Essential Willie Nelson (2003) (Remastered)

Artist: Willie Nelson
This product is eligible for Free Shipping on orders over $10. Click for details. Eligible for FREE SHIPPING
*Some restrictions apply. Click here for details.
List Price:  See Details$15.98
You Save: (12%) $2.00
Our Price: $13.98
Shipping $1.90

Buy.com Total Price: $15.88
Qty   
In Stock: Usually Ships in 1 to 2 business days.
Format:  CD
Permalink
Marketplace Buying Choices
Importcds
Price: $13.39
+ $2.99 shipping
In Stock
Supermart
Price: $13.92
+ $2.99 shipping
In Stock
See all 8 New from $13.39 + $2.99 shipping
What's this?
Product Summary
Label: Cbs/epic/wtg Records
UPC: 00696998674028
Release Date: 4/1/2003
Buy.com Sku: 60593812
Item#: MVLMG3
Buy.com Sales Rank: 25140
Format:  CD

Song Listing

Disc 1
Song TitleSample
1. Night Life ~ Willie Nelson
2. Hello Walls ~ Willie Nelson
3. Crazy ~ Willie Nelson
4. Funny How Times Slips Away ~ Willie Nelson
5. I Never Cared For You ~ Willie Nelson
6. Party's Over, The ~ Willie Nelson
7. Good Times ~ Willie Nelson
8. Me And Paul ~ Willie Nelson
9. Shotgun Willie ~ Willie Nelson
10. Bloody Mary Morning ~ Willie Nelson
11. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain ~ Willie Nelson
12. Good Hearted Woman - (with Waylon Jennings) ~ Willie Nelson
13. If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time) ~ Willie Nelson
14. Uncloudy Day ~ Willie Nelson
14. Uncloudy Day ~ Willie Nelson
15. Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys - (with Waylon Jennings) ~ Willie Nelson
16. Georgia On My Mind ~ Willie Nelson
17. Blue Skies ~ Willie Nelson
18. All Of Me ~ Willie Nelson
19. Heartbreak Hotel - (with Leon Russell) ~ Willie Nelson
20. Help Me Make It Through The Night ~ Willie Nelson
21. Whiskey River - (live) ~ Willie Nelson
22. Stay A Little Longer - (live) ~ Willie Nelson
Disc 2
Song TitleSample
1. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys ~ Willie Nelson
1. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys ~ Willie Nelson
2. Faded Love - (with Ray Price) ~ Willie Nelson
3. On The Road Again ~ Willie Nelson
3. On The Road Again ~ Willie Nelson
3. On The Road Again ~ Willie Nelson
3. On The Road Again ~ Willie Nelson
4. Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground ~ Willie Nelson
5. Always On My Mind ~ Willie Nelson
5. Always On My Mind ~ Willie Nelson
6. Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning ~ Willie Nelson
7. Pancho & Lefty - (with Merle Haggard) ~ Willie Nelson
8. To All The Girls I've Loved Before - (with Julio Iglesias) ~ Willie Nelson
9. City Of New Orleans ~ Willie Nelson
10. Seven Spanish Angels - (with Ray Charles) ~ Willie Nelson
10. Seven Spanish Angels - (with Ray Charles) ~ Willie Nelson
10. Seven Spanish Angels - (with Ray Charles) ~ Willie Nelson
11. Forgiving You Was Easy ~ Willie Nelson
12. Highwayman - (with Waylon Jennings/Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson) ~ Willie Nelson
12. Highwayman - (with Waylon Jennings/Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson) ~ Willie Nelson
13. Living In The Promiseland ~ Willie Nelson
14. Nothing I Can Do About It Now ~ Willie Nelson
15. Graceland ~ Willie Nelson
16. Everywhere I Go - (with Emmylou Harris) ~ Willie Nelson
17. Slow Dancing - (featuring Mickey Raphael/U2) ~ Willie Nelson
18. Mendocino County Line - (with Lee Ann Womack) ~ Willie Nelson
19. One Time Too Many - (with Aerosmith) ~ Willie Nelson


