Willie Nelson Favorites

Disc: 1

1. Moment Isn't Very Long

2. Both Ends of the Cradle

3. End of Understanding

4. Go Away

5. Healing Hands of Time

6. I Didn't Sleep a Wink

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. And So Will You My Love

2. Building Heartaches

3. Everything But You

4. Half a Man

5. I Can't Find the Time

6. Let's Pretend

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Any Old Arms Won't Do

2. Ashamed

3. Face of a Fighter

4. Hapiness Lives Next Door

5. I Hope So

6. Right from Wrong

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

By The Rivers Of Babylon
Stand By Me
It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)
In God's Eyes
There Shall Be Showers Of Blessings
Tell It To Jesus
Family Bible
Revive Us Again
Softly And Tenderly
Kneel At The Feet Of Jesus

Amazon.com

Here's what you get with this exquisite little blessing: Willie, his fragile yet utterly earnest voice, his peculiar and passionate phrasing, his unmatched gut-string guitar, his sister Bobbie on graceful piano, and a refreshing set of sacred songs. So what are you waiting for? --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Love Old Time Gospel Music.......2007-03-16

Iloved this CD - Willie's unique voice singing out those timeless old hymns - what a combination!

Good simple gospel music, horrible cd release........2004-09-04

I prefer this record to The Troublemaker. They are both filled with great gospel songs. This record is much more intimate instead of a sounding like a jam session. So I'd give the music 4 stars.

As a CD reissue, I give this 0 stars. It's really pitiful. This CD is a reissue of the Family Bible LP from 1980. They changed the order which I don't mind, but they dropped "An Evening Prayer" which is unfortunate. They changed the cover from a charming studio photo of Bobby and Willie to a New England postcard. They spent no time remastering the sound. I transferred my vinyl and I did a better job that the record label, and they had theoretically had access to the masters.

Very peaceful.......2004-05-18

Originally released in 1980 under the title "Family Bible." The song, Family Bible, was a minor country hit in 1980 and is one of my favorite songs on this CD. If you are looking for a follow-up to Willie's outstanding "The Troublemaker" album you might be disappointed in this album. While it is a very good CD, the performances are stripped down and lack the backing vocals and instrumental support found on "The Troublemaker." What you get on this CD is just Willie, his guitar, and a piano accompaniment. No drums, no bass guitar, no slide, no organ, etc... That does not make this a bad album, but it lacks the punch that "Troublemaker" has. The result here are solid performances and a much more peaceful feel. I recommend this CD if you like traditional gospel music or if you like Willie Nelson. But if you are looking for a "Troublemaker II" you might be disappointed.

WILLIE NELSON SHINES ON THIS GOSPEL ALBUM.......2002-06-11

THE SONG "TELL IT TO JESUS" IS MY FAVORITE SONG OFF OF THIS ALBUM. I DEDICATE IT TO ANYONE WHO IS DOWN AND OUT.

One of the best!.......2001-04-13

I truly enjoy each song on this CD! A work of art.

Average customer rating:

Sweet Voices come from Kimmie's words - she is beautiful...
A beautiful, soulful collaboration

Picture in a Frame
Kimmie Rhodes , and Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: Sunbird Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00009NQQU
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Picture In A Frame
Valentine
Just One Love
'Til I Gain Control Again
Love Me Like a Song
I Just Drove By
Contrabandistas
It Always Will Be
We've Done This Before
Rhinestone Highway

Customer Reviews:

Sweet Voices come from Kimmie's words - she is beautiful..........2005-03-13

she is a fresh breath of life in a budding flower
a cool breeze through your hair
touching parts of the heart and mind never felt before

Willie Nelson just adds to the mix
Kimmie doesn't need validation - she IS a star

their voices feel good together....

every song is a hand picked hit!

5 more stars!

A beautiful, soulful collaboration.......2004-10-27

"Simpatico" is the one word that I think best describes Willie Nelson and Kimmie Rhodes, two Texas crooners whose voices and musical inclinations meld with startling beauty. Either singer can crest to the top or fall back into humble harmonies in this set of ten fine duets. The songs are mostly Kimmie Rhodes originals, though Willie contributes two ("Valentine" and "It Will Always Be") with the remainder of the set coming from sources as disparate as Tom Waits (the wrote title track), Rodney Crowell and Rhodes' partner, Joe Gracey. For folks who like understated, well-crafted American music with deep, deep roots and perfect emotional pitch, this record is the real deal. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

Willie...you've done better.
One of Willie's best early LPs
Salon.com review

Country Favorites, Willie Nelson Style
Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: Buddha
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Me and the Drummer
Night And Day
The Great Divide
Yesterday's Wine
Run That By Me One More Time

ASIN: B0000457FF
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Tracks:

Columbus Stockade Blues
Seasons Of My Heart
I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows (For Just One Yesterday)
My Window Faces The South
Go On Home
Fraulein
San Antonio Rose
I Love You Because
Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)
Home In San Antone
Heartaches By The Number
Making Believe

