Copperhead Road

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
It happens to every hardened party goer--your lifestyle eventually catches up to you. For Steve Earle, this third effort from the then-roué-ish troubadour was a pretty glaring rehab-ahead warning light. The sloppiness was beginning to show: half the disc bogs down in throwaways, cheap echoes of Guitar Town's country-rock acumen. The rest, fortunately, is prime, focused Earle: the Vietnam-vet title track, the Wild West-themed "Snake Oil", the rousing "Johnny Come Lately" which features backing from the Pogues and the oft-covered classic "The Devil's Right Hand", in which the composer achieves that perfect balance of city-slick pop and hillbilly twang. Earle would hit that one-two combo again, but not until he shook that party monkey a few albums later. --Tom Lanham

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Description
Steve Earle was on a roll in the mid-1980s; crashing onto adilapidated country scene with his rock-influenced vitality, he turned out three classic albums in three years. His third, COPPERHEAD ROAD, is possibly the most accomplished. HereEarle streamlines his roughneck country-rock sound for maximum impact, and hones his sociopolitical songwriting to balance perfectly with his more personal offerings. The title tune, a tale about a Vietnam-vet drug-runner, was a surprise crossover hit, widening Earle's pop profile. "Devil's Right Hand", another Earle signature tune, is as powerful an anti-gun song as you're likely to hear.
Earle was growing musically as well; he's backed by Irish folk-punks the Pogues on "Johnny Come Lately", and by bluegrass supergroup Telluride on "Nothing But a Child", hinting at the eclecticism of his later releases. With COPPERHEAD ROAD definitively proving his consistency, Earle permanently ascended into the upper echelon of American singer/songwriters, leaving the early "country Springsteen" claims behind forever.

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Customer reviews

review by: urbanecowboy_uk date: 2003-03-10 rating:
MUSIC PENNED BY THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND
Steve Earle music is best described as country-rock. The skull and cross bones that form the cover of Copperhead Road album warn of what is to come, a heavy mix of potent music shot through with the reflections of an wild young man who is older than his years. Inserts show a relaxed Earle, fag in mouth, black shades and dressed in denim.

A strong start with 'Copperhead Road' on which you can apparently 'smell the whisky burnin'; 'The Devil's Right Hand' refers to a pistol and though the song has a strange lyrical resonace it isn't until 'Johnny Come Lately' (on which the Pogues play) when the album begins to rock..

'Johnny Come Lately' tells the story of a soldier off to Vietnam who hopes to return to his girl in London and take her home to the USA. In 'Even Whem I'm Blue' Earle sings of a long lost love and is determined to find her again. But listen to the words, for example 'Waiting On You' with the chorus 'Breathing out, breathing in, Holding in, Holding out, Doing with or without, For a lifetime, just a lifetime, I cant let go, I wait for you, Till hell goes cold, I'll wait for you, You're all I know and I wait for you' says it all; 'Once You Love', again the chorus, 'once you love you trust it, once you give your soul is bare, One false move and you're busted, once you love you care'

The Christmas sounding 'Nothing But A Child' is a gentle number, with Earle's strong vocals offset with female vocals to give a kind of mystical feel. I'll admit this album did nothing for me initially, and however hard I try I can't see anything in some of the tracks ... yet there are some rough diamonds, like the man himself, which, with time, I can see why people treasure.

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review by: Toypom date: 2000-11-01 rating:
ROARING COUNTRY ROCK
Wow! This is country with a roaring rock 'n roll heart, and a delicious concept album packed with melodic, emotional but very literate songs. At times it reminds me of the best work of The Rolling Stones. Every track is great, but my favorites include the title track, Snake Oil, The Devil's Right Hand, Johnny Come Lately and You Belong To Me. I investigated Steve Earle because of Emmylou Harris' cover of his song Goodbye on her Wrecking Ball album, and I've not been disappointed. His growling voice is full of feeling and the band is brilliant. Sometimes bitter, sometimes tender, this is a masterpiece of breath-taking beauty.


review by: date: 2000-06-13 rating:
ignore country - just buy!
Try to ignore the fact that this classic is filed under "country" and try out the best work that Earle has produced. There is not one tune that you will not be stomping and singing to in days. The only caveat is that most of his other work is not this accesssible. This was the first album I bought on two formats (vinyl and CD). Enough said.

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