(C) (P) 2003 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

 
Album Notes and Credits

Notes & Personnel Info
This CD commemorates Willie Nelson's 70th Birthday (April 30, 2003).
Personnel includes: Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Ray Price, Leann Womack, Julio Iglesias, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard, Aerosmith.
Producers include: Felton Jarvis, Arif Mardin, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Booker T. Jones.
Compilation producers: Nich Shaffman, Al Quaglieri.
Recorded between 1961 & 2002.
Audio Mixers: Michael Brauer; Steven Berkowitz.
Recording information: ??/1961-12/2001.
Willie Nelson recorded for many labels during the course of his lengthy career, but his greatest commercial success arrived during his time on Columbia during the late '70s and early '80s, which is one of the reasons that the career-spanning double-disc collection The Essential Willie Nelson appeared on Columbia/Legacy in 2003. The other reason, of course, is that during the first part of the 2000s, Legacy had been turning out cross-licensed, multi-label compilations of artists who hopped around from label to label or had unwieldy careers. Willie is a perfect example of this, as he had five significant stays at labels (in chronological order: Liberty, RCA, Atlantic, Columbia, Island), surrounded by a bunch of detours to independent labels, or duets never featured on his official records, all of which makes the task of assembling a concise, definitive collection a difficult one. With its 41 tracks, spanning nearly 40 years of recording, The Essential Willie Nelson gets about as close as a set could to providing the basics. That doesn't mean that it's perfect, of course. It naturally relies heavily on the Columbia recordings, since it was both his popular peak and the label that released this collection, with 25 of the tracks dating from this era. To a certain extent, this shortchanges the brilliant Atlantic records Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages, as well as his fascinatingly erratic RCA recordings (found in their entirety on the Bear Family box Nashville Was the Roughest), but it's also true that the entire first disc, which runs from "Night Life" and "Hello Walls" through "Me and Paul" and "Bloody Mary Morning," all the way to Stardust, has a great momentum and summarizes this transition very well. The second disc picks up this thread well for the first 12 songs or so, covering Honeysuckle Rose and "Always on My Mind," along with some duets ("Pancho & Lefty" with Merle Haggard, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" with Julio Iglesias) before it loses steam as it approaches the mid-'80s -- not so coincidentally, precisely the time that Willie's career was briefly derailed in a dispute with the IRS. From here on out, the compilation relies too heavily on idiosyncratic selections (partially because he stopped having hits, making selection a matter of picking fan favorites) and duets, including the rarities "Slow Dancing" and "One Time Too Many," where Willie is backed by U2 and Aerosmith, respectively, giving the very end of this collection an inappropriately sour aftertaste. These are minor problems, since the overall collection is as generous as Willie Nelson's music itself and it will likely satisfy the needs of most listeners wanting only one disc in their collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The catalog of Willie Nelson is so vast and rich that assembling an "essential" collection of only one or two discs seems nearly impossible. RCA's single-disc 1995 attempt was admirable and worthy, but doomed by space limitations. With a bit more room to move, Legacy's roomier two-disc collection is about close as anyone could hope to come. We get the full view of the great singer/songwriter's artistic journey.
"Hello Walls" and the evergreen "Crazy" hail from the days when Nelson was tooling around Nashville as a songwriter for hire but mystifyingly unable to connect as a solo artist. His transformation into a counterculture icon via the '70s "outlaw country" movement is marked by the likes of "Me and Paul" and "Bloody Mary Morning." His tremendous skill as in interpreter can be heard in such standards as "Blue Skies" and "Georgia on Mind," which helped make him a crossover success in the STARDUST era. Latter-day collaborations with everyone from Aerosmith ("One Time Too Many") to U2 ("Slow Dancing") show Willie's mercurial, eclectic nature. Add it all up and a portrait comes together of a man whose artistic vision has carried him across decades and stylistic shifts aplenty and seen him through in style.

