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DISCID=930d190d
DTITLE=Steve Earle And The Dukes / The Hard Way
DYEAR=1990
DGENRE=Rock
TTITLE0=The Other Kind
TTITLE1=Promise You Anything
TTITLE2=Esmeralda's Hollywood
TTITLE3=Hopeless Romantics
TTITLE4=This Highway's Mine (Roadmaster)
TTITLE5=Billy Austin
TTITLE6=Justice In Ontario
TTITLE7=Have Mercy
TTITLE8=When The People Find Out
TTITLE9=Country Girl
TTITLE10=Regular Guy
TTITLE11=West Nashville Boogie
TTITLE12=Close Your Eyes
EXTD=Originally Released 1990\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: "I defend The Hard
EXTD= Way to the death, because I almost died in the process of making
EXTD= it," Steve Earle told a reporter in 2000, and he wasn't just bei
EXTD=ng melodramatic. Earle's well-documented addiction to heroin and 
EXTD=cocaine was spiraling out of control in 1990 while he was holed u
EXTD=p in Memphis recording The Hard Way. And while his 1988 album Cop
EXTD=perhead Road showed him moving away from country and more toward 
EXTD=hard rock -- and earned him a minor crossover hit in the process 
EXTD=-- his record label was hoping for a major commercial breakthroug
EXTD=h so that his sales might begin to match his good press. The resu
EXTD=lting album is a bit of a mess, often sloppy and overbearing, whe
EXTD=re his country sides had been dynamic and precise, and Earle's vo
EXTD=ice was starting to show the strain of his lifestyle. Even his so
EXTD=ngwriting, usually peerless, wasn't at its best here, with "When 
EXTD=the People Find Out," "Regular Guy," and "Justice in Ontario" sou
EXTD=nding like they were tossed together fast to round out the album 
EXTD=(the latter sounds like a transparent stroke to his Canadian fan 
EXTD=base, where Copperhead Road went multi-platinum). But even his we
EXTD=akest studio album has plenty to recommend it, especially the swa
EXTD=ggering title cut, the all-too-biographical "Have Mercy" and "Wes
EXTD=t Nashville Boogie," and "Billy Austin," a deeply moving ballad a
EXTD=bout a man on death row. The Hard Way isn't much of an album by E
EXTD=arle's standards, but it's still got enough heart, soul, and fire
EXTD= to prove Earle couldn't throw away his talent, no matter how har
EXTD=d he tried. -- Mark Deming\n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nSpe
EXTD=cial low price import edition of his 1990 album released through 
EXTD=MCA. 'I defend The Hard Way to the death, because I almost died i
EXTD=n the process of making it', Steve Earle told a reporter in 2000 
EXTD=& he wasn't just being melodramatic. Earle's well-documented addi
EXTD=ction to heroin & cocaine was spiraling out of control in 1990 wh
EXTD=ile he was holed up in Memphis recording The Hard Way. 13 tracks 
EXTD=in all. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nHey Nashville, This aint 
EXTD=country, January 3, 2007\nReviewer: Dave Dalton "Song Seeker" (Mi
EXTD=chigan)\nFor all the fog and dim that engulfed his personal life,
EXTD= Steve Earle found a way to take the words and music in his head 
EXTD=to the studio and bring it to life with a undefineable mix of gro
EXTD=wling guitars, flittering mandolins, punctuated snare hits, with 
EXTD=his distinctive vocal approach that defies the listener to dare q
EXTD=uestion his honesty. First person, "I am living this song" attitu
EXTD=de throughout, it invites you to participate in more than just a 
EXTD=casual manner. Earle moves closer to his own influences, invoking
EXTD= George Harrison's Gretsch guitar jangle and Beatles harmonies in
EXTD= Promise You Anything, and then on to the current darker places w
EXTD=ith "Esmeralda's Hollywood"; revealing his own shadows. Included 
EXTD=is the masterful "Billy Austin" exploring the intracacies of a mu
EXTD=rderer's thinking process and the subsequent followup, "Justice i
EXTD=n Ontario. \n\nDifferent from his first offerings, in that pedal 
