Waylon Jennings - Classic Albums Collection (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

If any one performer personified the outlaw country movement of the '70s, it was Waylon Jennings. Though he had been a professional musician since the late '50s, it wasn't until the '70s that Waylon, with his imposing baritone and stripped-down, updated honky tonk, became a superstar. Jennings rejected the conventions of Nashville, refusing to record with the industry's legions of studio musicians and insisting that his music never resemble the string-laden, pop-inflected sounds that were coming out of Nashville in the '60s and '70s. Many artists, including Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, followed Waylon's anti-Nashville stance and eventually the whole "outlaw" movement – so-named because of the artists' ragged, maverick image and their independence from Nashville – became one of the most significant country forces of the '70s, helping the genre adhere to its hardcore honky tonk roots. Jennings didn't write many songs, but his music – which combined the grittiest aspects of honky tonk with a rock & roll rhythm and attitude, making the music spare, direct, and edgy – defined hardcore country, and it influenced countless musicians, including members of the new traditionalist and alternative country subgenres of the '80s.

When Waylon Jennings hooked up with songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, he found the perfect author for his obsessions, his fascinations, and his very image. Waylon had always been looking, perhaps unintentionally, for a common ground between country and rock, and Shaver's songs – sketching an outlaw stance with near defiance and borrowing rock attitude to create the hardest country tunes imaginable – were perfect. On his previous album, Waylon had sung that "ladies love outlaws," but now he found the music that would soon be called outlaw country, a defiant, ballsy blend of mythmaking and truth-telling. Shaver never had a better voice for his songs, and Jennings never had better songs for his style. Honky Tonk Heroes arrived at a crucial moment, a time when true honky tonk was fading, so only a dose of rock & roll could save it. And, no matter how much rock attitude is here, this is pure country in its stance and attitude – yet Honky Tonk Heroes' very defiance makes it a perfect discovery album for listeners who never thought they would like country music. And the songs! Shaver earned his stripes here, with songs that were emotional, funny, and clever, utterly bringing the mythic outlaw ethic to life. "Black Rose," "You Asked Me To," and "Honky Tonk Heroes" remain among the greatest things Waylon ever cut, and every other song here matches them. Few country albums have ever been this consistent, and few records, from any genre, have been as consistently compelling. A wonderful album – one that's hard to tire of.

Tracklist:

01 - Honky Tonk Heroes
02 - Old Five and Dimers (Like Me)
03 - Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me
04 - Low Down Freedom
05 - Omaha
06 - You Ask Me To
07 - Ride Me Down Easy
08 - Ain't No God In Mexico
09 - Black Rose
10 - We Had It All

This Time appeared just as outlaw hit its stride, thanks in large part to the excellent Honky Tonk Heroes. If this record isn't its equal, it's still pretty wonderful all the same. Part of the record's flaw is its heavy reliance on Willie Nelson – actually, not just on Willie, but on Phases and Stages, which is the source of no less than four of this record's six songs. Granted, these are great songs, and Waylon's versions are hard to fault, but they nevertheless give the record a slightly recycled feeling. Fortunately, these songs are surrounded by excellent material, such as the number one single "This Time." Overall, This Time is fairly muted and deliberate, surprising for an album coming on the heels of the defiant Honky Tonk Heroes. Even the songs that swagger, like Billy Joe Shaver's "Slow Rollin' Low," are laid-back, and the whole thing is fairly reflective (appropriate, if it uses a divorce album as its template). It's not that the monochromaticity makes it a lesser affair than its predecessor, yet the whole thing does feel a bit reserved and not quite as overpowering as a sequel to Honky Tonk Heroes should be. Still, it's a first-rate record – perhaps not a classic, but a subdued, understated album unlike anything in his catalog.

Tracklist:

01 - This Time
02 - Louisiana Women
03 - Pick Up the Tempo [with Willie Nelson]
04 - Slow Rollin' Low
05 - Heaven or Hell
06 - It's Not Supposed to Be That Way
07 - Slow Movin' Outlaw
08 - Mona
09 - Walkin'
10 - If You Could Touch Her at All

If you look at the cover of The Ramblin' Man, you would think that Waylon Jennings had been a ramblin' man, riding the top of the charts, for years, maybe decades. He looks worn out, whether it's on the close-up on the cover, or the back-cover shot of him drunkenly playing solitaire. In truth, it would be another album before he hit the top of the country charts and before outlaw country became hip. Still, this is the record where it all came home. If he had created a sketch of outlaw on Honky Tonk Heroes, he perfected the marketable version of it here, making it a little slicker, a little more commercial, and a whole lot more unstoppable. If the songs aren't the equal of Honky Tonk Heroes or even This Time, The Ramblin' Man has a wilder sound and a greater diversity of songs that make it seem more unruly than its immediate predecessor and more blatantly outlaw. This contains, after all, his first flat-out rock cover, with a good take on the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider," plus songs that play into the image of what an outlaw country singer is. There are moments of reflection, yet even those feed into the outlaw picture. Too bad many of the album tracks wind up being agreeable filler instead of knockouts. There aren't any bad cuts, and the entire thing holds together quite well, but it doesn't add up to a moment of transcendence the way Honky Tonk Heroes or its successor would. Still, with "I'm a Ramblin' Man," "Rainy Day Woman," and the heartbreaking "Amanda" on its side, plus highlights like "Oklahoma Sunshine," this is a first-rate Waylon record.

