Release and Critical Reception
Initially, the executives of RCA records, and Atkins, tried to avoid releasing the album. It was finally released in May 1973, and reached number 14 in Billboard's Top Country Albums and 185 in the Billboard 200. The single, "We Had it All", peaked at number 28 in Billboard's Country Singles, while "You Asked Me To" peaked at number 8.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Music Journal | Favorable. |
| Stereo Review | Negative. |
| Allmusic | |
It had a mixed reception by the critics on release. The Music Journal remarked the difference of the tracks of the album, with other cowboy songs published previous to the release. It described the album as "certainly brash, lively and down-to-earth. Thoroughly infectious too." Regarding the composition of the songs, Stereo Review wrote: "Billy Joe Shaver songs have in a corral if not in a box ... This is like picking Kris Kristofferson up by the literary ankles, shaking him vigorously, and using every damn nugget that tumbles out."
Read more about this topic: Honky Tonk Heroes
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