Though this 1975 album cost Willie only $20,000 to record, it handed him the success he'd craved after years as a hit songwriter and modestly successful singer. By blending originals and vintage material, he created a timeless Western saga, one that originally left Columbia Records, who'd guaranteed him artistic control, skeptical. The label's doubts, amplified by the fact that Nelson had recorded the album in Texas with only his seven-piece touring band, evaporated after the album and two singles, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "Remember Me," became huge hits and launched Willie into the stratosphere. This enhanced version preserves the original sequence, adding four bonus tracks. One, a brief snippet of Bach's "Minuet in G" from the 1986 Red Headed Stranger film, is inconsequential. Three more, from the 1975 sessions, are enjoyable covers of Hank Williams's "I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love with You," Bob Wills's "A Maiden's Prayer," and Pee Wee King's "Bonaparte's Retreat," footnotes to the original but welcome nonetheless. --Rich Kienzle
Saddle up, and let Willie Nelson take you on a mellow 33-minute trot through the Old West. Before this sparkling concept album Nelson had been known primarily as a songwriter, having penned hits such as "Night Life," "Crazy," and "Hello Walls." On this 1975 record, he creates a lonely and plaintive mood with an almost childlike lullaby quality. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" thrust him into the spotlight, but ballads such as "Time of the Preacher" and "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" also receive sensitive treatments . Borrowing from turn-of-the-century cowboy music, Nelson guides a 15-song journey that includes some lively instrumental stops, but mostly wanders quietly through the sage. --Marc Greilsamer
