Customer Reviews

A Tribute To Waylon Jennings

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought this album was excellent. No, it's not a greatest hits album, and that's what drew me to it even more. This album introduces a collection of songs for the distinguishing Waylon fan because it goes past the obvious. It emphasizes the essence of Waylon's song, and that made it very solid. I also liked the fact that the artists introduced their own contributions to the songs; Norah Jones' rendition of `Wurlitzer Prize' was absolutely wonderful, Robert Earl Keen as he performed `Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way' was incredible, as was Henry Rollins' interpretation of `Lonesome, On'ry and Mean' which definitely rocked. I highly recommend this album to all fans of Waylon Jennings. This one is definitely not one to be passed up.

Not quite sure what the first reviewer is talking about...But, check out her other bizarro reviews by clicking her name.

OK, now onto the CD: There have been a slew of this country tribute CDs, featuring a bunch of artists whose contributions pale mightily compared to the person they are feteing. Which raises the question: Why listen to a collection of covers by lesser artists?

In the case of Waylon, though, his music is so vastly underappreciated and has not been widely covered by others. This is among the first time many of his classics have been touched by anyone else. That makes Lonesome Ornry and Mean at least a little more interesting than the tribute records to Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, the Beatles, etc.

Particularly interesting: The return of Carlene Carter on Waylon's semi-autobiographical "I've Always Been Crazy." Given Carter's plight in recent years, the ease with which these lyrics fit her is eerie. She's not in great voice here, but I still hope this marks her return to active recording.

Much better is Norah Jones's killer "Wurlitzer Prize" (back in the day, the under-appreciated flip side of the "Luchenbach Texas" single). And, wow, does "Good Hearted Woman" fit Guy Clark's style to a tee. "Let's All Help the Cowboy Sing the Blues" is an odd cover by Jack Clement -- odd because he wrote it to begin with. Junior Brown's "Nashville Rebel" is great -- a rarely heard song with Brown doing his best Waylon imitation. "Waymore's Blues" is such a great song that it can't be marred by a reconstituted Crickets. Allison Moorer acquits herself well on "Storms Never Last," though this is actually from the Jessi Colter catalog (admittedly, Waylon and Jessi did a duet cover of this in the 1980s). Kudos to Kristofferson for covering an underappreciated Highwaymen track.

Less successful: "Amanda" by Dave Alvin is even duller than the original. Robert Earl Keen's "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" seems to confirm his downward trajectory. And Henry Rollins' predictable rave up of the title track makes you realize how much better Waylon was at rocking without pyrotechnics or pretention.

Lots of Waylon's catalog from his RCA glory days have never been released on CD. The greatest tribute of all here would be a renewed interest in Waylon's music that spurs an aggressive reissue program by RCA or others.

These versions of classic Waylon songs are okay, but they just make me want to put in the original version done by Waylon himself. I appreciate the artists wanting to do a tribute to this awesome picker (and I am a big Robert Earl Keen fan), but they just don't do Waymore justice!

I've been a Waylon fan since I was a little girl listening to my Grandmother's vinyls. I've been a Rollins fan since I was a teen punk. To have them together is awesome. I was going to skip this, then I saw Rollins on it and had to go for it. I gave it 3 stars for the lackluster Norah Jones. Dragged the whole album down. I'm sure many disagree.

Waylon Jennings was an influential American country singer and guitarist, born in Littlefield, Texas. He taught himself to play guitar as a young child, and formed his first band two years later. He worked as a DJ throughout his high school years, dropping out of high school to look for a career in music. During his time working as a DJ, he met and befriended Buddy Holly.

"On the night of February 3, 1959 (The Day the Music Died) the airplane carrying Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) crashed outside of Mason City, Iowa, killing all passengers. Jennings had given his seat to Richardson, who had the flu and desperately needed rest. In his 1996 autobiography, Jennings admitted for the first time that in the years afterward, he felt severe guilt and responsibility for the crash. After Jennings gave up his seat, Holly had jokingly told him that he hoped the tour bus would stall. Jennings replied, with equal jocularity, that he hoped the plane would crash; these words would haunt him for years."
Wikipedia.com

