One Hell Of A Ride [Box]

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Waylon Jennings; Leon Russell; Ray Price; Roger Miller; Merle Haggard; Webb Pierce; Julio Iglesias; Faron Young; Hank Snow; Ray Charles; Johnny Cash; Kris Kristofferson; Lee Ann Womack
Producer: Al Quaglieri (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: There have been other Willie Nelson box sets in the past, but the four-disc ONE HELL OF A RIDE, released just before the country icon's 75th birthday, leaves every other collection in the dust. A truly career-encompassing anthology, it covers more than 50 years of music, from Willie's 1950s indie singles all the way up to the 21st century. While the blockbusters are here ("Always on My Mind," "On the Road Again," etc.), the real public service performed by this box is reaching back to great Nelson albums from the '60s that have long been out of print, and scooping up some of their dusty gems. For instance, "One in a Row" shows that Willie could croon a countrypolitan-style tune with the best of them, while "Texas in My Soul" is an early example of the jazzy Western swing influence that has always been an undercurrent of Nelson's music. ONE HELL OF A RIDE follows the Red Headed Stranger's growth from well-groomed Nashville cat to hirsute country outlaw to grey-bearded elder statesman, cherry-picking the best of every phase along the way.

Rolling Stone (p.69) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nelson's distinctive vocal phrasing and nylon-string guitar leads peep through, providing a nice foil for the lush strings and syrupy backup choir." Uncut (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nelson's vast, overwhelming discography has always needed a sharp edit, ONE HELL OF A RIDE certainly does the trick." Down Beat (p.78) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Nelson sings with an earthiness yet also a state of transcendence. He twangs with a Texas drawl but delivers impeccable melodic sublimity." Dirty Linen (p.58) - "[T]he most comprehensive and economically priced collection to ever commemorate the Red Headed Stranger's storied career....A satisfying and often revealing examination of one of America's greatest mavericks." Mojo (Publisher) (p.122) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "It spans a lot of music....Willie's been many things: a great country-pop writer; an outlaw who helped change Nashville; and a performer making alt country before anyone knew what alt country really was." Blender (Magazine) (p.81) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his sanely ambitious, provisionally definitive 100-track box does country music's reigning survivor justice." Pitchfork (Website) - "[T]he leathery texture of his voice is immediately recognizable on the first disc as it is on the final disc, as idiosyncratic as Cash's grave baritone or Elvis Presley's full-bodied croon..." -- Rating: 8.6 Record Collector (magazine) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The inclusion of plenty of duets, with the likes of Merle Haggard, Wayon Jennings, Leon Russell, Webb Pierce, Ray Charles, Faron Young, Hank Snow and Julio Iglesias make for particularly enjoyable listening."

Willie Nelson began working in a conventional Nashville style and had great success as the songwriter of Faron Young's hit "Hello Walls" and others, but he was initially unable to make it as a performer. In the 1970s, he and Waylon Jennings made history with their outlaw country sound and image, growing their hair long and utilizing a raw, rock-influenced sound that endeared them to millions of country fans and rockers alike. Subsequently, Nelson ventured into Sinatra territory with STARDUST, an album of standards that became a huge success and established him as a singer who transcended genre boundaries. Throughout the '80s, '90s, and into the 21st century, he crossed over into pop and back again continually, even releasing an album of reggae covers, working with artists as diverse as Julio Iglesias and Ryan Adams.

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