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Rating: 1988: fresh off two albums with good commercial success but at odds with his record label, grappling with heroin addiction, and eager to experiment with new sounds, Steve Earle, an restless and rebellious country rocker born 54 years ago in Fort Monroe, Virginia, releases his third album, "Copperhead Road": behind a decidedly flashy cover hides an explosive mix of different styles and sounds, destined to achieve a spectacular and unexpected success in sales and critical acclaim.
2008: to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its release, "Copperhead Road" is reissued in a deluxe edition, and this time it is not a commercially uninteresting operation like many others of this kind, but a golden opportunity to get to know this artist not only through his greatest discographic expression but also as a performer, thanks to the brilliant addition of a real live album, undoubtedly much more beautiful and interesting than the more or less useless bonus tracks added at the tail end of the tracklist.
The inviting scent of a masterpiece is already detectable from the first notes of the title track that opens the album: an almost exotic, mysterious atmosphere that immediately bursts into a measured, imposing composition, of great evocative power, also thanks to Steve Earle's gritty and raspy voice, more than ever suited to sing the stories of the farmer-smuggler protagonist of the song. Barely a moment to catch your breath and the tone changes completely with the cheerful and carefree country of "Snake Oil", with a text that ridicules the promises of politicians, and then the dirty rock, à la Rolling Stones, of "Back To The Wall", with the guitar and drums pressing, chasing, and scratching in the pounding chorus masterfully interpreted by Earle: three songs and three completely different styles.
It cannot be said that "Copperhead Road" is a predictable album, but the best comes with the deadly duo of "The Devil's Right Hand"-"Johnny Come Lately"; the first, which deals with the typically American theme of obsession with firearms, is in my opinion the true shining point of the album, a formidable folk song just stiffened by guitars, which immediately gets stuck in your head with the overwhelming force of a hit, while the second, played with none other than the Pogues (and you can hear it), is an irresistible Irish rock that narrates the events of an American pilot during World War II. After these five wonders, the album maintains excellent levels with the rock ballads "Even When I'm Blue", "You Belong To Me", "Waiting On You", and "Once Your Love", until it reaches "Nothing But A Child", a beautiful Christmas-themed ballad that closes the album in a completely unexpected and brilliant way.
The live album added to this deluxe edition (78 minutes in total) is divided into two parts: the first 11 tracks, recorded in 1987 in Raleigh, North Carolina, open, not by chance, with a captivating "The Devil's Right Hand" and explore the more country repertoire of Steve Earle, that of the albums "Guitar Town" and "Exit 0", offering great songs, catchy and wonderfully interpreted like "Fearless Heart", "Continental Trallways Bus", "San Antonio Girl", "The Week Of Living Dangerously" a couple of covers ("Wheels" and the impressive folk song "Brown And Root"), a "Johnny Come Lately" in a slower, bare, almost singer-songwriter version and finally a languid and heartfelt ballad of the caliber of "It's All Up To You", while the remaining six tracks, recorded in Calgary in '89 offer exceptional covers like the introspective "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen and the captivating "Dead Flowers" by the Stones, but also the poignant folk ballad "Little Sister", along with a "Copperhead Road" made even more imposing and granite, the pleasant AOR diversion of "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" and, dulce in fundo, the driving country rock of "Guitar Town", the ideal soundtrack over which the closing credits of this wonderful show roll.
In conclusion, "Copperhead Road" deluxe edition is the right tribute to the career of this eclectic and brave artist, and additionally offers the advantage of two masterpieces for the price of one, an advantage made even more considerable by the fact that "The Devil's Right Hand" alone would be enough to justify all twenty euros of expenditure.
