Customer Reviews

Never Say Die: Live

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't believe how awful I feel. Waylon was a living legend, that's for sure, but he was so humble about his place in the world. I had the good fortune to seem him live in concert last year, and he had lost nothing from the vitality he had shown on his records over the course of his career.... If you haven't heard this, you are missing out on what will stand as the last phase of Hoss' career. His band is tight, Waylon's vocals are cooking, and the guest stars are there to pay homage, like John Anderson and Travis Tritt. And, folks, the horn charts on this album are hot! I love a good horn section, and Waylon got him one of the best. It has a gripping, live feel to it. Just listen to that opening track and you will hear what I mean!

With this cd, you can pay a little visit to Waylon for the rest of your life. Just turn the lights off and shut the door, put this cd on and you are in the audience with Waylon and there ain't much better in the world at that moment. God Bless You, Hoss!

I guess I had a very lucky day yesterday .... I got an advanced copy of the new Waylon Jennings album Never Say Die - Live!! With the Waylon singing up a storm and the Waymore Blues Band jamming away in the background, this album is destined to be a new classic!!

Once again Waylon delivers the goods! The rich and powerful vocals delivered by Waylon (with a little help from his Waymore Blues Band) on this album illustrate why he is one of the finest singers and most enduring performers of all time - in any music genre. The title track "Never Say Die" (a personal favorite) is a clear sign that Waylon has not lost his touch for a litte hard driving music .... 5 minutes of pure country ROCK!! Waylon's interpretation of the Dobie Gray classic, "Drift Away", is a refreshing rendition and brings this classic up to date. One of Waylon's newly penned songs "Nothing Catches Jesus by Surprise" offers a soulful and thought provoking tale of loves journey. Waylon's remake of "Never Been to Spain" sounds like another brand new song (another rocker), especially with the 11 member Waymore Blues Band thrown in the mix. The remainder of the album offers a well balanced mix of old and new material .... something for those that delight in the old Waylon standards .... and something for those looking to hear Waylon expand his repertoire. Mrs. Waylon Jennings (Jessi Colter) also gets in a few licks and shows off her great voice .... what a little angel!! Waylon still has that great voice that projects a soulful and rich emotion that is missing in much of todays music. He may not play the guitar like in the old days, but his voice is like a fine wine - it keeps getting better with age. The "new hats" could definitely learn a thing or two form this veteran of country music!!

The Waymore Blues Band is just outstanding!! A finer group of musicians has yet to be assembled, with hats off to Robby Turner (pedal steel) and Reggie Young (electric guitar) .... 2 of Nashville's finest pickers. And the rest are top notch players as well - a truly awesome group!! The vocals provided by Carter Robertson, Barney Robertson and Rance Wasson add a tremendous complimentary accompaniment to Waylon's lead vocal efforts. On several occasions, these folks take the lead .... and do so proudly!! For a "live" recording, the band brings a fantastic sound quality that would be hard to top in a studio effort!! I wasn't sure about the newest musical addition, however, I kind of like the fresh sound the horn section adds to the mix. I'll have to admit, I never really expected the outlaw Waylon Jennings to ever have a horn section in the band, but it does indeed add a nice touch. It also goes to show the creativity and expressiveness Waylon has towards his music .... he is not afraid to go out on a limb now and again (for the sake of good music)!

Well, enough said. Never Say Die - Live is another AWSOME Waylon Jennnings CD ..... definitely well worth the wait for this ol' boy!! And I will be trying my best to wear it out by playing it again and again and again!! I hope the sales go well so ol' WAYLON will be inspired to continue with his efforts to make more music and albums. Every home outta have at least one of them!!! The legendary outlaw still has a lot of music to bring to the world, let's hope he continues!!

Thanks

Chinook

p.s. Thank You Mr. Waylon Jennings and the Waymore Blues Band for the latest and greatest album!!!

