Track Listing

1. Not Counting You
2. I've Got a Good Thing Going
3. If Tomorrow Never Comes
4. Uptown Down Home Good Ol' Boy [*]
5. Everytime That It Rains
6. Alabama Clay
7. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
8. Cowboy Bill
9. Nobody Gets Off in This Town
10. I Know One
11. The Dance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #94184 in Music
• Released on: 2000-11-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued

Amazon.com essential recording
If one were forced to choose a single Garth Brooks album to own, it should be his first. Believe it or not, Brooks once studied at the feet of singer/songwriter Bob Childers, an obscure Oklahoman who has written songs more akin to Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt than to the pop country Brooks would later make his cash cow. This debut has a vision of careful songwriting and honky-tonk traditions Brooks never fully recaptured. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is the best thing he's ever recorded, a gorgeous country tune recalling Lefty Frizzell and Charlie Rich. Had he continued to make such strong singles, Brooks's artistic stature might have equaled his stock portfolio. It never happened, but that shouldn't stop us from recognizing country music this solid. --Roy Kasten

Amazon.com
Unlikely as it might seem some 70 million in total album sales later, Garth Brooks's self-titled debut was widely ignored at the time of its 1989 release. Most of the program doesn't wander far from the new-traditionalist country pattern established in the '80s by George Strait. Songs such as "If Tomorrow Never Comes," "Every Time That It Rains," and "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" have an understated charm that stands in appealing contrast to the self-conscious grandiosity of much of Brooks's later work. But it was the least traditional tune on the album, the melodramatic ballad "The Dance," that catapulted Brooks to superstardom. The rest, as they say, is history. --Rick Mitchell

Customer Reviews

welcome to Garth's world
This was Garth's first CD, and an outstanding debut for a man who would become one of music's most popular singer/songwriters.
He was 27 at the time, but looks like a kid on the cover photo, and he has described this CD as "innocent", which in some ways it is; there is a freshness to the music, and a sweetness in the lyrics.

The songs:
"Much Too Young" (Taylor/Brooks) was Garth's first hit single, and is about a rodeo cowboy, "the white line's getting longer and the saddle's getting cold", and is one of the terrific "story" songs on this CD.
"Not Counting You", is one of the few up-tempo songs, and is the only one penned by Garth alone. The words are a clever example of writing in negatives: "There's no exception to the rule / I've never been nobody's fool / I've never lost at love not counting you". It was the second of the singles from this CD, and one of my favorite tracks.
Two others that were singles have become signature songs for Garth: "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Blazy/Brooks), a beautiful, meaningful ballad, and "The Dance" (Tony Arata), another lovely ballad with Bobby Wood on piano shining in a truly wonderful musical arrangement.
"Everytime That it Rains" (Stefl/England/Brooks) "And through the dance we both stumbled and with the buttons we fumbled", and "Cowboy Bill" (Bastian/Berghoff) are two more "story" songs that draw one in with their well-told tales, and Garth's great interpretations.

This is intelligent, finely crafted, high-quality country music, and Garth's smooth and rich vocals, and the superb musicianship of his band makes this one of the most auspicious "firsts" I've ever heard, and an essential CD in my collection. Total time 33'30.

A strong debut
Garth Brooks' self-titled debut album is a strong one. Garth's debut single, the rodeo song "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old", was my favorite song by Garth until "The Dance" superseded it. "The Dance", which on the surface sounds like a relationship song but is actually a celebration of life, was written by Garth's friend Tony Arata, who would go on to write some other great songs which Garth recorded. The love ballad "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and the honky-tonk song "Not Counting You" were the other hit songs from "Garth Brooks". Other highlights are "Everytime That It Rains", "Nobody Gets Off In This Town", and Garth's remake of the classic Charley Pride song "I Know One". Garth went on to make quite a few great albums, but his debut album, in my opinion, is a classic.

Near-Perfect Country Debut
Like many Garth fans, I didn't buy GARTH BROOKS until after his second CD, NO FENCES, was a huge hit. From that time on, though, his debut CD has been my favorite. In fact, I think it's one of the best country CD's I've ever heard. This CD's two biggest hits were IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES and THE DANCE - both are superb ballads that have remained two of his most beloved songs (both of highlights of his 1998 DOUBLE LIVE CD). However, my favorite song on the CD (and perhaps the best song he's ever done) is MUCH TOO YOUNG. It's a terrific story about the rough and tumble life of a rodeo cowboy, and it reminds me a lot of George Strait's hit Amarillo By Morning. Other great up-tempo songs on this album include NOT COUNTING YOU, I'VE GOT A GOOD THING GOING, and the humorous NOBODY GETS OFF IN THIS TOWN. All of the elements that would make Garth a star are on this CD. Plus, it's his most purely country CD. Highly recommended for fans of Garth, country music, and well-written songs.