EXTD=steel prominence has been replaced with authoritative six strings
EXTD= attacked with more than a nod to the arm flailing of a Pete Town
EXTD=send, The Hard Way brings us straight ahead rock and roll. Borrow
EXTD=ing a crunch from fellow Texan Billy Gibbons, "This Highway" star
EXTD=ts out with a blues rock riff and a narrative that warns of dange
EXTD=r and salvation at the same time only to resurface in the apt tit
EXTD=led, "West Nashville Boogie". "Country Girl" takes us back to a h
EXTD=onkey tonk setting and then he hints at the forebearer of his Cel
EXTD=tic fascinations to come, Regular Guy. Earle picks up whatever in
EXTD=strument serves his purpose and cares not one iota if it fits any
EXTD= notion of formula. \n\nAn epic in terms of dramatic pacing and t
EXTD=empo, Steve Earle arrives near the top of America's song writing 
EXTD=precipace and gives us a look over the edge. A "must have" collec
EXTD=tion for anyone who is serious about whats behind the music.\n\nA
EXTD=MAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreat songs, too much bombast, Septemb
EXTD=er 29, 2006\nReviewer: Billy Austin "avid listener" (New York, NY
EXTD= USA)\nSteve Earle was coming off the release of "Copperhead Road
EXTD=," before he made this album. That disc showed him turning from a
EXTD= countrified Bruce Springsteen to a straight-out rocker with an e
EXTD=ye for the mindset of the underdog. "The Hard Way" continues the 
EXTD=trend - detailed story-songs like "Justice In Ontario" and "Billy
EXTD= Austin," an anti-death penalty tale that is among Earle's top wo
EXTD=rks. The Dukes sound like bobcats in a bag snarling to get out, a
EXTD=ll broken glass and motorcycle engines (one of which would have b
EXTD=etter if it had been absent from the song "This Highway's Mine").
EXTD= Some of the production seems done just to made Earle seem big an
EXTD=d bad, and Id be rather interested in hearing how a song like "Ho
EXTD=peless Romantics" would sound if it were included on one of his l
EXTD=ater discs. Listeners get a sense of some of Earle's personal pro
EXTD=blems in songs such as "West Nashville Boogie." It's a wonderful 
EXTD=album, but with some flaws not present on other Earle discs.\n\nA
EXTD=MAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Hard Way, Indeed...., September 14
EXTD=, 2005\nReviewer: Jeffrey A. Hopson (Garland, TX USA)\nThis was t
EXTD=he last Steve Earle cd I thoroughly enjoyed and incidentally, was
EXTD= the last one he did (that we're aware of...)while indulging in t
EXTD=he "ecstacies" of drug addiction. This Steve was emaciated, unpre
EXTD=dictable, and, in my opinion, at the peak of his creativity. It w
EXTD=as the last recording session that incorporated that trademark 80
EXTD='s Steve Earle sizzle : razor sharp, digital production, with wha
EXTD=t I consider to be the best version of the Dukes ever assembled, 
EXTD=Steve's fiery, angry and deliberate vocal delivery, and guitar po
EXTD=wer that peeled the paint off the walls. Man, I miss that. The on
EXTD=ly "political" reference would be the anti-death penalty "Billy A
EXTD=ustin" in which Earle sings, in the first person, about a 29 yr o
EXTD=ld that's "quarter Cherokee I'm told" who kills a service station
EXTD= attendant while robbing the place and won't say "...I don't dese
EXTD=rve to die". Earle's gift has always been putting flesh on storie
EXTD=s about real people in real life, dealing with real situations wi
EXTD=thout being "preachy" and this work follows that direction. "Have
EXTD= Mercy" is a little collage of three different stories in which r
EXTD=easonably good people do bad things for reasons that we tend to o
EXTD=ffer a little mercy to once we've heard their perspectives. The o
EXTD=pening track, "The Other Kind", is my favorite with classic lines
EXTD= galore: "I'm the apple of my Momma's eye, and my Daddy's worst f
EXTD=ears realised". "Esmerelda's Hollywood" is a truly great piece of
