Guitar Town

Last updated

Guitar Town
Guitartown.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 5, 1986
StudioSound Stage Studios and Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length34:35
Label MCA
Producer Emory Gordy, Jr., Tony Brown
Associate Producer: Richard Bennett
Steve Earle chronology
Guitar Town
(1986)
Exit 0
(1987)
Singles from Guitar Town
  1. "Hillbilly Highway"
    Released: March 22, 1986
  2. "Guitar Town"
    Released: June 2, 1986
  3. "Someday"
    Released: October 25, 1986
  4. "Goodbye's All We've Got Left"
    Released: January 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
Robert Christgau A− [4]

Guitar Town is the debut studio album from American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released on March 5, 1986. It topped the Billboard country album charts, and the title song reached #7 on the country singles charts. Earle was also nominated for two 1987 Grammy Awards, Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song, for the title track.

Contents

Production

The album was recorded in late 1985 and early 1986 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Sound Stage Studio. Overdubs were later recorded at Nashville's Emerald Studios. It was one of the first country music albums to be recorded digitally, utilizing the Mitsubishi X-800. Each of the album's ten tracks was either written or co-written by Earle.

Reception and legacy

In 2003, the album was ranked number 489 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2012, the magazine ranked it at #482 on a revised list, calling it "the rocker's version of country, packed with songs about hard living in the Reagan Eighties." [5]

In 2006, it ranked 27th on CMT's "40 Greatest Albums in Country Music". In 2016, the album was re-released as a 30th Anniversary Edition with a corresponding tour.

The title track was later covered by Emmylou Harris. "Someday" was later covered by Shawn Colvin on her cover album, Cover Girl .

My Old Friend The Blues was covered by The Proclaimers.

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Earle unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Guitar Town" 2:33
2."Goodbye's All We've Got Left" 3:16
3."Hillbilly Highway"Earle, Jimbeau Hinson 3:38
4."Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough)"Earle, Richard Bennett 3:58
5."My Old Friend the Blues" 3:07
6."Someday" 3:46
7."Think It Over"Bennett, Earle2:13
8."Fearless Heart" 4:04
9."Little Rock 'n' Roller" 4:49
10."Down the Road" Tony Brown, Earle, Hinson2:37
11."State Trooper [live]" Bruce Springsteen 5:12

Personnel

The Dukes
Additional musicians
Technical

Charts

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positions
US Country CAN Country
1986"Hillbilly Highway"3746
"Guitar Town"77
"Someday"2831
1987"Goodbye's All We Got Left"810

Certifications

Certifications for Guitar Town
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [9] Platinum100,000^
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Harvest</i> (Neil Young album) 1972 studio album by Neil Young

Harvest is the fourth studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released on February 1, 1972, by Reprise Records, catalogue number MS 2032. It featured the London Symphony Orchestra on two tracks and vocals by guests David Crosby, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and James Taylor. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks, and spawned two hit singles, "Old Man", which peaked at No. 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "Heart of Gold", which reached No. 1. It was the best-selling album of 1972 in the United States.

<i>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</i> 1998 studio album by Lucinda Williams

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on June 30, 1998, by Mercury Records. The album was recorded and co-produced by Williams in Nashville, Tennessee and Canoga Park, California, and features guest appearances by Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris.

<i>7</i> (George Strait album) 1986 studio album by George Strait

#7 is the sixth studio album by American country music artist George Strait—his seventh album including his Greatest Hits—released on May 14, 1986, by MCA Records. It is certified platinum by the RIAA and it produced two singles: "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her", and "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You", both of which reached Number One on the country charts in 1986. "Deep Water" is a cover of a 1948 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys song. "Cow Town" is a cover of a 1962 Webb Pierce song.

<i>It Matters to Me</i> 1995 studio album by Faith Hill

It Matters to Me is the second studio album by American country music artist Faith Hill. It was released in August 1995 via Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Certified 4× Multi-Platinum by RIAA for shipments of four million copies, it produced five Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Let's Go to Vegas", the title track, "Someone Else's Dream", "You Can't Lose Me", and "I Can't Do That Anymore".

<i>Copperhead Road</i> 1988 studio album by Steve Earle

Copperhead Road is the third studio album by Steve Earle, released in 1988. The album is often referred to as Earle's first "rock record"; Earle himself calls it the world's first blend of heavy metal and bluegrass, and the January 26, 1989 review of the album by Rolling Stone suggested that the style be called "power twang".

<i>Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.</i> 1986 studio album by Dwight Yoakam

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is the debut studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. This was Yoakam's first time working with long-time collaborator, record producer-guitarist Pete Anderson. The album became the first of three consecutive albums by Yoakam to reach number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

<i>Walls Can Fall</i> 1992 studio album by George Jones

Walls Can Fall is an album by American country music artist George Jones. This album was released in 1992 on the MCA Nashville Records. It peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number 77 on The Billboard 200 chart. Walls Can Fall went Gold in 1994.

<i>Exit 0</i> 1987 studio album by Steve Earle & The Dukes

Exit 0 is the second studio album from American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released in 1987. Earle was nominated for two 1988 Grammy Awards for songs on the album, Best Male Country Vocalist for "Exit 0" and Best Country Song for "Nowhere Road".

