A Classic & Unreleased Collection (volume 1) (1995)

Over a week without Willie is a bad thing. I have been listening, just not blogging. Too busy grading exams. Now, though, it is time to settle down and listen to the rest of Willie’s collection this summer. Volume one of this collection opens with a special introduction recorded by Willie himself. The liner notes are very helpful and thorough. The 1957 recording of “No Place for Me” also appears on the “One Hell of a Ride” compilation, but the flip side of that Portland, Oregon record, “Lumberjack,” appears for the first time (for me, at least) on this compilation. This recording alone is worth the price of this compilation. Many of the demo recordings from Pamper Records (tracks 4-16) also appear on “The Ghost” (though I prefer the mixing on “The Ghost” compilation; it brings the vocals out more), “Face of a Fighter,” “Crazy: The Demo Sessions,” and “Love and Pain.” Track 13, “Who Do I Know in Dallas,” is the one exception (dare I say the lone exception) that does not appear on any of the other compilations, so it is another reason to buy this collection. “Shirley consoled me in Phoenix. And Jeanie in old San Antone. But who do I know in Dallas that will help me forget I’m alone? I can’t spend the night without someone. The lonelies [not sure how to spell this neologism] would drive me insane.” Being on the road is such a funny thing. You hit the road to get away from people and problems and commitments and relationships that tie you down, and yet you can’t sleep at night alone, and you need a woman in every city to take away the loneliness you created by leaving home in the first place. Tracks 16-21 all appear on “The Complete Atlantic Recordings.” So basically you need to buy this disc for two songs that you can’t find elsewhere. It’s worth it, though.