EXTD= penmanship in which the title character is representative of the
EXTD= many young female hopefuls who came to Tinsel Land with big drea
EXTD=ms and wound up ghosts, haunting the corner of Hollywood and Vine
EXTD=. I don't like the stuff Earle has done after "El Corazon" as it 
EXTD=is too lo-fi and garagy sounding with Earle mumbling and hardly s
EXTD=inging at all; I dearly love everything from "The Hard Way" back:
EXTD= full of fire, hunger, and an intense desire to portray simple li
EXTD=fe as if it were on the big screen of a small town drive-in. John
EXTD= Steinbeck would have been proud.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n
EXTD=Fourteen years later, hard to listen to, but well worth it, May 6
EXTD=, 2004\nReviewer: William J. Eichelberger "I will not go quietly"
EXTD= (Ft. Thomas, KY)\nSteve Earle was rapidly spinning out of contro
EXTD=l around the time of this album's recording, and despite it's bri
EXTD=lliance I find myself occasionally unwilling to pull it out when 
EXTD=I'm in the mood for some of his earlier stuff. The Hard Way just 
EXTD=reeks of pain, probably because I know his history, but then it w
EXTD=as never a ray of sunshine to begin with. "The Other Kind" is one
EXTD= of the greatest hard rock tunes ever penned, and Steve rips into
EXTD= it as though his life was on the line. Other highlights include 
EXTD="Hopeless Romantics", "This Highway's Mine", and "Regular Guy", b
EXTD=ut even after "Hopeless Romantics" raises your spirits, there's a
EXTD=lways a song like "Have Mercy" or "West Nashville Boogie" to drag
EXTD= you back to earth. Great songs, but hardly easy listening. His a
EXTD=nti-death penalty song, "Billy Austin" remains another of my favo
EXTD=rites, despite my total lack of sympathy for the main character's
EXTD= plight. Though not one to be taken lightly, The Hard Way remains
EXTD= one of his early masterpieces, and the fact that it is the album
EXTD= that lost him a recording contract shows just how stupid the rec
EXTD=ord companies are. The Hard Way is a precursor of the brilliance 
EXTD=to come.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nCan't give Steve Earle an
EXTD=ything but five stars, March 5, 2002\nReviewer: Catherine S. Vodr
EXTD=ey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States)\nI seem to be constitutio
EXTD=nally unable to give a Steve Earle album anything other than five
EXTD= stars, but it's not difficult to do once you've given his work a
EXTD= listen. "The Hard Way" continues in the Steve Earle tradition of
EXTD= eminently listenable tracks, all of which have the added bonus o
EXTD=f literate, crushingly good lyrics. Earle may sum up his family's
EXTD= worst fears about him in the brilliant line from "The Other Kind
EXTD=" in which he sings, "I'm still the apple of my mama's eye/I'm my
EXTD= daddy's worst fears realized." One of the last albums Earle reco
EXTD=rded before a substantial stint in jail, "The Hard Way" seems to 
EXTD=address his need to do everything, well, the hard way. If there's
EXTD= an easy way to do it, he generally doesn't want anything to do w
EXTD=ith it. As always, Earle is fascinated with and inspired by life 
EXTD=on the road, as evidenced in his Foghat/Thin Lizzie-tinged "This 
EXTD=Highway's Mine (Roadmaster)." "Billy Austin" tells the story of a
EXTD= young man in jail. Earle, as always, manages to squeeze a world 
EXTD=of detail into just a few words: "My name is Billy Austin/I'm twe
EXTD=nty-nine years old/I was born in Oklahoma/Quarter Cherokee I'm to
EXTD=ld." "Have Mercy" and "When People Find Out" address Earle's ongo
EXTD=ing wrestling match with heroin addiction--a match that, by the l
EXTD=ook of the album's cover photograph, he hadn't yet won. Even thou
EXTD=gh he's going down by this album, Earle manages to turn out what 
EXTD=lesser mortals wouldn't be able to produce in their finest hours.
