Pancho & Lefty [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Willie Nelson
Engineer: Chips Moman; David Cherry; Larry Greenhill
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Reggie Young, Johnny Christopher, Grady Martin, Chips Moman, Lewis Talley (guitar); Johnny Gimble (fiddle, mandolin); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Don Markham (saxophone); Bobby Emmons, Bobby Wood (keyboards); Mike Leech (bass); Gene Crisman (drums). Producers: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Chips Moman. Recorded at Pedernales Studio, Spicewood, Texas and Moman's Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee. Originally released on Epic (37958). Includes liner notes by Rick Kienzle. Personnel: Merle Haggard (guitar, background vocals); Johnny Christopher, Willie Nelson (guitar, background vocals); Chips Moman, Grady Martin, Lewis Talley, Reggie Young (guitar); Johnny Gimble (mandolin, fiddle); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Don Markham (saxophone); Bobby Wood (keyboards, background vocals); Bobby Emmons (keyboards); Gene Chrisman (drums). Audio Mixer: David Swope. Recording information: Moman's Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Pedernales Studio, Spicewood, TX. Photographers: Joe Bangay; Kenneth McGowan; Sandy Speiser; David Redfern; Bobby Wood. This duet between two of country music's biggest contrarians includes four Willie Nelson originals and one by his partner, Merle Haggard. But the most notable inclusion is Townes Van Zandt's title track, the story of two outlaws at the end of the line, which became the album's signature hit in 1983. In addition to their remarkable interpretations of the album's contemporary songs, Nelson and Haggard's weathered voices are ideally suited to their more vintage material, including California country music pioneer Stuart Hamblen's "My Mary," and two Texas Playboys covers, "Still Water Runs the Deepest" and "My Life's Been a Pleasure." The album's relaxed feel is enhanced by its being done at Nelson's own Pedernales studio outside Austin. On Pancho & Lefty, their first album together, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson managed a rare feat: an album by two legends that lives up to, and at one point exceeds, expectations. In 1982, both artists were at the top of their game, Haggard just having released a great comeback album in Big City, and Nelson in the midst of a creative and commercial peak. The centerpiece of the album is the title track. Penned by Texas songwriter Townes Van Zandt, the ballad of two renegades and the respect they earned from the law is the perfect vehicle for Haggard and Nelson, both of whom managed to achieve legendary status in spite of being outsiders to the Nashville establishment. The song's production enhances its power; it is polished without becoming slick (note Nelson's double-tracked guitar solo), and there's power in reserve -- in the wrong hands, this could easily have become a bombastic, over the top performance. Nothing else on the album comes close to the majesty of "Pancho and Lefty." That's not to say that the rest is not good, though. The other songs are all relaxed ruminations on life, from the joys of taking it easy on the throwaway "It's My Lazy Day" to the pain of love lost on Nelson's chestnut "Half a Man." Throughout, Haggard and Nelson duet in equal measure; one gets the sense that this is a collaboration in every sense. The sequence of "Reasons to Quit" and "No Reason to Quit" is an inspired bit of programming, both honky tonk songs of the first rank. Pancho & Lefty was followed in 1987 by Seashores of Old Mexico, a far less successful collaboration. ~ Martin Monkman The remastered, expanded edition of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's 1982 classic, Pancho & Lefty, was well worth the wait. First, there's the sound. In the title cut, there are voices and guitars listeners have never heard before either on LP or CD. There are stunning little surprises like a keyboard or a marimba in "My Mary," or the subtle organ shadings in "Reasons to Quit," or the extra reverb on Hag's electric on "No Reason to Quit." These might seem like audiophile nitpickings to some, but they actually change the way one hears this recording -- and it wears its legendary status very well indeed. The bonus tracks are winners, too. In those days country records only had ten songs on them because the labels didn't want to pay the publishing. "Half a Man" is a slow Nelson waltz written in his trademark style; this is an unissued version of the song minus Hag. It's full of slinky honky tonk pianos, a slowly walking bassline, and a gorgeous Mickey Raphael harmonica solo. "My Own Peculiar Way" is a familiar song to Nelson fans; he's played it in his live sets forever, as it dates from 1965. But this is a completely fleshed-out, reworked version with many surprises instrumentally and vocally. For the price tag, this is ultimately an unbeatable -- and necessary -- item for the country collection. ~ Thom Jurek

Dirty Linen (4/04, p.60) - "It's a sunny collection of songs that benefited from beautifully produced, piano-filled arrangements..."

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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