# What is the best John Prine album?

> Half a century of records, from a debut that arrived fully formed to a farewell made at 71, with duet albums and a couple of overlooked eighties gems in between. Pick the one you would hand to someone who has never heard him.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-john-prine-album*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **John Prine** — score 1000/1000
   His 1971 Atlantic debut, home to "Angel from Montgomery", "Sam Stone", "Hello in There" and "Paradise".
2. **The Missing Years** — score 897/1000
   The 1991 Howie Epstein-produced comeback that won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
3. **Fair & Square** — score 717/1000
   His 2005 album, his first set of new songs in a decade, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
4. **Storm Windows** — score 636/1000
   His 1980 Asylum album and last major-label record before he founded Oh Boy Records.
5. **Pink Cadillac** — score 538/1000
   A rough, rockabilly-flavoured 1979 record cut at Sun Studio with Sam Phillips' sons.
6. **Aimless Love** — score 538/1000
   The 1984 album that launched his own Oh Boy label, with "People Puttin' People Down".
7. **Sweet Revenge** — score 538/1000
   His 1973 album with "Dear Abby", "Grandpa Was a Carpenter" and "Christmas in Prison".
8. **Bruised Orange** — score 418/1000
   The 1978 album produced by Steve Goodman, with "Fish and Whistle" and "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round".
9. **German Afternoons** — score 418/1000
   A 1986 Grammy-nominated record that revisits "Paradise" in a bluegrass setting.
10. **Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings** — score 418/1000
   His 1995 album, with "Lake Marie", a song Bob Dylan has named among his favourites.
11. **Standard Songs for Average People** — score 418/1000
   A 2007 album of country and bluegrass standards sung with Mac Wiseman.
12. **For Better, or Worse** — score 418/1000
   A 2016 sequel to his duets album, pairing him with Kacey Musgraves, Alison Krauss and more.
13. **Diamonds in the Rough** — score 0/1000
   The 1972 follow-up, a sparse, bluegrass-leaning record cut quickly with a small band.
14. **Common Sense** — score 0/1000
   The 1975 Steve Cropper-produced record and his best-charting album of the 1970s.
15. **In Spite of Ourselves** — score 0/1000
   A 1999 album of country duets with Iris DeMent, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and others.
16. **The Tree of Forgiveness** — score 0/1000
   His 2018 final album and highest-charting record, closing on "When I Get to Heaven".

Tags: folk, music, country, john prine