EXTD=\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Hot-blooded Hillbilly, April 
EXTD=13, 2000\nReviewer: dev1 (Baltimore)\nSteve Earle has been called
EXTD= "The Outlaw Country Singer," but I'd prefer to call him "The Hot
EXTD=-blooded Hillbilly." His voice is closer to the hills of Tennesse
EXTD=e than the Black Hat Nashville Boys that make up the Top-10 Count
EXTD=ry Chart. The Hard Way rocks like the tough hitting music of earl
EXTD=y Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. You'll also find heavy doses o
EXTD=f Bruce Springsteen craftsmanship (Promise You Anything, Hopeless
EXTD= Romantics). The blues guitar grove on 'West Nashville Boogie' wo
EXTD=uld make B. B. King proud. No one has charged a two-step dance nu
EXTD=mber with as much electricity as "Regular Guy.' And 'When The Peo
EXTD=ple Find Out' is so spiritual that it would be welcome in any God
EXTD=-fearin' Southern Baptist Church.\nSteve and The Dukes may rock w
EXTD=ith the brawn of a Peterbuilt, but Steve's lyrics have a softer t
EXTD=ouch. It's not necessary to listen to 'Hopeless Romantics' to rea
EXTD=lize that Steve is, well, a sensitive guy. You may give a second 
EXTD=thought concerning the death penalty after the poignant 'Billy Au
EXTD=stin.' And the miscarriage of vigilante justice is examined in 'J
EXTD=ustice In Ontario.' Lastly, 'Close You Eyes' is a solemn anthem t
EXTD=o living one day at a time. Steve Earle does just that - making k
EXTD=inetic music like there was no tomorrow.\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\n
EXTD=On "The Other Kind," the first track on The Hard Way, Steve Earle
EXTD= sings about "not suffering from a lack of love/There's plenty mo
EXTD=re where that came from." Meanwhile, on "Close Your Eyes," which 
EXTD=ends the album, Earle observes that there are "Thousands of peopl
EXTD=e searchin' out there/Most of 'em lookin' for love.... In time we
EXTD='ll all get our share." Whether Earle really believes this is ano
EXTD=ther question, because in between these songs he paints portraits
EXTD= of desperate characters whose capacity to love or be loved is di
EXTD=cey at best.\n\nAs on 1988's stirring Copperhead Road, Earle is i
EXTD=nvolved in politics and history. But the epic feel of that album 
EXTD=is narrowed here to a personal look at a solitary man's travails 
EXTD=in an America where the qualities of mercy and justice are strain
EXTD=ed indeed. While there's no single song to match the historical s
EXTD=weep of Road's "Johnny Come Lately," several tunes gel in impress
EXTD=ive fashion. "Regular Guy" finds the band rollicking  la the Pog
EXTD=ues, as Earle offers the straight dope on a fellow whose paycheck
EXTD= barely keeps things afloat at home, a symptom of a system in whi
EXTD=ch "one man's promise is another man's lie." "Promise You Anythin
EXTD=g" wraps chiming guitars and propulsive rhythm around a sentiment
EXTD= that is the closest Earle comes to a commitment. The Nebraska-li
EXTD=ke spareness of "Billy Austin" adds stark ambience to a tale of a
EXTD= half-breed Cherokee who robs, kills by accident and winds up on 
EXTD=death row.\n\n"Billy Austin" is typical of Earle's approach on Th
EXTD=e Hard Way: He doesn't so much reveal his hand as lay out the fac
EXTD=ts and raise questions about the propriety of the events describe
EXTD=d and the listener's feelings about them. Do the unfortunate circ
EXTD=umstances of Billy Austin's environment excuse murder? Should the
EXTD= punishment fit the crime? The call is yours.\n\nThe Dukes back E
EXTD=arle ferociously throughout, and in Maria McKee (who's also credi
EXTD=ted as co-writer on two tunes), Earle has found a smart vocal cou
EXTD=nterpart whose plaintive support pours serious heartbreak on the 
EXTD=songs. Lyrically acute, musically precise, thematically compellin
EXTD=g, The Hard Way, like Copperhead Road before it, eats up those so
EXTD=cially conscious rockers whose messages clutter their groove. (RS
EXTD= 586 - Sep 6, 1990) -- DAVID MCGEE
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