Musical Guests
Waylon Jennings
Julio Iglesias
Ray Charles
Kris Kristofferson
Ray Price
Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
Leon Russell
U2
Mickey Raphael

 
Compilation Appearances
Tribute To Music Of Bob Wills
60's Hits Country No. 1
Bob Dylan-30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
Duets
Honeysuckle Rose (Bonus Tracks)
Greatest Hits
Wanted! The Outlaws
Duets Ii
Montana Cafe
My Life
Kings Of Country
Vol. 1-Ridin' West
Down Every Road 1962-94
Deuces Wild
Songs Of The West
Portraits
Michael
King Of The Road-Genius Of...
Bocephus Box Set (Bonus Tracks)
Forrest Gump-Special Collector's Edition (Bonus Tracks)
Mi Vida Grandes Exitos(spanish)
Yesterdays Wine (1981-88)
Ride With Bob
Vol. 1-Singin With Emmylou Har
Country Classics From The 60's
Sounds Eclectic
Ahern Sessions-1976-77
Country Anthems
Vol. 2-16 Biggest Hits
That's Country
Caught In The Webb
Ultimate Classic Country Collection
Essential Johnny Cash
Two Of A Kind
Outlaws Of Country
Country Greats
Rookie
Georgia On My Mind
Sharp Dressed Men Tribute To Zz Top
Classic Country
Good Hearted Woman
Country Superstars Vol.02
This Is Country
Asleep At The Wheel: 23 Country Classics / Va
Journey:six Strings Away
Country Songwriters
Countrys Most Wanted
Unleashed
Classic Country More Great Story Song
Best Of George Jones-Millennium Collection
Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Vol. 3
More Of Country's Most Wanted
This Land Is Your Land
Ultimate Country Super Hits
On Mission (Bonus Tracks)
Ringo Rama
It`ll Come To You
Classic Country Road Songs
Ultimate Southern Rock
Classic Country: The '80s
Def American Songbook Vol.1
All I Want for Christmas Is A Real Good Tan
Mavericks
See If I Care
A Very Special Acoustic Christmas
Cash Unearthed (w/ Book)
Great Supa
101 Country And Western Greats Hits-B
Ultimate Waylon Jennings
Essential Kris Kristofferson (Limited Edition)
40 #1 Hits
World's Greatest Garth Brooks Tribute
Songbook Of Love
Greatest Hits
Tribute To Josh Turner
Love Songs
Tribute To Keith Urban
N'awlinz: dis Dat Or D'udda
Musical Heritage Of The Carter Fa
Tribute To Keith Urban
Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company (SACD Hybrid)
World Of Country & Western 3
Classic Country: God Country & Family / Vario
Country Radio's Most Requested Hits
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Soundtrack (Explicit Version)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (w/ Bonus DVD) (Explicit Version)
Country Outlaws
Truckin
Country Roads
Classic Country: Kings Of Country
Ultimate Love Songs
Mflp's 20th Anniversary Collection
Angels & Outlaws 1
Classic Country: Great Country Gospel / Vario
Genius Loves Company
Greatest Hits (DualDisc)
Texas Bred Texas Fed:redefining Cou
Truckers Jukebox 0605
Truckers Jukebox 0605
Gettin More Rowdy
Country Favorites-3pkdigi
The Dukes Of Hazzard
The Legend
Maddogs & Okies
Greetings From Texas
Freedom:earthbeat Records Special 20t
Road Goes On Forever (w/ Bonus DVD) (Limited Edition)
Road Goes On Forever
Martha Stewart Living Music: The Holiday Collection
Timeless-Great Romant0905
Martha Stewart Living Music: Traditional Songs for the Holidays
Country Christmas
Texas Troubadours
Brokeback Mountain
Willie Nelson:Collection
Duets & Duets Ii:90th Birthday
Greetings From Texas 1005
Collection
CLASSIC COUNTRY: 80's LOVE SONGS
My Very Special(legacyed)
The Best Of Shel Silverst
Greetings From Texas
Country Legends
Superstars Of Country: Live
Unforgettable
Classic Country:country Standard Time
Classic Country: Sing Me A Hank Williams Song
Highway Fever: All Time Greatest Country Road
1100 Bel Air Place (Bonus Tracks) (Rmst)
Drifting Cowboy: Country Music Tribute To Han
Yesterday: Country Music Tribute The Beatles
This Is Country 0606(w/ Bonus DVD)
Very Best Of Country
Billboard No 1's:classic Country
Brokeback Mountain - O.s.t. (Hol)
Outlaw Country
Broken Bridges
Last Man Standing
Highway South:southern Rock
Nashville Rebel
Beerfest
Why The Hell Not? 906
Classic Country:best Of Classic Count
Come Early Morning / O.s.t.
Pride And Joy 1106
Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems
Classic Country: Outlaws
Great Country Duets
This Is Trucker's Jukebox Anthems
This Is Country Superstars
Definitive Collection Merle Haggard
Country Number 1's
Classic Country:killer Country B Side
Essential Ray Price
American Profile Presents:country Gos
All Country Outlaws
Anchored In Love:tribute To June Cart
16 Biggest Hits
Essential Waylon Jennings
Nuestra Tradicion
Hottest State
Goin Home:tribute To Fats Domingo
Americana Christmas:millennium Collec
Audiobiography
Best Of Country
Legends Of American Music:original Ou
I'm Not There (Soundtrack)
Love Songs 3
100 Years Of Hit Recordings
Definitive Collection (1985 To 1993)
Outlaw Country
Whiskey Thoughts
Playlist:very Best Of Waylon Jennings
City That Care Forgot
25 Best:country Favorites
Country's 20 Classic Songs of the Century
Beer For My Horses (Ost)
Pictures And Sound
Essential 3.0(Limited Edition)
Imus Ranch Record
And The Wheels Turn
Lucky Old Sun
Lucky Old Sun (Deluxe Edition)
Playlist Plus: A Very Special Christmas
Boots, Buckles and Spurs: 50 Songs Celebrate 50 Years of Cowboy Tradition
Christmas Hits Duos
Collections 0306
Celebration Of Stars:children's Music
Country Meets Southern Rock
Last Of The Breed Live In Concert
16 Biggest Hits
Best Of Trick Pony
Greatest Country Love Songs W/ Karaok
Greatest Hits
Family Time
Country Gospel Favorites
Dreadlock Rock
Poet:tribute To Townes Van Zandt
What Love Can Do
Friends Family Of Hawai'i
Man I Want To Be
Country Gospel Favorites:oh Happy Day
Coal Country Music
Joy Of Christmas
Music Of Waylon Jennings

