DAVE'S DIARY - 30 JUNE 2008 - WILLIE NELSON CD REVIEW
2008
CD REVIEW
WILLIE NELSON
MOMENT OF FOREVER (LOST HIGHWAY)
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When
Shotgun Willie Nelson celebrated his 75th birthday on April 30 he'd
already passed the songwriting torch to youngest sons Micah and Lukas. The sprightly septuagenarian shared writing credits with his progeny, who also play in his band, on the wry Over You Again - entrée to his new album. But the singer also re-ignites a publishing royalties fountain here for older mates such as title track writer Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan and Guy Clark. < photo by Carol Taylor |
And unlike
2006 disc Songbird, produced by Ryan Adams, quality and depth ensures
it has wider appeal and shelf life.
Nelson, aided by veteran producer-songwriter Buddy Cannon and young star
Kenny Chesney, dug deep into the roots country vein for the material.
Randy Newman's 1974 classic Louisiana and 1971 Paul Craft tune
Blow Me Away, once cut by Linda Ronstadt, are timely and relevant
today as when born.
So is homespun philosophy in Dave Matthews eerie Gravedigger -
"Cyrus Jones from 1810-1913/made his great grandchildren believe/you
could live to a hundred and three /a hundred and three is forever when
you're just a little kid/so Cyrus Jones lived forever."
It's a sibling of Cannon's whimsical When I Was Young and Grandma
Wasn't Old but not Big Kenny Alphin's quirky pirate parable - The
Bob Song.
Sequencing is also sharp.
Vitriolic Dave Loggins-John Scott Sherrill-Dennis Robbins tune Takin'
On Water segues into new Nelson homily Always Now and I'm
Alive - a positive paean from Chesney, Dean Dillon and Mark Tamburino.
GUY CLARK SONG RESURRECTED
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Nelson
also duets with Chesney on jaunty herb superb inspired Worry Be
Gone from the Clark-Gary Nicholson-Lee Roy Parnell songbook. Willie reprises another new tune You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore as his hidden track after an eight-minute cut of Dylan's Gotta Serve Somebody. Moment Of Forever is aptly named. Willie sounds like he could pick, grin and write until buried with his faithful acoustic guitar Trigger - that he gives another workout here. |
WILLIE BOX SET - ONE HELL OF A RIDE
Willie also
released a 100 song 4 disc boxed set One Hell of a Ride - a four-CD,
100-song box set that covers 60 albums on a dozen different labels - in
April.
It's on the market at the same time as Texan writer Joe Nick Patoski's
acclaimed 567-page biography An Epic Life.
The box set includes a book stocked with 100 full-colour photos, many
making their
public-consumption debut.
There are also extensive liner notes with an intro from longtime harmonica
player Mickey Raphael who has toured Australian frequently with Willie.
Another bonus is an 8,000-word essay by Patoski.
Willie's collaboration Two Men With the Blues - with jazz star
Winton Marsalas - is also out on July 8 on the Blue Note label.
And in our spring the singer releases has another disc Live at
San Francisco's famed Fillmore with singing actor Waylon Payne - son of
his long time guitarist Jody Payne and late country star Sammi Smith.
Payne, who played Jerry Lee Lewis in the Johnny Cash movie Walk The
Line, won best actor at Colorado's Breckenridge Film Festival for
his portrayal of guitarist Hank Garland in Crazy.
Waylon is also in upcoming movies Kingshighway and Hindsight, and will
film a Ray Wylie Hubbard-penned movie later this year with Kris Kristofferson
and Jack Ingram.
The set opens with the first single recorded under Nelson's name - the
mid-'50s track When I've Sang My Last Hillbilly Song and ends with
a recording of that same song put to tape by Nelson last year.
