Nite Life: Greatest Hits and Rare Tracks (1959-1971)

This album contains a lot of tracks I have already reviewed. 1959’s “Man with the Blues” can also be found on the compilation “One Hell of a Ride.” The liner notes (by Rich Kienzle), though, are very thorough and actually provide the personnel for each track. Willie also has versions of this song on his 2010 “Country Music” and a duet with Buckwheat Zydeco on “Singin’ with Willie.” This 1960 version of “What a Way to Live” is also on “The Ghost” (Part III). The only other version I have is on “Me and the Drummer.” This 1959 version of “Night Life” is the only one to be spelled “Nite Life,” and it also appears on the compilation “One Hell of a Ride.” This 1959 version of “Rainy Day Blues” appears on “The Ghost” and on “The Complete Liberty Recordings.” Each mix is slightly different, though, and I think I prefer the “Early Years” version because the vocals are cleaner and more prominent. This unreleased version of “You’ll Always Have Someone” also appears on “Love and Pain,” but the mix on this version is superior. The only other version I have is on “The Winning Hand,” which sounds like a newer version. I wish Willie sang this more often. This unreleased version of “Everything But You” also appears on “The Ghost (part 2)” and “Face of a Fighter,” but I find the mix superior on this album. This 1961 version of “Mr. Record Man” also appears on “The Early Years,” which has a superior mix. Tracks 10-14 are all Liberty recordings, so they all appear on “The Early Years.” This 1966 version of “San Antonio Rose” seems different from the one on “Country Favorites,” so this may be the only place you can find this gem, unless you have the original single for which this was the B side. This 1966 version of “One in a Row” is also on “One Hell of a Ride.” This 1968 version of “Bring Me Sunshine” is also on “One Hell of a Ride” and, in a more stripped-down form, on “Naked Willie.” This 1971 version of “Me and Paul” is the same one that appears on “Yesterday’s Wine” and countless compilations. So, the moral of this story is: buy “One Hell of a Ride,” “The Complete Ghost,” and “The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings,” and skip this compilation. The only reason to buy this would be for the one version of “San Antonio Rose,” which I haven’t found anywhere else. That said, the mix for some of these songs may be better on this album, so you might want it if you are looking for the best mix of a particular recording.