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         Way back in 1987 I was listening to local rock station WXRT 93.1 and I heard this really great song that just hooked me the first time I heard it. If you know WXRT at all, back in those days they'd play eight songs before they told you what they had played. Just about a week or so later I heard that song again and caught the title and artist. That song was Steve's "Sweet Little 66", so I went out and bought "Exit O" and I loved it. I own every Steve cd he's put out since then and I consider Steve to be THE current best singer/songwriter in America right now. I've seen Steve live about eight times, the only artist I've seen live more is Rush. Thank God that Steve lived through his drug addiction because us fans would've missed out on some great music by a musician that's not afraid to go against the grain. My only complaint is that  from "Exit O" to "Shut Up and Die..." have not been put out in remastered form like "Guitar Town" was. Please MCA re-release these and let us fans hear them in all their glory.

 

    Thanks,

    Joe Schlesak

Hey, pretty baby are you ready for me, it's our good rockin' daddy down from Tennessee..

First Steve's words I heard when browsing the internet. No radios here play Steve.

Hey, Joe Schlesak, aren't you Josef Slezák? Sounds a bit like a Czech name ;-) 

Oh yeah ... it all started with Guitar Town ... what a totally awesome album ..

JoeSchlesak:

My only complaint is that  from "Exit O" to "Shut Up and Die..." have not been put out in remastered form like "Guitar Town" was. Please MCA re-release these and let us fans hear them in all their glory.

 I'm not an expert on this kind of thing by any means, but I'm not sure the albums you mention actually need to be re-mastered. CDs came into being circa 1982 and Guitar Town was released nearly 5 years later - so it would have been recorded with the knowledge that it would be released on cd.

I've only ever heard the re-mastered version so I'm not sure if it's an improvement on the orignal cd release but it may well have just been a marketing scam to drum up sales for an album nearly 20 years old. Another example is the Deluxe edition of 'Copperhead Road'. As far as I know, this is not a re-mastered album (because it presumably doesn't need it) - just a re-release with additional live material.

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'I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out.' Bill Hicks (R.I.P.)

yep, Guitar Town for me, too....i heard the song and saw the video and remember thinking, "who is this doll with the guitar???"  except for a brief time, when i was confined to a psychiatric hospital, i've been crazy about Steve since 1987...and, when i was in the hospital, i was just crazy...so, now it's good to be crazy again about Steve, and i agree, the best singer/songwriter in the WORLD today....

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Steve Earle fan, grateful recovering addict

For me it also started with Guitar Town. It was this song that helped me break out and explore many other genres and styles of music. I was 15 when I first heard this song, and until then I was raised on traditional country music. Guitar Town awakened something in me musically and filled a void I never knew I had. I've been a fan ever since. I now enjoy music in almost every genre, if it feels good I play it. Everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Kid Rock.

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Bob

missin > Wasn't it Bucky Baxter? :-P :-P :-P

bobschull > The same at me. Traditional country till Guitar Town discovery in my 18. (Probably except for Billy Joe Shaver with Eddy). Funny, Exit 0 sounded like a too hard rock to me when I bought it but no later than two months after that I felt in love with The Hard Way, which still my most favourite album. 

That's kind of funny bobshull - we're about the same age I guess, but Steve opened up a new world to me because I thought he WAS country! At the time I mostly listened to heavy metal - Motley Crue, Ratt, Faster Pussycat, that kind of thing. But I had been raised on singer/songwriters by my Dad, so I had a solid background in music by Emmylou, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, etc., that was reawakened by Steve.  

Bluegrass:

I thought he WAS country! 

That's funny, when I first heard Guitar Town I thought is was a rock song, it had an edge and sound I'd never really heard in traditional country music, plus Steve looked nothing like anything I'd ever seen in the country music scene. I still don't really consider his music country.

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Bob

I don't think Steve's music can ever really be pigeon holed. Since my teens my perception and attitude about music genres and such as changed a lot. There are tunes by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams that are more "rock and roll" in terms of attitude and rebellion than anything dreamed up by Nickeback, you know?

The first time I heard Steve Earle was live.  It was at Chicago's Park West back in '86.  The songs were all good, but I wasn't into the country sound back then so his rendition of State Trooper was the song that caught my attention. 

 A year later I heard WXRT play Copperhead Road and, once I found out it was by Steve Earle, I ran out and bought it.  I think I have just about all of his stuff now.  I am also glad that he made it through his battle with the drugs and came out of it even stronger.  He is a really versatile artist.

Mine was probabily jerusalem, played at Concert for a Landmine free world in Leicester 2003 or whichever track steve played 1st but it was jerusalem that grabbed my attention. Went out and bought the album the next day have have been a massive fan ever since (and of course what a line up , harris, baez,Bragg, Earle & Hinde + her mate)

 Gonna have to go find the bootleg now and give it a listen again 

Have Since seen steve every time he's been over to the UK and looking forward to the big session festival where he is appearing in the UK this summer. Learned a few of his songs and Steve has also been the gateway to other great musicians and songs for me too (guy & townes being the obvious ones)

Rich

viky, you crazy boy!!!!  bucky baxter?????  never!!  it's always been Steve for me!

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Steve Earle fan, grateful recovering addict

Old Grey Whistle Test 1987 - I ain't ever satisfied.  Introduced by Andy Kershaw.

 

Chris. 

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Crap music-free since 1981.

missin > Of course I know! :D :D :D :-P :-P :-P