Non Fiction
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Album Summary
Non Fiction came to life in 1983 on Slash Records, and it stands as one of the most honest, hard-driving records The Blasters ever laid down. Produced by the band alongside the incomparable T Bone Burnett — a man who understood the deep grain of American music like few others in that era — the album captured a band firing on all cylinders at the height of their powers. It was their fourth studio outing, and rather than soften their edges for a broader audience, The Blasters dug their heels deeper into the rich soil of rockabilly, blues, and country that had always been their spiritual home. This was roots rock with dirt under its fingernails, recorded at a moment when the world was just starting to catch up to what Phil Alvin and the boys had been preaching all along.
Reception
- Non Fiction reached number 52 on the Billboard 200, a testament to the band's growing following even as mainstream radio kept its distance from anything this beautifully uncompromising.
- Critics who knew their onions responded with genuine warmth, singling out the band's airtight musicianship and their refusal to chase trends — a rare and admirable thing in 1983.
- The album deepened The Blasters' standing as cult heroes among roots music faithful, college radio programmers, and anyone who believed that rock and roll had a soul worth protecting.
Significance
- Non Fiction arrived as a cornerstone document of the early 1980s roots rock revival, proving that the raw emotional truth of rockabilly, blues, and country could cut just as deep in the age of synthesizers as it ever had in the age of Sun Records.
- The album showcased The Blasters' growth as songwriters with a confident, original voice — tracks like Long White Cadillac and Jubilee Train carried the weight of American tradition without ever feeling like museum pieces.
- With Non Fiction, The Blasters helped carve out the underground railroad that would eventually lead to the full flowering of Americana and alternative country in the decades to come, influencing a generation of artists who needed to know it was alright to love old music with new fire.
Tracklist
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A1 Red Rose —
2:31
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A2 Barefoot Rock 194
2:29
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A3 Bus Station —
2:31
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A4 One More Dance —
2:26
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A5 It Must Be Love —
2:54
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A6 Jubilee Train —
3:00
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B1 Long White Cadillac —
2:54
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B2 Fool's Paradise —
2:44
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B3 Boomtown —
3:34
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B4 Leaving —
3:26
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B5 Tag Along —
2:53
Artist Details
The Blasters are a roots rock outfit that came out of Downey, California in 1979, cooking up a righteous blend of rockabilly, blues, R&B, and country that cut straight through the glossy pop nonsense of the early 80s like a hot knife through butter. Led by brothers Phil and Dave Alvin, these cats were the real deal — schooled in the tradition of Big Joe Turner and Eddie Cochran, they became the beating heart of the Los Angeles punk-adjacent roots revival scene, earning the respect of everyone from hardcore kids to seasoned blues veterans. Their self-titled album and *Non Fiction* stand as testaments to American musical heritage done with fire and conviction, and their influence can be heard in damn near every roots rock and Americana act that came after them.
