John Prine has had a long and distinguished career as a songwriter working the line between folk and country. As is so often the case, he made his biggest mark with his first album, released in 1971. After a stint serving in the army (always a great source for song ideas) Prine began playing open mic nights in his native Chicago. He comes from the same folk scene that produced Steve Goodman (Ridin™ on the City of New Orleans). The first review of his work was penned by Roger Ebert, then a young Chicago critic. Other early supporters included both Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan.

It™s not hard to see why Prine so quickly won the respect of great songwriters. His own talents put him in the same ballpark. The All Music Guide describes Prine™s debut album as a collection of standards, which isn™t much of an exaggeration. The first song, Illegal Smile, is a clever and endearing tribute to smoking marijuana”not necessarily an easy feat. (A bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down, and won. And it was twelve o™clock before I realized I was having no fun.) Spanish Pipedream is another gem. It™s Prine™s daydream about running off to the country with a sly exotic dancer to blow up the TV and eat a lot of peaches. (I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve.) Hello In There is a melancholy song about the loneliness of aging. What™s amazing is how it rings so true despite being written by a 25-year old. (So if you’re walking down the street sometime and spot some hollow ancient eyes, please don’t just pass ˜em by and stare, as if you didn’t care, say, ˜Hello in there, hello.™) Sam Stone is a classic tune about the hopeless struggles of a veteran returning from the war to his family. (There™s a hole in daddy™s arm where all the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose.)

My favorite track on the album is Paradise, Prine™s loving tribute to the backwards old town in Western Kentucky where his parents were raised. The song combines his fond memories of visiting as a kid (Where the air smelled like snakes and we™d shoot with our pistols, but empty pop bottles were all that we killed), with realization that the place is now gone forever, hauled away by Mr. Peabody™s coal train. (Then the coal company came with the world™s largest shovel, and they tortured the timber and stripped all the land.) While it contains a strong environmental-protection message, it never sounds preachy.

The album has many more high points. Pretty Good is sort of an anthem to resignation. (Refrain: Pretty good, not bad, I can’t complain, actually, everything is just about the same.) Your Flag Decal Won™t Get You Into Heaven Anymore is an amusing anti-war song about empty patriotism. Angel From Montgomery is a classic tune which later became a hit for Bonnie Raitt. Musically, the album sounds great, with some nice pedal steel and organ in just the right spots. It™s a classic.

“Illegal Smile”

CD Reissue | 1990 | Atlantic | John Prine ]
Original Vinyl | 1971 | Atlantic | search ebay ]