Guitar Town
Guitar Town | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 5, 1986 | |||
Studio | Sound Stage Studios and Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Country rock, rockabilly, Heartland rock | |||
Length | 34:35 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | Emory Gordy, Jr., Tony Brown Associate Producer: Richard Bennett | |||
Steve Earle chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | A−[2] |
Guitar Town is the debut album from 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.
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."[3]
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.
Track listing[]
All songs written by Steve Earle unless otherwise noted
- "Guitar Town" – 2:33
- "Goodbye's All We've Got Left" – 3:16
- "Hillbilly Highway" (Earle, Jimbeau Hinson) – 3:38
- "Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough)" (Earle, Richard Bennett) – 3:58
- "My Old Friend the Blues" – 3:07
- "Someday" – 3:46
- "Think It Over" (Bennett, Earle) – 2:13
- "Fearless Heart" – 4:04
- "Little Rock 'n' Roller" – 4:49
- "Down the Road" (Tony Brown, Earle, Hinson) – 2:37
Bonus track on 2002 Remastered CD
- "State Trooper" [live] (Bruce Springsteen)
Personnel[]
- Steve Earle – guitar, vocals
- The Dukes
- Bucky Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitar on "State Trooper"
- Richard Bennett – guitar, 6-string bass, slap bass, associate producer
- Ken Moore – organ, synthesizer, keyboards on "State Trooper"
- Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass, mandolin, producer
- Harry Stinson – drums, vocals
- Reno Kling - bass on "State Trooper"
- Michael McAdam - guitar on "State Trooper"
- Additional musicians
- Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar on "Fearless Heart" and "Someday"
- John Barlow Jarvis – synthesizer, piano
- Steve Nathan – synthesizer
- Technical
- Chuck Ainlay - recording, mixing
- Alan Messer - photography
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
|
Year-end charts[]
|
Singles[]
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Country | CAN Country | ||
1986 | "Hillbilly Highway" | 37 | 46 |
"Guitar Town" | 7 | 7 | |
"Someday" | 28 | 31 | |
1987 | "Goodbye's All We Got Left" | 8 | 10 |
Certifications[]
Organization | Level | Date |
---|---|---|
RIAA – USA | Gold | March 29, 1999 |
References[]
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Guitar Town - Steve Earle". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ "CG: Steve Earle". Robert Christgau. October 4, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Steve Earle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Steve Earle Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
External links[]
- Guitar Town (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
- 1986 debut albums
- Steve Earle albums
- Albums produced by Emory Gordy Jr.
- Albums produced by Tony Brown (record producer)
- Albums produced by Richard Bennett (guitarist)
- MCA Records albums