by John Prine List Price:$11.00 Our Price:$8.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Details
Media: Audio CD
Release Date: Wednesday, January 24, 1990
Label: Atlantic
Average Customer Review: 0 Based on 0 reviews.
Sales Rank: 491
Tracks
1.
Quiet Man
2.
Donald And Lydia
3.
Six O'Clock News
4.
Flashback Blues
5.
Angel From Montgomery
6.
Far From Me
7.
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
8.
Pretty Good
9.
Paradise
10.
Sam Stone
11.
Hello In There
12.
Spanish Pipedream
13.
Illegal Smile
14.
Six O'Clock News
15.
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Editorial Review
Prine's 1971 self-titled debut set the tone for the rest of his career. A critical smash and a commercial disappointment, the record contains many of his best known compositions. Proving himself capable of tackling folk balladry, country, and rock with ease, Prine seems to spring into being as a fully formed singer-songwriter at age 24. Lyrically diverse, Prine offers topical songs such as "Sam Stone," the tale of a drug addicted Vietnam vet, achingly sad songs, such as the oft-covered "Angel from Montgomery," and, of course, his trademark wit gets ample time in the spotlight. Produced by the legendary Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Hall and Oates), the record is understated, letting Prine's comfy voice drive things. When needed, the famous house band at American Recording Studios in Memphis kicks in tasteful backing. --Ian Landau
Top Customer Reviews
Rating:
5 give john his due
a long time ago, I wrote this for amazon as music lover from California. I have now decided to come clean. Do I get my two votes? Here is how brilliant John Prine is. Bette Midler covered Hello in There" and it still comes off well! I remember seeing this album in a stack of vinyl when there was only vinyl. It was the era where flag decals were given with copies of Reader's Digest. I remember hearing the song "Flag Decal" and thinking how awesome it wass that I understood the song. Last year I bought the tape of John Prine for my car. I hadn't heard it in twenty five years...but it seems as relevant today as it was twenty five years ago. Songs laced with pathos, sardonic humor, and most importantly.,heartbeats of the human condition, John Prine is a treasure still, managing to be both a time capsule, a record of the time is was written in and a current event lesson. I listen to alot of music and am not a John Prine head, nor am I a John Prine groupie. I have this album, and this one only...but it is an exceptional one. I say hooray to all kinds of music, but let's give folkies like John Prine his due. Here is one fabulous songwriter that deserves a listen
Rating:
5 Just a few words on my favorite album
I didn't like this album when I first heard it. It sounded country to me and I had never cared for country music. But a friend played it a lot and it finally started to sink in. It's not about the sound, it's about the lyrics. Every song on this album is no less than brilliant and all were written by John Prine by the time he was twenty. I've listened to it more times than I can count and heard it in my head more often than that and it still amazes me, makes me smile and brings tears to my eyes.I was and am a big fan of Kris Kristoferson and it was he who discovered John Prine. His liner notes were a big part of what really made me pay attention to John's lyrics.I got to see him live in the cafeteria of Long Beach State University in California in 1971. Literally in the cafeteria. He sat on a cafeteria chair about 4 or 5 feet from me and a number of other fans. It was a wonderful experience.If you haven't heard it before, get it by all means and play it through headphones late at night. If you listen to any song on it and think it less than superb, listen to it again. It only means you missed something.
Rating:
5 Where have you been all my life?
My great musical regret is that I somehow missed this album growing up in the 1970s. It might have changed my life. Prine can be witty, moving, or subversive, and never patronizing. Some of the most intelligent music I've ever heard, and his understated delivery will have you tapping your toes. A true gem and original.
Rating:
5 this is the one that got me hooked on Prine
I'll admit that I was drawn to John Prine on the strength of one line from the song Sam Stone. There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes. That got me. Prine has a wonderful gift for injecting humor into intensely uncomfortable and painful situations. Prine has a lot of great albums and songs, but this debut is, in my opinion, the best that he has or will ever do. John possessed a maturity and insight well beyond his years on this one. Kris Kristofferson wrote the liner notes, praising Prine greatly(and deservedly so). Songs like Illegal Smile, Hello In There, Pretty Good, Quiet Man, Donald & Lydia and Six O' Clock News earned Prine a place in the songwriters hall of fame with the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Guy Clark, Steve Earle & Bob Mould. Prine wrote everything on this one himself & the lyrics are included with the cd. If you're into brilliant singer-songwriters, then I do believe you're looking in the right place. Even better news...he certainly kept up the great work on the follow-up to this one(Diamonds In The Rough). Prine has been off and on over the years, but his first two or three years were almost flawless. There is almost no way to live up to a debut like this, but Prine has periodically pulled it off. Prine's voice is accessible & blends well with the country/folk/blues music. This is a must have. If you are only going to own one John Prine cd...then add this to your cart right now!
