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 No. 7 on the country singles chart. 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 original 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 No. 482 on a revised list, calling it "the rocker's version of country, packed with songs about hard living in the Reagan Eighties."Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials.
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
Added in a later reissue:
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 Chart (1986) Peakposition Canadian Albums (RPM) 82
Year-end charts Chart (1986) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 41
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
References
External links
(Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)