Pontiac
by Lyle Lovett

Pontiac by Lyle Lovett
Year: 1987
Release date: 1987-01-11
Overall rank: 6,830th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
73/100 (from 64 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1987 (83rd)
Award Top albums of of the 1980s (968th)
Award Best albums of all time (6,830th)

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Lyle Lovett bestography

Pontiac is ranked as the best album by Lyle Lovett.

Lyle Lovett album bestography « Higher ranked
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This album (6,830th)
Pontiac
Lower ranked (15,968th) »
Lyle Lovett

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Pontiac rankings

Pontiac rankings summary
Overall rank: 6,830th | 1980s rank: 968th | 1987 rank: 83rd  Overall chart history
(Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). (Last updated: 7 hours ago).
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 19879/1005
2026 covecoveTop 50 Music Albums of 198746/501
2026 RomanelliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s16/10017
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s69/1006
2026amirmishaliTop 32 Music Albums of 19874/325
2026 zags7000Overall 401-50067/100 -
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 101-20011/100 -
2026matterhornriderTop 50 Music Albums of 198738/501
2026 RomanelliTop 54 Music Albums of 19872/545
2026JohnnyoTop 100 Music Albums of 198732/1003
2026shanelovesyou1111Top 73 Music Albums of 198754/731
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198769/1002
2025 RepoTop 100 Music Albums of 198712/1004
2025amirmishaliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s31/10014
2025MoondanceTop 100 Music Albums of 198784/1001
2025JohnnyoGreatest albums of the 80's (401 - 500) by U R C9/100 -
2025replacementlevelTop 50 Music Albums of 198735/502
2024westonTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s13/10018
2024WayneMCUncut: The 500 Greatest Albums Of The 1980s (401-500)9/99 -
2024rkmTop 36 Music Albums of 198721/362
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 62
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 191
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Pontiac collection

Pontiac ratings

Average Rating: 
73/100 (from 64 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 64 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 !
10/12/2025 12:31 Tamthebam  Ratings distribution  23,18969/100
 
100/100
 !
09/17/2023 14:08 joewooley24  Ratings distribution  2,99380/100
 
80/100
 !
08/21/2023 01:01 matterhornrider  Ratings distribution  5,10881/100
 
60/100
 !
05/17/2023 00:38 BorderFreeAndrew  Ratings distribution  15,63674/100
 
35/100
 !
03/15/2023 20:22 Igtonumama  Ratings distribution  10,78663/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 25% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 73.4/100, a mean average of 72.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 73.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.3.


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Pontiac favourites

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Pontiac comments

Showing all 3 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Lyle Lovett was signed to MCA with Nanci Griffith and Steve Earle and other left-of-center singer-songwriters in the "great credibility scare" of the mid 1980s. Like the other artists I mentioned, he was a folk singer-songwriter from Texas that was marketed as a mainstream country artist with the help of producer Tony Brown.

Lovett's biggest strength is his sense of style. I respect his efforts to incorporate many American genres in his music, including jazz, classic R&B, western swing, gospel and blues. It's all combined here but executed even better on his Joshua Judges Ruth record.

It's the lyrics that might turn you off.
Right off the bat, Lovett sings about Tonto telling the Lone Ranger to kiss his ass as he takes his horse to sea. Next he calls an attractive female a "s--tkicker redneck woman." Weird stuff.

The guy is as strange and unpredictable as his hair, but it comes off as bad more often than good. He tries to be original, but comes off boring. He tries to be witty but comes off weird. When he's sassy, he comes off corny. And when he tries to be sexy he just sounds creepy.

Nevertheless, the combined styles are truly unique and the production will keep you entertained, even if you find yourself scratching your head over the lyrics.

Check out Joshua Judges Ruth for some needed relief

A Side: LA County
B Side: Walk Through the Bottomland
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
His best record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
Lyle Lovett makes another record of his trademark mix of jazzy western swing, coffee house ballads, and clever lyrics. Not quite as good as the previous outing but highly enjoyable. Recommended especially for those looking for something that sounds original.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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