Holy Hell!
After finding a three CD's of live tracks, B-sides, promo-only songs, collaborations, duets, tribute album and compilation appearances by Steve Earle (more HERE), we learn that there is a fourth and final (this far) installment!. Thanks to MRML readers for either leaving comments on this, our most country of series, or those who just politely endured it while waiting for the nest thing to come along.
WARNING While this is obviously a fan-made bootleg, Steve Earle's E-Squared Records has released an incredibly brief 13 song rarities CD called Sidetracks, so therefore the one overlapping track here has been deleted without apology. (By the way, Sidetracks, despite it's shocking brevity, is a critical release for all Earle fans, which is not always the case with such collections.)
1. Light In The Window (Greg Trooper) (Greg Trooper: Noises In The Hallway, 1996)
2. Love Is Never Equal (Jill Sobule) (Jill Sobule: Happy Town, 1997)
Holy Hell!
Three CD's of live tracks, B-sides, promo-only songs, collaborations, duets, tribute album and compilation appearances by Steve Earle (more HERE). I listened to the whole thing yesterday and simply marveled at the sheer level of quality represented here. While there is an excess of versions of "Copperhead Road" here, the riches amongst these fifty-seven tracks are hard to ennumerate; the chilling, quiet version of "Ellis Unit One", the Supersucker-powered "Before They Make Me Run", the covers of Bruce Springsteen (twice!), The Rolling Stones, Jimmie Rodgers, Gram Parsons, Buddy Holly, Townes Van Zandt and...and... this thing is just fuckin' packed! Clearly, Earle needs to make his own Tracks-like rarities box set so that you can ditch this temporary placeholder and get your mitts on the real thing!
God, if you don't think this deserves a word of thanks - your conscience has shut down!
WARNING While this is obviously a fan-made bootleg, Steve Earle's E-Squared Records has released an incredibly brief 13 song rarities CD called Sidetracks, so therefore all seven overlapping tracks have been deleted without apology. (By the way, Sidetracks, despite it's shocking brevity, is a critical release for all Earle fans, which is not always the case with such collections.)
Disc 1
1. Continental Trailways Blues (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (Planes, Trains And Automobiles Soundtrack, 1987)
2. Six Days On The Road (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (Planes, Trains And Automobiles Soundtrack, 1987)
3. Honey Don't (Steve Earle & Joe Walsh) (Beverly Hillbillies Soundtrack, 1993)
4. What's Your Name (Steve Earle) (Skynyrds Frynds, 1994)
5. Johnny Too Bad (Steve Earle & The V-Roys) (Steve Earle & The V-Roys: Johnny Too Bad CD Single, 1996)
6. Ellis Unit One (Steve Earle & The Fairfield Four) (Steve Earle & The V-Roys: Johnny Too Bad CD Single, 1996)
7. Johnny Too Bad (Steve Earle & The V-Roys; Jamaican Hillbilly Mix) (Steve Earle & The V-Roys: Johnny Too Bad CD Single, 1996 )
8. Crying, Waiting, Hoping (Steve Earle & Marty Stuart) (Notfadeaway: Remembering Buddy Holly, 1996)
9. Creepy Jackalope Eye (Steve Earle & The Supersuckers) (Steve Earle & The Supersuckers: Sub Pop EP, 1997)
10. Angel Is The Devil (The Supersuckers & Steve Earle) From Steve Earle & The Supersuckers: Sub Pop EP, 1997)
11. Before They Make Me Run (Steve Earle & The Supersuckers) (Steve Earle & The Supersuckers: Sub Pop EP, 1997)
12. In The Jailhouse Now (Steve Earle & The V-Roys) (The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute, 1997)
13. Hot Enough For Ya (Steve Earle & Lee Rocker, Scotty Moore, D. J. Fontana) (All The King's Men, 1997)
14. Poison Love (Buddy Miller & Steve Earle) (Buddy Miller: Poison Love, 1997)
15. I Call On You (Julie Miller & Steve Earle) (Julie Miller: Blue Pony, 1997)
16. Dallas (Jack Ingram & Steve Earle) (Jack Ingram: Livin' Or Dyin', 1997)
17. Don't Take Your Guns To Town (Jerry Douglas & Steve Earle) (Jerry Douglas: Restless On The Farm, 1998)
18. Desperados Waiting For A Train (Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Steve Earle et al) (Nanci Griffith: Other Voices Too (A Trip Back To Bountiful), 1998)
19. Dirty Old Town (Bap Kennedy & Steve Earle) (Bap Kennedy: Domestic Blues, 1998)
20. Me And The Eagle (Steve Earle) (The Horse Whisperer: Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture, 1998)
Disc 2
