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Willie Nelson
One Hell of a Ride
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, September 2008, Volume 15, #9
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Fri September 5, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
Everyone loves Willie Nelson. Even the people who don’t usually like country
music will admit, however begrudgingly, that there’s something particularly
appealing about his work. For some, it is Nelson’s outlaw stance, including his
unrepentant campaigning for the legalization of marijuana, that serves as the
main attraction. Others admire him for his commitment to the environment or for
refusing to part with his long hair and his headband. Some folks respect him
simply for his work ethic — he still performs at least 100 shows a year and
releases albums at a ridiculous pace.
In other words, it doesn’t take long to realize that the whole mythology that
has grown around the Texas songwriter has as much to do with Willie Nelson, the
icon, as it does with Willie Nelson, the musician and songwriter. One Hell of
a Ride, a four-disc retrospective, goes a long way toward bringing
perspective back to Nelson’s canon. Over the course of more than 100 songs, the
collection highlights the many facets of his career, while quietly asserting
what millions of Nelson’s fans already know: For all of his missteps and
questionable, middle-of-the-road releases, there is no one else quite like him.
Other than a pair of wonderful, unaccompanied demos that were recorded in the
1950s (When I’ve Sung My Last Hillbilly Song and No Place for Me),
One Hell of a Ride isn’t filled with unreleased songs, alternate takes,
and live versions of Nelson’s classics. As a result, the boxed set isn’t likely
to hold much appeal for serious collectors. The booklet that accompanies the
endeavor hints that Nelson has more than 1,000 unreleased tunes in the can, and
fans likely will have the chance to hear at least a few of them before long.
One Hell of a Ride, though, was constructed carefully by selecting one or
two representative tracks from each of Nelson’s albums in order to highlight his
growth and development as an artist.
By tracing a line from early hits like Crazy, Nite Life, and
Funny How Time Slips Away — where Nelson first demonstrated his
unconventional jazz phrasing — to The Harder They Come from his unusual
and oft-delayed reggae album Countryman, a portrait emerges of a singer,
songwriter, and guitarist who lives to perform in any setting that is made
available to him. Fans may quibble about some of the song selections. For
example, a few more tunes from Teatro, Nelson’s stellar collaboration
with Daniel Lanois and Emmylou Harris would have been preferable to his duets
with Julio Iglesias and Leon Russell. Overall, however, the choices that were
made by Al Quaglieri, the compilation’s executive producer, are judicious and
evenhanded. Certainly, the challenges posed in whittling down material from an
artist who has been as prolific as Nelson must have been formidable.
In the end, One Hell of a Ride is a worthy compilation. The
remastering of the original tracks is pristine, and all of the selections sound
terrific. The running order of the songs carefully balances chronology and
musical flow in order to provide the best possible experience for the listener.
The liner notes include a fascinating introduction by Mickey Raphael, Nelson’s
longtime harmonica player, as well as an essay by veteran country music
journalist Joe Nick Patoski. Taken together, they serve as an admirable overview
of Nelson’s esteemed career. One Hell of a Ride is attractively packaged
and reasonably priced, making it the best synopsis of his work to date.
Consequently, it is the perfect mechanism for introducing Nelson to the
uninitiated, and it is a savvy reminder of the tremendous stylistic range this
living treasure has explored.  ½
Of Further Interest...
Johnny Cash - The Legend of Johnny Cash
Kris Kristofferson - The Essential Kris Kristofferson
Willie Nelson - Crazy: The Demo Sessions
One Hell of a Ride is available from Amazon.
To order, Click Here!
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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