Garth Brooks No Fences Genre:Country One artist...one decade...one hundred million albums sold! Garth Brooks remains the biggest Country artist of all-time. He harnessed the Country and Pop influences of has past and created a new kind of Country that appeal... more »ed to different generations of fans and crossed over into the Pop market like no other artist before him. Garth Brooks changed the rules based on his talent alone. He became a worldwide superstar while remaining true to his humble roots, which added to his appeal. This is his 1990 sophomore album and features 'Friends In Low Places', 'The Thunder Rolls' and 'Unanswered Prayers'. Pearl.« less
One artist...one decade...one hundred million albums sold! Garth Brooks remains the biggest Country artist of all-time. He harnessed the Country and Pop influences of has past and created a new kind of Country that appealed to different generations of fans and crossed over into the Pop market like no other artist before him. Garth Brooks changed the rules based on his talent alone. He became a worldwide superstar while remaining true to his humble roots, which added to his appeal. This is his 1990 sophomore album and features 'Friends In Low Places', 'The Thunder Rolls' and 'Unanswered Prayers'. Pearl.
C B. (bhappyandswap) from SPRING, TX Reviewed on 10/2/2006...
10 Tracks: The Thunder Rolls, New Way To Fly, Two of A Kind Workin on a Full House, Victim of the Game, Friends in Low Places, Wild Horses, Unanswered Prayers, Same Old Story, Mr. Blue, and Wolves
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Kathleen L. (katlupe) from OXFORD, NY Reviewed on 9/23/2006...
Very good!
CD Reviews
Garth Fan
Bruce M Lattimore | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 02/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Garth's best album. There is not a bad song on this album, and there are many underrated songs that never got radio play. "New Way To Fly," "Wild Horses," "Wolves," and "Victim Of The Game" are some of the best songs in Garth's collection. Throw in "Friends In Low Places," "Same Old Story," "The Thunder Rolls," "Two Of A Kind Workin' On A Full House," and "Unanswered Prayers" and you have one of the classic country albums of all time. I even liked the cheesy "Mr. Blue." This is a must have for any country fan."
Garth's Mega-seller
Westley | Stuck in my head | 10/11/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Garth Brooks became a music superstar with the release of his second CD, "No Fences," in 1990. He released four singles from the CD in 1990-1991, and all of them hit #1. The first single was "Friends in Low Places," which was #1 for 4 weeks on the country chart, making it Garth's biggest song ever. Country Music Television (CMT) recently named it one of the Top 10 country songs of all time. It's a rollicking good time and undeniably great music; the kind of song you'll hear in bars and honky-tonks now and for decades to come.
"Unanswered Prayers" was the second single - a sweet ballad about life working out as it should, even when you don't get what you wanted at the time. It was #1 for 2 weeks, and was named by CMT as one of the Top 10 love songs of all time. "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" is somewhat retro-sounding with extremely clever lyrics (#1 for 1 week). The CD actually starts with the fourth single, the rock-tinged "The Thunder Rolls." Although the song's video tells the story of an abusive husband, the song lyrics actually are about a woman waiting for her potentially unfaithful husband to arrive home late at night. The song was a bit risky at the time, as it represented a more rock-influenced direction for Garth. Indeed, the CD overall is less traditionally country-sounding than his debut.
More than a decade later, a fifth song hit the Top 10 when "Wild Horses" peaked at #7 in early 2001. The song is about a rodeo rider who has to travel and be away from his family, and it's one of the highlights of the CD. The remaining songs are all fairly solid, including another Garth interpretation of a Tony Arata-penned song - "Same Old Story" (Tony wrote "The Dance" from Garth's first CD).
The CD was an immediate hit - selling old over 5 million copies within a year of its initial release; it's gone on to become the best-selling country record by a male artist ever, with 16 million copies sold (only Shania Twain's second CD has sold more copies). Although the CD is arguably not Garth's best (I'd nominate his debut), it does contain some of his best singles, and it's certainly understandable why it was such a huge hit. Clearly, Garth was perfecting his style of pop-country; a style that would enable him to go on to sell over 100 million records and become the fourth biggest-selling artist ever.
