MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$
ALBUM: Guitar Town (1986)
I feel like this is one of those records I discovered. Before anybody else was hip to Steve Earle, I had this, his first album. ( A lot of people jumped in at Copperhead Road).
Of course I am being facetious. Earle’s star was growing with this first album. I have several other digital albums and Earle songs but I certainly have a fondness for this vinyl LP.
But here’s a question that lingers with Earle: Was he authentic? Dumb question? But I get the sense sometimes that his songs and singing style were, let’s just say showing a lot of influences.
So that nags at me a little but truth his he plays good music. He picks good songs to cover.. He sings well. And he writes well. Check out the title song from this album (below).
Gotta keep rocking while I still can/ gotta 2-pack habit and a motel tan.
From Someday: There ain’t a lot that you can do in this town
You drive down to the lake and then you turn back around
You go to school and you learn to read and write
So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your life
Yep, small town southern living pretty much encapsulated.
And to argue with myself, aren’t we all a product of our influences?
As an artist you just don’t want to wear influences in such a way as to be a cover band or Elvis impersonator. It’s all in how you synthesize the influences. Earle went on to record 15 albums after this one so he’s done well. And I don’t know if his addictions and jail time made him more authentic in his music but it certainly seems like it put the blues and the outlaw into his country-folk- rock sound.
. And I discovered him.
By the way if you are reading this and wondering where the numbers went on last couple of countdown posts, hang on. I’m trying to recalculate a couple of outliers and will have it up and counting soon.