Rating:
4 John Prine "John Prine"
"Illegal Smile" 5/5"Spanish Pipedream" 3/5"Hello In There" 5/5"Sam Stone" 5/5"Paradise" 4/5"Pretty Good" 4/5"Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" 4/5"Far From Me" 3/5"Angel From Montgomery" 4/5"Quiet Man" 4/5"Donald And Lydia" 5/5"Six O'Clock News" 4/5"Flashback Blues" 4/5The amazing self titled debut by the father of Americana, John Prine. Features timeless songs like "Hello In There" and "Sam Stone." There are no real flaws on this album. Overall rating: Four stars
Rating:
5 Give John His Due!!!!!
Here is how brilliant John Prine is. Bette Midler covered Hello in There" and it still comes off well!!! I remember seeing this album in a stack of vinyl when there was only vinyl. It was the era where flag decals were given with copies of Reader's Digest. I remember hearing the song "Flag Decal" and thinking how awesome it wass that I understood the song. Last year I bought the tape of John Prine for my car. I hadn't heard it in twenty five years...but it seems as relevant today as it was twenty five years ago. Songs laced with pathos, sardonic humor, and most importantly.,heartbeats of the human condition, John Prine is a treasure still, managing to be both a time capsule, a record of the time is was written in and a current event lesson. I listen to alot of music and am not a John Prine head, nor am I a John Prine groupie. I have this album, and this one only...but it is an exceptional one. I say hooray to all kinds of music, but let's give folkies like John Prine his due. Here is one fabulous songwriter that deserves a listen
Rating:
5 One of the greatest, if immensely unheralded, debuts ever!
When one thinks of Paul Anka, they immediately get visions of the bright lights and sequined costumes of Las Vegas. This may be the prevailing image, but little do people know that if it wasn't for Anka, we wouldn't get the tremendous talent of John Prine. Until Warren Zevon came along, Prine would be the lone voice of quirkiness among the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s. But while Zevon's music bordered on the mean-spirited, they were no dark sides to Prine's humor, and whenever he got dark, it was deeply honest. JOHN PRINE was released when he was only 24, a time when some artists are barely finding their feet as creative people. But his first album is the work of a fully-formed, young but not precocious talent. The songs on here are some of the first that come to mind when one thinks of Prine: "Illegal Smile" (the closing seconds are some of the most humorous ever recorded), "Hello In There" (sad-but-true account of aging), "Sam Stone" (an anti-Vietnam War anthem which will have new recruits thinking twice about their enlisting), "Angel From Montgomery" (Bonnie Raitt's theme song it seems), and "Donald & Lydia" (a heartwarming tale of young love, and soon-to-be romance). Songs like this make JOHN PRINE every bit of an unofficial greatest hits album, and one of the rare first albums that new fans ought to buy the first time out. Unlike another folkie favorite of mine, Joni Mitchell (whose albums would always be quite consistent), John Prine's catalog is not exactly perfect and would occasionally slip up a time or two in his career. But this early, Prine could hardly do any wrong with this debut that probably contains more soon-to-be-covered songs than any I can think of. Thumbs up to Paul Anka for bringing us this wonderful artist.
Rating:
5 Heck of a strong debut from 1971...
I bought this LP when it was first released, and I've heard a heck of lot of John Prine tracks in the past 33 years. I still think this is his most successful album overall. His voice here is young and full of raw vigor, and his songs mix humor and tragedy in a balanced fashion. In recent years John has moved closer to traditional country material, and he does it well. This one, however, is the folk/protest/social commentary record that pretty much capped the '60's for me. If you like John's later work but have not heard this, you are missing some of his finest writing and singing.