A must-have.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Copperhead Road (04:30)
Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only come a town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Grandaddy ran whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
When the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road
I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I just plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Now the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
02 Snake Oil (03:30)
Ladies and gentlemen, attention please
Come in close so everyone can see
I got a tale to tell
A listen don't cost a dime
And if you believe that we're gonna get along just fine
Now I've been travelin' all around
I heard trouble's come to your town
Well I've got a little somethin'
Guaranteed to ease your mind
It's call Snake Oil y'all
It's been around for a long, long time
Say, your crops'll burn if it don't rain soon
Ain't seen a drop since the tenth of June
Well I can open up the sky
People never fear
If you ain't impressed yet, just tell me what you wanna hear
Well you lost your farm so you moved to town
You get a job, they shut the factory down
Now you sit around all day long feelin' sad and blue
You need Snake Oil y'all, tell you what I'm gonna do
I can heal the sick, I can mend the lame
And the blind shall see again, it's all the same
Well ain't your President good to you
Knocked 'em dead in Libya, Grenada too
Now he's taking his show a little further down the line
Well, 'tween me and him people, you're gonna get along just fine
04 The Devil's Right Hand (03:03)
About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war
I saw my first pistol in the general store
In the general store, when I was thirteen
Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
She really blew up and I didn't understand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
My very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
Shoot as fast as lightnin' but it loads a mite slow
Loads a mite slow and soon I found out
It can get you into trouble but it can't get you out
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
Never knew why, I didn't understand
Cause Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
Well I get into a card game in a company town
Caught a miner cheating I shot the dog down
Shot the dog down, watched the man fall
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
Not guilty I said, you've got the wrong man
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand
05 Johnny Come Lately (04:09)
I'm an American, boys, I've come a long way
I was born and bred in the USA
So listen up close, I've get something to say
Boys, I'm buying this round
Well it took a Iittle while but we're in this fight
Ain't going home 'til we've done what's right
We're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight
If I have to spend my last pound
When I first got to London it was pourin' down rain
Met a little girl in the field canteen
Painted her name on the nose of my plane
Six more missions, I'm gone
Well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might
Then the warden came around yelling "shut out the lights"
Death rainin' out of the London night
We made love 'til dawn
But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home
With a chest full of medals and a G.l. loan
They'll be waitin' at the station down in San Antone
When Johnny comes marching home
My P-47 is a pretty good ship
And she took a round coming cross the Channel last trip
I was thinking 'bout my baby and letting her rip
Always got me through so far
Well they can ship me all over this great big world
But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl
I'm taking her home with me one day, sir
Soon as we win this war
Now my granddaddy sang me this song
Told me about Londen when the Blitz was on
How he married Grandma and brought her back home
A hero throughout his land
Now I'm standing on a runway in San Diego
A couple Purple Hearts and I move a little slow
There's nobody here, maybe nobody knows
About a place called Vietnam
07 You Belong to Me (04:24)
Lately I've been feeling a little uneasy so I run straight home to you
It's been cold as hell and you just can't tell what a girl might do
I made a whole lot of promises baby, but none of my dreams came true
And it's you that paid and I'm so afraid that I'm losing you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me
Now your mama said you could do better than me, baby I know that's true
But you believed me instead. every word I said, and I did too
But every day's a Iittle bit harder out there no matter what I do
Well I could carry the world on my shoulders girl long as I got you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me
But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me
Well my shining armour is rusted and worn
There's a heart inside here entrusted and sworn to you
Just tell me baby what I need to do
I can win you over again if you want me to
But you belong to me
You beleng to me, me, baby, me
10 Nothing but a Child (04:23)
Once upon a time in a far off land
Wise men saw a sign and set out aross the sand
Songs of praise to sing, they travelled day and night
Precious gifts to bring, guided by the light
They chased a brand new star, ever towards the west
Across the mountains far, but when it came to rest
They scarce believed their eyes, they'd come so many miles
And the miracle they prized was nothing but a child
Nothing but a child could wash these tears away
Or guide a weary world into the light of day
And nothing but a child could help erase these miles
So once again we all can be children for awhile
Now all around the world, in every Iittle town
Everyday is heard a precious little sound
And every mother kind and every father proud
Looks down in awe to find another chance allowed
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Other reviews
By shooting star
Copperhead Road... is powerful, with a highly-suffering and virile voice full of energy.
Copperhead Road will remain the great jewel of the entire discography.