1. Sunday Morning Coming Down (Kris Kristofferson & Steve Earle) (Kris Kristofferson: The Austin Sessions, 1999)
2. Love Match (Buddy Miller & Steve Earle) (Buddy Miller: Cruel Moon, 1999)
3. High Fashion Queen (Chris Hillman & Steve Earle) (Return Of The Grievous Angel: A Tribute To Gram Parsons, 1999)
4. Breed (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (Transcendental Blues (Japan), 2000) 5. Time Has Come Today (Steve Earle & Sheryl Crow) (Steal This Movie Soundtrack, 2000)
6. The Galway Girl (Sharon Shannon & Steve Earle) (Sharon Shannon: The Galway Girl CD Single, 2000)
7. Our Lady Of The Highways (John Wesley Harding & Steve Earle) (John Wesley Harding: The Confessions Of St. Ace 2000)
8. The Truth (Steve Earle) (Free The West Memphis Three, 2000)
9. Nebraska (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (Johnny Come Lately CD Single, 1988)
10. Little Sister (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (Copperhead Road CD Single, 1988)
11. State Trooper (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Chicago, IL, 15-Aug-1986 (Back To The Wall CD Single, 1989)
12. Dead Flowers (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Calgary, Canada, 14-Apr-1989 (The Other Kind UK CD Single, 1990)
13. Copperhead Road (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Calgary, Canada, 14-Apr-1989 (Steve Earle & Energy Orchard HMV Promo, 1990)
14. I Ain't Ever Satisfied (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Calgary, Canada, 14-Apr-1989 (Steve Earle & Energy Orchard HMV Promo, 1990)
15. Guitar Town (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Calgary, Canada, 14-Apr-1989 (The Other Kind UK CD Single, 1990)
16. When Will We Be Married? (Steve Earle & The Dukes) London, England, 29-Nov-1988 (BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert, 1992)
17. Hard-Core Troubadour (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Henning, TN, 26-Jun-1996 (Hard-Core Troubadour US Promo CD, 1996)
18. White Freight Liner Blues (Steve Earle) (Rig Rock Deluxe: A Musical Salute To The American Truck Driver, 1996)
19. Ellis Unit One (Steve Earle) Boulder, CO, 22-Sep-1996 (E-Town Live, 1997)
Disc 3
1. Copperhead Road (Steve Earle & Peter Rowan, Roy Huskey Jr., Norman Blake) (American Songbook, 1997)
2. Sorry Dwayne (Steve Earle & The Dukes) (More Than I Can Do CD Single (Australia), 1996)
3. You Know The Rest (Steve Earle) Nashville, TN, 1-Oct-1997 (The Fairfield Four & Friends: Live From Mountain Stage, 2000)
4. Valentine's Day (Steve Earle & The Fairfield Four) Nashville, TN, 1-Oct-1997 (The Fairfield Four & Friends: Live From Mountain Stage, 2000)
5. Christmas In Washington (Steve Earle) Nashville, TN, 14-Jul-1999 (Freedom Sings: First Amendment Center, 2000)
6. This Land Is Your Land (Steve Earle et al) Nashville, TN, 14-Jul-1999 (Freedom Sings: First Amendment Center, 2000)
7. Copperhead Road (Steve Earle & The Del Mccoury Band) Hamburg, Germany, 13-May-1999(The Mountain CD Single, 1999)
8. I Ain't Ever Satisfied (Steve Earle) Hamburg, Germany, 13-May-1999 (The Mountain CD Single, 1999)
9. Sin City (Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes) Fargo, ND, 20-Aug-1999 (Transcendental Blues US Bonus CD, 2000)
10. My Uncle (Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes) Fargo, ND, 20-Aug-1999 (Transcendental Blues US Bonus CD, 2000)
11. Copperhead Road (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Bristow, VA, 12-Sep-1999 (Farm Aid: Volume 1 Live, 2000)
12. The Galway Girl (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Austin, TX, 16-Mar-2000 (Transcendental Blues UK Bonus CD, 2000)
13. Steve's Last Ramble (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Austin, TX, 16-Mar-2000 (Transcendental Blues UK Bonus CD, 2000)
14. I Feel Alright (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Austin, TX, 16-Mar-2000 (Transcendental Blues UK Bonus CD, 2000)
15. Copperhead Road (Steve Earle & The Dukes) Austin, TX, 16-Mar-2000 (Transcendental Blues UK Bonus CD, 2000)
16. Until The Day I Die (Steve Earle & The Del Mccoury Band) Glasgow, Scotland, 16-Mar-1999
17. Sara's Angel (Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes) Seattle, WA, 29-Aug-1999
18. Goodbye (Steve Earle & Emmylou Harris, Sharon Shannon) Washington, D.C., 13-May-2000
Alright, Now this deserves some words. Remember there's yet more rare Earle...