TRACK
LISTING - ONE HELL OF A RIDE
Disc One
Title - Chart position - Source - Label - Recorded
1. When I've Sang My Last - single Sarg 280 1954-55 Hillbilly Song
2. No Place For Me - Willie Nelson Records single - 1957
3. Man With the Blues - single D Records 1959
4. Nite Life - single by Paul Buskirk & His Little Men featuring Hugh
Nelson Rx 502 1960
5. Hello Walls - And Then I Wrote Liberty 1961
6. Funny How Time Slips Away - And Then I Wrote Liberty 1961
7. Crazy - And Then I Wrote Liberty 1961
8. Half a Man C#25 Here's Willie Nelson Liberty 1962
9. Mr. Record Man - Country Willie‹His Own Songs RCA Victor 1965
10. One In a Row - Make Way For Willie RCA Victor 1966
11. The Party's Over C#24 Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs
RCA Victor 1966
12. Texas In My Soul - Texas In My Soul RCA Victor 1967
13. Good Times C#44 Good Times RCA Victor 1968
14. Sweet Memories C#4 Good Times RCA Victor 1968
15. Little Things C#22 Good Times RCA Victor 1967
16. Any Old Arms Won't Do - My Own Peculiar Way RCA Victor 1968
17. Everybody's Talkin' - Both Sides Now RCA Victor 1969-70
18. Pins and Needles (In My Heart) - Both Sides Now RCA Victor 1969-70
19. Once More With Feeling C#42 Both Sides Now RCA Victor 1969-70
20. I Gotta Get Drunk C#55 Both Sides Now RCA Victor 1969
21. Laying My Burdens Down C#68 Laying My Burdens Down RCA Victor 1970
22. What Can You Do To Me Now - Willie Nelson and Family RCA Victor 1970
23. Kneel At the Feet Of Jesus - Willie Nelson and Family RCA Victor 1970
24. I'm A Memory C#22 Willie Nelson and Family RCA Victor 1970
25. Family Bible - Yesterday's Wine RCA Victor 1971
26. Summer Of Roses - Yesterday's Wine RCA Victor 1971
27. Yesterday's Wine C#62 Yesterday's Wine RCA Victor 1971
28. Me and Paul C#62 Yesterday's Wine RCA Victor 1971
29. Words Don't Fit the Picture C#73 Words Don't Fit the Picture RCA Victor
1971
Disc Two
1. Good Hearted Woman (Waylon & Willie) C#1, H#25 Wanted! The Outlaws
RCA 1972
2. You Left a Long, Long Time Ago - The Willie Way RCA Victor 1971
3. She's Not For You C#43 Willie Before His Time RCA Victor 1965
4. You Ought To Hear Me Cry C#16 Willie Before His Time RCA Victor
1967
5. It Should Be Easier Now - Willie Before His Time RCA Victor 1965
6. Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys (Waylon & Willie)
C#1, H#42 Waylon & Willie RCA 1977
7. If You Can Touch Her At All (Waylon & Willie) C#5 Waylon &
Willie RCA 1973
8. I Can Get Off On You (Waylon & Willie) - Waylon & Willie RCA
1977
9. Blackjack County Chain C#21 Minstrel Man RCA Victor 1967
10. Johnny One Time C#36 Don't You Ever Get Tired RCA Victor 1968
11. Bring Me Sunshine C#13 All Time Greatest Hits RCA 1968
12. I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye C#48 All Time Greatest Hits RCA 1965
13. Shotgun Willie C#60 Shotgun Willie Atlantic 1973
14. Sad Songs and Waltzes - Shotgun Willie Atlantic 1973
15. The Troublemaker - The Troublemaker Columbia 1973
16. Uncloudy Day C#4 The Troublemaker Columbia 1973
17. Bloody Mary Morning C#17 Phases and Stages Atlantic 1974
18. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone C#51 Phases and Stages Atlantic
1974
19. Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain C#1, H#21 Red Headed Stranger Columbia
1975
20. I'd Have To Be Crazy C#11 The Sound In Your Mind Columbia 1976
21. If You've Got the Money I¹ve Got the Time C#1 The Sound In Your
Mind Columbia 1976
22. Always Late (With Your Kisses) - To Lefty From Willie Columbia 1977
