Search - Steve Earle - Live from Austin, TX on DVD

GUITAR TOWN vintage era Earle!!! 10 stars!!!

Richardson | Sunny California USA | 11/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"okay....if you are a fan of Steve Earle...it may have started with GUITAR TOWN...the amazing major label debut which featured more classic tunes than most songwriters put out in a lifetime...well, they are ALL on this stunning DVD. Filmed for Austin City Limits (so the quality is broadcast)...in 1986....and featuring 17 tracks delivered with passion ...you simply can't go wrong. I actually couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this at the record store today....and am watching it for a second time as I write this review.

I think Earle has gone from strength to strength over his career and is relevant now...but that said....this is the stuff that his fans fell in love with and its so wonderfully captured and presented that it almost too beautiful to believe that we have this gift of an amazing songwriter at his first blossom!

"

Steve sings and the band plays the songs

Ronald Stern | Granby, Colorado | 08/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a fan of the early Steve Earle, which this disk certainly is, but I played it once and will sell it. I see it as a mostly uninspired set where the band plays and Steve sings, both without much inspiration. There is just nothing exciting about it and the performance just about totally lacks spontaneity. They had a set list and they played it as they had rehearsed it with lots of competence but no inspiration that was evident to me. I was really disappointed as I bought it after reading the otherwise excellent reviews. I suggest renting it first; maybe you'll agree with the other reviewers but maybe not."

Powerful live view of Earle's landmark early work

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One rarely gets the opportunity to re-approach a classic album such as Earle's "Guitar Town" with fresh ears. But that's exactly what this CD and DVD provide with their looks at Earle's 1986 Austin City Limits appearance, expanded from the 30 minute television edit to the full hour performance. Riding the crest of his landmark debut, and with half of his follow-up, "Exit 0," in his hip-pocket, Earle lights up the stage with a giddy passion fueled by his incredible initial cache of material.



Listeners who've worn out their original vinyl will be renewed by the sparkle Earle brings to the stage. Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, he looks the role of the dreamers who populate his songs, cruising their pickups and homemade muscle cars through small-town America. This first blush of performing bravado winds the clock back on an album that's become an Americana staple: Earle performs everything from "Guitar Town" save "Someday," and works through half of its follow-up. His band translates the songs to stage with few changes, roughing up a few of the album's tidy edges with live vitality.



Whether unwinding the freedom of "Guitar Town" or wallowing in the emotional scars of "Little Rock & Roller," Earle can't help beam with the pride he has in his songs. The closing "I Love You Too Much" and encore of "San Antonio Girl" find the singer wringing every last drop of enjoyment out of his time on stage. Save for a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper" Earle "made all these songs up," and a more compelling collection of vignettes and characters would be hard to find."

Steve in the early years

Vaio | Canada | 01/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All Steve Earle fans know just how good Steve Earle is musically, and with his song writing ability. This DVD concert is one to have for every Steve Earle fan out there. It's Steve in his early ears, before the drugs, before the politics, before "Copperhead Road", before he was known as a two hit wonder. This DVD is just pure Steve Earle at an early age (you can hardly tell it's him comparning him to the Steve Earle we know today) but the voice is still the same, and it's the voice that has made Steve the man he is today. You can hear some of the early live versions of songs that became huge hits such as "The Devil's Right Hand", "Guitar Town", "Angry Young Man", "Down The Road" and so on. The audio on this DVD is also excellent considering it was recorded in the 1980's (funny to see how the crowd was dressed). The only reason I only gave this DVD 4 stars is because there are no extras at all, not even a small bio or discorgraphy or anything. You have 'play' and 'song selection'. Simple DVD, great concert by a great artist."