Dwight Yoakam Albums Ranked From Worst to Best

[@ryankramzer1256]

Get it boyZ. One love from ya boy here in Chicago

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Blocked. - Joe

[@ryankramzer1256]

There is really no love in that heart of yours

[@lionelraoul]

@@TastesLikeMusic That genuinely made me chuckle.

[@asmallwhitedog0479]

Im 62 and remember when he came out. I was not then, and am not now, a country music fan. I really liked him right off. The other country band I love in The Mavericks

[@cameroneasterlin7882]

This was just fantastic guys.Dwight is my favorite country artist of all time..and I'm a metal guy mostly...loved both lists...my list...1.if there was a way 2.hillbilly 3.guitars.cadillacs 4.this time 5.blame the vain 6.buenos noches 7.population me 8.tomorrows sounds 9.dwight sings buck 10.gone 11.3 pears 12.long way from home 13.second hand heart 14.swimming pools 15.soundtrack 16.undercovers 17.acoustic..net 18.christmas If There was a way is top country album alltime..I hear you joe.

[@douglaspaulsen4751]

So happy to see Dwight and country music show up Watch Dwight's comment on Ken Burns "Country Music" PBS series, talk about the beauty Of Merle's song Holding Things Together. You see he gets the simplicity and beauty of country music. Always love to hear when one of you are surprised at an artist (Joe here) and thanks for the turn to Blame the Vain. I had jumped off Dwight but will pick that up.

[@SomeSong2]

My grandpa and I would always listen to Dwight Yoakam in the car before he passed away. Those first nine albums were a big part of my childhood.

[@chrismcgovern1647]

18:49 Now 'Dwight Sings Bach' would be a revolutionary covers album

[@ramonacabral3586]

Dwight is the best in music he is a legend beautiful voice just all right phenomenal my obsession 💋💋💋💋

[@179rich]

Hit that like button! Even if you don't like Dwight Yoakam or country! It helps the Listography channel get noticed. Well done video as always guys!!!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Thanks, Rich!

[@Dkatanasoul0]

This was super revelatory. I only knew a handful of his tracks going in, but I'm checking out his entire discography thanks to your guys' acclaim for it. I for one would highly welcome you guys doing more country artists, as well as other niche artists.

[@ExileOnMyStreet]

Great video, gentlemen. Stepping outside of the box and exploring other genres is what being a true music lover is all about!!

[@davidbeckman7925]

Another outstanding listo show with a solid hour of fascinating analysis about a fascinating artist. Makes me want to dig into the DY discography since my experience with his music is limited. I will echo another commenter that the epic Ken Burns documentary series "Country Music" is essential viewing for anyone who loves music, Americana, and anyone hesitant to listen to classic or the more edgy modern country music. The doc turned me into a full-blown fan of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Brenda Lee. Listo 4ever 🎉🎶🎵🔥

[@aronpolasek4506]

Really glad that you guys took a little detour into country territory. And it was great that both of you put a spotlight on 'Free To Go' from "Tomorrow's Sounds Today". Always thought that was a really catchy track.

[@mxcope]

A Long Way Home and Population Me are incredible, and I'm betting Joe has come to realize that more by now. I'm looking forward to listening to If There Was a Way for the first time.

[@deanjonasson6776]

I would rate myself a mild Yoakam fan (mostly his hits and covers) so I found this album ranking very helpful. I grew up hearing lots of Hank and Johnny and Jim and Kris and Buck and Merle in the house so Dwight's revival of those classic sounds with an LA punk attitude and water-tight writing felt like a revelation in the '80s and beyond. With "Country" morphing into Fleetwood Mac with pick-ups & hats, Dwight's music sounds better than ever. The love from Joe & Jason for the artist and his sound was definitely infectious. Thanks for an enjoyable hour of honky tonk talk!

[@jamesegan2742]

My wife always loved Dwight, but I just never listened to him other than some Greatest Hits stuff she made me listen to...and which I kinda enjoyed. But I had her listen to your show on Dwight with me and she really enjoyed it...though she kept talking over you with her opinions,! Great together time. I guess I’ll have to listen to an album or two now. Cheers guys.

[@komoleeray687]

Excellent Listography , guys. Under appreciated artist. Bought Yoakam’s first 3 albums when they were first released based on critical acclaim ( plus a resurgence in interest in more “ American roots” orientated music , the “ new country “ revival appealing to the R.E.M / indie rock loving college audiences such as myself at the time). Loved those records .Lost touch with Yoakam’s subsequent work but this has sparked my interest to check out what I missed . Great job again 👍. For the record , it will have to be an amazing album that eclipses “Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room” ( interesting to see you guys have ranked it quite a bit lower than I thought you would) as my favourite of his but look forward to being surprised.

[@frodofraggins]

all I know from Dwight is that I loved "Ain't that lonely yet" and his acting in sling blade.

[@billssportsandwrestlingchan]

"WELL I HATE YOU ... No I don't". He was classic in that, played a drunk scumbag magnificently.

[@41sledge]

Been waiting all week! Best Country performer of the last 35 years. Nice lists. I have "Tomorrow's Sounds Today" alot higher at #2 for me. Can't wait for tomorrow.

[@nikkilev78]

I made it to the end! Will probably check out y'alls top 5s eventually. Fun vid! My mom liked Dwight.

