Search - Steve Earle :: Essential Steve Earle

A Good Introduction

Mark Bumgardner | Concord, NC United States | 11/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having grown-up preferring rock to country, I'm often drawn to those artists who fall in that "not really rock/not pure country" category. For me, Steve Earle is one of those artists. His personal life has seen him delve dangerously into the excesses which befall many artists (country and rock) - going way out on many ledges and managing to pull himself back in from the brink of disaster or even death. While his lifestyle may seem extreme and be painful for fans to watch, there's no doubt that it's yeilded some excellent songs. His ability to tell a story and make you care about the characters in these songs is comparable to Bruce Springsteen or the late Johnny Cash.This collection is culled from Earle's first three albums ("Guitar Town", "Exit 0", and "Copperhead Road") plus a couple of tracks he contributed to the "Planes, Tranes, and Automibiles" soundtrack. All of the important tracks from those first three albums are here, including "Copperhead Road", Earle's first real crossover to rock radio. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to become aquainted with Earle's work without buying all of his albums. This particular collection is now out of print, but the recently released "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection" is nearly identical to this one. While he may be too country for some rock fans and too rock and roll for those who only like country, if you appreciate finely crafted songwritting, you'll enjoy this album."

Excellent Album!

Rayn Roberts | Seattle | 06/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All of what Steve does is good... I love these early songs just as much as the songs on "Transcendental Blues" which is a creative leap forward to my ears, but like I say, it's all good when Steve Earle makes music and as far as his politics go, he can speak his mind all he wants to and I would still buy his music, even if I didn't agree with him. So shout it out Steve, I got not problem with Americans having their say and that goes for the Dixie Chicks too. This is America, land of free speech, that's one thing that makes our nation great!"

A real country outlaw

J. Carroll | Island Heights,NJ | 09/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Earle is the real deal. His songs are hard edged tales of love, lust, alcohol, and guns. While some of the tunes here may be a bit too country for fans of "Copperhead Road" (My own intro to Earle's music)give it a try. This man can tell a story and he'll convince you he knows what he's talking about. Listen to the restless soul on "Someday" and you know this guy is the goods. As mentioned in another review, this one's just a sampling of Earle's early work. Try it and see if it will lead you to Earle's later work where the edge just increases as the talent matures."