Take It to the Limit

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Bobbie Nelson; David Allan Coe
Distributor: Bayside Record Dist.

Notes: Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Waylon Jennings, Chips Moman, Johnny Christopher (guitar, background vocals); Reggie Young, Grady Martin (guitar); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Jon Marett (saxophone); Bobby Wood (keyboards, background vocals); Bobbie Nelson, Bobby Emmons (keyboards); Mike Leech, Bee Spears (bass); Gene Chrisman, Paul English (drums); Toni Wine, Lisa Silver, Sherry Huffman, David Allan Coe, Gary Talley (background vocals). Engineers: Chips Moman, David Cherry, Larry Greenhill. Recorded at Moman's Studio, Nashville, Tennessee and Pedernales Studio, Spicewood, Texas. Billed as "with Waylon Jennings," Take It to the Limit is not a return of the Outlaws from just a few years back. In fact, it sounds like these two hombres are just plain tired and saddle-sore from all the high riding days of the past. Most of the tunes are covers of previous hits by other artists and have little in association with what Willie (or Waylon) are about except for their take on George Jones' "Why Baby Why." By this time, fans were beginning to say the same thing. ~ James Chrispell Like many of Willie Nelson's mid-to-late-1980s efforts, TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT is more pop than country. Slick production, complete with lush background vocals and saxophone solos, creates the setting for the disc's ten songs. The material leans toward dramatic ballads such as the title track (a Seventies hit for the Eagles) and "We Had it All." TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT also includes cover versions of Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound," David Allen Coe's "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," and a mellow re-recording of Rodney Crowell's "Till I Gain Control Again," which previously appeared on WILLIE AND FAMILY-LIVE. Although Waylon gets equal billing on the album cover, he only sings on half the tracks, best among them the title track and a cover version of George Jones' 1950s first hit, "Why Baby Why." Those expecting a reprise of 1978's WAYLON AND WILLIE, a classic of "outlaw country," may be disappointed by this highly polished production, but fans of 1980s hit country radio should enjoy it.

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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