[@chrstinehuber7228]

Love your channel, and i was thrilled to see you do Dwight's discography. I've been a huge fan since '95, have lost count of the times I've seen him live (def more than 60), and it's the first time I've known/owned every single album in the catalogue of the artist you picked. I know this catalog soooooo well. So I have to weigh in, right? Interesting (and brave) for Jason to rank This Time so low, but I couldn't disagree with any of his reasons; it felt like a hit, going-for-a-Grammy record but safer than almost all his other albums in the 80s/90s. Also interesting than Joe put A Long Way Home so far down the list, and for Jason to put Population Me so high. Anyway, thanks for giving Dwight his due! Appreciated all your comments, especially hearing Jason say how enjoyable the experience was. For the record, my top 3 are A Long Way Home, Gone, and If There Was a Way. But hardly any album disappointed me. (except I agree that acoustic one was too long, as fervent a follower as I am) P.S. dwightyoakamacoustic.net was originally going to be sent to fan club members, but then stretched into a full album. Named that odd way because Y2K/internet stuff was all the rage.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

I did my best to play along this week. I listened to Yoakam's first 6 albums a couple times each (up through 1995's Gone) but found so few truly great original songs (maybe 4 over the course of 6 albums) that I just couldn't make myself keep going. His debut is good- after that his albums pretty much put me to sleep. The guy's got a good voice but his compositions are run-of-the-mill, paint-by-numbers country music to my ears.

[@roxannewalsh]

I think it is impossible to listen to more than one Yoakam album in a week unless you are a devoted fan. I tried because I was looking for favourite songs but got overfed very fast. I could do a ranking only because I knew all the albums as I got them on their release. Category - consume in small doses.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

This is madness. - Joe

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@TastesLikeMusic I'm pretty big on originality and if I don't think someone's music is doing anything original or groundbreaking it can get old fast for me. Add that to that the fact that I don't think Dwight's songwriting abilities are particularly exceptional... and I just couldn't get through all 18 albums or whatever it was. I really am a fan of country music when I think the songs are exceptional. That wasn't the case here for me.

[@kevinmcardle4087]

Dwight Yoakam was good in "Sling Blade" and "Panic Room"... Guitars, Cadillacs etc was a huge album in my sophomore year of college

[@christi186]

Cool, just discovered your channel recently and this is a fun video. I don't know that much Country music but I'm getting more into it and I really like Dwight Yoakam. This was a fun video to watch!

[@davidellis5141]

I am the proud owner of an " It Ain't Got No Gas In It " tee shirt from Slingblade which I consider to be the best performance of Dwight Yoakams career.

[@RealJeffTidwell]

One of my favorite films, and yeah, Dwight is great in it. Very realistic. Now we just need a Vic Chesnutt listography…

[@deathfromabove77]

Just on to add a like for my Listography boyeeees 👍..only Dwight album I owned and really paid attention to was Hillbilly Deluxe which was bloody good but didn’t I bother after that for some reason. Just thought it was hip to have a country album in my collection at the time. Another lesson learnt. Thank you Listography...Listening to “Gone” now..😊

[@rattpatrol5188]

I’ve been waiting for a Dwight ranking. Not enough country rankings. My first country album that got me into the genre was Buenos Noches with Street’s of Bakersfield.

[@kkww7707]

Great Lists...as was said earlier pleasant surprise.

[@bradbull3926]

I also enjoyed this exercise a lot more than I expected

[@cheapcinemachannel4548]

I'm glad Listography doesn't "just play the hits". I like when some artist I didn't expect pops up. Dwight was a good choice!

[@mattymac1399]

Awesome stuff. Great actor also, incredible in Slingblade. Two words: Crank.

[@FatherStack]

This really makes me want to explore country music.

[@ctriamimgons]

Going to see Dwight in a week live, so very timely and great to see. Dwight is a big ol' cut above the typical country genre. Southern California country of Bakersfield, not Nashville.

[@Sir_Eyeball]

I unfortunately couldn't find the time to listen to his albums, but now that I have the time I will at least check out both your #1's. I do like me some country music, so I think I'll like it! And yeah, just listened to 'Little Sister', great solo in there.

[@threestringsomg]

And 3 Pears and Gone if I were you😉

[@stuartmoore1064]

Just discovered this video after watching the best of with Joe picking this one. Great picks! Have seen Dwight in concert many times and notable on this Blame the Vain tour is that he was wearing the outfit from the cover of the album. It is interesting that despite how great Pete Anderson was with Dwight there seems to have been no falling off in quality of albums since their decision not to work together again. Another idea for a country artist who might be good to cover on your channel is Lyle Lovett - perhaps Kramzer might even like Lyle since he clearly steers outside his genre so often.

[@sherryraisbeck9547]

This Time is my fav....love country music, one of my fav albums is Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley PTA, reminds me of my childhood and steel guitar heaven:)

[@TheWusster]

Mine top 10 Dwight: 1. Gone 2. If there was a way 3. Three pears 4. A long way home 5. This time 6. Guitars Cadillacs etc etc 7. Dwight sings buck 8. Hillbilly deluxe 9. Second hand heart 10. Tomorrow’s sounds today But they’re all good.

