If you’re an aficionado of the outlaws of country, you’re probably already psyched about the two Johnny Cash sets scheduled to come out between now and the 4th of July…but here’s another release to get you going: Atlantic Records is releasing a 3-CD box set of Willie Nelson’s work for the label.
First, there’s Shotgun Willie, which was recorded in Atlantic’s Broadway studio, in New York City and features Nelson’s legendary recording of “Whiskey River,” as well as two Bob Wills songs, “Stay All Night (Stay A Little Bit Longer)” and “Bubbles in My Beer.”
The follow-up, Phases and Stages, was knocked out in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, produced by Jerry Wexler, and it’s a classic Nelson concept album about the end of a marriage…half from the man’s point of view, half from the woman’s.
The third disc is a live album taken from performances recorded at the Texas Opry House; journalist Chet Flippo attended the shows in question, and he declares that “they remain probably the highlights of any Willie concert I have ever seen. The audience was raw and eager for whatever Willie could throw at them, and he did just that. He was at the absolute height of his powers and clearly savored his newfound sense of freedom, and he threw down song after song with defiance and total confidence.”
Man oh man, I can’t wait to hear this stuff…