Tracklist:

01 - I'm a Ramblin' Man
02 - Rainy Day Woman (Live)
03 - Cloudy Days
04 - Midnight Rider
05 - Oklahoma Sunshine
06 - The Hunger
07 - I Can't Keep My Hands Off You
08 - Memories of You and I
09 - It'll Be Her
10 - Amanda

Dreaming My Dreams was Waylon Jennings' first number one record, and deservedly so. He had created outlaw country with Honky Tonk Heroes, and then delivered two further albums that subtly developed its themes, even if they weren't quite as consistent. Dreaming My Dreams maintains the consistency, increasing the country quotient while subtly making it more sentimental than before. This is an unabashedly romantic album, not just in its love songs, but in its tributes to Waylon's heroes. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" opens and "Bob Wills Is Still the King" closes the album – making Jennings an heir apparent to their legacies. Between those two extremes, Waylon appropriates Jimmie Rodgers ("Waymore's Blues"), covers Roger Miller ("I've Been a Long Time Leaving [But I'll Be a Long Time Gone]"), ups the outlaw ante ("Let's All Help the Cowboys [Sing the Blues]"), and writes and records as many sentimental tunes as possible without seeming like a sissy. At times, the emotional undertow may seem a bit much, yet the whole thing adds up as Waylon's best album since Honky Tonk Heroes, and one of the few of his prime outlaw period to deliver from beginning to end.

Tracklist:

01 - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
02 - Waymore's Blues
03 - I Recall a Gypsy Woman
04 - High Time (You Quit Your Lowdown Ways)
05 - I've Been a Long Time Leaving (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone)
06 - Let's All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues)
07 - The Door Is Always Open
08 - Let's Turn Back the Years
09 - She's Looking Good
10 - Dreaming My Dreams with You
11 - Bob Wills Is Still the King (Live)

If the heavy-hitters of outlaw country were acting like rock stars during their mid-'70s peak, then perhaps it was inevitable that the outlaws would start singing rock songs – which is precisely what Waylon Jennings did on 1976's Are You Ready for the Country. Although the title is taken from Neil Young's song – which provides an absolutely storming opener for this ten-song record – there is a bit of a jibe to its sentiment as well, since Waylon not only sings Young, but also the Marshall Tucker Band and Dr. Hook, along with reviving Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park." That selection of material indicates not just the increasing rock-isms of Waylon and the outlaws, it also indicates that Jennings' focus was beginning to blur slightly as he lost the sense of purpose that propelled his records of the first half the '70s, from The Taker/Tulsa to Dreaming My Dreams. Here, the music hasn't really changed, but the flow is no longer seamless and the shifting tones can be a little jarring. Also, Jennings' songwriting starts to slip a little bit here; none of his originals are bad, and "I'll Go Back to Her" is quite good, but they're all decidedly second tier. All things considered, though, most of the individual moments hold up quite well, with "Are You Ready for the Country" and a wonderful, surging take on Marshall Tucker's "Can't You See" ranking among Waylon's best music of the era. There are other very good moments, such as the cracking "Jack a Diamonds," and the entire record is entertaining, but more for a collection of moments than a cohesive whole. That's the first time since the late '60s that one of Jennings' albums felt like less than the sum of its parts, and if it didn't necessarily mark the end of the era, it did mark the point when he started to ease back from his startling peak of creativity.

Tracklist:

01 - Are You Ready for the Country
02 - Them Old Love Songs
03 - So Good Woman
04 - Jack-A-Diamonds
05 - Can't You See
06 - MacArthur Park (Revisited)
07 - I'll Go Back to Her
08 - A Couple More Years
09 - Old Friend
10 - Precious Memories

Ol' Waylon was released when Waylon Jennings had become a superstar. Outlaw was still popular, perhaps at its peak, but it was no longer the movement that it had been just a few short years before. As if offering proof, Waylon cut his most formulaic album since the early '60s, a record that satisfied the demands of outlaw without ever stretching them. Since this was recorded at a near-peak of not only his popularity but his power, there are some great moments on Ol' Waylon, particularly on the lead single "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)," a wonderful reminiscence of times back, "If You See Me Getting Smaller," and "I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself." The rest of the record is a little formulaic and reliant on covers, sometimes enjoyably (including a version of Kenny Rogers' "Lucille"), sometimes not as much ("Sweet Caroline" was never suited for Waylon's style). Overall, Ol' Waylon is pretty enjoyable, but it winds up feeling a little hollow, as if Jennings was trying to give the audience what it wanted. There are enough good moments to make it worthwhile, not just to the dedicated but for some casual fans enamored of the outlaw years, but it's still an album that gets by more on its style than substance.

