Artist: Nelson, Willie
Label: EMI Records
Release: 2008
In case you didn’t know, Willie Nelson is a true American icon, for some even the embodiment of the American way of life, which will surprise plenty of people, especially those of you who are more familiar with the legend’s activities and views! The cheeky Willie never gave in to the provincialism of the Southern mindset, let alone to the kind of outlook his hordes of redneck “friends” would probably have liked him to have!
Eccentric Willie always took life in big gulps, and his musical path was just as turbulent. He started out like many before him: from zero, humbly, with an amateur’s enthusiasm for music, which he used to steadily hone his talent for songwriting. The early 60s brought him to Nashville, where he soon made a name for himself as a praiseworthy country performer and songwriter. But Willie Nelson dared to go even further! With the arrival of the 70s he leaned more heavily into rock vibes. With albums like Shotgun Willie he successfully forged a country-rock hybrid, armed with a fresh sound and look that the devout worshippers of American roots twang soon labeled so-called outlaw country! And that’s far from all. Over the years Willie grew into a respected musician and songwriter, and eventually even a film actor, though his roots, as the collection before us kindly hints, remain buried deep in American musical tradition.
Willie Nelson – The ultimate Collection (no need to waste words on how predictable that title is) is yet another in a long line of collections of the man’s greatest hits, or more precisely a closer look at forty recordings Willie made for Liberty between 1961 and 1964, right at the start of his prolific musical journey! This nicely packaged tasting of simple country tunes effectively paints the creative power of a young musician who, with compositions like Funny How Time Slips Away, Night Life and Darkness On The Face Of The Earth, successfully leapt over milestones and brought country music to a wider audience for the first time. With Willie Nelson, things don’t just revolve around country; here we can already talk about big pop hits. Of course the famous ballad Crazy can’t be missing either, whose charms Patsy Cline was the first to tap with great success in 1962, and there’s also room for two charming duets with Shirley Collie (Nelson’s later wife), The Part Where I Cry and Willingly. As a welcome extra on this likable set, you’ll surely be glad to see Touch Me, Nelson’s first solo hit, which later gave birth to the famous Hello Walls. The list of recognizable tunes is endless, despite the relative inexperience of the then-rising musician, which, from a safe distance of a good four decades, clearly testifies to the young man’s exceptional talent.
The Ultimate Collection is a true tribute to the music of Willie Nelson! A welcome compilation that reveals Willie carried something extraordinary and different deep inside from the very beginning, which later grew into a controversial and tireless iconoclast. Whatever the case, Nelson’s majestically shining status as one of the greatest musicians of all time owes most of its luster to the man’s unique talent and, of course, that unmistakable voice, with which, after nearly fifty years, he still successfully softens our hearts!
Production
Steve Woof
Track list
Disc 1
1.Funny How Time Slips Away
2.Country Willie
3.Mr. Record Man
4.Crazy
5.Columbus Stockade Blues
6.I’ll Walk Alone
7.Blue Must Be The Color Of The Blues
8.Still Water Runs The Deepest
9.Night Life
10.One Step Beyond
11.The Part Where I Cry
12.Darkness On The Face Of The Earth
13.Half A Man
14.Let Me Talk To You
15.Roly Poly
16.Seasons Of My Heart
17.Second Fiddle
18.Wake Me When It’s Over
19.Where My House Lives
20.You Took My Happy Away
Disc 2
1.Hello Walls
2.There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight
3.Is This My Destiny
4.Willingly
5.River Boy
6.Undo The Right
7.Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)
8.The Last Letter
9.I Hope So
10.There Goes A Man
11.Right Or Wrong
12.Three Days
13.Our Chain Of Love
14.Together
15.Fire To Fire
16.Am I Blue?
17.Tomorrow Night (You’ll Have Another Sweetheart)
18.Take My Word
19.Touch Me
20.You Dream About Me
Album length: 101.23