I've been a Waylon fan since I was just a little brat listening to Waylon's "Greatest Hits" on my brother's 8-track player. So the words "Waylon's last album" are harder than hell to say. But this is it, and if it has to be the last one at least it is a befitting coda to one of the most innovative careers in country music. Waylon kicks ... on this CD, recorded live over two nights at the Ryman Auditorium in January 2000. He's joined by superstars like Travis Tritt and Montgomery Gentry and he outsings 'em all. From the bluesy opening number, "Closing in on the Fire", to the last song, "Can't You See", which Waylon did here more like the Marshall Tucker Band original than his own 1976 hit version, Waylon was in top form, the booming baritone clear and powerful. Why the hell can't some of the young country punks have voices like Waylon? Anyway, I think the new, original songs on this CD are its best tracks, including the title song and "Goin' Down Rockin'". Yeah, Waylon, you sure as heck went down rockin', and we will all miss you. Hearing this CD makes me sorely regret the fact that I never got to see Waylon live. Waylon is gone, but the legend remains. This CD is proof that it always will.

Waylon Jennings was never very conventional and this is sure not conventional country. A heavy dose of brass and some screeching girl singers back him up. (Pardon me for thinking that at his age he needs all the help he can get.) I like most of the songs, but I don't think the "guest stars" add much of anything. Wife Jessie Colter, however, is excellent on her signature song, "I'm not Lisa" and they do a nice duet. Waylon does some heavy duty rocking on some tracks. My only real complaint with the CD is that too many of the songs are old, familiar rock and roll favorities. A more adventurous selection of songs would have made the music fresher. But, Waylon is still pretty good.

. . . but I was there the second of 2 nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, sitting behind the likes of Andy Griggs, Johnny Hartford, Colin Raye and Leroy Parnell. If you have any spot in your life that has ever been touched by the music of Waylon, this is a must have CD. He's every bit the common man's singer/songwriter as he ever was. Seeing him and Jessie after the show was an added treat. Even though his back was giving him major problems and he had to be helped down the back stairs of the Ryman, he still took the time to speak to those of us who waited by his limo to wish him well. Someone asked him why he didn't run for president and he said things were screwed up enough in Washington without his help. Great show, Great guests, Great Living Legend!!

I don't take criticizing Waylon lightly. I own just about EVERY item he has recorded, literally. This CD is worth buying for the simple fact that it is his last and for that we are all very sad but if you are a hardcore Waylon fan, this is not the CD for you. If not for his incredible talent, this CD would be horible. Waylon comes full circle. After leaving Nashville and inventing his own sound, here at the end, he returns with a horn section? Travis Tritt? Recording Dobie Gray's Drift Away? Let's say its a long way from Waylon Live and The Restless Kid Live at JD's. The raw Austin sound is gone and the slick country of today invades. If you listen to his music and miss him daily like I do, this CD will not do the trick.

What wonderful talent. This CD has several artists worth listening to from Travis Tritt, John Anderson, Montgomery Gentry and what a talent the lady is who sings with Waylon on "Never Been to Spain", "Nothing Catches Jesus by Surprise" and "Drift Away". Now, SHE really needs to get her own thing going too. I highly recommend this CD as a collection of music you will NEVER hear on the radio.

Waylon just gets better as time passes. After collecting his music for over 20 years, I keep finding surprises in his vocal interpretations in some of his better known hits and this album adds a couple more! The duet tracks are excellent! There's not one bad track on this CD!

Gave this as a gift to a relative who has enjoyed many, many hours of enjoyment from it. I am so happy to have purchased it and given it as a gift.

"Never Say Die: Live" isn't your typical live album. Hell, "Waylon Live," Waylon's rough and rowdy 1976 live album (recently re-issued with nine bonus tracks), wasn't a regular ol' live album, either. That's not Waylon's style -- Waylon is different; Waylon is unique. Waylon is Waylon... still.

This album contains some greatest hits, sure, but it also has some new gems on it. Songs like "Nothing Catches Jesus By Surprise" and "Goin' Down Rockin'" are just as good as anything Waylon recorded in the 1970s or '80s. (I refuse to say "When he was at his peak" because I believe that, musically, that's where he is now.. or he's approaching it, anyway.)

Waylon's voice is ageing, but it sounds better than ever. His Waymore Blues Band is a tight unit, with many of the members taken from his '70s and '80s band the "Waylors." Three of them even join in with the singing -- Barny Robertson, Rance Wasson, and Carter Robertson (Barny's wife). Carter is a knock-out. She has a beautiful voice, and it's worth the purchase price just to hear her vocal efforts. The new horn section of the band definitely deserves a mention. The horns really add to the music, make it more dramatic, and just generally give it more "boom."

This album sees Waylon's stellar line of recent albums continue. If he can't go down rockin', he ain't gonna go down at all!

"Whoop! Whoop!"