Across the Borderline [Import] [Limited Edition]

1. American Tune

2. Getting over You

3. Most Unoriginal Sin

4. Don't Give Up - Willie Nelson, Sinéad O'Connor

5. Heartland

6. Across the Borderline

7. Graceland

8. Farther Down the Line

9. Valentine

10. What Was It You Wanted?

11. I Love the Life I Live

12. If I Were the Man You Wanted

13. She's Not for You

14. Still Is Still Moving to Me

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Classic albums re-released on vinyl. Columbia. 2004.

Tracks:

American Tune
Getting Over You
(The) Most Unoriginal Sin
Don't Give Up
Heartland
Across The Borderline
Graceland
Farther Down The Line
Valentine
What Was It You Wanted
I Love The Life I Live
If I Were The Man You Wanted
She's Not For You
Still Is Still Moving To Me

Amazon.com

Across the Borderline was produced in 1993 by Don Was, then flush with work following his helming of Bonnie Raitt's commercial breakthrough, Nick of Time. In fact, his celebrated clients at the time included everyone from Iggy Pop to Neil Diamond. Here he surrounds Willie Nelson with a vast cast of superstar admirers that includes Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Lyle Lovett. If the thought of Nelson and Lyle Lovett dueting on Peter Gabriel "Don't Give Up" with Mark Isham blowing dulcet trumpet lines above it all gives you the willies, surprisingly, it shouldn't. In fact, it's a highlight of this very successful all-star album. Nelson, coming off a dry spell, sounds invigorated, the material is strong, and the musicianship sparkles. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Good Country with Some good duets.......2005-08-05

Willie Nelson's Across the Borderline is a classic album. On this record there are songs that range from covers (ranging from Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel) and originals. Plus the guest appearances are amazing. Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Sinead O'Connor, and Bob Dylan lend their talents to this record. My favorite song is Heartland which Nelson cowrote with Dylan. This collaboration results in a real personal poetic song. Favorites include American Tune (with Paul Simon on lead guitar), Getting over You (with Bonnie Raitt), Most Unoriginal Sin, Don't Give Up (with Sinead O'Connor), Heartland (with Bob Dylan), Graceland, What Was It You Wanted?, Farther Down the Line, and If I Were the Man You Wanted. Highly Highly Recommended.

Typically eclectic album featuring stellar cast of guests.......2005-04-28

As with so many of Willie's albums, this album is not easy to classify, but it contains elements of several genres including country, pop, rock, folk and blues, all blended together in Willie's own inimitable style.

Willie duets with Bonnie Raitt on Getting over you, Sinead O'Connor on Don't give up (originally a hit duet for Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush) and Bob Dylan on Heartland. Elsewhere on this album, Willie sings solo, but Paul Simon plays guitar on a couple of his own songs - American tune and Graceland. The set closes with a song he has recorded a few times - Still is still moving to me.

This was the last album of original material that Willie recorded for Columbia. It does not contain any of Willie's classics but it's all good stuff, especially those duets with Bonnie and Sinead.

Willie plus a cast of stars.......2005-04-11

Usually these "cast of thousands" type albums just blend it an overboiled tasteless paste...so much "input" is added that the artist's style disappears, gauzed over by the producer into a faceless project that could have been anyone. Thankfully, this is NOT the case here. Don Was makes a thicker sound for Willie here but stops short of filling the tracks with so many sonic bells and whistles that Willie's greatest asset...that solid interpretive voice of his...gets lost. Indeed, Was' great taste shows in use of touches that sound like they wouldn't work (for example, a muted jazzy trumpet courtesy of Mark Isham on Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up") that end up enhancing the songs. Most of the songs here are Willie covering songs of others with quite a few guest vocalists (Sinead O'Connor, Sinead O'Connor, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt) on tap. The band backing Willie is crack also (Jim Keltner, Mark O'Connor, Benmont Tench,John Leventhal,Johnny Gimble at times). A minor complaint might be that several interesting duets DON'T happen. Willie does a John Hiatt and a Lyle Lovett tune, but they don't sing on the cuts. (Nor does Paul Simon on either of the 2 songs of his Willie does here, though he does play guitar.)

HIGHLIGHTS:
Though Bonnie Raitt's appearance here is probably a result of Was' recent collaboration with her (he produced her big comeback album "Nick of Time"), her smoky latenight bar voice and slide are the perfect compliment on "Getting Over You". Sinead O'Connor, surprisingly, turns out to be a good vocal pairing as well. Their harmonies on the last verse of Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up" sparkle, and the arrangement recasts it as the country tale of the distressed workingman that the lyric always was. The title track's saga of a Mexican casting his eyes toward the "broken promised land" of the U.S. benefits from Kristofferson's harmonies, though they could be higher in the mix. Nelson's interpretations of Dylan's "What was it You Wanted?" and Lovett's "Farther Down the Line" and "If I Were the Man You Wanted" are also great. Of the numbers penned by Nelson himself, the brisk "Still is Still Moving to Me" and tender "Valentine" fare best.

LOWS:
Willie turns in a curiously dispassionate reading of Willie Dixon's classic blues "I Love the Life I Live" though the musical backing is nicely relaxed. I consider myself a Dylan fan, though his voice is at its croakiest for "Heartland" making it a track I skip by.

BOTTOM LINE:
Another fine performance from Nelson is made somewhat more contemporary by the collaborations here, though he's not made to play second-fidddle (as Carlos Santana was on his recent album with Rob Thomas and others). Nelson is clearly the star here and the production by Was recognizes that fact. A good one for Nelson fans and for those just learning about him.

The Best!.......2004-08-14

My absolute favorite Willie Nelson album. I am a huge fan, but this is the one I keep going back to after all these years. I tire of some, but never of this one.

You have friends.......2003-10-14

This album from 1993 is one of Willie's finest. It features a wide variety of good songs from different songwriters, plus guest appearances by many of Willie's famous friends. The whole album is good, but my personal favorites are "Most Unoriginal Sin", "Graceland", "Still is Still Moving to Me" and "Heartland" with Bob Dylan. Anybody who likes Willie should enjoy this album.

Average customer rating:

Across the Borderline
Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Country | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0002K73D0
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Tracks:

American Tune
Getting over You
Most Unoriginal Sin
Don't Give Up - Willie Nelson, Sin O'Connor
Heartland
Across the Borderline
Graceland
Farther Down the Line
Valentine
What Was It You Wanted?
I Love the Life I Live
If I Were the Man You Wanted
She's Not for You
Still Is Still Moving to Me

Album Description

Classic albums re-released on vinyl. Columbia. 2004.

Album Details

Limited Edition Reissue of this Classic Album Presented in a Special Package featuring a CD with a Top Side that Resembles an Original LP Vinyl Album, but Don't Let the Looks Deceive You...it's A Fully Playable CD.

Music Album:

Music Album