<i>III</i> (Joe Nichols album) 2005 studio album by Joe Nichols

III is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Joe Nichols. It was released on October 25, 2005 by Universal South Records. The album produced Nichols' second #1 hit in "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off", as well as the top-10 hit "Size Matters (Someday)" and "I'll Wait for You". Overall, it was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of well over 500,000 copies.

<i>The Hard Way</i> (Steve Earle album) 1990 studio album by Steve Earle

The Hard Way is the fourth studio album by Steve Earle, released in 1990. Earle is backed by the Dukes. The album is dedicated to Emilio Lorenzo Ensenat (1930–90).

<i>Heartbreak Town</i> 1996 studio album by Steve Azar

Heartbreak Town is the debut studio album of American country music artist Steve Azar. Released on River North Records in 1996, it features the singles "Someday" and "I Never Stopped Loving You" that peaked at numbers 51 and 50, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts that year. Azar did not release another album until Waitin' on Joe six years later. The track "I Go Crazy" is a cover of Paul Davis' hit single from 1978.

<i>Love Travels</i> 1997 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Love Travels is the tenth studio album by American country music artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on February 4, 1997, via Mercury Records Nashville. The disc contained a total of 11 tracks that blended a mixture of different musical styles. Love Travels spawned four singles, two of which made the North American country songs charts: "455 Rocket" and the title track. The album itself reached the top 20 of the American country albums chart and was reviewed positively by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Townes Earle</span> American musician (1982–2020)

Justin Townes Earle was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut, EP Yuma (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2009 and for Song of the Year in 2011 for "Harlem River Blues". His father is alternative country artist Steve Earle.

<i>All in Love</i> 1988 studio album by Marie Osmond

All in Love is the seventh solo studio album release by American country music singer, Marie Osmond. It was her third album release for Curb/Capitol records and was issued in 1988.

<i>The Low Highway</i> 2013 studio album by Steve Earle

The Low Highway is the 15th studio album by singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released in 2013. The album features two songs co-written by Earle and Lucia Micarelli: "Love's Gonna Blow My Way", "After Mardi Gras". Two songs from the album, "After Mardi Gras" and "That All You Got?", are featured in the HBO TV Series Treme.

<i>The 21 Project</i> 2015 studio album by Hunter Hayes

The 21 Project is the third studio album by American country music artist Hunter Hayes, released in physical format on November 6, 2015 through Atlantic Nashville. Hayes co-produced the collection with Dann Huff. The album includes five songs from his similarly-titled EP, 21, released earlier that year, as well as two new tracks. Each song is available as a studio recording, an acoustic recording, and a live performance from the Wheels Up Tour.

<i>For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price</i> 2016 studio album by Willie Nelson

For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price is the 65th solo studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, released on September 19, 2016. The album features cover versions of songs recorded by Ray Price, who had died in 2013. Nelson, a former member of Price's Cherokee Cowboys and friend, recorded the twelve-track album at Ocean Way Studios, where Price had recorded his final album, Beauty Is. Engineered by Fred Foster and Bergen White, the album features Vince Gill on six tracks. The content spans Honky Tonk and Countrypolitan.

<i>Road Less Traveled</i> (Lauren Alaina album) 2017 studio album by Lauren Alaina

Road Less Traveled is the second studio album by American country music artist Lauren Alaina. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by Mercury Nashville and Interscope Records. It includes the number one single of the same name.

<i>Heart Break</i> (Lady Antebellum album) 2017 studio album by Lady Antebellum

Heart Break is the seventh studio album by American country pop trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on June 9, 2017, through Capitol Records Nashville. The album serves as the "spiritual follow-up" to 2010's Need You Now and is their first release since 2014's 747, with its three-year gap being the longest between two albums by the group to date.

<i>The Bus Songs</i> 2017 compilation album by Toby Keith

The Bus Songs is a compilation album from American country music artist Toby Keith. The album was announced July 14, 2017, and was released September 8, 2017. It is a combination of new and older songs written by Keith. The album contains twelve songs: two new, five re-recorded, and five previously released songs. The new songs on the album are "Shitty Golfer" and "Wacky Tobaccy". The songs "Runnin' Block", "Hell No", "The Critic", "Ballad of Balad", and "Weed With Willie" have been re-recorded and are referred to as "fresh takes on old favorites" by Rolling Stone magazine.

References

  1. Tannenbaum, Rob (January 26, 1989). "Steve Earle Copperhead Road". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Conrad, Karen (2016). "Steve Earle - Guitar Town". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 558.
  3. Deming, Mark. "Guitar Town - Steve Earle". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  4. "CG: Steve Earle". Robert Christgau. October 4, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  5. Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. ISBN   978-7-09-893419-6
  6. "Steve Earle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  7. "Steve Earle Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  8. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  9. "Canadian album certifications – Steve Earle – Guitar Town". Music Canada . Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  10. "American album certifications – Steve Earle – Guitar Town". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 19, 2022.