CD-Charts Position 1
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Transcendental Blues

by: Steve Earle

Release Date April 19, 2004
Nick Hornby's 31 Songs mentions this album. Many of the other people I listen to refernece Steve Earle, so I bought it and listened and loved it. Why not 5 stars? Nobody is perfect but this is a thumping good album and a great introduction for me to Steve Earle - I will be buying more!

CD-Charts Position 2
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Copperhead Road

by: Steve Earle

Release Date March 20, 1999
Steve Earle music is best described as country-rock. The skull and cross bones that form the cover of Copperhead Road album warn of what is to come, a heavy mix of potent music shot through with the reflections of an wild young man who is older than his years. Inserts show a relaxed Earle, fag in mouth, black shades and dressed in denim.

A strong start with 'Copperhead Road' on which you can apparently 'smell the whisky burnin'; 'The Devil's Right Hand' refers to a pistol and though the song has a strange lyrical resonace it isn't until 'Johnny Come Lately' (on which the Pogues play) when the album begins to rock..

'Johnny Come Lately' tells the story of a soldier off to Vietnam who hopes to return to his girl in London ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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The Collection

by: Steve Earle

Release Date May 06, 2002
This is an excellent introduction to the music of Steve Earle. Steve Earle is an amazing musician who almost defies classification – he has his roots in country music but his work shows strong rock influences, particularly influenced by the blue collar rock of Bruce Springsteen (in fact this album includes a couple of Springsteen covers).

The album takes tracks from Earle’s first four albums (Guitar Town, Exit 0, Copperhead Road & The Hard Way) together with five live tracks from his live album Shut up and die like an Aviator. Personally I prefer later Earle (Jerusalem and El Corazon are probably my two favourite albums) but this is fantastic introduction to early Steve Earle. In some ways it is more country than some ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Copperhead Road

by: Steve Earle

Release Date June 02, 2008
With two good albums under his belt, "Guitar Town" from 1986 and "Exit O" from 1987, "Copperhead Road" was Steve Earle's 3rd record for the MCA stable and he had clearly hit his song-writing stride. I remember when I bought it at the time that it sounded just HUGE - and although he was considered a `country' artist, "Copperhead Road" was a really a blasting rock 'n' roll beast of a thing with some country tinges thrown in for good measure. Even the front cover and picture of him on the rear smacked of `attitude' - a snot-nosed punk on a Harley eyeing up your underage daughter with less than moral intent. From the opening track it reeked of bar-drenched alcohol and chemical substances that weren't exactly Milk of Magnesia nor Aspirins. In other words, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Mountain

by: Steve Earle

Release Date November 24, 2008
With two good albums under his belt, "Guitar Town" from 1986 and "Exit O" from 1987, "Copperhead Road" was Steve Earle's 3rd record for the MCA stable and he had clearly hit his song-writing stride. I remember when I bought it at the time that it sounded just HUGE - and although he was considered a `country' artist, "Copperhead Road" was a really a blasting rock 'n' roll beast of a thing with some country tinges thrown in for good measure. Even the front cover and picture of him on the rear smacked of `attitude' - a snot-nosed punk on a Harley eyeing up your underage daughter with less than moral intent. From the opening track it reeked of bar-drenched alcohol and chemical substances that weren't exactly Milk of Magnesia nor Aspirins. In other words, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Washington Square Serenade

by: Steve Earle

Release Date October 01, 2007
'washington square serenade' represents change on all fronts for Earle. There's a change in mood from the last few intensely political releases. This is a more personal album, reflecting his own life, a move to the big city, married life, more settled, more satisfied. Yet Earle has always been a liberal artist favoured by urban americana fans, rather than heartlands country. Musically there are changes too: electronic beats, world music. From Steve Earle, Mister Organic, Mister American Roots. Who'd have thought? Yet this too reflects Earle's move to New York, as kick off song 'Tennessee Blues' waves "Goodbye Guitar Town", in 'Down Here Below' a NY celebrity hawk whose position at the top of the food chain serves as a metaphor for the city's lords of ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Guitar Town

by: Steve Earle

Release Date February 11, 2002
When this album was released, Steve was acclaimed in some quarters as country music's version of Bruce Springsteen - high praise indeed. Subsequent albums have shown that comparisons with The Boss are spot on, including their political beliefs, but Steve has largely abandoned country music in favor of rock. He has never forgotten his roots, as he showed on The Mountain, an album that he recorded with bluegrass musicians, but he has never recorded another album quite like Guitar town.

Steve wrote or co-wrote all the songs on this album, which contains two major country hits (the title track and Hillbilly highway), both up-tempo rocking songs, which are typical of the album's style. Steve shows that he can do ballads too - just listen to My old ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Mountain

by: Steve Earle & The Del Mccoury

Release Date November 24, 2008
The Del McCoury Band are one of the sharpest bluegrass bands playing in the world today. Biting banjo, whirling mandolin - the whole nine yards. Their albums though can be a little patchy as they generally feel the need to include their own songs as well as old classics of the genre. Their own songs can be a little ordinary. Step forward then folk troubadour, outlaw altcountry poet and allround rockin ex junkie - Steve Earle, to plug the gap.

Steve and the McCoury band really bring out the best in each other. There isn't a single duff track here. Texas Eagle is a train song par excellence. Elsewhere the numbers range from the poignant to the raucus, and a couple of them wouldn't sound out of place on the Pogues set-list.

If that ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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The Hard Way

by: Steve Earle

Release Date August 21, 2000
To start with 'the Hard Way' is a completely shambolic, incoherent car crash of an album. But thats what makes it so special in my opinion. Steve Earle's vast array of problems during the early 90's are well documented and the fact that this album exists as a permanent reminder of a real make or break time in Earle's life is probably the main reason why he himself never or very rarely plays tracks from this monumental effort.
"I'll defend the 'The Hard Way' to the death because I nearly died making it" are words used by Steve when used to describe how he feels now about the album and from the opening, fist pumping, never-say-die anthem 'The Other Kind' to the closing FM rock tear jerker'Close Your Eyes' you will be left with no doubt that this album ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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El Corazon

by: Steve Earle

Release Date October 06, 1997
If you love music then get your ears around this. It's as simple as that. If you don't own this then you don't love music. It's the album that I could listen to again and again. Oh, and buy "I feel alright" too and play 'em back to back.

Just buy it - you will love it.