It's awesome to read the YouTube comments on the song "Steve Earle", they're either gushing praise for Nash-pop duo Sugarland (about whom I know little) or tearing into the song like starving, angry hyenas. I can't say I sympathize with either side. I'm a big fan of Steve Earle (more HERE), as are all the haters, but I can appreciate the song's sharp hook, its talking-blues verses and its slapstick lyrics that chide Nashville for ignoring Earle. Now, I'm not denying that Sugarland's song is a fluffy, lightweight concoction that won't likely stand the test of time like Earle's work but it's still a bit of fun.
Update II: Of course, the source for that above quote is from a source called 'Farce the Music" under a heading of 'fake news' (all written in small font I'll point out before admitting that I really should've caught the parody earlier!)
Update: For a grittier lady's take on Mr. Earle Check out this video:
Here's a collection of early eighties rockabilly-styled material Steve Earle (more HERE) recorded for Epic Records, which the label only released after Earle's success with Guitar Town. The songs were recorded between 1982 and 1985; and includes all the tracks from from 1982's Pink and Black EP. It's a fun collection, which shows Earle the song-writer chafing at the inherent limits of the genre he's been placed into. That said, we get to here an early version of one's Earle's most vivid story-songs, "The Devil's Right Hand".
Tracklist
1 Nothin' But You
2 If You Need A Fool
3 Continental Trailway Blues
4 Open Up Your Door
5 Breakdown Lane
6 Squeeze Me In
7 Annie, Is Tonight The Night
8 My Baby Worships Me
9 Cadillac
10 Devil's Right Hand
11 What'll You Do About Me?
12 Cry Myself To Sleep
13 A Little Bit In Love
14 The Crush
(The last four tracks are from Epic singles by the 1997 CD reissue from Koch)
Hey Earle fans, what do you think of his rockabilly material?
I've got the rarities, if you've got the COMMENTS!
Favourite Earle album? It's a tough call really but for the moment let's argue that the top three are:
1. Guitar Town - For consistency of song and for that combination of Earle's acoustic guitar and Richard Bennet's twangy electric guitar is just devastating.
2. Copperhead Road - While the title track is the greatest thing he's ever done, I'd argue it's the tiniest bit less even song-wise than GT.
3. I Feel Alright - The real comeback album (Train-a-Comin' was just a warm-up), which expertly puts all of Earle's talents into play.
I admit to fleeting knowledge of the man's later work, so I look forward to hearing your own top three Earle's in the COMMENTS section.
As in tribute to the classic Guitar Town, here, courtesy of ousterhout, is a ringing live show from 1987 where Earle and co. play the entire album
Here's a set of very old set of Steve Earle (more HERE) demos, predating his signing to Epic Records as a rockabilly singer in the early eighties. After watching scene below, where Earle plays "The Mercenary Song" in the company of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, it's worth remembering that Music Row's merchants of swill would take another DECADE to get him a proper recording contract!