[@threestringsomg]

We have similar great taste! 2 of our top 3 are same. Yay. I thought J and J were overly critical of 3 Pears and Gone....the only two albums I wanted to listen again...

[@shoogerkane]

Great episode about an underrated artist. I really enjoyed it. I own three of these studio albums (If There Was A Way, This Time, and Tomorrow's Sounds Today), but I need to check out more.

[@richardbates2367]

Have you guys did the my CD music collection videos...seem to be quite popular..

[@ttmilbr]

Sad I missed the heads up, I love playing along. Thanks for doing some alt-country. Looking forward to checking these out.

[@matthaverstock5226]

Joe can’t believe you had “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.” at 6! I love that album and find it to be such a classic. Weird you couldn’t get it on Spotify because I have it. Great video though guys, glad some other people are into Dwight as well. The album that introduced me to him was “Dwight Live”. If you haven’t listened to it yet give it a listen, it’s awesome and it’s such a great live album imo!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I still gave it 4.5 star which was as high as I went for any of his albums. -Jason

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I had it at 4. It probably would be 4.5 with more listens. - Joe

[@matthaverstock5226]

@@TastesLikeMusic yeah you really can’t go wrong with his stuff. Great video guys, can’t wait for the Tom Petty discog, I own almost all of his records!

[@crazy_diamond9874]

I’d never heard this guy’s name until a few days ago when he appeared on a Gram Parsons documentary I was watching. Now your video comes out. I’m starting to think the music gods really want me to go full country and maybe he should be my next step!

[@burmajones803]

Pleasant surprise! Didn't know Dwight was on the docket, and the Tour de France is over so now I have lots of time to fill again (sorry boys, but for me cycling>music, so I've been absent for the past 3 weeks). Great timing. Can't wait to watch.

[@TheMax1230]

Great lists guys! It was fascinating to hear from the perspective of someone experiencing the entire catalog at once as opposed to a long time fan getting an album every few years. Dusty Wakeman mixed the first three. David Leonard mixed ITWAW through 3 Pears. Then CLA for the last couple. It took a while for This Time to grow on me as well but it's worth revisiting occasionally.

[@dmichaelelkins1]

Glad to see you guys branching out and featuring one of my favorite artists. I’d love to see you do your thing on Boz Scaggs. He’s done a ton of good work since he fell off the charts and his earlier pre-Silk Degrees albums weren’t bad either!

[@TheWusster]

Yes!!! One of my faves!

[@Vanessa.P]

Great to see you guys cover a country discography! I own Dwight's first 6 albums and the Christmas album. I love the first 6 a lot but I have never really explored beyond that enough. I definitely need to do that now with some of the ones you rated more highly. I agree the road to liking country can be gradual. I hated it as a kid. I grew up in a small town where that was the main music a lot of people liked and it just made me resist it. When I was a teenager I started liking the odd album here and there (my first being Home by The Dixie Chicks which was an odd choice for a person's first country album), in my 20s I liked a few more country artists and country rock/alt-country but still hadn't really got into it fully and then in 2017 I dove into country headfirst and that is pretty much all I listened to that year. I haven't looked back since.

[@billkeon880]

My band which was a top 40 cover band (INXS, Prince, Springsteen, Doors classic rock) but we did about four or five of Dwight’s songs. But his best song by far for me is A Thousand Miles From Nowhere from the movie Red Rock West. I’m not a huge country fan but Dwight and Hank Williams Sr are by far and away my favourites. Williams was a flipping genius.

[@mattymac1399]

Cool. Red Rock West is a superb Neo Noir.

[@frangarcia7774]

I only knew a couple of singles from This Time. I have checked out a few songs highlighted by you and I liked them. Don't think I will end up listening to full albums but rather adding a few songs to my playlists. Let's see which songs make your list tomorrow. Hope that Little Sister does, you're right that guitar is incredible

[@roxannewalsh]

Check out Little Sister on Ry Cooder's Bop Till You Drop album from 1979.

[@frangarcia7774]

Just did. Indeed, great guitar and fantastic song. Love Ry Cooder but I never listened to this album. Guitar wise I think I would go for Dwight 's song though

[@brianjackson5541]

Good to see some country! Wilco next?

[@ambikawolf664]

fantastic job.

[@collinmurr3207]

Very cool list, always liked Dwight a lot although I admit I mostly only know the hits, his early albums, and 3 Pears. I'll have to do a full runthrough of his whole discography soon.

[@knutstwo1826]

Great artist choice!

[@RandyforRoyals]

I'm really glad you hit his discovery. Could Steve Earle be in the future? My three favorite Dwight albums are If There Was A Way, Population Me and Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room. Guy Mitchell was the first to have a hit with "Heartaches By The Number" on the pop charts and Ray Price had the hit on the country charts. Ray's version is the best. Great job guys.

[@thebrood138]

Oh snap. This is unexpected but very welcomed.

[@ctriamimgons]

Listen to Townes Van Zandt....your soul will thank you for it. My recommendation: Rear View Mirror, a live album before his hands went to hell due to alcoholism.

