Customer Reviews

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

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3 star:		(2)
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I am a long standing fan and have many of his albums. If you only get 2, get this one and Stardust. They are both beyond excellent.

This is the greatest of Willie Nelson albums. It was recorded with the legendary Freddy Powers (and most of Powers' band). Powers is known as "The Country Jazz Singer," and his voice pushes Nelson. Nelson sings ahead and behind the beat, and Powers matches his musical skills. This is an absolutely stunning album, and hardly anyone knows it exists.

Following the success of Stardust, Willie recorded further albums of old standards. This was his second such album, though it was not a direct follow-up. With a different production team - Freddy Powers and his sidemen instead of Booker T Jones - the overall sound is slightly different from Stardust, but equally effective.

It came as a surprise to me when I first discovered that the big hit version of Over the rainbow was not the Judy Garland version - it only peaked at 5 on the American pop chart - but the Glenn Miller version, which stayed at number one for over two months. Willie's version is, of course, very different from either of those, but is brilliant in its own way.

Another surprise for we was to discover that Who's sorry now is more than thirty years older than I originally assumed. Of course, we all think of it as a Connie Francis song, but Isham Jones and Marion Harris both had top five hits with the song in 1923, when three other versions also charted high (eleven or better).

Other classic oldies (with their biggest original hit versions) given the distinctive Willie Nelson treatment include Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole in 1950), Exactly like you (Ruth Etting in 1930), I'm confessing that I love you (Guy Lombardo in 1930), My mother's eyes (George Jessel in 1928) and I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter (Fats Waller in 1935, but a bigger hit for the Boswell sisters a year later).

The origin of the other three songs is unknown to me, but Willie sings both Won't you ride in my little red wagon and It wouldn't be the same superbly. He completes the album with an instrumental version of Twinkle twinkle little star.

If you enjoy Willie's Stardust album, you'll also enjoy this album.

Willie Nelson put an excellent acoustic group together for this album. It was done I believe as a memorial to the great Django Reinhardt. The band is extremely tight and Willie sings beautifully on the album. This is a truly unique work that I enjoy everytime I hear it.

I'm disappointed with this one, sadly surprised. The musicians are great and the vocals by Freddie Powers are a nice treat but where the heck was Willie when they picked these songs? He sounds smooth but I swear you could plug a few quarters in him and get a few more tunes out of him -- he's on 'automatic' it seems for a very short collection.

I'm glad they titled 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" because I never would have recognized it.

Star Dust stands alone, nothing can come close to that. He put more energy and thought in one song (Moonlight in Vermont) than he did in this entire collection on Rainbow. The best Willie, for me, is Milk Cow Blues and right now Cindy Walker is neck to neck with Red Headed Stranger.

If you get a chance to hear the original Milk Cow Blues, or one of them, by Sidney Bechet and then listen to Willie you can't help but be impressed by the depth of this mans' talent and passion for music.

I'd skip Over the Rainbow if you're new to Willie -- if you want the commercial Willie, get Star Dust which is beautiful and warm and loving. If you want some serious blues and singing get Milk Cow Blues and now, if you want to kick up your heels or go cheek-to-cheek, get the Cindy Walker (amazingly talented woman).

But hey, it's WIllie and ya gotta love the man.

I HAD AN 8 TRACK PLAYER IN A LITTLE ROYAL BLUE SUPER BEETLE VW IN THE 1980'S. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY 8 TRACK TAPE I HAD BACK THEN, WITH JUST STARTING A FAMILY WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO MANY. I THINK WILLIE'S VERSION OF "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW" IS THE BEST. ALL HIS SONGS ARE GOOD AND MOST ARE RELAXING TO LISTEN TO, BUT THIS HAS TO BE MY FAVORITE. I TRIED FINDING IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE FINDING IT ON AMAZON. THANKS AMAZON AND THANKS WILLIE.

Willie Nelson turned out another great album of classic American pop standards with Somewhere over the Rainbow. Willie pours heart and soul into the songs on this CD and just one listen proves it! The sound quality is excellent and that artwork largely replicates the artwork from the original vinyl record album release.

"Mona Lisa" starts the album off; and Willie never skips a beat! His voice conveys all the emotions of the lyrics to this ballad; and that elegant guitar arrangement enhances the natural beauty of this song. "Exactly Like You" gets a most spirited arrangement and the musical interlude is amazing! Willie never lets go of a single superfluous note and that's grand.

"Who's Sorry Now" is partly performed with a tempo that is somewhat faster than I'm used to; but it grew on me relatively quickly. The beautiful arrangement complements Willie's vocals to perfection; and "Who's Sorry Now" is easily a highlight of this album. "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" is very well done; and listen for Willie to do a superb job on "Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon;" "Over the Rainbow" and "In My Mother's Eyes." In particular, Willie's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" is quite sensitive and I would like to think Judy Garland would have loved this version of one of her signature songs!

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself a Letter)" gets the royal treatment from Willie and his pals; they put a lot of energy into this somewhat melancholy number and it all holds its own very well. "It Wouldn't Be the Same (Without You)" has beautiful key modulations and Willie sings this faultlessly; and then the album closes with an instrument version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" that boasts real electricity and creativity, too!

Willie Nelson fans should add this to their collections; it's a mighty fine album from a great artist. This is also a wonderful album for people who enjoy classic pop and jazz vocals.

I bought this on the recommendation of Randy Elmore, an extraordinary swing fiddler who played with Mel Tillis for years and teaches at Johnny Gimble's Swing Camp. Johnny was driving down a road in Texas and saw Willie's bus pulled over - he stopped to offer help and Willie asked if he wanted to come to the recording session and sit in. Randy said it is the best Texas Swing fiddle ever recorded. It well might be and Willie is at his best, too. Great song selection.

This CD is what you would get when Wille and Freddy play in the living room. A lot of us, in Austin, have been in the living room for this kind of jam. (See Rodgers and Hammerhead)
Freddy is the best rhythm guitarist in Texas. His songs have been hits for Willie, a half dozen for Merle, George Jones and Ray Charles. He is a Texas treasure. Willie sings swing songs better than ever, on this CD. You can hear the reckless fun that went on in the studio. The late Paul Buskirk was a mentor for both Willie AND Freddy and they were lucky to get this session recorded while he was still with us. THIS IS AN AMAZING, INTIMATE CD!!!

From 1985, some call this a follow-up to "Stardust" which is not accurate. Be aware: Willie shares lead vocals with Freddie Powers which is not clear on the packaging, and something I wasn't aware of when I purchased it. Also, these are more "country swing" versions, with quite a bit of fiddle and violin. However, it does sound like they had a lot of fun recording this album. Standouts: "Mona Lisa", "Who's Sorry Now?", I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter".