The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More

Disc: 1

1. Night Life

2. Rainy Day Blues

3. Touch Me

4. Wake Me When It's Over

5. Hello Walls

6. Funny How Time Slips Away

7. Crazy

8. Part Where I Cry

9. Mr. Record Man

10. Three Days

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. How Long Is Forever [Version #2]

2. You Took My Happy Away [Version #1]

3. Roly Poly

4. Half a Man

5. Lonely Little Mansion

6. Last Letter

7. Second Fiddle

8. Take My Word [Version #2]

9. Right or Wrong

10. Feed It a Memory

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

Night Life
Rainy Day Blues
Touch Me
Wake Me When It's Over
Hello Walls
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Part Where I Cry
Mr. Record Man
Three Days
One Step Beyond
Undo the Right
Darkness on the Face of the Earth
Where My House Lives
How Long Is Forever [Version #1]
Country Willie
Go Away
Waiting Time
You Wouldn't Cross the Street to Say Goodbye
There's Gonna Be Love in My House
Take My Word [Version #1]
There Goes a Man
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #1] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Our Chain of Love - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Willingly - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #2] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
You Dream About Me - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Is This My Destiny? - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Together - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #3] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson

Tracks:

How Long Is Forever [Version #2]
You Took My Happy Away [Version #1]
Roly Poly
Half a Man
Lonely Little Mansion
Last Letter
Second Fiddle
Take My Word [Version #2]
Right or Wrong
Feed It a Memory
Let Me Talk to You
Way You See Me
Things I Might Have Been
Home Motel
Opportunity to Cry
You Took My Happy Away [Version #2]
I Hope So [Original Version]
River Boy [Original Version]
At the Bottom [Original Version]
Cold War With You
Seasons of My Heart
Blue Must Be the Color of the Blues
Am I Blue
There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight
Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)
Tomorrow Night (You'll Have Another Sweetheart)
I'll Walk Alone
You Wouldn't Cross the Street to Say Goodbye [Overdubbed Version]
I Hope So [Overdubbed Version]
River Boy [Overdubbed Version]
At the Bottom [Overdubbed Version]

Customer Reviews:

The growing pains of a legend.......2005-06-07

There aren't a lot of country "hits" here ("Willingly",a duet with Shirley Collie, #10-1962, "Touch Me" #7-1962, "Half a Man" was #25-1963, and "I Hope So" scraped in at #36-1969) but Allison blames that on mismanagement in the liners: "The first album worked [AND THEN I WROTE] because it sounded like him." Allison left the label shortly after signing him and Willie's new producer Tommy Allsup smothered Willie's voice in "Nashville Sound" strings and backing vocals.

Whether this was because he felt that sound was more "commercial" (String-flooded Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves records were big then...) or because Allsup thought Willie's voice was weak and he wanted to hide it depends on what version of history you want to believe. (Willie thinks the latter..) This is how the outlaw sounded before he made his "jailbreak" in Austin.

The 2 CD set includes 15 previously unreleased tracks (all but 4 are alternate takes/mixes) for the diehards. As far as liners go, you get a 10 page barebones bio with discography. They tell the bare bones story of Willie's move from Vancouver to Nashville but it's 3rd person..no new quotes or song by song commentary from Willie himself.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Wake Me When it's Over" is a nice honky-tonk weeper (though I could do without the ooh-ing female backing vocals). Hearing "Crazy" in its first rendition is sort of spooky: Patsy Cline slavishly copied Willie down to the phrasing in her hit. I realize "Willingly" was the hit duet but for my money Willie and labelmate Shirley Collie's "Is this my destiny?" is a more compelling song. On disc 2,"How Long is Forever (Version #2)" finds Willie questioning an on-again,off-again lover. Willie croons "Let me Talk to You" over a whisper-soft pedal steel and hi-hat. The poor boy, rich girl tale of "River Boy (Overdubbed version)" is the rare tune that succeeds because of the flourishes...it doesn't sound "finished" without the strings and other touches.

