Customer Reviews

The Best of Steve Earl

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These five clips were made during Steve Earle's brief flirtation with major label success, when MCA Records thought highly enough of him to shoot some videos and send 'em out to the TV folks. It includes one of his biggest hits, "Guitar Town," as well as "Someday," "Nowhere Road," "Copperhead Road" and "I Ain't Never Satisfied," which retells the old Robert Johnson legend, of a man who sold his soul ot the devil in order to become a guitar legend. For the most part, these videos are pretty low-budget and by-the-numbers, but what's cool is seeing Earle as a young Nashville outsider, before he moved into his biker-ish, leather-clad outlaw persona... He's so fresh-faced and earnest... and so young! Fans will want to watch him back then, to remember when he was bright-eyed and idealistic... This is a modest video package, but the material is really nice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE Steve Earle fan and I really loved this DVD. However, I was hoping for a little more. The only the disc contains is five music videos. They're all of supreme quality, though. I guess I was hoping for maybe behind the scenes stuff or maybe some live footage. All-in-all it's worth the buy at $8.

If you're a Steve Earle fan you have to buy this DVD. It's a video progression of Steve from his clean cut days of Guitar Town to the long hair days of Copperhead Road. These videos are classics. Shame on country music television for yanking them off the air. Kudos to Universal Music and VI for packaging them on a DVD.

This was America's introduction to Steve Earle, because he was on Country Music Television, (CMT) and he stood out! The videos were well done, simply just the man and his sound and they were well-produced. But our attention must have been that guitar intro on "Guitar Town", a toe tappin' finger snappin and head bobbin' sound that just made you pay attention. And, it was that southern twangy voice. Luckily, for those who didn't know who this rebel was, CMT played several music videos. His lyrics and style were something not heard of on CMT.

But who from a small town could not associate with "Someday"......drive down to the lake and you turn back around. I loved the ballad and melody of "I Ain't Ever Satisfied". His music is more than fun lyrics and melody; he is a storyteller. "Copperhead Road" was played on early MTV.

Earle's music has been heard on many major films, and has written for and collaborated with many others performers. He won two Grammys, one for Washington Square Serenade (DIG)and The Revolution Starts...Now.

His life has been troubled by heroin and jail. I believe right after Guitar Town he was jailed for quite some time. That's when I first lost track of him. But the video performances here are from the wonderful early rockabilly days. I don't know if Steve Earle has other music videos out, but for an early taste of Earle, try this wonderful collection.

There is a DVD of Steve Earle's earlier days, Steve Earle - Live From Austin, TX. Unfortunately, it is not my favorite, but some will enjoy it.

If you like him, try another southern rock sound of John Brannen and Twilight Tattoo by John Brannen ...Rizzo