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This anthology
proves Willie Nelson was as much a country-music renegade when he wrote
Patsy Cline's 1961 hit "Crazy" as he was in the Seventies when he grew
out his hair, flipped Nashville the bird and cut Red Headed Stranger.
His early-Sixties weepers, like "Hello Walls" and "Mr. Record Man," were
characterized by an existential loneliness that followed the edgy,
bluesy path of Hank Williams rather than the smooth pop freeway of an
Eddy Arnold or a Jim Reeves. Though this career-spanning four-disc set
also includes later chart-toppers such as "On the Road Again," "Always
on My Mind" and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," Nelson's most
endearing work comes from the early Seventies: his raw duet with fellow
"outlaw" Waylon Jennings on "Good Hearted Woman," the
can-I-get-a-witness gospel of "Uncloudy Day," the pedal-steel-powered
hangover "Bloody Mary Morning" and the spare beauty of "Blue Eyes Crying
in the Rain." The first disc compiles Nelson's earliest recordings, from
the scratchy late-Fifties demos to his moody early-Sixties songs for
Liberty Records, and the warm country folk he later recorded for RCA.
This material has been maligned for its slick Nashville production, but
Nelson's distinctive vocal phrasing and nylon-string guitar leads peep
through, providing a nice foil for the lush strings and syrupy backup
choir. Like most exhaustive sets, the last disc is the least
interesting, as it picks from weaker late-period albums like the
country-reggae hybrid Countryman. But even that disc includes tracks
with teeth, such as "Write Your Own Songs," Nelson's jab at record
executives — and perhaps music critics, too.
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Track List
-
When I've Sang My Last Hillbilly Song (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
No Place For Me (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Man With The Blues (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Nite Life (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Hello Walls (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Funny How Time Slips Away (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Crazy (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Half A Man (track not available in Rhapsody)
- Mr. Record Man
- One In A Row
- The Party's Over
- Texas In My Soul
- Good Times
- Sweet Memories
- Little Things
- Any Old Arms Won't Do
- Everybody's Talkin'
- Pins And Needles (In My Heart)
- Once More With Feeling
- I Gotta Get Drunk
- Laying My Burdens Down
- What Can You Do To Me Now?
- Kneel At The Feet Of Jesus
- I'm A Memory
- Family Bible
- Summer Of Roses
- Yesterday's Wine
- Me And Paul
- The Words Don't Fit The Picture
- Good Hearted Woman
-
You Left A Long, Long Time Ago (track not available in Rhapsody)
- She's Not For You
- You Ought To Hear Me Cry
- It Should Be Easier Now
- Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
- If You Can Touch Her At All
- I Can Get Off On You (Remastered For Buddha - October 30, 2000)
- Blackjack County Chain
- Johnny One Time
- Bring Me Sunshine (Previously Unreleased in the U.S.)
- I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye
-
Shotgun Willie (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Sad Songs And Waltzes (track not available in Rhapsody)
- Troublemaker
- Uncloudy Day
-
Bloody Mary Morning (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
I Still Can't Believe You're Gone (track not available in Rhapsody)
- Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
- I'd Have To Be Crazy
- If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time
- Always Late (With Your Kisses)
- She's Gone Gone Gone
- I Never Go Around Mirrors
- Stardust
- Georgia On My Mind
- A Song For You
- Whiskey River
- Till I Gain Control Again
- Stay A Little Longer
- Heartbreak Hotel
- One For My Baby And One For The Road
- Help Me Make It Through The Night
- Midnight Rider
- My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
- Crazy Arms
- On The Road Again
- Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground
- Mona Lisa
- I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
- Always On My Mind
- Old Friends
- Pancho And Lefty
- Reasons To Quit
- In The Jailhouse Now
- Why Do I Have To Choose
- City Of New Orleans
- To All The Girls I've Loved Before (With Julio Iglesias)
- Three Days
- Touch Me
- Write Your Own Songs
- Heart Of Gold
- I'm Movin' On
- Seven Spanish Angels (with Ray Charles)
- Highwayman
- Living In The Promiseland
- What A Wonderful World
- Country Willie
- Graceland
- Valentine
- What Was It You Wanted
- Still Is Still Moving To Me
-
Too Sick To Pray (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Everywhere I Go (with Emmylou Harris) (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
My Own Peculiar Way (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Nuages (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Rainbow Connection (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Mendocino County Line (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
The Harder They Come (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
Bubbles In My Beer (track not available in Rhapsody)
-
When I've Sung My Last Hillbilly Song (track not available in Rhapsody)
 |
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