[@prockrog5219]

Never been a country boy, but I'm slowly progressing into one. For now I'm not too fond of modern pop country, although I really like Steve Earle, Colter Wall and Gillian Welch. But the classics are really where my heart is at this point, like The Louvin Brothers, Marty Stewart, Jim Reeves, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Carter Family etc. But there are a lot of great artists in this field. Just listening to Roy Book Binder which is a great guitarist and storyteller.

[@burmajones803]

Agree with Jason's quibble with Buenas Noches...needed a couple of uptempo tunes. But I love the accordion and Tejano flourishes. Flaco Jimenez is simply the best.

[@roxannewalsh]

You probably know already...Texas Tornados (Flaco, Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Freddy Fenders) - sometimes Dwight gets into that direction as well and those are the better moments on his albums. Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music was the first album back in 1976 where I heard Flaco playing. Another great album.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

This is where my "his albums put me to sleep" comment came from. I'm notoriously hard on albums that have slow tempos where the songwriting is not exceptional. They literally put me to sleep. I need some energy in my music... periodically, at least. I guess I am a full-on child of rock music in that way.

[@richardbates2367]

Dwight yoakam is more rockabilly, southern rock and blue's style than mainstream country,I like alot of that type of music, Dwight yoakam,Hank Williams Jr, and Steve Earle are why. My two favorite Dwight yoakam songs are guitars, Cadillacs, hillbilly music,streets of Bakersfield..

[@burmajones803]

Made it all the way through. Great video. Very interesting to hear a ranking from a non-traditional country fan perspective. Mainstream country is a tough genre to grapple with because country radio is still such a big force in making or breaking artists. As a result, the bigger artists seem to end up making choices that rock artists or more independent-minded country artists wouldn't make, thus, you end up with some questionable song selections or production choices. At least, that's my perception of how country seems to work.

[@roxannewalsh]

Makes some sense for me...I just thought of Johnny Cash and why he made some of his best records towards the end of his career when he was big enough not to care about that anymore.

[@burmajones803]

@@roxannewalsh not so much that he didn't care but that there was now an audience for his new music. The development of an alternative-to-Nashville-sanctioned country "genre" included new music journalists writing about alternative country (including the No Depression magazine) and a new radio format here in the States called adult alternative (Austin, Texas's KGSR was one of the first in the country) that played a wide range of music that wasn't getting played elsewhere. Basically, Johnny Cash had an audience again, and that's largely where people like Dwight Yoakum, Paul Weller, Joe Ely, the Texas Tornadoes, Lucinda Williams, and lots of singer-songwriter types and roots music artists found a temporary home when Nashville or rock radio were no longer interested. Edit: I realize Paul Weller doesn't exactly fit in this grouping, but he was in heavy rotation on KGSR back in the early 90s. That's why I threw him in here.

[@roxannewalsh]

@@burmajones803 Probably right from a US perspective. All of them were quite popular in other parts of the world all the time - maybe some where not aware of it...Just one example comes to my mind: Doug Sahm relocated to Scandinavia for a couple of years, same as Beth Hart, to be closer to audiences that supported them. Anyway, quite interesting insights. Regardless of our love in the music, we cannot forget that there is also a lot of money involved in the business.

[@burmajones803]

@@roxannewalsh probably have to also credit Cash's association with Rick Rubin too. Would he have been able to fashion a late career rise in popularity with a different producer who had less notoriety? Maybe not.

[@hillbillypillars]

Been devouring your content and love your venture into country music here! The genre is way underrepresented in this world of great album discussions (why I started my channel). I'm grateful to come from a place where I've never felt as if i needed to apologize or crib opinions on great country music. Always have had stuff like Phases and Stages and Gunfighter Ballads right alongside classics from the rock canon. That said, I have a bunch of thoughts on Dwight and it's mostly superlative and in line with y'all's considerations. His album batting average is way high, one of the most consistent in country, and he really hit the ground running much like his Bakersfield Buddha - Buck. For me, if I had to take one artist to put on country's Mt. Rushmore whose career started since 1980 I'd take Dwight. I'd understand arguments for more mainstream artists like George Strait but the balance of songwriting, originality, and consistency is elite. Loved Joe's take on #1 and I'm in agreement. The opening riff is like a hillbilly alarm clock. WAKE UP! Just relentless with great tracks - The Heart That You Own, Turn It On, Turn it Up, You're the One... Also was stoked for the love for Blame the Vain. Great work here. Wonder if y'all could bend rules for the big dogs like Merle and Willie? Maybe like a hybrid of Top 10 tracks and top 10 albums...

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Thank you! More country is needed. But yeah it’s tough since all these artists have like 50 albums. We’ll figure something out. - Joe

[@AndrewDLacelle]

I love Dwight, if you want another 5 star country album, I highly recommend you check out Waylon Jenning's discography

[@threestringsomg]

You have made me proud Jason....and Joe..👍 Of my research skills.....I did not listen to any of Jason's bottom 4....and only 1 of Joe's bottom 7 which I guess means I avoided the worst 6 or 7 just about!!🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠

[@jasonlindsay2429]

Good on you guys for taking a chance on the Country genre and Dwight is a perfect artist to begin with. Steve Earle would also have been a good choice. Both Dwight and Steve (along with Randy Travis) all came out at the same time and were being referred to as the New Traditionalists by the journalists back in '86. I had watched an interview with June Carter and Johnny Cash and June had mentioned that when Dwight sings she can close her eyes and hear Hank Williams Joe, if you like the covers, check out Dwight's take on "Suspicious Minds" and "Long White Cadillac". The latter has probably my favorite Pete Anderson performance Speaking of Pete, I always enjoyed Pete Anderson's producing touch. Its one of the reasons the Meat Puppets' "Forbidden Places" is one of favorite albums of all time. Check out the track "Another Moon" and then strap in for "Six Gallon Pie" Anytime the opening credits of a movie show " starring Dwight Yoakum", I get excited. One of my favorite roles of his is the warden in Logan Lucky.