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Five Stars PLUS - A Gem of an Album
Jose R. Perez | Yonkers, NY USA | 11/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I started listening to country music ten years ago, once the lyrics that made pop accessible melted away into thumping beats and indecipherable mumbles. Garth Brooks' "No Fences", as inspired by Billy Joel and James Taylor, literally SPOKE to me as I turned 30 in 1991. Back then, and still as I near 40, he wrote songs that were passionate, understated, and sincere, like the Piano Man and Sweet Baby James in their heydays. On "No Fences" he pours his heart and soul into every note of every song, from the unforgettable "Unanswered Prayers" to his own now-signature tale, "Friends In Low Places." He is all of these characters and none of them still, just a storyteller by the fire, but possessed by his protagonists. Few artists have succeeded in blending seamlessly the melody of pop and the resonance and grit of country - but Brooks pulls it off. "No Fences" is the first of a succession of brilliant American fare that made Brooks the unparalleled success of the 90s. It's easy to see why "No Fences" launched Garth's career into the stratosphere, up there with the Beatles and Elton John. He crafts universal themes with every one of his instruments as a songwriter, vocalist and musician. At once epic ("The Thunder Rolls") and soft ("New Way to Fly") "No Fences" will stand the test of time and emerge as the 1990's version of "Tapestry" or "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." Fun, clever, and emotionally charged all at the same time, Brooks delivers a heartfelt, magical set."
Garth's most cohesive release. Mass appeal need not suck
guillermoj | Washington, DC United States | 04/21/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Rarely have I seen critics trash an entertainer in the manner that they attacked Garth Brooks. Are there better country acts out there? Of course there are. Are there better pop acts out there? Same answer, yet again, but it seems like critics seemed especially harsh on Brooks because of how successful he was in ushering the era of country-pop to the masses. Many saw him as the devil incarnate using with marketing skills by using the purity of more traditional acts, such as Merle Haggard, George Straight, and Jack Anderson just to name a few, and somehow prostituting it to the masses. I think that the perception is unjust as Garth's music is influenced as much as any other artist as they don't work in a vacuum.In my opinion Garth's music could be compared to more critically acclaimed country/pop/rock acts, such as The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, and Dan Fobelberg. Although two of my favorite songs (If Tomorrow Never Comes and The Dance) come from his self-titled debut CD, "No Fences" (his second release) was his most cohesive and the one to hit pay dirt with gems like sweeping The Thunder Rolls, the honky tonk Friends In Low Places, and Unanswered Prayers, which always gets a rise out of me.While some may just think that he is a lightweight with an ear for what will succeed, other reviews start getting into irrelevant issues like his culpability in the Trish Yearwood divorce so I wanted to put in my two cents as I really like this CD. While not a masterpiece or an innovator, Garth Brooks, especially in this release, put together a set of songs that represent pure entertainment and it certainly does not make me feel bad the morning after. Garth was not a novelty act like say The Spice Girls, and the fact that I am enjoying this release as much as I ever have convinces me that this music is good period. Sometimes you may want to listen to Patsy Cline. Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (Sr. and Jr.) and it's just as acceptable to want your share of Garth Brooks. Popular appeal does not necessarily mean that something is bad. And for the "reviewers" who leave one line hate (and even love) notes, that don't bother to get into why they disliked (or liked) a product, it is a disservice to the vast majority of AWESOME people who take the time to try to put words down that will help the rest of us make better entertainment buying choices. Thanks to all the great people who have helped me discover acts like The Mavericks and Los Lonely Boys, just to name a couple, that I would have never had the pleasure to listen to without your valued input."
Great Music!
R. Spencer | London, England | 10/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Garth Brooks has been very fortunate in terms of being blessed with a wonderful talent as a musician. He has also been very lucky in that his talent has received recognition and made him successful in the music business, indeed, over the past 15 years he has sold more albums in the United States than any other artist.
Out of his 12 albums, all of which I like very much, I would say this is one of his best.
I became a Brooks fan at the age of 12 after seeing his "This is Garth Brooks" tour video/show on BBC television here in the U. K and remember my Mother buying this on cassette in about 1992, 1993. Pretty soon that cassette was mine! I had always liked Country music, but really got into it after hearing this album and it's follow-ups from Brooks (namely "The Chase" and "Ropin' The Wind").
My favourite songs on "No Fences" are "Friends in low places", "The Thunder Rolls" and "A New Way to fly", which give a good mixture of pop and country. "Unanswered Prayers" (a love song about happiness not being about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got) is just one of those all-time classic songs that any artist would be blessed to find one song like this in their whole career, Brooks himself has been blessed with many songs like this during his recording career.
I would recommend this album to anyone who loves good music. Garth is one of the best at making great songs, be they country or otherwise. This is one of his early albums, but still ranks up their in terms of legendary status. These 10 songs (11 on the re-issue) haven't dated at all, despite them being recorded almost a decade and a half ago!
C B. (bhappyandswap) from SPRING, TX 
Kathleen L. (katlupe) from OXFORD, NY 
