The Essential Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 1995)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002WTA
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,130 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Essential Nelson.., July 28, 2008

By 

R. Webb "minstrel man" (u.s.a.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Essential Willie Nelson (Audio CD)

This is one of Willie Nelson's essentials,here is twenty songs from Willie's early days in Nashville, notably the R.C.A. recordings,back in the day when Nelson was known more as a songwriter than an established singer. These songs lean more on the country sound with reliable Jimmy Day on steel - featuring songs,"I Gotta Get Drunk","Yesterday's Wine","Sweet Memories","Bloody Mary Morning", and Willie covers E.T.'s,"Waltz Across Texas", there's the timeless,"Night Life","Funny How Time Slips Away". Willie is in good form on these recordings, his singing style has changed through the years , some people may not realize that Nelson is also a fine guitar player extraordinaire,he oughta be ,he's been playing the same guitar for fifty years, the one with the worn out pickguard, the worn out autographs,(the only signature I could ever read was,Lefty Frizzell.) The legend has it that Nelson's house burnt down in Texas,two things were saved ,that same ol' classic worn guitar and an ounce of weed...love that guitar. "I Gotta Get Drunk" is worth the price of admission alone on this out of print disc,and you'll hear the songs of a poet who has tasted both the bitter and the sweet in the ever-changing events of life,Willie Nelson.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sampling of core Willie Nelson music., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Willie Nelson (Audio CD)

This album is a keeper! I took it out of the library and have renewed it and now it's overdue so I'm ordering one. There's not a dud cut on the disk. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Willie's best for the RCA label, February 22, 2008

By 

Johnny Boy "The Record Collector" (Hockessin, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Willie Nelson (Audio CD)

Willie Nelson's RCA years are probably my favorite of his lengthy career. I LOVE Willie's music. This one 'The Essential Willie Nelson' (not to be confused with the 2-disc Columbia release), is a nice 20-song sampler of his best RCA recordings from 1964 to 1971.

If you want a cheap, nice retrospective of Willie on RCA, than check out 'Platinum & Gold Collection.' I recommend that one if you're on a budget as well. But, this set is for those who want to explore Willie's RCA sides more.

You get his finest early sides. 'Hello Walls,' 'The Night Life,' 'Funny How Time Slips Away,' and one of my personal favorites, 'The Party's Over.'

It's also interesting to hear the original 'Bloody Mary Morning.' The version I know and love appears on the 'Phases and Stages' record. I may actually like the original better than the classic album version.

You also get another one of my personal favorites on this set, 'Me And Paul.' This is a classic country song, and it fits perfectly on any Willie collection.

If your new to Willie Nelson's RCA sides, either this or 'Platinum And Gold Collection' will fit perfectly. However, if you want to get his very best RCA sides and you want them in one piece, look no further.

This is highly recommended for any Willie Nelson fan. These classic early recordings just can't be beat! And the sound quality is excellent as well. ENJOY!!!