Nelson's first "concept" album, the Jerry Wexler-produced (at Muscle Shoals) Phases and Stages, providing both a man and a woman's viewpoints on a crumbling marriage which was inspired by Nelson's own divorce. First released in 1974, it features the stand-outs "Bloody Mary Morning," "Walkin'," "Pretend I Never Happened," and the title track.
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.
Musicians:
Willie Nelson, acoustic guitar, vocals
Fred Carter, Jr., acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, dobro
Pete Carr, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro
John Hughey, pedal steel guitar
Barry Beckett, keyboards
David Hood, bass
Roger Hawkins, drums
Eric Weissberg, banjo (4)
Al Lester, fiddle (6)
Features:
Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Washing the Dishes
2. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Walkin'
3. Pretend I Never Happened
4. Sister's Coming Home / Down At the Corner Beer Joint
5. (How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again
6. Bloody Mary Morning
7. Phases and Stages (Theme) / No Love Around
8. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone
9. It's Not Supposed to Be That Way
10. Heaven and Hell
11. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Pick Up the Tempo / Phases and Stages (Theme)
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.
Musicians:
Willie Nelson, acoustic guitar, vocals
Fred Carter, Jr., acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, dobro
Pete Carr, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro
John Hughey, pedal steel guitar
Barry Beckett, keyboards
David Hood, bass
Roger Hawkins, drums
Eric Weissberg, banjo (4)
Al Lester, fiddle (6)
Features:
Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Washing the Dishes
2. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Walkin'
3. Pretend I Never Happened
4. Sister's Coming Home / Down At the Corner Beer Joint
5. (How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again
6. Bloody Mary Morning
7. Phases and Stages (Theme) / No Love Around
8. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone
9. It's Not Supposed to Be That Way
10. Heaven and Hell
11. Phases and Stages (Theme) / Pick Up the Tempo / Phases and Stages (Theme)