Willie Nelson – Shotgun Willie (1973/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 37:03 minutes | 1,46 GB | Genre: Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino Atlantic
The legendary career of Texas-born music icon Willie Nelson has spanned six decades and stands as one of contemporary music’s greatest legacies. Nelson first rose to fame as a Nashville-based songwriter, penning many now timeless standards including “Crazy,” a top hit for Patsy Cline. Feeling constrained by the Nashville music establishment, Willie relocated to Austin in the early ‘70s, where the melding of rock and country audiences made a huge impression on him. He began fusing folk and roots rock with a rebellious “outlaw” country flavor, inventing an authentic, stripped-down sound that remains vastly influential to this day. At this pivotal point in his artistic evolution, Nelson signed to Atlantic Records, delivering two signature albums revered as all-time masterpieces of his extensive repertoire, Shotgun Willie and Phases And Stages.
Transferring his allegiance to Atlantic (where he would record two remarkable albums that would get him kicked off the label), Willie Nelson offered his finest record to date for his debut — possibly his finest album ever. Shotgun Willie encapsulates Willie’s world view and music, finding him at a peak as a composer, interpreter, and performer. This is laid-back, deceptively complex music, equal parts country, rock attitude, jazz musicianship, and troubadour storytelling. Nelson blurs the lines between his own tunes and covers to the point that “Whiskey River,” this record’s best-known song, seems thoroughly original, yet it was written by Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud. This, along with two songs apiece by Leon Russell and Bob Wills, provides context for his originals, with Shotgun Willie becoming a musical autobiography, offering not only insights into his musicality (witness how he slows down “Stay All Night [Stay a Little Longer]” to a slow shuffle) but, seemingly, into himself (most notably on the title track and the wonderful, funny travelogue “Devil in a Sleepin’ Bag”). Nelson wasn’t just at a peak of performing here — he also wrote some of his greatest songs, highlighted not just by the previously mentioned tunes but also by the lovely slow waltz “Slow Down Old World” and “Sad Songs and Waltzes.” All of it adds up to possibly the finest record in a career filled with hits and highlights. ~~ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
01. Willie Nelson – Shotgun Willie (02:41)
02. Willie Nelson – Whiskey River (04:05)
03. Willie Nelson – Sad Songs And Waltzes (03:06)
04. Willie Nelson – Local Memory (02:20)
05. Willie Nelson – Slow Down Old World (02:53)
06. Willie Nelson – Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer) (02:34)
07. Willie Nelson – Devil In A Sleepin’ Bag (02:40)
08. Willie Nelson – She’s Not For You (03:13)
09. Willie Nelson – Bubbles In My Beer (02:33)
10. Willie Nelson – You Look Like The Devil (03:26)
11. Willie Nelson – So Much To Do (03:10)
12. Willie Nelson – A Song For You (04:17)