 
Associated Artists and Works
Twisted Willie ~ Artists, Various
Asleep At The Wheel
Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel [Digipak] ~ Asleep At The Wheel
Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel (Deluxe Editio ~ Asleep At The Wheel
Butler, Larry
Butler, Larry
Butler, Larry
Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Live from Austin TX ~ Cash, Johnny
Highwaymen ~ Cash, Johnny
Live from Austin TX ~ Cash, Johnny
Live From Austin.Tx: Johnny Cash [Digipak] ~ Cash, Johnny
Cash, Johnny
Cherry, Don (Jazz)
Cline, Patsy
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
Haggard, Merle
LAST OF THE BREED LIVE IN CONCERT ~ Haggard, Merle
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Country Legends ~ Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Highwaymen (Country) (The)
Jennings, Waylon
Wanted! The Outlaws ~ Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Legendary Outlaws ~ Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
16 Biggest Hits (Legacy) ~ Jennings, Waylon
Heroes (BMG) ~ Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
Jennings, Waylon
King, Jackie
Pickin' On Willie Nelson: A Bluegrass Tribute ~ On, Pickin'
Original Soundtrack
Honeysuckle Rose [Remaster] ~ Original Soundtrack
Original Soundtrack
Pickin' On Willie Nelson: A Bluegrass Tribute ~ Pickin' On
Rogers, Kenny
Twisted Willie ~ Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Georgia On My Mind ~ Various Artists

 
Technical Info
Release Date : 04/01/2003
Original Release Date : 2003
Catalog ID : 86740
Label : Legacy Recordings
Number of Discs : 2
Studio/Live : Studio
Mono/Stereo : Stereo
SPAR Code : n/a
UPC : 00696998674028

 
Professional Reviews
Dirty Linen (8/03, p.64)
- "...The double disc, 41-track offering lives up to its marquee billing as the collection to end all Willie collections..."