[@frangarcia7774]

Joe, let me throw a bone to you that might spark your interest in Built To Spill : Your beloved Ben Folds Five cover the great Twin Falls by... Guess who?

[@BazStrickland]

Made it to the end booooyyyyzzzz

[@threestringsomg]

Fingers crossed you both chose the albums I missed as bottom few....🤞

[@anthonybernard3689]

exemplarary :-]

[@spiffy8576]

Train In Vain and Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues are both really great from the covers album. Also Baby Please Don't Go is pretty good.

[@burmajones803]

One of my favorite "contemporary" country artist, albeit very obscure, is Rex Hobart and His Misery Boys. Crack band and really fun songwriting. Lots of clever wordplay and lovable twists on country music cliches. Check them out. A digestible discography too. 5 albums, I think?

[@johnwilliams4658]

Not my cuppa tea at all, and I do like quite a lot of country music, however always interesting to hear you talk about artists you like or are familiar with. I hit the like button regardless.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

What’s your country cup of tea?

[@johnwilliams4658]

I often prefer music more country tinged than full blown country but I dislike too specific genre labels as they often just get in the way. However in random order, I love Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard, Gene Clark (not always country flavoured but love that Dillard and Clark album and some of his solo work is very countryish), Flying Burrito Brothers, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams, Jason Isbell, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Caroline Spence, Brandi Carlisle, John Hiatt (countryish at times) and Bill Frisell (Americana?). I like a lot of folk/country crossover but never too sure where to draw the line between the two. Eg Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings - more folky as a rule but leaning into country at times. Eno Axis by H.C McEntire was one of my favorite albums of the last few years. I love Songs Ohia but not sure how close they are to country - label problem again. Nina Nastasia, a most underaated artist, is probably more folk but I like her for the same reasons as some above artists, genre is more or less irrelevant - labels, labels, labels. I do seriously loathe all the awful ubiquitous quantised pop country flooding the market these days. Bands like Wilco, Giant Sand, Cowboy Junkies and 'Stones country' (Love in Vain/No Expectations and others) and artists like Bobby Gentry or Neil Young probably led me to country proper. There are many others not mentioned here so it's off the top of my head as I'm away from my home collection.

[@johnhermes4112]

“This Time” at number 13? Hot take there Jason.

[@threestringsomg]

If it's a long discography you could specify the era to cut down the pack...didn't realise Willie had 90odd albums!!😱

[@TastesLikeMusic]

We don’t do that here. -Jason

[@threestringsomg]

@@TastesLikeMusic well it would make sense if you really wanted to do something like Willie Nelson....or The Falls 50 odd records.....or if that's not on...then spread a hugely prolific artist over a month to listen to instead of a week?

[@TastesLikeMusic]

@@threestringsomg we. don't. do. that. here - kram

[@threestringsomg]

@@TastesLikeMusic o. K. What. About. Poor. Old. Willie. Then. He. Is. Never. Going. To. Get. His. Turn. Not. Fair. Lol.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

The more ridiculous the task, the more views the videos ultimately get. Willie will get his turn someday. We just have to mentally prepare ourselves and have enough videos in the bank to buy ourselves time. -Jason

[@richardbates2367]

My third favorite Dwight yoakam song would be little sister..

[@ChesterCopperpott02]

Never heard of Dwight Yoakam, does he really exist or did you guys make him up a la Chris Gaines??

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

You had to check to see if this was April 1st, didn't you? Heh-heh.

[@adamperkins4305]

Would love a Marty Stuart ranking

[@TastesLikeMusic]

That would be an interesting one. - Joe

[@adamperkins4305]

@@TastesLikeMusic Marty’s new album “Way Out West” with Kenny Vaughn on guitar…..killer.

[@billssportsandwrestlingchan]

He's been great in movies such as Sling Blade and Panic Room.

[@david.leikam]

#TomWaits 🎶

[@179rich]

Interesting that Joe refuses to rank a covers album higher than a certain point. That makes sense, but I still rank THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Siouxsie & the Banshees 5 stars because I think it's the best covers album ever made.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

I'm also guilty of being someone who automatically downgrades and album if it contains covers of other artists' previously released material. It's part of why I don't rate Led Zeppelin's first 2 albums quite as highly as other people.

[@179rich]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I definitely take it into consideration. Artists typically don't get as much credit for songs they didn't write in my ratings system.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@179rich I can see an argument for doing it the opposite way- not caring who wrote what and just basing your ratings off the listening experience alone. But I'm too much of a nerd to do that.

