Thanks to Carol S. of New York, for sharing this photo she took of Willie in Deansboro, NY, on 6/16/07.
http://blogs.current.com/music/2009/08/11/willie-nelson/
by Peter Grumbine
Willie Nelson is a god. Not just a musical god, but a full-on deity. Someday, 2,000 years in the future, when the aliens visit our charred, post-apocalyptic planet and start poking around the artifacts, there’s a good chance they’ll get Willie and Jesus mixed up. The two have a lot in common, except that nobody ever got hurt in Willie’s name, and instead of bringing the wine to parties, Willie’s got the weed.
For a lot of people in our generation, it’s easy to take Willie for granted: he’s always been around and your parents have had his albums since long before you were born. But believe me, Willie Nelson is more of a rebel and rock star than the entirety of 40 years of commercial rock ‘n’ roll that have followed his departure from Nashville.
Back in the ’60s, Willie was one of the most respected songwriters in Nashville, penning hits like “Crazy” for Patsy Cline and the “Nightlife” for Ray Price, among many others. Back then he still had a nice, tidy haircut, clean-shaven face, and played the game to make it as a writer, with hopes of bringing his own special sound to the masses someday. However, the problem with mainstream, mass produced, Nashville country music is: it sucks. They didn’t get Willie. He’s got a unique voice, he writes like a poet, and he plays blues infused solos on a classical guitar in country songs with jazz changes. Add it all up, and it’s too many “wait, what just happened?” moments for commercial country.
Round about 1970, Willie’s house in Nashville burnt down, both literally and figuratively. Willie packed up and headed back to the hill country of Texas, where he noticed something amazing: the hippies, freaks, and fun kids started showing up to country shows, creating a completely new, unheard of country counter-culture. For the first time, Willie could make music the way he wanted to, and it absolutely caught fire.
And it wasn’t just the hippies and freaks that were diggin’ it. Willie’s music resonated with everyone from the unwashed “Woodstock ended?” crowd to the real-deal cowboys. Still today, if you go to a Willie show (and you must) the crowd is made up of hippies, rednecks, yuppies, kids, the elderly, and about anyone else you can think of. Fuck you, the Man. It worke
www.losthighwayrecords.com
Buy it today at your record store, or on Amazon Lost Highway
This album is a compilation of some of Willie’s best moments while on the Lost Highway label. (If you’re into classic, outlaw country and wondering where the good new stuff is, get into Lost Highway) There’s some classic Willie on here, some recent stuff you might have missed, some duets, and some unreleased rarities. Some of the duets are amazing, including “Crazy” with Elvis Costello and Diana Krall and “Overtime” with Lucinda Williams. The only dark spot is Shania Twain’s appearance on “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” Sure, she looks good in animal prints and cowboy hats, but she ain’t country. Granted, if she asked to sing on my album, I’d let her too, but she still ain’t country.
Also, if you buy this in store, it comes with a free scratch ‘n’ sniff poster, which I’m guessing you probably don’t want to have in your car on a hot day if you get pulled over by Johnny Law.