  
Product Image



Customer Reviews
Production 4
Performance 4
Composition 4
Overall Satisfaction 4
Write a Review


 
4 of 5 Fine roadmap to Nelson's career Tuesday, April 01, 2003
redtunictroll from Earth, USA  

Waylon Jennings may be recognized for having first bucked the Nashville system, but Willie Nelson proved himself the true iconoclast. Both of these venerable outlaws shook off the chains of the country music industry to create brilliant musical legacies, but as this 41-track collection so aptly shows, Nelson’s run was even more idiosyncratic than his compadre’s. Nelson’s music and lifestyle merged into a single entity, with his touring providing the grist of a troubadour’s life. ¶ In celebration of Nelson’s 70th birthday, Columbia has gathered two full CDs from over forty years and nine different labels, and spiced it with a pair of bonus tracks -- a rare B-side recorded with Irish rock band, U2, and a previously unreleased duet with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. The set opens with Nelson’s first single, on the Bellaire label, "Night Life," and closes with his Grammy winning duet with Lee Ann Womack, "Mendocino County Line." In between are samplings from his liaisons with RCA, Atlantic, Island, Lost Highway, and over two dozen tracks from his years at Columbia, including a staggering seventeen #1 singles. ¶ In addition to his solo work, Nelson’s regular collaborators, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson are all represented, as are one-time partners like Leon Russell, Ray Charles and Julio Iglesias. Throughout this collection one can hear Nelson’s distinctive vocal phrasing (e.g, Nelson’s recording of "Georgia on My Mind" is equally as memorable as Ray Charles’ iconic rendition) and unique acoustic guitar, in service of his legendary compositions. ¶ As Nelson broke free of the Nashville orthodoxy, his work focussed more on albums than singles, and his post-RCA albums (e.g., "Phases & Stages," "Red Headed Stranger," etc.), though well represented here, are necessarily shortchanged by the anthology form. Still, this is a nicely picked collection whose chronological sequencing plays surprisingly well, given the range of sources from which the tracks were pulled. As an overview, this provides the listener an invitation to explore Nelson’s album catalog more deeply, aided by reissues forthcoming in the Spring and Summer of 2003. ¶ Some of the space that might have fleshed out Nelson’s important albums is taken up with seemingly inconsequential tracks (e.g., neither bonus track, nor his duet with Lee Ann Womack, could really be labeled "essential"). Nelson’s very first single, ("Lumberjack" b/w "No Place for Me?" recorded as an independent release) would have made a more spectacular bonus. Further, it might have been nice to pay homage to Nelson’s work as a songwriter for others. His renditions of seminal compositions like "Hello Walls," "Funny How Time Slips Away," and "Crazy" (hits for Faron Young, Billy Walker, and Pasty Cline, respectively) would have added a nice dimension. Nits aside, however, this is a very good introduction to one of country music’s most talented and original artists. ¶ 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.
 
Was this review helpful? Yes  No 

 
Look For Similar Products By Category
Copyright 2009 Muze ®. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.
Suggestion Box
Every voice counts, so stand up and be heard! Your opinion is important to us. If you have spotted a typo, discovered an incorrect price, or encountered a technical issue on this page, we want to hear about it. Thanks again for your feedback, and happy shopping! Please note: we are unable to reply directly to suggestions.
For additional information, click here to visit our Help Center.
Quick Help My Account What are you looking for? Country