Tribute albums are the way many of us are introduced to artists, and 2003's 'Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings" was released a year after Jenning's death. This CD serves as an introduction and tribute to one of the greats of both country music and American popular music in the 20th century. Some of the songs are performed by Waylon's friends Kris Kristofferson on "I Do Believe" and Junior Brown's "Nashville Rebel" or even sung by their songwriters Jack Clement's "Let's All Help the Cowboys Sing the Blues". There's no shortage of love for Waylon here. You do not get more alternate-country than the outlaw Waylon Jennings and his music. This is the sort of music that gives country its true message. Guy Clark opens the CD in fine fettle with "Good Hearted Woman" and is followed by that melodious woman, Nanci Griffith, on the excellent "You Asked Me To." New artists are also featured and Norah Jones sings the "Wurlitzer Prize." Her lovely voice blends so well with piano, guitar and bass. "Amanda" with Dave Alvin gives is a great surprise here. He has a special knack for old country and blues.

Junior Brown sings "Nashville Rebel," a song that reflects Jenning's personality. He has things to do and things to say in my own way. The next track written by Jennings, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way," tells us that he had a new voice and attitude when he took to country music. Carlene Carter gives us a beautiful rendition of another of his songs, "I've Always Been Crazy." Although not written by Jennings, "Luckenbach, Texas" is as close as you get to a biography of the country outlaws. The title track comes at the end of the CD, performed by Henry Rollins.

Waylon Jennings was well known for his hard life and ways. He had a cocaine habit that he was able to overcome, but his reputation has an "outlaw" has grown to epic proportions. He and Johnny Cash, Kris Kristoffersen, and Willie Nelson became the outlaws, and performed on CDs and concerts across the US. He and his last wife Jessie Colter, had a son, Shooter Jennings, who carries on his parent's singing tradition.

For all his cult successes, Jennings was modest to the point of even putting down his own guitar playing. "Hell, I ain't no great guitar player," he said. "I just play my stuff. I'm very self-conscious about my guitar playing for some reason. I'm a singer, I never practice on my guitar."

This is a CD of remembrance to Waylon Jennings, and it lives up to his memory. Highly Recommended. prisrob April 8, 2006

As a serious fan of Waylon Jennings and generally a fan of tribute albums, I was very excited about this album. What a disappointment, though-- While I loved Allison Moorer and Norah Jones and Alejandro Escovedo, I was disappointed by most of the rest, and truly appalled by the inclusion of Henry Rollins. Not a great choice of artists. This "tribute" does not do Waylon any justice. Stick to the real thing!

This Album Got A LOT Of Great Songs That WE All Know From Waylons CD`s

This tribute to Waylon is a fine set. The musicians all seem to have an affinity for Jennings' music, even some of the less obvious choices. Guy Clark is one of the country outlaws; and "Good Hearted Woman" is given an affectionate dusting. Nancy Griffith's "You Asked Me To" highlights the Jennings/Shaver lovely melody, without grandstanding. Norah Jones' reading of "Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)" is a real high point on this excellent set with her bluesy piano giving the track a new sound. Joe Doe relates to the punk side of Waylon's persona and smokes sassily through "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line." "Nashville Rebel" has a great trad country feel with Junior Brown's deep bass voice and Lloyd Green's steel guitar diving deep into country. Radney Foster with Roger Credager does a nice job on the catchy "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)". Allison Moorer does a dynamite job with Jessi Colter's gorgeous tune "Storms Never Last," highlighting the rare softer side Waylon showed. Kris Kristofferson sang "I Do Believe" at Waylon's funeral; his version here is heartfelt with a great slow build. "Lock, Stock & Teardrops" by Alejandro Escovedo works extremely well. The liner notes give great information on Waylon. I forgot he was part of Buddy Holly's band; so the Cricket's version of "Waymore's Blues" fits well. Although it might seem unusual, I really like Henry Rollins' rocking version of the title tune. This is a nice set that Dualtone has put together, a tribute to one of our country greats. Enjoy!

I loved this collection of covers for Waylon Jennings. Some couldn't compare to Waylon's rendition (Guy Clark's "Good Hearted Woman, for example) but still all great covers.

Industry Reviews
4 stars out of 5 - This stands
Mojo (04/01/2004)

...Perfect for melancholy night drives, although Norah Jones' 'Wurlitzer Prize' will make you so weepy, you may crash your pickup... - Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly (04/18/2003)

3 stars out of 5 - ...A collection of punks, folkies, country singers and Tex-Mex crooners celebrates both the romantic and rebellious sides of the late Texas outlaw legend Waylon Jennings...
Rolling Stone (05/29/2003)