Tracklist:

01 - Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)
02 - If You See Me Getting Smaller
03 - Lucille
04 - Sweet Caroline
05 - I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself
06 - Belle of the Ball
07 - Medley of Elvis Hits
08 - Till I Gain Control Again
09 - Brand New Goodbye Song
10 - Satin Sheets
11 - This Is Getting Funny (But There Ain't Nobody Laughing)

By 1978 Waylon Jennings had been through the wringer with his position as one of the most visible "outlaw" country stars: he'd been busted for drugs and was addicted to both cocaine and alcohol and was tired of the hype surrounding Nashville's co-opting what he, Willie Nelson, and a handful of others started in the name of greater artistic control. I've Always Been Crazy is his first "political" statement about his feelings. And while it may not be as great an album as Ol' Waylon or Dreaming My Dreams, it's still a fine one. With a cast of players that includes the great Tony Joe White, Ralph Mooney, Carter Robertson, Reggie Young, and Bee Spears, the band assembled here smokes. In addition to the title track, this set also features the classic "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Outta Hand." But even though these two cuts would have been worth the purchase of the album, the rest is nothing to dismiss. There are fine covers of a medley of Buddy Holly hits, a poignant, barely disguised ode to old friend and rambling mate Billy Joe Shaver, the glorious "A Long Time Ago," and the outlaw shuffle "As the 'Billy World Turns." There are also fine, heartfelt covers of Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" and Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." The set closes with a pair of ballads, which is uncharacteristic of Jennings during this period; there's "Girl I Can Tell (You're Trying to Work It Out)," with its folk song melody and country music bridge. And finally, the four-and-a-half-minute "Whistlers and Jugglers," a broken love song by Shel Silverstein that talks of surrender and loss so poignant and sharp, it numbers among Jennings' finer performances of the late '70s. In all, I've Always Been Crazy is a solid recording, still possessing the piss and vinegar of Jennings' best work with a deeper lyrical edge on most tracks. In fact, despite its obvious origins, the Holly medley is the only thing that keeps the album from being as stellar as the aforementioned ones. Nonetheless, this is necessary for any fan of outlaw country in general and Jennings in particular.

Tracklist:

01 - I've Always Been Crazy
02 - Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got out of Hand
03 - Billy
04 - A Long Time Ago
05 - As the 'Billy World Turns
06 - Medley of Buddy Holly Hits: Well Allright / It's So Easy / Maybe Baby / Peggy Sue
07 - I Walk the Line
08 - Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down
09 - Girl I Can Tell (You're Trying to Work It Out)
10 - Whistlers and Jugglers

When What Goes Around Comes Around was released in late 1979, Waylon Jennings was riding a hot streak of seven number one albums in a row. This didn't reach the top spot only because it was shut out by the phenomenal crossover success of Kenny Rogers' Kenny, so it sat at number two for 14 weeks – so, even if it didn't really reach the top of the charts, it came close enough to count. The generally accepted conventional wisdom about Jennings' late-'70s/early-'80s records is that they pale in comparison to his early-'70s records, which is true on the surface but does albums like What Goes Around a disservice. Yes, the neon-and-laser studded cover of this record is ridiculous, but the music isn't splashy and the album, as a whole, is more cohesive than I've Always Been Crazy, even if it isn't as weighty as Ol' Waylon. Reading between the lines, it's easy to hear Jennings getting a little weary under the hot spotlight of stardom – there's the storming opener of Rodney Crowell's "I Ain't Living Long Like This," which easily became an anthem for the waning days of outlaw, but there's an underlying sense of sadness that runs through the record, particularly the ballad-heavy second half. That Jennings doesn't contribute many originals – he just co-writes the silly but charming vaudeville of "It's the World's Gone Crazy (Cotillion)" with Shel Silverstein – but that doesn't matter because the choice of songs is strong, displaying that Waylon still hadn't lost his expert ear for songs that suited his styles. True, it isn't a set of stone-cold classics that compares with Honky Tonk Heroes, but "I Ain't Living Long Like This" is iconic, "Come With Me" is moving, "Another Man's Fool" is a sly barroom number, and his take on Mickey Newbury's "If You See Her" is beautiful. Since Waylon's first-rate work is so good and so bountiful, it's easy to overlook the relatively modest pleasures of a record like this, but only a fool would dismiss it out of hand, because there's a lot of good music here – more than enough to justify his continued hot streak.