[@kevinmcardle4087]

Siouxie's covers album is so good because they chose deep cut songs by Sparks and Kraftwerk and John Cale... they didn't go for the obvious Beatles/Stones/Elvis stuff that are way too common. I play Through the Looking Glass as often as any of their stuff. For that reason, I don't automatically rule out a covers album, it just depends what songs are on it. (And how well they're performed, of course)

[@179rich]

@@kevinmcardle4087 I rank a good chunk of their albums 5 stars and I put Through the Looking Glass at the end of that 5 star list because it's a covers album. But it is so brilliant. I especially love how they took the more experimental "Sea Breezes" and "Little Johnny Jewel" and turned them into brilliant little pop songs. My favorite song on that album would have to be the sensuous "Trust in Me."

[@threestringsomg]

Joe!🙏 Hallelujah brother!! Joe! Ok I know you again. I love Gone too. Yes the organ! But not because it's like Costello....🧐...you were doing sooo well til that point

[@TastesLikeMusic]

You don’t think it sounds like Costello?

[@threestringsomg]

@@TastesLikeMusic that's the one statement that will put me off any record....I will try my best to forget this conversation before I copy the cd coming in the post....got it for 2 quid!😃

[@burmajones803]

To me country is really a songwriter's genre, first and foremost. The lyrics matter, and they are often profound, but also often wry, clever, and self-deprecating. So if you aren't listening to the lyrics, you're missing out on a lot. Having said that, it's also a genre where good guitarists and other instrumentalists can really shine. All the kudos in this video for Pete Anderson, for example, or Flaco Jimenez's accordion on Buenas Noches... Rhythm sections are often pretty routine, but country music is filled with great guitar pickers, pedal steel players, and fiddle players. I really love the Bakersfield style. It's oftentimes just pop music with country instrumentation and lyricism. The Derailers is another Buck Owens-influenced band that has been one of my favorites over the years. They also cover a Prince tune--Raspberry Beret. Who knew country music and Prince would be such a good fit?

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

Part of the issue for me was that too much of the time I found the best songs on the album *were* the covers- that his own songs hardly ever lived up to the classic stuff he was covering.

[@burmajones803]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 listening to Gone right now and I vehemently disagree with your assessment. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@burmajones803 I freely admit I'm a rock guy- I'm not a country guy. But I do feel like I have an ear for great songwriting and I just don't see what's exceptional about the songs on Gone. Don't get me wrong, they're fine, I don't hate them. They just don't bowl me over. They don't impress me to the point where I feel compelled to return to them again. Overall, I like his debut album a good bit and would probably rate that 4 stars. Every other album I've heard from him would be in the 2.5 to 3 star range- nominally good but not something I would return to.

[@burmajones803]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 if I recall, you also didn't think too highly of Paul Westerberg's songwriting, so we clearly have different ideas about what constitutes good songwriting. I can live with that dissonance.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@burmajones803 I gave two of the Replacements' albums 4.5 stars, which is high praise from a stickler like me. I just wasn't impressed with them as a singles band.

[@threestringsomg]

I thought the production side of each album was never awful to me...in fact a vast majority are brilliantly produced....the problem for me is style. Accessibility to the style is a bit of a challenge....but there are gems for sure. Well done guys. 👍

[@chrismcgovern1647]

South of Heaven, West of Hell, where the trains don't even runnnnn

[@johnhermes4112]

It’s really sad that the label pulled the whole “Guitars, Cadillacs…” album from streaming services.

[@threestringsomg]

You will be pleased to know I scored A Long Way Home identically Joe (7/10)....yay

[@roxannewalsh]

CAUTION - I know nothing about country music and I am not even from America. I do not even like country and I know very little about his performances or background, just some of the albums. My view is that of an alien looking at this from a ring of Saturn. But then, he appeared three times on my AOTY lists...so anyone who loves that guy or country, do not read my comments. They are crazy. I have 13 albums listed, there are cover albums, acoustic stuff, soundtrack and Christmas songs, albums I avoid in general. 13. Swimmin' Pools 1,0 (Whoever needs his version of Purple Rain?) 12. Blame the Vain 1,5 (One of his longest album.) 11. A Long Way Home 1,5 (Cosmic cowboy music? The cosmos to a large extend is a vacuum...as is this album except for the opener.) 10. Gone 1,5 (A country album "for every Hank Williams railroad train that cried..." - Heart of Stone is so horrible that it may serve as evidence for why I mostly do not like the genre.) 9. Population Me 1,5 (With a band as competent as his, it is a shame to force them to sound like those crash landed Eagles. If a song is called If Teardrops Were Diamonds and is a duet with Willie Nelson then you can bet it is a good one - it is but the only one on the album.) 8. Tomorrow's Sounds Today 2,5 (Are those not yesterday's sounds? He was not Buck Owens and will not be Roy Orbison. The star on Alright I'm Wrong is not Buck but Flaco.) 7. Guitars, Cadillacs, etc 3,0 (Twenty Years is great, his version of Ring of Fire is terrible, the remaining songs are in between - somehow I missed what was so amazingly "new" about this album when it came out.) 6. If There Was a Way 3,0 (His 4th album and he writes more and covers less - the only cover here is not a country song, Wilbert Harrison's indestructible classic comes last but sounds like the song that the band was waiting to play all the time - maybe they were right?) 5 . Hillbilly Deluxe 3,5 (Stripped down to what the songs need, without the sentimental crooning that Willie Nelson sometimes has. If only Dwight's songs were as good as the covers...) 4. Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room 3,5 (The album is a reminder of what a great artist Doug Sahm was - no, Dwight does not even cover him but his sound is all over the album - not just Flaco...I just prefer the original though who would have omitted the last two songs which drag the album down a full star in the end.) 3. 3 Pears 4,0 (This came at a time when I had almost forgotten about him and expected nothing anymore. My #23 of 2013 - it beats the Black Sabbath comeback, strange times...) 2. Second Hand Heart 4,0 (This made #23 in my AOTY list in 2015, not bad for a country album.) 1. This Time 4,0 (Appropriate album title because this time he hit it, the fifth album is the one he promised to make one day. #19 on my 1993 AOTY list, but there was not too much competition in that year. His best songwriting but too polished for me to really love, but then, it is a country album after all, where form often substitutes content...Fun fact, my rock 'n' roll heart likes Two Doors Down better than the Tumbling Dice attempt of Wild Ride.)