Amazon.com

This straight reissue of Willie's second album (from 1966) proves that Nashville wasn't always unaware of how to handle him. Backed by the tightest and jazziest edition of Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadors, Nelson previews things to come in the '70s while reviving 12 of his favorite Western swing standards and barroom ballads. Wade Ray, who uncorks hellacious fiddle solos on "Home in San Antone" and "Columbus Stockade Blues," is an added attraction. Willie is the very sound of sorrow and loss on gems like "I'd Trade All of My Tomorrows (For Just One Yesterday)," "Go On Home," and "Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)." He also turns in a robust "Fräulein," starts "Seasons of My Heart" at the bottom of his range before modulating up effortlessly, and reaches way down for "Making Believe." Lead guitarist Leon Rhodes and steel man Buddy Charlton provide solid support and superlative soloing. --John Morthland

Customer Reviews:

Willie...you've done better........2001-08-21

First let me say that I've been listening to and enjoying Willie Nelson's music for going on 30 years and I have alot of respect for him as a performer and songwriter. That said, these twelve arrangements of some of my favorite country songs are really lame. When I first heard about this CD of Willie with the Texas Troubadors, I thought it would surely be a gem, but even the likes of Buddy Charleton (steel) and Leon Rhodes (guitar) can't save this 1965 turkey. The songs all sound either too fast or too slow to me. The arrangements are dated in the worst sense of the word. I guess these were supposed to be the "hip, now" arrangements of great country standards, but they just sound overproduced and corny to me. If you want to hear Willie Nelson at his best from the same period, get "Country Willie-His Own Songs" and forget this aberration.

One of Willie's best early LPs.......2000-07-16

In many ways, this LP, Nelson's second for RCA, is the very root of the outlaw he would become. Though later recordings would more firmly reject the restricting conventions of Nashville, his singing and swinging with Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours shows just how early on he was beating on the edges of the RCA box.

Across a catalog of twelve country standards, Nelson applies his unique phrasing, often reaching down to the bottom of his range for emotion. The Troubadours follow along ably, with the fiddle of Wade Ray providing some incredible sparks. Nelson walks across the traditional phrasings, and the band plays right along. Given the band's talent, it's probably not surprising that they're able to provide such tight and effective support to his unusual style.

"Stardust," Nelson's later gambol with pop standards may take Miss Popularity, but this earlier dabble with the songs of others laid out the road.

Salon.com review.......2000-02-12

By David Hill

Feb. 11, 2000 | It's hard to imagine, but there was a time when Willie Nelson -- who will be honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy award on Feb. 23 -- was just a funny looking songwriter struggling to make it as a singer and a performer. "I guess Nashville was the roughest," a soon-to-be outlaw Nelson sang in 1971, near the end of his frustrating seven-year stint at RCA Victor.

As a writer, Nelson had already proved himself, having penned such classics as "Crazy," "Night Life" and "Funny How Time Slips Away." But fame as a recording artist was more elusive. His producer at RCA, legendary guitarist and Nashville Sound architect Chet Atkins, couldn't quite figure out what to do with the chubby fellow from Texas with the quirky vocal phrasing. Sometimes Atkins had the good sense to keep things simple, but too often he laid the syrupy strings and the mushy background vocals on a little too thick. Of the dozen or so albums Nelson recorded for the label, a few are superb, particularly the first, "Country Willie -- His Own Songs" (1965), recently reissued on Buddha, and "Yesterday's Wine" (1971). Most, however, are pretty forgettable -- and long out of print. None sold very well.

"Country Favorites -- Willie Nelson Style," from 1966, is a little-known gem from this period that deserves to be called a classic. (It's available on CD for the first time.) Recorded in just two days with members of the legendary Texas Troubadours, Ernest Tubb's band, the album is a showcase for Nelson's relaxed, jazzy singing style, which apparently baffled many Nashville regulars. The Troubadours, however, play with polished ease as Nelson alternates between upbeat Western swing numbers ("My Window Faces the South," "Home in San Antone") and tear-stained ballads ("Seasons of My Heart," "Go On Home"), all of which had been made famous by other singers. (None of the songs on the album were written by Nelson.)

Nelson's now-famous habit of holding onto notes a little bit longer than your average country singer is especially evident on the swing numbers. On "San Antonio Rose," the Bob Wills song, he gets downright abstract as he cheerfully adds an extra syllable here and stretches a phrase there. Wade Ray, whose incendiary fiddle playing can be heard on the uptempo numbers, once said, "I've heard musicians say Willie sang out of meter. He did not sing out of meter. He phrased. He sang in front of the beat, behind the beat, and just came out at the end." Well put.

"Country Favorites" spent 17 weeks on Billboard's country chart, peaking at No. 9 -- not bad, but it didn't make Nelson a superstar. "Red Headed Stranger" (1975) did that. "Country Favorites," however, showed that Nelson was a first-rate singer and an interpreter of great American songs. Nelson made this abundantly clear in 1978, when he recorded "Stardust," his collection of pop standards. But "Country Favorites" is where it all began. salon.com | Feb. 11, 2000

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About the writer David Hill is a freelance writer in Denver.

Favorites
Average customer rating:
Favorites
Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: St. Clair Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00092ZM16
Release Date: 2005-04-29