If I were pressed, really hard, to pick my favorite John Prine record, this would be it.  The gentleness and affection with which Prine approaches human weakness is quite moving, as is his skill expressing it.  This is a mature and finely crafted album, with mystifying songs of pathetic love ("Maureen"), mildly scolding morality tales ("Unwed Fathers"), a patent-pending Prine-style nonsense song ("Bottomless Lake"), and the ethereal, life-affirming lullaby, "Only Love."  Prine took five years to organize his life so that he could make the records he wanted to make, and the results straight out the gate were pretty impressive.  Highly, highly recommended.