Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Leon Russell; Doug Sahm; Ray Price; Booker T. Jones
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Leon Russell (vocals, keyboards); Ray Price (vocals); Jody Payne (guitar, mandolin); Larry Gatlin (guitar, background vocals); Bucky Meadows (guitar); James Clayton Day (pedal steel guitar, dobro); Doug Sahm (fiddle, background vocals); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Booker T. Jones (piano, organ); Bobbie Nelson (piano); Bee Spears, Chris Ethridge (bass); Paul English, Rex Ludwig (drums); Kris Kristofferson, Crystal Gayle (background vocals). Producers: Willie Nelson, Booker T. Jones, Arif Mardin, Sydney Pollack, Leon Russell. Recorded between 1975 & 1981. Includes liner notes by Jonny Whiteside. Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Leon Russell (vocals, keyboards); Jimmy Day (guitar, dobro); Jody Payne (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Larry Gatlin (guitar, background vocals); Grady Martin, Bucky Meadows (guitar); Buddy Emmons (steel guitar); Doug Sahm (fiddle, background vocals); Johnny Gimble (fiddle); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Marty Grebb (saxophone); Booker T. Jones (piano, organ); Bobbie Nelson (piano); John Gallie, Jeff Gutcheon (organ); Moses Calderon (keyboards, vibraphone); Rex Ludwig, Paul English (drums); Ambrose Campbell (percussion); Crystal Gayle, Dee Moeller, Jim Boatman, Kris Kristofferson, Sammi Smith (background vocals). Liner Note Author: Johnny Whiteside. Recording information: 1974-1980. Illustrator: Brian Hagiwara. Photographers: Michael Putland; Chris Walter; Beverly Parker. If you're looking to own one and only one Willie Nelson disc, look no further. GREATEST HITS (AND SOME THAT WILL BE) lives up to its name, delivering 20 killer tracks from Willie's most fruitful era, the 1970s. During these years, Nelson successfully pushed the limits of commercial country music, tackling such themes as sexuality and vulnerability with a candor previously unheard in the genre. The result was "outlaw country," a movement so dubbed for its brazenness. The hallmarks of Nelson's sound--reedy vocals, quirky gut-string guitar solos, and a band that always sounds on the verge of falling apart without ever being remotely in danger of doing so--are all front and center on this disc. Nelson's greatness lies in his undeniable sincerity and in his mastery of various American genres: jazz, blues, Western swing, gospel, honky-tonk, even hints of rock and roll seamlessly rise to the surface when called for, then recede before they've outstayed their welcome. For those who hated Willie merely because he was so popular in the 1970s, here's the place to give him a second chance. You might be pleasantly surprised. Those who love Willie undoubtedly already know that herein lies the mother lode. Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) was released in the fall of 1981, summarizing a remarkable seven-year stretch of extraordinary success that began when the iconoclastic Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson's first album for Columbia, which became a smash hit not long after its 1975 release. From that point on, Nelson became an American popular music icon and a fixture at the top of the country charts, something that was all the more remarkable because he rarely played it safe: he sang pop standards, jammed like the Grateful Dead, recorded tributes to heroes like Lefty Frizzell, and did duet albums with both mentor Ray Price, and fellow maverick Leon Russell. It was a far-ranging, unpredictable body of work, with each individual album retaining its own distinctive character, and Greatest Hits manages to pull off the nifty trick of making sense of these records in two records (now one CD) and 20 songs. Sequenced like a set list, not according to strict chronological order, the collection manages to hit all the major singles, but does so judiciously, making sure each of the records and musical moods get equal pay. So, there is no overdose of Stardust material, and even album tracks like a moving version of "Look What Thoughts Will Do" get a hearing. Consequently, this Greatest Hits is far more than a mere recitation of familiar items. It is something much better -- a rounded, full-bodied portrait of Nelson in all of his idiosyncratic splendor, which is about as much as could be asked from a hits collection. And that's why it's worth having, not just as an introduction, but just as a splendid listen on its own terms. [This version of the album includes bonus material.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25