23. She's Gone, Gone, Gone - To Lefty From Willie Columbia 1977
24. I Never Go Around Mirrors - To Lefty From Willie Columbia 1977
25. Stardust - Stardust Columbia 1977
26. Georgia On My Mind C#1, H#84 Stardust Columbia 1977
27. A Song For You (Live) - Willie And Family Live Columbia 1978
Disc Three
1. Whiskey River (Live) C#12 Willie And Family Live Columbia 1978
2. Till I Gain Control Again (Live) - Willie And Family Live Columbia
1978
3. Stay a Little Longer (Live) - Willie And Family Live Columbia1978
4. Heartbreak Hotel (w/Leon Russell) C#1 One For the Road Columbia1979
5. One For My Baby (and One More For The Road)(w/Leon Russell) - One For
the Road Columbia 1979
6. Help Me Make It Through The Night C#4 W.N. Sings Kristofferson Columbia
1979
7. Midnight Rider C#6 The Electric Horseman o.s. Columbia 1979
8. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys C#1, H#44 The Electric Horseman
o.s. Columbia 1979
9. Crazy Arms C#16 San Antonio Rose Columbia 1980
10. On The Road Again C#1, H#20 Honeysuckle Rose o.s. Columbia 1979
11. Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground C#1 Honeysuckle Rose o.s. Columbia
1979
12. Mona Lisa C#11,AC#36 Somewhere Over the Rainbow Columbia 1980
13. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter C#26 Somewhere
Over the Rainbow Columbia
14. Always On My Mind C#1, H#5 Always On My Mind Columbia 1981
15. Old Friends (with Roger Miller and Ray Price) C#19 Old Friends Columbia
1981
16. Pancho & Lefty (w/Merle Haggard) C#1, AC#21 Pancho & Lefty
Epic 1982
17. Reasons To Quit (w/Merle Haggard) C#6 Pancho & Lefty Epic 1982
18. In the Jailhouse Now(w/Webb Pierce) C#72 In the Jailhouse Now Columbia
1981
19. Why Do I Have To Choose (with Waylon Jennings) C#3 Take It To The
Limit Columbia 1982
20. City Of New Orleans C#1, AC#30 City Of New Orleans Columbia 1983
21. To All The Girls I've Loved Before (with Julio Iglesias) C31, H#5
(album by Julio Iglesias) 1100 Bel Air Place Columbia 1984
22. Three Days (with Faron Young) - Funny How Time Slips Away Columbia
23. Touch Me (with Faron Young) - Funny How Time Slips Away Columbia
Disc Four
1. Write Your Own Songs - Music From Songwriter - Columbia 1984
2. Heart Of Gold C#44 Partners Columbia
3. I'm Movin' On (w/Hank Snow) - Brand On My Heart Columbia 1984
4. Seven Spanish Angels (with Ray Charles) C#1 Friendship Columbia 1984
5. Highwayman (w/Waylon Jennings, J. Cash and K. Kristofferson) C#1 Highwayman
Columbia 1984
6. Living In The Promised Land C#1 The Promised Land Columbia 1985
7. What A Wonderful World - What A Wonderful World Columbia 1988
8. Country Willie - Who¹ll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes Columbia
1990
9. Graceland C#70 Across The Borderline Columbia 1992
10. Valentine - Across The Borderline Columbia 1992
11. What Was It You Wanted - Across The Borderline Columbia 1992
12. Still Is Still Movin' To Me - Across The Borderline Columbia1992
13. Too Sick To Pray - Spirit Island 1996
14. Everywhere I Go (with Emmylou Harris) - Teatro Island
15. My Own Peculiar Way - Teatro Island
16. Nuages - Night And Day Free Falls 1999
17. Rainbow Connection - Rainbow Connection Island 2001
18. Mendocino County Line (with Lee Ann Womack) C#22 The Great Divide
Island 2001
19. The Harder They Come - Countryman Lost Highway 1996
20. Bubbles In My Beer - You Don¹t Know Me The Songs Of Cindy
Walker Lost Highway 2006
21. When I've Sang My Last Hillbilly Song - One Hell Of a Ride Col./Leg.
Shepherd hopes twang 'Sounds So Good'