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

Of the 6 albums I listen to (his first 6) the only one I would rate more than 3 stars is his debut. You're right that country music is sort of formulaic by nature (so maybe I'm being too hard on Dwight for being formulaic) but when every song sounds pretty much like every other song- album after album- it tires me out.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Well… his most pop country album and his two least country albums all in your top 3. Can’t say I saw that coming. - Joe

[@roxannewalsh]

@@TastesLikeMusic Maybe your definition of "pop country" needs some investigation? I would argue that This Time comes as close to Gram Parsons as he could ever come - probably The Rolling Stones are my favourite "pop country" artists like in Wild Horses.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I mean it’s not like Garth Brooks, but it’s definitely his slickest produced. And lyrically, it’s a little more finely tuned for the country radio audience. Which is why Jason didn’t like it, bless his heart. I don’t think there can be any argument to the contrary. - Joe

[@roxannewalsh]

@@TastesLikeMusic How could I argue...I loudly confessed that I know nothing about country, I know even less about "country radio audience", I probably never listened to any such radio ever.

[@benoitfournier6801]

wow... haven't ever even heard about him... that's the "outside of USA" syndrom when it comes to country... but I definitely know that face!

[@Chaz4543]

He was a actor as well.

[@coolhandflick]

Surprised to see such a split on Gone. I agree that it's one of his best.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

It’s not as much of a split as the ranking would have you believe. I still have it at 4 stars. -Jason

[@richardbates2367]

Kinda gotta agree on the comments on the Dwight does buck album, you just cannot beat buck Owens and the buckaroos!!

[@bengalgangster]

hmm i had good timing i didnt know who the artist was so i wasnt prepared but it doesnt matter anymore

[@david.leikam]

#CowboyJunkies 🎶

[@threestringsomg]

My Dwight Yokum albums list. 🤠 🐎 Sorry but some country music is so niche it's only at its most digestible in an Oscar winning western movie or two. At least in comparison to doing discography listens. Surprised you guys didn't do Seasick Steve, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton first🤷‍♂️ I was in even more of a dark mood after I heard the underwhelming debut to kick off... But things improved I'm pleased to say 😉🧐. To the point where I'm shocked I managed 11....and bought 2 albums😱🙀 Yay...Here goes..... 11 Guitars, Cadillacs Etc...Etc. 4.5/10 Honky Tonk Man for breakfast is like putting grapefruit juice on your bacon. I know it's digestible if it's your bag but I do not like nodding my head like I'm a chicken 🐔 in a barn for hours on end. No way hose'. I'll be gone before this album ends, I'll be gone. Lol. If I ever go south of the Ohio River please dont make me listen to this. Please!🙏 That Blues Bros scene where they are forced to sing country music at a gig. That was better than this. By A COUNTRY Mile😉🤭 Ring of Fire is awful cover 10 Tomorrow's Sounds Today 5.5/10 one of the albums I dreaded as it confirms the old country music problem....that being the best songs are heaped at start then the rest bop along nicely with a well defined sound, but don't leave much of an impression....apart from feeling like I'm on a beach somewhere under a pineapple tree.... and gradually becomes a listen where I get a bit complacent minded and hope the album isn't too long.... doh!...this one was...😒 As I feel I've found the best stuff I made this one the point to stop as I didn't want to get on a downer after some good highs. 9 Blame The Vain 6/10 Good listen with a couple of middling efforts in between gooduns all way through in there which makes the album stutter. It doesn't have enough beyond fine to make it stand out. 8 If There Was A Way. 6/10 Nothing really grabbed me after first two songs. Mostly chirpy but forgettable fare done well. 7 Buenos Noches From A Lonely Room 6.5/10 Just the last song about God annoyed me (took .5 off) I realize it's an important part of country music identity...but soooo not for me. Lots of Honk but not enough Tonk for me to love despite good moments. 6 A Long Way Home 7/10 good stuff. Nothing disappointed but nothing totally amazed tho I liked addition of orchestration on some songs and really liked the consistent accompanying deep sound strut work that often noticeably gets this album going. 5 Second Hand Heart 7/10 was my 2nd choice of listen as it contains a traditional song I loved used in a Cohen bros film classic, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?...the move towards rockier sound was a game changer after too much hillbilly and honky tonk 1st half. But Constant Sorrow was disappointing in this form and 2nd half forgettable jive til Vs of Birds is nice at the end. Good songwriting though. 4 Hillbilly Deluxe 7/10...as a general non country fan this was much more accessible than debut. His 2nd album is bit safe song wise but sounded fuller and had more variation than the seemingly over rated debut. HD was 2nd album I listened to and it reassured me to dig bit deeper than I intended. I could see why people love the artist. Good voice here. Less oohs / warbles that can irritate and more focus on melody works better. 3 This Time 8/10 The most consistently very good album for me after first 4 were poor to good mostly. Bit of that Hawaii sound here, Ska like bounce there and smooth Blues rock over there all sprinkled within the Hillbilly Country template...but it all marries well to make a well balanced and well produced record. 2 Gone 8.5/10 quickly makes good impression with One More Night....the vocal work and sound has a surrounding quality. Album is poppiest I've heard. Good production...like the extreme angles with each instrument so the all have distinctive parts in most songs. Nothing is something for sure.👍 I imagine I've chosen an underated album as usual to be the personal fave🏆but I think the winner is clearly a better album objectively so subjectivity loses out just this once. 1 3 Pears 9.5/10 🏆 Outstanding production and song writing here....I only zoned out with Dim Lights, Thick Smoke as it's similar to alot of his honky tonk hillbilly tunes over the years...pips Gone just in respect of the whole listen being so great, and sound quality is so dynamic and crystal too...much like the cover it's a stark high contrast album that sticks out quality wise for me. I just liked the overall morose feel and style of Gone slightly more personally and that album also has my favourite finds on it but that won't affect my ranking. Those are the only two albums I wanted to own anyway. So bought them. Could only get MP3 of 3 Pears tho as cd costs loads.

