Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
After Steve Earle's 1990 album The Hard Way stumbled in the marketplace and his drug addiction became a poorly kept secret in Nashville, he was on the outs with his record label, MCA, who decided to let him out of his contract in the time-honored fashion, with a live album. Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was recorded in October 1990 during a pair of shows in Ontario, Canada, where Earle had become an arena-level star, and features him and his band rolling through a set of his biggest hits. While Earle's voice was starting to show signs of strain on The Hard Way, here it ranges between sandy and ragged, and there are moments on this album where he sounds like he's running on fumes (most notably "Guitar Town" and "The Other Kind"). At the same time, there are other numbers where he's sharp and committed; he wrenches every ounce of drama he can from "Billy Austin," his short but pointed cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #9" is great, and the long, ominous creepy crawl through "West Nashville Boogie" easily trumps the version on The Hard Way. Earle's band is solid and picks up the slack when he gets winded, especially guitarist Zip Gibson and Bucky Baxter on steel and six-string, but while his audience is behind him all the way, Earle himself isn't at his best here. It wasn't until four years after Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was released that Steve Earle's "vacation in the ghetto" ended and he came back with a vengeance on Train a Comin', and Earle started living up to the potential that the best moments of this album proved he still had in reserve.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Richard Bennett, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer - Jimmie Rodgers, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Doug Sahm, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist - Ron St. Germain, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist - Michael Woody, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Earle, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KEITH RICHARDS, ComposerLyricist - MICK JAGGER, ComposerLyricist - Steve Earle & The Dukes, MainArtist - Ron St. Germain, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
After Steve Earle's 1990 album The Hard Way stumbled in the marketplace and his drug addiction became a poorly kept secret in Nashville, he was on the outs with his record label, MCA, who decided to let him out of his contract in the time-honored fashion, with a live album. Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was recorded in October 1990 during a pair of shows in Ontario, Canada, where Earle had become an arena-level star, and features him and his band rolling through a set of his biggest hits. While Earle's voice was starting to show signs of strain on The Hard Way, here it ranges between sandy and ragged, and there are moments on this album where he sounds like he's running on fumes (most notably "Guitar Town" and "The Other Kind"). At the same time, there are other numbers where he's sharp and committed; he wrenches every ounce of drama he can from "Billy Austin," his short but pointed cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #9" is great, and the long, ominous creepy crawl through "West Nashville Boogie" easily trumps the version on The Hard Way. Earle's band is solid and picks up the slack when he gets winded, especially guitarist Zip Gibson and Bucky Baxter on steel and six-string, but while his audience is behind him all the way, Earle himself isn't at his best here. It wasn't until four years after Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was released that Steve Earle's "vacation in the ghetto" ended and he came back with a vengeance on Train a Comin', and Earle started living up to the potential that the best moments of this album proved he still had in reserve.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:16:48
- Main artists: Steve Earle & The Dukes
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Geffen*
- Genre: Blues/Country/Folk Country
© 1991 Geffen Records ℗ 1991 Geffen Records
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.