Tracklist:

01 - I Ain't Living Long Like This
02 - What Goes Around
03 - Another Man's Fool
04 - I Got the Train Sittin' Waitin'
05 - It's the World's Gone Crazy (Cotillion)
06 - Ivory Tower
07 - Out Among the Stars
08 - Come with Me
09 - If You See Her
10 - Old Love, New Eyes

Released in the summer of 1980, Music Man was the last number one album Waylon Jennings had until he switched labels and scored a chart-topper in 1986 with Will the Wolf Survive? So, it capped off a remarkable five-year streak of number one albums (only one of his records in that time didn't reach the top), and while he still had another winner in him with 1982's Black on Black, in retrospect it's easy to hear that Waylon was on some unsteady ground around this time. Not that this is a bad record, but it does show signs that he was relying a little too much on polish and that his ear for material is slightly off. There are no outright dogs in the batch, but covers of Kenny Rogers and Jimmy Buffett are a far cry from the Neil Young and Toy Caldwell covers on Are You Ready for the Country; even if they are listenable, they suggest Waylon isn't stretching himself, a sentiment that's contradicted by a surprising but effective cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again." Music Man is best when it sticks to harder country, whether it's in the form of a sweet cover of "Waltz Across Texas," a good version of his wife Jessi Colter's "Storms Never Last," Harlan Howard's joyously lewd "Nashville Wimmin," or a propulsive cover of J.J. Cale's "Clyde." Jennings doesn't write many original tunes here – just a J.J. Cale/George Jones tribute which appropriately follows "Clyde," and "Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)," which has actually weathered time very well, sounding leaner and looser than much of the rest of the album. It's an album that, once again, doesn't quite add up to the sound of its parts, and in retrospect, those parts do seem to point toward his commercial and artistic collapse a few years away, but even with these flaws, Music Man is a pretty entertaining latter-day Waylon album.

Tracklist:

01 - Clyde
02 - It's Alright
03 - Theme from "The Dukes of Hazzard" (Good Ol' Boys)
04 - Nashville Wimmin
05 - Do It Again
06 - Sweet Music Man
07 - Storms Never Last
08 - He Went to Paris
09 - What About You
10 - Waltz Across Texas

Black on Black is the weirdest sounding Waylon Jennings record ever made. Issued in 1982 after the rather uninspired Music Man, the set was produced by Chips Moman, who had worked with Willie Nelson on Always on My Mind. On virtually every track, Jennings' voice seems to come out of a tunnel, someplace out of time and space, as if his ghost were singing these songs. The laid-back angle Jennings was trying to show here is perhaps overwrought, with electric pianos covering for electric guitars on "(We Made It as Lovers) We Just Couldn't Make It as Friends," written by Moman and Bobby Emmons. Jennings also circled his wagons on this set, with Nelson appearing in the fold on yet another recording of Waylon's "Just to Satisfy You," which holds up against the best of them, with Jessi Colter being omnipresent on backing vocals here and everywhere else on this set. And while keyboards dominate on "Shine," it's one of the best songs Jennings wrote in the 1980s and is deeply influenced by the work of J.J. Cale. The funky, uninspired cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" is just filler, whereas Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues" feels more like one of Jennings' more adventurous experiments. Paul Kennerley's "Gonna Write a Letter" is one of the more convincing and beautiful love songs that ol' Waylon delivered between 1975 and the end of his life, as was the Bobby Emmons/Chips Moman ballad "May I Borrow Some Sugar from You." With those electric pianos (two) balanced by acoustic guitars, Waylon's vocal is believable despite its distance from everything in the mix. Rodney Crowell's "Song for the Life" could have been written for Jennings. It's a slow waltz centered around gaining wisdom from a life of folly. The acoustic piano and electric guitar fills, showcased by a gorgeous acoustic solo, would have been a stunning end to this record, but it was not to be – even if it is the strongest thing here and leaves Crowell's own version in the dust. Emmons' "Get Naked With Me" is a stupid song in the old, tired outlaw frame. Given its presentation as a singalong country song à la Jerry Jeff Walker, it only serves to showcase Jennings' tired voice and the strange textures Moman added to the rather simple songs on this set. Somebody should've released the outtakes before all the warm fuzzy bull was put on the proceedings; it might have made for a much stronger album. Jennings is as inspired as he could be, but Moman ruined this set with his trademark over-production.

Tracklist:

01 - Women Do Know How to Carry On
02 - Honky Tonk Blues
03 - Just to Satisfy You
04 - We Made It as Lovers (We Just Couldn't Make It as Friends)
05 - Shine
06 - Folsom Prison Blues
07 - Gonna Write a Letter
08 - May I Borrow Some Sugar from You
09 - Song for the Life
10 - Get Naked with Me


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