Me and Paul (1985)—take 2

This version of “I Let My Mind Wander” (track 3) may be my favorite. It’s hard to believe this could be on the same album with the smokin’ version of “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train.” It’s jazzy, trippy, and wandering, meandering like Willie’s mind. Mickey has a lovely solo at the end. “She’s Gone,” it goes without saying, is a “She’s Gone” song. This version seems especially mournful and melancholy. Mickey’s harmonica sounds like loneliness itself. Once again, I clearly underrated this album the first time around. I missed the wonderful slowness of several of these songs. I missed the sadness of Mickey’s harmonica. This version of “I Never Cared for You” anticipates the flamenco-inflected version on Teatro. Ironically, this version of “Me and Paul” is not my favorite. I think this song is better live. A line from “One Day at a Time” leaps out at me this time: “Yesterday’s dead and tomorrow is blind.” Willie seems to want to live only for today in this song, but so many of his songs are about yesterday. About wanting to live in the past and dwell in a land of memories. This album is clearly one of Mickey Raphael’s best. He steals the show on “Pretend I Never Happened.” This is the only occurrence I have found of Willie singing Billy Joe Shaver’s “Black Rose.” Willie should sing and record this more often. This woman has the tools to “make a new fool every day.” And I think I was a fool not to put this in my untenable top ten.