01 Mustang Wine
02 Juanita
03 We're From Texas
04 Old Friends
05 Songs About Mexico
06 Honey On They Highway
07 The Mercenary Song
08 Darling Commit Me
09 I've Never Really Been In Love Before
10 Ben McCulloch
11 Daddy and Me Played Swing
12 A Country Song
13 We Look Back
14 Usual Time
15 If She Only Knew
16 A Far Cry From You
17 Drive Me Crazy
18 Blues Got the best of Me
19 Halfway Home
20 I Can't Help It
21 I'm a Lover
22 I Love You Too Much
23 Hurtin Me, Hurtin You
24 Angel is The Devil
Let us know what you think of these extra early Earle tracks in the COMMENTS section! More to come...?
This collection of old Steve Earle (more HERE) demos was pressed as a limited edition of 1,800 back in the 1998 and now sells for almost $100.00 on Amazon.
Tracklist (updated by Steve from Boston - thanks!)
Some Blue Moons Ago (Steve Earle, Richard Bennett)
She's So Mean (Steve Earle, Walter Carter)
No. 29 (Steve Earle)
Somethin' To Hold On To (Steve Earle)
I'm Not Gettin' Any Better At Goodbyes (Steve Earle) [performed by Ray Cobb]
Promise You Anything (Steve Earle, Maria McKee, Patrick Sugges) [performed by Maria McKee]
Sometimes She Forgets (Steve Earle)
Tom Ames' Prayer (Steve Earle)
She Can't Break My Heart (Steve Earle, Alice Randall)
When The Mornin' Comes (Steve Earle, Dave Gibson)
The First Fool In Line (Steve Earle) [performed by Ray Cobb]
Someone's Got To Do It (Steve Earle, Alice Randall) [perhaps performed by Ray Cobb]
Hot Enough For Ya (Steve Earle, Walter Carter)
For Better Or Worse (Steve Earle) [performed by Ray Cobb]
Heatin' Up (Steve Earle, Walter Carter)
Hole In My Heart (Steve Earle, Richard J. Dobson)
I'm Still Around (Steve Earle, Jimbeau Hinson) [performed by Pebble Daniels]
At the conclusion of Hardcore Troubador: The Life and Near-Death of Steve Earle, authorLauren St. John references Guy Clark's warning that "song-writing is not a competitive sport". That's a necessary reminder in these hyper-competitive times but I'm still gonna nominate Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" as the greatest narrativesong of the last twenty-five years.
Narrative song-wring isn't as dominant a force in rock and pop as it is in hip-hop, folk and country. Since Earle has his boots planted in both folk and country, it's no wonder he's so beholden to the power of narrative. And fucking hell does "Copperhead Road" deliver a taut, cinematic story of a family's long tradition of trafficking. Ironically, the literal-minded music video (don't miss the lingering shot of a birthday cake that accompanies the line "volunteered for the army on my birthday" line) does the song no favours. Of course, that video's short-comings leave the field open for a feature-length movie based on the song - hell, it'd have to be better then the one based on "Harper Valley PTA".
Steve Earle and the Dukes
Live at the Cotton Club, Atlanta, GA
17th December 1988
1. Copperhead Road
2. Good Ol' Boy (Getting' Tough)
3. The Rain Came Down
4. San Antonio Girl
5. Even When I'm Blue
6. Someday
7. The Devil's Right Hand
8. Fearless Heart
9. Snake Oil
10. Back to the Wall
11. I Ain't Ever Satisfied
12. Johnny Come Lately
13. Nothing But a Child
14. The Week of Living Dangerously
15. Waiting on You
16. You Belong to Me
17. I Love You Too Much
Encores
18. Dead Flowers
19. Guitar Town
20. No. 29*
21. My Baby Worships Me*
22. It's All Up to You*
*With Jeff Healey
Let us know what you think of Steve Earle in general and "Copperhead Road" in specific in the COMMENTS section.
MRML is a blog about the devestating effects of culture: music, politics, comics plus etc. blah blah blah. At times MRML will post fine, unpurchasable three-chord obscurica (punk, pop-punk, new wave, mod, power-pop, gospel, reggae, hardcore, rockabilly, folk, country...whatever.) - - - - - - "The otherwise unavailable files in this blog are posted for a limited time and are intended for educational, non-commercial use. These files were transcribed from what are believed to be out-of-print sources. If you are aware of any of these items being readily available from commercial sources, or if any of these files infringe upon rights that you hold, please notify us so that we can quickly remove the referenced items immediately." - - - SUPPORT THE ARTISTS - BUY MUSIC!
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