Ropin the Wind

Garth Brooks | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 21, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pearl Records
• ASIN: B000EN0TIG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,928 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Brooks's third album, 1991's Ropin' the Wind, found him distancing himself further from the new-traditionalist hat-pack. The album's centerpiece was an all-stops-out Southern-rock cover of Billy Joel's "Shameless." Another hit single, "Rodeo," boasted a slinky Creedence-style groove. Brooks's propensity for sentimental folk-pop clichés surfaced on the ballads "What She's Doing Now" and "The River." But "We Bury the Hatchet" and "Papa Loved Mama" were tongue-in-cheek attempts at honky-tonk and truck-drivin' boogie. While Brooks subsequently has been criticized for putting a cowboy hat atop rock & roll and calling it country, these tracks sound more like vintage Ernest Tubb next to some of today's Nashville Pop-tarts. --Rick Mitchell

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GARTH BROOKS - LIVING LEGEND, June 24, 2001

By 

MR NC SHACKLEY (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ropin the Wind (Audio CD)

It might seem strange having a British person writing a review of a country music album, but I think this is a truly brilliant album. I cannot fault any of the tracks. I've heard people say that Garth Brooks isn't real country, well I wouldn't know about that as we hardly ever hear country music in England! Whether it's country or not, it's still good music, and that's all that matters to me.

Garth Brooks is mainly famous for his ballads, and the best ones here include 'What She's doing Now', 'Lonesome Dove' and 'The River'.

For me though, the best songs on this album are the humorous, honky-tonk numbers - 'Papa Loved Mama' and 'We Bury The Hatchet'. Whereas for the ballads I need to be in a certain mood to listen to them, I can put on those two songs any time of the day and they'll always make me laugh, it's exactly how I picture country music to be. In fact, whenever my friends who don't like country music come round, I'll always play them those two songs. Their response is always the same - "What's so good about it, ALL country music sounds like that!" or "Yeah, yeah, I've heard all that Hillbilly crap before" I think the key to liking those songs is not to take them too seriously. Other good songs apart from the ballads and jokers are 'Rodeo' and 'Shameless'.

Overall, a fantastic album and probably my favourite non-rock album of all time. Even if you don't like country music you'll probably like this, and that's the key to Garth Brooks' success.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Rough Waters On This River - His Most Successful Album, October 16, 2003

By 

Scott Kolecki (Brooklyn, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ropin the Wind (Audio CD)

By the time this album was to be released, Garth Brooks has clearly established himself as an icon in country music. So, it was with great anticipation that "Ropin' The Wind" came into existance. With the success of his first albums firmly establishing his marketability, there was speculation that this third entrie into the Garth franchise would have difficulty beating the records set by "Garth Brooks" and "No Fences". Who would have guessed that this album would, in fact, be his most successful and largest grossing album of them all.

"Ropin the Wind" is virtually a collection of greatest hits for Garth. Of the ten tracks on the CD, no less than five went on to become top 10 hits, many of which going straight to the top.

The album redefined Garth's style and firmly established the rock/country hybrid style that made Garth popular in multiple music markets. Where his first two CD's were more traditional in their sound, this CD really crossed over into rock, while at the same time maintaining the rich sounds of country music. Even Garth, who had recorded the work of other country artists in the past, turned to friend Billy Joel ("The Piano Man") to help pen "Shameless", arguably one of the strongest songs on the album.

Though thematically, the lyrics of his songs remained faithful to the ideas and themes found in country music, his styling definitely was more edgy, riding the line between country and classic rock. "Rodeo", a song about a man who is torn between the love of his woman and his passion for the rodeo is driving, with a very rhythmic feel. It plays at once like an up-tempo country song and a soulful blues/rock ballad.

"Papa Loved Mama" plays along those same lines, a hybrid of rock and country, perfectly blending the styles to create an entirely new sound. This song's lyrics are also a reversal of traditional country, where a vengeful husband turns against his cheating wife, running his semi-tractor into the side of a motel where she and her lover have slipped away. Where the song could have a very dark overtone based on its lyrics, its instead upbeat, with quick driving tempos and slick guitar and fiddle solos fleshing out the over-two-minutes long outro.

Of course, no Garth album would be complete without at least one power-ballad, and this album has three beauts: "What's She Doing Now", a lament about a love gone wrong, and the balladeer pondering what his lost love is up to, "Lonesome Dove", a wonderfully narrated depiction of a family growing up in the old west, and, this reviewer's personal favorite Garth song of all time, "The River", an inspirational piece about chasing your dreams, and taking chances, regardless of the challenges that might be placed before you. This song, the final track on the album, resounds as Garth's favorite as well. (It should be noted that Garth always placed the songs most personal to him as the final track on each of his albums.)

In all, "Ropin the Wind" is powerful, highly-stylized, and definitely one of the pinnacle albums in Garth's career. This is a great album for anyone who has never listened to a Garth Brooks CD, because it will make you an instant fan, no matter what style of music you listen to.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This could be a greatest hits album by itself, January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ropin the Wind (Audio CD)

With ten songs, this album includes favorites such as What's She Doing Now, The River, and Papa Loved Mama. Other lesser known tracks like In Lonesome Dove and Burning Bridges are classic Garth Brooks. This is a cd that you can listen to straight through without forwarding past a song. You absolutely get your money's worth.