LOWS:
"Hello Walls" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" are hacked to bits thanks to the cooing background singers heard here. They're easy listening schmaltz. "There Goes a Man" is a great lyric (Willie regretting stealing another man's woman..empathizing with his loss) but the band can't begin to follow his vocal. "Together" has a horribly simplistic lyric and the xylophone part makes it sound even more like children's music. The cocktail lounge vibe of "Am I Blue?" may be the downright nadir of this set. And as far as the oozing strings go on "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight", are you SURE Hank done it that way? (Sorry...the joke was too easy..)

BOTTOM LINE:
There are a few great tunes here but most are mediocre if pleasant and a few are outright countrypolitan clunkers. For all the bellowing some country fans make about bland modern "pop country", some of the songs on Disc 2 sound like Mantovani with a little bit of twang. The packaging is alright but nothing special.

If you're new to Willie, do NOT start here. Try out 16 BIGGEST HITS to get your first taste and move on to individual albums next (STARDUST and RED HEADED STRANGER are suggested.) This box is not for everyone.

The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More

Average customer rating:

The growing pains of a legend

The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More
Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: Liberty Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000JWBCXI

Product Description

This collection documents an important piece of musical history. It is all 61 tracks from Willie Nelson's first recordings (1961-1963) on Liberty Records, including 15 previously unreleased. The Liberty period surely captured his songwriting talents in their full flower of genius and heralded the arrival of a rare and awesome talent.

Customer Reviews:

The growing pains of a legend.......2007-02-25

There aren't a lot of country "hits" here ("Willingly",a duet with Shirley Collie, #10-1962, "Touch Me" #7-1962, "Half a Man" was #25-1963, and "I Hope So" scraped in at #36-1969) but Allison blames that on mismanagement in the liners: "The first album worked [AND THEN I WROTE] because it sounded like him." Allison left the label shortly after signing him and Willie's new producer Tommy Allsup smothered Willie's voice in "Nashville Sound" strings and backing vocals.

Whether this was because he felt that sound was more "commercial" (String-flooded Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves records were big then...) or because Allsup thought Willie's voice was weak and he wanted to hide it depends on what version of history you want to believe. (Willie thinks the latter..) This is how the outlaw sounded before he made his "jailbreak" in Austin.

The 2 CD set includes 15 previously unreleased tracks (all but 4 are alternate takes/mixes) for the diehards. As far as liners go, you get a 10 page barebones bio with discography. They tell the bare bones story of Willie's move from Vancouver to Nashville but it's 3rd person..no new quotes or song by song commentary from Willie himself.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Wake Me When it's Over" is a nice honky-tonk weeper (though I could do without the ooh-ing female backing vocals). Hearing "Crazy" in its first rendition is sort of spooky: Patsy Cline slavishly copied Willie down to the phrasing in her hit. I realize "Willingly" was the hit duet but for my money Willie and labelmate Shirley Collie's "Is this my destiny?" is a more compelling song. On disc 2,"How Long is Forever (Version #2)" finds Willie questioning an on-again,off-again lover. Willie croons "Let me Talk to You" over a whisper-soft pedal steel and hi-hat. The poor boy, rich girl tale of "River Boy (Overdubbed version)" is the rare tune that succeeds because of the flourishes...it doesn't sound "finished" without the strings and other touches.

LOWS:
"Hello Walls" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" are hacked to bits thanks to the cooing background singers heard here. They're easy listening schmaltz. "There Goes a Man" is a great lyric (Willie regretting stealing another man's woman..empathizing with his loss) but the band can't begin to follow his vocal. "Together" has a horribly simplistic lyric and the xylophone part makes it sound even more like children's music. The cocktail lounge vibe of "Am I Blue?" may be the downright nadir of this set. And as far as the oozing strings go on "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight", are you SURE Hank done it that way? (Sorry...the joke was too easy..)

BOTTOM LINE:
There are a few great tunes here but most are mediocre if pleasant and a few are outright countrypolitan clunkers. For all the bellowing some country fans make about bland modern "pop country", some of the songs on Disc 2 sound like Mantovani with a little bit of twang. The packaging is alright but nothing special.

If you're new to Willie, do NOT start here. Try out 16 Biggest Hits to get your first taste and move on to individual albums next (Stardust and Red Headed Stranger are suggested. This box is not for everyone.

Music Album:

Music Album