Search - Steve Earle :: Live From Austin Texas (Dig)

Live From Austin Texas (Dig)
Steve Earle
Live From Austin Texas (Dig)
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (17) - Disc #1

This 1986 performance from Austin City Limits (also available on DVD) presents one of country's most powerful artists at his performing peak. The native Texan's series debut finds Earle in the midst of his headstrong break...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Steve Earle
Title: Live From Austin Texas (Dig)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: New West Records
Release Date: 11/2/2004
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, Neotraditional, Singer-Songwriters, Folk Rock, Singer-Songwriters, Roots Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 607396606429

Synopsis

Amazon.com
This 1986 performance from Austin City Limits (also available on DVD) presents one of country's most powerful artists at his performing peak. The native Texan's series debut finds Earle in the midst of his headstrong breakthrough, drawing from the Guitar Town and Exit 0 albums that put him at the front of the renegade country pack. Within the former album's title track and other performance highlights such as "Good Ol Boy (Gettin' Tough)" and "Nowhere Road," Earle and his band the Dukes combine country twang with rock dynamics. Plainly influenced by Bruce Springsteen, he introduces a taut, riveting cover of "State Trooper" as a song by "a pretty good hillbilly singer from New Jersey," and Earle's own "Fearless Heart" owes a debt of inspiration to Springsteen's "Hungry Heart." Yet the 17-song performance reflects his softer side as well, with the reflective balladry of "My Old Friend the Blues" and the tender lullaby of "Little Rock 'n' Roller" packing as much of an emotional punch as the tougher stuff. Where Austin City Limits typically edits an artist's taping into a half hour for airing, this 65-minute release treats listeners to the full set. --Don McLeese

Similarly Requested CDs

 

CD Reviews

Powerful live view of Earle's landmark early work
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 03/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"One rarely gets the opportunity to re-approach a classic album such as Earle's "Guitar Town" with fresh ears. But that's exactly what this CD and DVD provide with their looks at Earle's 1986 Austin City Limits appearance, expanded from the 30 minute television edit to the full hour performance. Riding the crest of his landmark debut, and with half of his follow-up, "Exit 0," in his hip-pocket, Earle lights up the stage with a giddy passion fueled by his incredible initial cache of material.



Listeners who've worn out their original vinyl will be renewed by the sparkle Earle brings to the stage. Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, he looks the role of the dreamers who populate his songs, cruising their pickups and homemade muscle cars through small-town America. This first blush of performing bravado winds the clock back on an album that's become an Americana staple: Earle performs everything from "Guitar Town" save "Someday," and works through half of its follow-up. His band translates the songs to stage with few changes, roughing up a few of the album's tidy edges with live vitality.



Whether unwinding the freedom of "Guitar Town" or wallowing in the emotional scars of "Little Rock & Roller," Earle can't help beam with the pride he has in his songs. The closing "I Love You Too Much" and encore of "San Antonio Girl" find the singer wringing every last drop of enjoyment out of his time on stage. Save for a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper" Earle "made all these songs up," and a more compelling collection of vignettes and characters would be hard to find."
If it's Worth Doing, it's Worth Doing Right...
D. Allen | McKinney Texas | 12/10/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)

"...but that's not the case here. Steve Earle and the band put on a great show, and fortunately it was recorded, but the sound lacks low end. I suspect the problem is the mastering, and not the recording itself since everything else seems right. This was my first Austin City Limits disc, and it will be my last. There's no excuse for this."
Young Steve
W. McMillin | Texas | 06/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This shows that Steve Earle was at the top of his game before all the self imposed destruction. He left the top and came back to the top. If you are a fan then you should own this. I am not usally fond of live cds/albums but this is one of the few exceptions."