Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Ray Price: Last Of The Breed

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Picture, if you will, a lonely honky-tonk on the outskirts of town, a glow from inside draws you near as the sound of clinking beer bottles and laughter calls your name. As you get closer the music from jukebox becomes clearer, three legendary country baritones stand out and shine like the North Star leading you home. You step through the swinging doors, is it honky-tonk heaven? Do you have enough change for said jukebox? Or are you simply dreaming again of records that don’t exist, as I often do? Nope, it’s the sounds of two outlaws and a real survivor. It’s true my fellow followers of great honky-tonk hardwood floor heroes! Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price have come together for the first time and the result is Last Of The Breed, a collection of classic tunes made current and standing tall among the mountains of rabble called country music.

These three pillars of classic country music have been kicking this idea around for years but as always things turn up, schedules clash, and side projects are put aside. Finally the stars aligned and the three paths crossed in the spring of 2006. Producer Fred Foster quickly put together a jamming band of pros, including fiddle master Johnny Gimble. After only two days of everything and everyone being in place, the songs that would make it onto this killer collaboration were put down. The big three had it in mind to sing the songs that they all knew and liked, drawing inspiration from such names as Lefty Frizzell, (“Mom And Dad’s Waltz”) Floyd Tillman (“I Love You So Much It Hurts”), and cowboy crooner Gene Autry (“That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine”); Simple and to the point, it’s how these men operate and why we love them.

Twenty-two tracks over two CDs, and from the get-go these honky-tonk heavyweights hit hard. Opening with Bob Wills’ western swing classic “My Life’s Been A Pleasure,” these gentlemen take turns at the lead vocal chores while the Jordanaires do what they do best, smooth background vocals. This solid sender is the first of many that set the stride and had me up and two steppin’, taking me back to my mother’s kitchen where I learned to dance.

Other classic covers include Harland Howard’s hardwood floor standards “Heartaches By The Number” and “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down.” From Leon Payne they take on the lonesome rambler’s lament “Lost Highway” and the sweethearts’ ballad “I Love You Because.” We are also treated to a number from fellow outlaw Kris Kristofferson, who helps with lead duties and harmony vocals on his ultimate sinner’s question song, “Why Me Lord.”

Tapping from the well of more recent songwriters, we get two from Willie’s pal Cindy Walker: the quiet, tear-in-your-beer “Going Away Party” and the Hymn-inspired “Night Watch.” From Willie himself, we get the beautifully poetic “Back To Earth,” which finds Willie and Merle on a duet reminiscent of their work on Pancho And Lefty. And not to be left out Merle chimes in with the self-penned sinner’s prayer “Sweet Jesus.”

Last Of The Breed finds these three distinct voices in fine form, blending perfectly and as entertaining as ever. Each legend brings his own brand of magic to the microphone delivering flawless performances from the last of the original Honky-Tonk Heroes. The only voice missing is George Jones’. Truly these men are the Last Of The Breed, yet once in a while someone comes along and gives the world hope and lets us know that real men still sing in a timeless style, the way these gentlemen do. George Straight, Alan Jackson, and my personal favorite Dale Watson kept that flame alive and have passed it to the few newcomers brave enough to take it. These willing young artists have the power to keep the hardwood floors packed with people and to keep the sound of clinking beer bottles mixed with loud laughter ringing in our ears. And yes, some where on that floor will be Fantasma el Rey and his honky-tonk angel dancing a two-step. Thanks, Ma.

Willie Nelson: The Complete Atlantic Sessions

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Willie Nelson. What more can I add to the biography of this country outlaw? As we all know Willie is a fellow country outlaw along with Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson; also lumped into this group is the legendary Johnny Cash, who became “too country now, for country” to quote Dale Watson, a personal favorite of mine. On these three Atlantic albums you can further see where and how this outlaw tag was placed upon Mr. Nelson. Although Willie will be the first one to have you call him just plain ol’ Willie. The three CDs are remastered and expanded versions of Nelson classics: Shotgun Willie, Phases and Stages and Live At The Texas Opry House; the set itself is a nice-looking package. The outer box, looks like it’s made of wood, the perfect place for hiding little treasures such as these CDs, while the booklet that comes with it is very informative and easy to read. Each CD is a reproduction of the original album cover, which is something that I have always found very cool and have always been drawn to.

Disk one is the masterful Shotgun Willie, which on the cover shows a smiling Willie’s face in both barrels of a shotgun, wonderful, a great in-your-face contradiction. The title track opens the disk and is a fun romp with sarcastic, witty lyrics about Shotgun Willie and other characters. “Biting on a bullet/ and pulling out all of his hair” if you listen you can catch the plucking sound of the dobro being played in the background, along with that last line. I particularly dig the horn section on this tune, very much in the Atlantic soul tradition; Honky tonk-soul, I guess it could be called.

Followed by what is now a Nelson staple “Whisky River”, which by the way, ghoulies, is not a Nelson-penned tune; sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here, but it is a song by the great and underrated Johnny Bush. The sound of the entire song is a tribute to songwriting and arrangement; you get the feel of a lazy river with ripples brushing up on the shore and a great drifting sensation. This piano-driven, honky-tonk, hardwood-floor number is an excellent choice for Willie’s vocals; he holds nothing back here. Add some bass dripping with funk and some exceptional guitar picking, and there you have it: a classic is born and delivered to the world.

“Sad Songs and Waltzes” and “Local Memory” showcase Willie’s songwriting skills. “Sad Songs” is about the state of the country music industry with lyrics that pack sting and wit. While “Local Memory” gives you a sense of locals headed back to the corner bar every night, to drink and think, or not think.

“Stay All Night” and “Bubbles In My Beer” are jump tunes written by those legends of western swing, Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan. These two solid senders are wild and will get you toe-tapping and longing to play in a jug band, while you clap along with the band. Seriously, y’all, nothing but a good time here. Shoot some rotgut whisky and you’re on your way to redneck heaven. That’s what I did, so join the fun.

The rest of the original album is rounded out by such wonderful tunes as “She’s Not For You” “So Much To Do” and “A Song For You”. This one is truly a masterpiece and sets the stage and the concept for his next album.

Phases and Stages is a concept album about a couple’s separation and their reemergence as individuals. Willie draws attention to key moments in the story by repeating the Phases and Stages theme throughout. The first five songs are from the women’s perspective, slow and contemplative. “Walking” and “(How Will I Know) I ‘m Falling In Love Again” are the two tracks that stand out most for me. The lyrics are strong and on “Walking” they made the women seem that way. While “How Will I Know” has her taking a solemn look at that sometimes sad question.
On the other side of the coin is the man’s point of view, and here one will notice that the songs are a bit more up-tempo as we see a man trying to keep moving on and deal with what he has gone done in his life. “Bloody Mary Morning” is a great country jump number with Willie’s laid-back vocals in full effect. This tune is a stomper cut from the mold of the good old-fashioned country shuffle beat. The rolling barrelhouse piano with aid from the banjo has that “flying down the highway” sound to it; a perfect compliment to the song’s lyrics. “I Still Can’t Believe Your Gone” and “It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way” has our womanizing yahoo pondering the mistakes he has made, like why “you’re supposed to know that even with women on the side I love only you” doesn’t work.

On the second half, the intros are delivered with more force and power. As a whole, this is also one of Willie’s best and from these two Atlantic studio albums one can see the path that he was on and the direction he would take once he moved to Columbia records and released Red Headed Stranger.

The third disk in the set is a romping, stomping live recording that has Willie and the band jamming though songs from his two previous albums; songs that would become staples of his live shows for years to come, such as “Whiskey River”. The live versions of some of the songs from Phases and Stages are stronger and have more of a drive live. A true treat is a medley of classics penned by Willie, including “Crazy”, and others, George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care”. Some bonus tracks include versions of “Shotgun Willie” and “Bloody Mary Morning” done with an electric guitar.

Each disk contain a certain amount of bonus materials, which are good to have and nice to listen and compare to the alternate versions of songs; Shotgun Willie and Live have the most interesting of this bonus material. “Shotgun” has outtakes of songs that did not make it to the original album, but that are still strong, such as the rocking “I Gotta Have Something I Ain’t Got” and the slow ballad “I’m So Ashamed”. While the bonus material for Phases and Stages consists of all alternate versions of songs from the album, which is all right but some only have slight differences. When this is done on expanded CDs, it’s a good idea but does go over better with the more hardcore fans of the artist. Don’t get me wrong here because faced with the choice I’m buying the one with as much extras as possible; I’m just a nut like that.

Overall this three-disk set is worth a good solid listen and is something that I do look forward to hearing over again a few times. Shotgun Willie and Live at the Opry are the two disks I dig the most here and would be more enjoyable to hear more than once in their entirety. This box is a must for Nelson fans and very interesting for those that want to get an example of how Willie became the outlaw that he is respected as today.