give it another chance but I probably would keep the same rating.

Shucks Howdy

Outlaw Country, Progressive country. Ni fu ni fa.

Great writer

Smelly music made by a smelly man for smelly people.

A pretty good country album. Never heard of the guy and it seems like he influenced a lot of people. It's pretty down the line but hey, country was done dirty on the original list so I'll give it a pass. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

I hated this one right out of the gate. Old, twangy county is really not my jam. But is started to grow on me as it went. A few songs in and I started to appreciate the musicianship and style. A few more songs in and I actually started to like it. I'll almost certainly never listen to it again, and I'm not going to seek out anymore Guy Clarke music, but overall way better than I expected out of the gate. This is probably my favourite country album now. It probably deserves more, but I can't go any higher for an album I don't want it hear again.

That’s some quality outlaw country that I wasn’t aware of before. I have to be in the right mood for it, but it scratches an itch I didn’t know that I had.

Helt okej. Ett album man blir glad av.

I'm partial to Townes Van Zandt when it comes to "country singers who didn't make the original list," but Guy Clark probably deserves a slice of the pie, as well. I really like a lot of the instrumental and melodic choices on this album, I just have some nitpicks when it comes to lyrics feeling a bit basic. Or in the case of L.A. Freeway falling into the stereotypes country music falls into constantly nowadays. Although, this is 1975, so it's excused, I suppose. What my main issue is with this album is the back-up singers. They feel so cheesy, and ruin a lot of really great gooks and choruses. I have no issue with back-up singers on most things, but it really irked me throughout the album, and it made the last track easily the standout with how stripped down it was in comparison.

Ok kantria. ei suurempaa mielipidettä suuntaan eikä toiseen. 3/5

I’ve never heard of Guy Clark before, which is a shame since he’s a fellow Texan. I enjoyed a good amount of the country albums on the main list, but some of the big names on there were a bit of a letdown for me (I’m looking at you, Merle Haggard). I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about this album, but I’m excited to fire up some old school country! Musically, I wasn’t really into this album. I didn’t really care for Guy’s vocals, but I did appreciate hearing Emmy Lou Harris on backing vocals (both of her solo efforts on the main list got five stars from me; she kicks massive amounts of ass in my book), and it was cool to see that Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell were on here too. But lyrically, this album is in a class of its own. I thought these songs were brilliantly written, and they were incredibly vulnerable and melancholy, but never once did this album’s tone stumble into “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” levels of ‘aw shucks’ country cheesiness. As much as I didn’t care for this album musically, the bare instrumentation really did suit the dustiness and loneliness of the lyrics pretty well, but I just wish there had been a bit more going on melodically. However, “L.A. Freeway” was head and shoulders above the rest of the album. I loved its slow lilt, and the backing vocals on the chorus were superb. “Desperados Waiting for a Train” and “Instant Coffee Blues” were good too. Although this album wasn’t my favorite, it was pretty enjoyable, and I’m glad I got to listen to an album from someone who’s so highly regarded in country music.

Country right? Country for REAL. It makes things a bit tough for me to enjoy, but I'll assume that it is some kind of classic that was missing in the original list and save my 1-star for worse things.

I made it to track 11 before it started to get on my nerves.

Clearly not an album designed for me. Not the worst bland country album I've heard. Put possibly only because the worst country can be several leagues below Satan when it's done badly. Well performed, produced and inoffensive.

This was fine

Not bad but so samey in my mind to so many 70s American singers.

I'm not a country fan, but it was nice enough.

Uninteresting country.

Not a country fan so take it all with a grain of salt: it's deep 70s simple country with emphasis on the pedal steel guitar which always turns me off - i.e. it's just not my thing. BUT...I kinda feel like I might have actually liked this a bit more with a different singer - there's not that huge a difference between this and a lot of what was popular in the pop/rock/country blur back then. The voice is too ... idk, Texas? Just a preference, sorry Guy. 4/10 2 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

Right off the bat I hated his voice (the Texan twang has never been up my alley) but the music was honestly peaceful. That alone I could have done and I understand, but his voice genuinely completely ruins it.

Absolute shite. A dull as country can be.

I was sick of all the country albums on the original list, sorry this one didn’t have a chance.