Willie & Family Live [Live, Original recording remastered]

Willie Nelson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00009VU2E
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,439 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > Country > Outlaw Country

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Willie Nelson has always enjoyed playing the casino circuit and this two-CD set catches him and his ever-touring entourage at a 1978 Lake Tahoe stopover. Nelson's live shows tend to have more in common with jam-rock-styled events than country-styled concerts--meaning that they are drawn-out experiences with peaks and valleys as opposed to tightly focused, song-oriented sets. Thus, those whose ears are expecting the latter might find the endless jamming a bit tedious and the vocal performances erratic. That, however, is their problem. This collection superbly captures the excitement, variety, enthusiasm, and spontaneity of a Nelson show as it rolls through Willie's own classics plus all the country chestnuts, standards, and spirituals that comprise his unerring American aesthetic. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 -- Country jam band caught live in 1978, September 21, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Willie & Family Live (Audio CD)

This 1978 set captures Nelson and his seven-piece band live at Harrah's casino showroom in Lake Tahoe, California. Those expecting a concise recitation of Nelson's songs - a typical country music show - will be in for something of a shock. In addition to reworking his early hits away from the straightjacket of their original Nashville arrangements, Nelson clearly looks at all of his songs as launching points for a live show, rather than sacrosanct icons.

His touring band includes a potent double-double rhythm section, with two drummers and two bassists, his sister Bobbie on piano (whose saloon style playing on "If You've Got the Money" and "Under the Double Eagle" is especially fine), Mickey Raphael on harmonica and Jody Payne on guitar; all in addition to his own nylon-string picking. Nelson leads the band through his rich catalog of material, ranging from early tunes like "Crazy" and "Hello Walls" and a medley from his then-latest triumph "Red Headed Stranger."

The show feels like an extended jam, with Nelson segueing his songs together, with the band following along as he typically rushes and lags the beat. This 25th anniversary reissue (which also celebrated Nelson's 70th birthday) adds a pair of tracks to the original twenty-nine, alternate versions of "Till I Gain Control Again" and "George on My Mind." These aren't definitive versions of Nelson's catalog of gems, but they paint a vivid portrait of the artist as a performer. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply One of The Best, June 12, 2006

By 

prairiepork - See all my reviews

This review is from: Willie & Family Live (Audio CD)

What I have found in many cases on Amazon is that people giving reviews are usually people who love the group/person and just fawn and gush about the recording, which is not at all helpful. I am going to rave about this because it is simply one of the best double CDs of all time. I like a huge array of music, if it is good, I like it, so I am not beholden to one style or artist. Willie Nelson is truly one of the gems of American music, as a songwriter and a performer, and this CD captures that very well. Incredible musicians back him up, and Willie can play and pick the guitar as good as anyone. He also has been willing throughout his career to do different styles, to explore new music types and to smash the frame people want him to be in. I don't like everything he has done, but of the thousands of CDs I have, this is easily in the Top 10, plus as a kicker, he signed it in 1999. Buy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Willie, May 28, 2005

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Willie & Family Live (Audio CD)

Excellent, warm sound on this expanded 2003 CD reissue of Willie Nelson's April, 1978 concert recording from Harrah's at Lake Tahoe, New York.
It adds two bonus tracks, both of them from the same show, bringing the already lengthy track list up to a whopping 31 numbers, and Willie Nelson is in firm control all along.

Disc one opens with a gritty "Whiskey River", which features some great, ragged harmonica playing by Mickey Raphael.
Other highlights include Nelson's own self-penned classics "Crazy" and "I Can Get Off On You", the inevitable "Mammas [sic] Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys", and a wonderful "Red Headed Stranger"-medley which includes "The Time Of The Preacher", "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain", and one of Willie Nelson's wonderful acoustic guitar solos. And sister Bobbie Nelson plays some inspired piano here and there, too, like the brief but memorable solo on "If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time".

Disc two features two different renditions of the beautiful "'Till I Gain Control Again", "Bloody Mary Morning", "Hello Walls", a tounge-in-cheek "I Gotta Get Drunk", and an up-tempo performance of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", among other highlights. Nelson's highly personal reading of "Amazing Grace" is equally memorable, as is his take on "Georgia On My Mind".
The redheaded stranger's instantly recognizable vocals are strong and confident all the way through, and his late-70s backing band was among the best in the business at the time. Critics weren't too fond of this one, but I was pleasantly surprised.