Album Review: Willie Nelson – ‘The Complete Atlantic Sessions’

By Patrick Luce Jun 18, 2006, 14:42 GMT

Though Willie Nelson\'s career wouldn\'t surge until his mid-\'70s label switch from Atlantic to Columbia, these recordings rank with his most significant. Before returning from Nashville to his native Texas and signing with Atlantic as its flagship country artist, Nelson had been dismissed as a journeyman writer of hits for others and a struggling recording artist who sang funny. Label honcho and producer Jerry Wexler (better known for his groundbreaking ...more

With crisp sound that lets you hear each note and a beautiful packaging, 'Willie Nelson – The Complete Atlantic Sessions' is simply a must have for any fan of the country music icon.

The set contains re-mastered versions of Nelson's two groundbreaking Atlantic releases - the 1973 debut ‘Shotgun Willie,’ and his 1974 follow-up ‘Phases and Stages’ and a third disc  ‘Live at The Texas Opry House’ – which features  rare and unreleased performances that were recorded in Austin, Texas in 1974. The two albums also feature expanded studio outtakes, alternate versions, and unreleased music.

‘Shotgun Willie’ was recorded in New York and marked the first album that Nelson released after his break from the traditional Nashville recording style and sound. This album has everything that modern audiences would expect from Nelson. This album has everything a fan of Nelson would expect – some songs that are fun and rowdy and some songs that seem to cut you to the quick with their emotional lyrics. The album contains what is Nelson’s customary show opener “Whiskey River” and the heartfelt “Sad Songs and Waltzes” (one of my personal favorites on the album).

The new re-mastered release also includes 12 bonus tracks (half of which are previously unreleased). The bonus tracks include alternate versions of "Whiskey River" and "A Song for You" along with outtakes of "Save Your Tears" and "I Drank All of Our Precious Love Away."

‘Phases and Stages’ is my favorite CD of the three disc set, and sees Nelson wearing his emotions on his sleeves and you can hear the heartbreak and hard living in each of the notes he sings on the album.

It was one of country music’s first “concept” albums and is probably one of Nelson’s best releases. The album painfully takes you through the story of a failing marriage – with the first part of the album devoted to songs from his perspective of the marriage and the second half telling the wife’s perspective of what happened.
 
‘Phases and Stages’ saw Nelson work with legendary producer Jerry Wexler, and features the songs "Pretend I Never Happened," "I Still Can't Believe You're Gone," and "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way." The re-mastered version of ‘Phases And Stages’ comes with  features ten bonus tracks including eight previously unreleased songs such as an alternate versions of "Bloody Mary Morning," "No Love Around," and "Heaven And Hell."

The third CD ‘Live at the Texas Opry House’ sees Nelson cutting loose live, and you can easily tell Nelson loves being in front of an audience. This is probably the weakest of the CDs in the set since it is a live recording. The album sounds good, but it doesn’t have the polish of the two studio albums. The disc does have a good sound recording, and you can clearly hear the crowd enjoying Nelson’s performance.

Recorded in 1974, The CD has 16 songs including “Whiskey River," "Me and Paul," and the classic "Good Hearted Woman."

As another treat, the set also includes a 40 page book chronicling some of Nelson’s early career. The book features photos and stories about Nelson’s musical history. It is a nice addition to the set, and features some interesting stories from producers (such as Wexler) and details about each of the albums included.

If you are Willie Nelson fan, this set is a must have. The three CDs sound great, and still hold up against anything being done in country music today. Nelson is truly an icon, and the three albums show that label is well justified. I would highly recommend it.

Willie Nelson – The Complete Atlantic Sessions is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information and a complete track listing.