[@mikemauzey3996]

Yeah

[@ChrisNorwood3]

I listened to the entire Hank Jr catalogue, which was insane. I want to do the same with Johnny Cash, but I think he has Willie Nelson beat with a seemingly endless discography.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

According to Wikipedia Johnny has 67 and Willie has 95 (I wasn’t exaggerating). I haven’t looked into how many of these actually qualify for what we consider a studio album on the channel, but Willies discography is significantly larger.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@TastesLikeMusic Cash was the bigger star but I think it can be argued that Willie was the better writer and had the greater musical mind (and was thus more prodigious.) I've been through Johnny Cash's catalog with a fine-toothed comb and can't find 20 songs he actually wrote himself.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Not only can it be argued, it should be argued. Willie > Johnny. All day every day. -Jason

[@ChrisNorwood3]

@@TastesLikeMusic Nelson better than Cash? Hmmmmmm.....I don't know. Maybe. My gut says Cash is better, but I could see Nelson coming out on top, even in my own ranking. I just need some serious free time so I can give all 192 records a good listen.

[@roxannewalsh]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Cash was not that much of a writer (although 20 sounds a bit low for me, I think he wrote more) nor was Jerry Lee Lewis. Both had the talent to make each song they chose their own. In most cases it was their version that was THE version. Nelson, on the other hand, started his career as a writer and he sold his song before he even started recording them himself. He had many "dry" phases and not all of his own songs are a match for the many covers he recorded as well. Songwriting may not be the most impotent factor here.

[@mikemauzey3996]

Buck Don and Dwight😊

[@slaydesaid8741]

Dwight Yoakam is not really me. Some of his songs are OK, but the honky-tonk cr*p I absolutely dislike. You guys should make a ranking of The Jayhawks (as much as I like Wilco, I much prefer The Jayhawks to them) or The Walkabouts if you want to check out some other artists with consistently good albums.

[@slaydesaid8741]

@badfishy911 👍

[@richardlanahan8089]

Never bought a record after he crossed his band by cancelling a tour that they depended on to live. On Blame the Vain guitarist Gattis overuses a B-bender tele to attempt to show that Pete and company really aren't needed. Gone is the first record that Pete went to Line 6 sounds to circumvent the need to record with mics on amps on the floor. Terrible shame and very noticeable here. Guitars Cadillacs is one of the records from that era that the high IQ music listener's world was waiting for. (The other was Earle's Guitar Town) Both are of course still cranking out viable music. Good video about a great artist that is probably not a very nice person. This Time is a great album gents. Every song could be an entry in a songwriter's handbook. Can't argue with If There Was a Way. Pete Anderson put his own modern antics touch onto a genre of Tele playing that was already 2 generations along. Maybe there would not have been a Dwight Yoakam without Pete Anderson.

[@spiffy8576]

Population Me Gone A Long Way Home This Time Tomorrow’s Sounds Today

[@threestringsomg]

And then Jason puts one of my faves at no.13😩😭😭😭....oh well...

[@threestringsomg]

Now I'm back to pretending I don't know you Joe....3Pears at 10???? Puh! Get real man.....I'd go back and listen again sir

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Not enough twang for me. - Joe

[@threestringsomg]

@@TastesLikeMusic well I twangk it's as twangtastic as I twang go...too much twang and theres not enough room for the bang!💥....which 3 Pears clearly has...

[@billkeon880]

Joe, when you said number ‘four’ it was a tribute to Dwight’s country hiccup