Half Nelson (1985)

So I’ve listened to 401 songs and 22 hours of Willie Nelson music this January. In 31 days I have listened to almost an entire day of Willie’s music. At that pace, I’ll spend one full day per month listening to Willie Nelson (actually, it will be more because I often listen to each album three or more times).

I’ve already reviewed the first duet on this album, “Pancho and Lefty,” in a previous blog. At first, I was pretty skeptical of a collection of previously released duets, but hearing all of these together helped me appreciate the breadth of Willie’s recording.

“Slow Movin’ Outlaw” is the perfectly paradoxical song for a slow singin’, fast livin’ man like Willie. “Where has a slow movin’, once quick-draw outlaw got to go?”

“Are There Any More Real Cowboys” with Neil Young surprised me. I’m so used to Mickey Raphael on harp with Willie; hearing Neil Young’s harmonica on this track provided a pleasant change.

I’m not usually a fan of dubbing old recordings of dead singers into duets with living singers, but in this case I was curious to hear how Willie’s voice would sound next to Hank Williams’. It’s like hearing the source next to the stream. “I Told a Lie to My Heart.” That could be the title of every Willie Nelson song. The lies we tell our hearts, the tricks we try to play on memories. The tricks we try to play on time.

A live duet with Mel Tellis shows a very different side of Willie. Upbeat Western swing.

My wife even likes “Seven Spanish Angels.” More because of Ray Charles than Willie. Again, the sheer range of partners on this album boggles the mind. What possibly connects any of these partners? Who else could record with such a diverse group of people? Willie is so chameleon-like. I have to admit, though, that Ray steals the show on this song. The harmonica and the steel and the chorus tear me up on this one, too. And then that flamenco thing kicks in.

And who sings with Julio Iglesias? Who can pull that off? “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” fits that Proustian, Gatsbyian, courtly love theme. Sir Gawain could be singing this song, or Petrarch, or Don Quixote.

“They All Went to Mexico” has Willie singing in Spanish with Carlos Santana riffing in the background. A fun tune which reminds me that Willie’s not just a redneck hippie, he’s a Mexican redneck hippie.

I prefer the Rolling Stones’ version of “Honky Tonk Women,” but I respect Willie and Leon Russell for giving it a whirl. I think this could be really good live. The fiddle and the horns give this a unique blend. I’m curious to hear more country and bluegrass with horns. Big Band meets bluegrass. Benny Goodman bluegrass.

“Half a Man” has to be one of my top ten favorite Willie songs. George Jones actually sings it better, but the two of them together are pure honky tonk perfection. I think this may be better than the version with Hag and Willie on Pancho and Lefty, but I’d have to do a side-by-side taste test to be certain. When I run out of albums, I’ll start doing comparisons like that. I think I need a full album of Willie and George Jones duets. I can’t tell what’s sadder on this album: the Possum’s voice or Mickey Raphael’s harmonica and that solo fiddle and steel guitar weaving in and out of Willie’s voice. The lyrics for this song are among the cleverest and most profound in Willie’s repertoire. He seems to desire less body and less memory so he can feel less loss, less pain. I am tempted to start quoting, but you really just need to listen to the whole song and read along. Every line is a keeper. The song snaps shut perfectly like a sonnet. Most country songs have a good line or two and then some throw away filler, but this song is lean. No fat. Precise pain and heartache packed into three minutes and six seconds.