Guitar Town
Guitar Town | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 5, 1986 | |||
Studio | Sound Stage Studios and Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:35 | |||
Steve Earle chronology | ||||
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Singles from Guitar Town | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Robert Christgau | A−[4] |
Guitar Town is the debut studio album from American singer-songwriter
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
In 2006, it ranked 27th on
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. | Title | Writer(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, Earle | 2:13 |
8. | "Fearless Heart" | 4:04 | |
9. | "Little Rock 'n' Roller" | 4:49 | |
10. | "Down the Road" | Tony Brown, Earle, Hinson | 2:37 |
11. | "State Trooper [live]" | Bruce Springsteen | 5:12 |
Personnel
- vocals
- The Dukes
- Bucky Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitar on "State Trooper"
- slap bass, associate producer
- Ken Moore – organ, synthesizer, keyboards on "State Trooper"
- Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass, mandolin, producer
- 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
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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
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[9] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (January 26, 1989). "Steve Earle Copperhead Road". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Conrad, Karen (2016). "Steve Earle - Guitar Town". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 558.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Guitar Town - Steve Earle". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ "CG: Steve Earle". Robert Christgau. October 4, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- 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.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Steve Earle – Guitar Town". Music Canada. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Steve Earle – Guitar Town". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
External links
- Guitar Town (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)