The Missing Years is the 10th studio album by American folk musician John Prine, released in 1991 on Oh Boy Records.

[3] Although it was partially recorded at The Money Pit in Nashville, it was mostly recorded at Huh Sound Theater in Los Angeles (actually Epstein's guest bedroom on Readcrest Drive),[4] which led to a coterie of famous contributors, including Tom Petty, Phil Everly, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Lee, and Bruce Springsteen.

The surreal piece features, among other things, Jesus traveling to France and Spain, marrying an Irish bride, inventing Santa Claus, and opening a show for country singer George Jones.

"[7] The Missing Years also features "Take A Look At My Heart" (co-written with rocker John Mellencamp) and collaborations with Keith Sykes and British songwriter Roger Cook.

[7] The album opener "Picture Show" (which features Tom Petty on background vocals) reflects Prine's lifelong love of movies and namechecks John Garfield, James Dean, and Montgomery Clift, while "It's a Big Old Goofy World" was inspired by his mother Verna's love of crossword puzzles.

"[1] Music critic Robert Christgau wrote "Occasionally too fantastic but never too bitter, the sagest and funniest of the new Dylans writes like he's resigned to an unconsummated life and sounds like he's enjoying one...I attribute its undeviating quality, gratifying variety, and amazing grace to talent, leisure time, and just enough all-star input.

"[9] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A+ rating, writing "John Prine's best work has always been slightly cinematic and hallucinogenic, full of images that transport as well as provoke.

There's plenty of that on this new album The Missing Years...While little here is stunning - except for the Dylanesque Take a Look at My Heart, a dear sucker letter to Prine's ex-old lady's boyfriend, with a subdued cameo vocal by Bruce Springsteen - all the songs are keepers, perfectly relaxed and wry.

"[11] Critic Lynn Van Matre of the Chicago Tribune wrote "One of the singer-songwriter's strongest and most wittily observant efforts, the album finds Prine at the top of his form in a mix of evocative folk-country ballads and more rocking fare...Goofily surreal and straightforwardly sentimental by turns, this one's a don't-miss for longtime Prine fans and anyone else with a taste for idiosyncratic singer-songwriters.