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Willie Nelson
Stardust
[30th Anniversary Legacy Edition]
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2008, Volume 15, #7
Written by John Metzger
Wed July 30, 2008, 08:30 AM CDT
It’s doubtful that anyone recognized it at the time, but in the years that
immediately followed the release of Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson’s
star-making, progressive, and conceptual turn from 1975, he established the
template for everything has followed. The rules were simple: defy both
expectations and conventional wisdom. Most recently, he has jumped from reggae (Countryman)
to a western swing tribute (You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker)
to alternative and hardcore country fare (Songbird and Last of the
Breed). In the late 1970s, he tested the waters with the eclecticism of
The Sound in Your Mind before veering into gospel (The Troublemaker)
and crafting an ode to the work of Lefty Frizzell (To Lefty from Willie).
Considering that after years of toiling in the background he had just begun
to achieve some semblance of commercial success, Nelson’s 1978 endeavor
Stardust probably was the riskiest move he ever has made. Building upon a
handful of tracks that were featured on The Sound in Your Mind, Nelson
opted to forsake the things that seemingly had started to make him popular.
Instead of continuing with his country-oriented pursuits, he tapped Stax soul
sensation Booker T. Jones to produce an album that was filled with standards
from the Great American Songbook. Their unusual partnership didn’t come together
quite like anyone might have expected, but their shared perspective ultimately
served not only to illuminate Nelson’s craftsmanship like nothing else in his
canon had but also to make him a household name.
Stardust is an album that is baked in subtlety. Its arrangements are
sparse and simple; its emotions are pure and honest. Throughout the set,
Nelson’s masterful performances are shaped and guided by Jones, whose organ
accompaniments float gently beneath the surface of tracks like All of Me
and Georgia on My Mind. Similarly, Blue Skies is clouded by the
melancholy phrasing that emanates from Bobbie Nelson’s piano and Mickey
Raphael’s harmonica. Yet, the way in which Nelson delivers the lyrics turns it
into a song of hope, albeit one that is sung from the perspective of a person
who is standing within the maelstrom of catastrophic despair. Elsewhere, Unchained Melody’s gospel-tinged flavor redirects its sentiments from a
lover to a higher power, while September Song adopts an air of pensive
reflection.
Stardust is so relaxed and understated that, whether it was by design or
by happenstance, it sounds, at times, as if it was meant to be a response to
Jerry Garcia’s Compliments. Aside from including a song by Irving Berlin
(Blue Skies), Nelson also stuffs quite a few Django Reinhardt-inspired
guitar solos into the endeavor. Yet, they unfold so effortlessly and slip so
quietly into the framework of the music, that, at first, it seems as if they
aren’t even there. He also pays tribute to Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, but in
the end, it is Nelson’s own persona that guides the listener through the set’s
intense, emotional journey, giving the collection its own distinctive flair.
In the same fashion that Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies was amended,
last fall, with a second disc of material featuring Bobby Bare performing Shel
Silverstein’s songs, the latest and indisputably definitive rendition of
Stardust has been augmented with 16 bonus tracks that continue to trace
Nelson’s tireless infatuation with the Great American Songbook. Naturally, his
lovely interpretation of That Lucky Old Sun — which sparked the creation
of Stardust when he recorded it in 1976 — is included on the set.
Surprisingly, although many of the cuts were culled from Nelson’s outings during
the 1980s, only a few of the selections — What a Wonderful World and Ole Buttermilk Sky, in particular — are marred by the synthetic arrangements
that plagued a lot of his work from the era. While it’s true that none of its
extras are quite on par with anything from the original effort, the new version
of Stardust does succeed in resurrecting a number of nuggets that
otherwise might have been forgotten.  ½
Of Further Interest...
Ray Charles & the Count Basie Orchestra - Ray Sings, Basie Swings
Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever
Frank Sinatra - Romance: Songs from the Heart
Stardust: Legacy Edition is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
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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