I've not listened to it for years and,after buying it in the seventies,I was put off buying any more of his records or any more alt.country.I don't know if it was meant as a joke but,as I recall,there's a bit where the protagonist shoots a woman dead when he suspects that she might steal his horse and gets away with it because,well hell,this is Blue Rock,Montana where horses are more valuable than women.It certainly doesn't sound as if irony is intended.
Having said which I'm now going to have to give it another listen.
ReviewSeen my many as a landmark 'Alt. Country' release. One which Willie Nelson had to fight to get released as the record label thought the sparse and low-key instrumentation made it sound like a collection of demos rather than a 'proper' album.
Thankfully Willie won the argument - It's a brilliant record.
It really reminds me of a soundtrack album with no film to go along with it.
In 1985 the opening track 'Time Of The Preacher' was used to amazing effect in the UK thriller series Edge Of Darkness - perhaps someone should make a film based on the whole album!?