It’s Been Rough and Rocky Travelin’: The Earliest Willie Nelson 1954-1963

It’s Been Rough and Rocky Travelin’: The Earliest Willie Nelson 1954-1963

The late 1954/early 1955 version of “When I’ve Sang My Last Hillbilly Song” appears here and on the “One Hell of a Ride” compilation. I prefer the 2007 version that also appears on “One Hell of a Ride,” but it makes me want to hear Willie do a new version of “Lumberjack.” This 1954 version of “No Place for Me” also appears on “The Classic and Unreleased Collection” and “One Hell of a Ride,” but only the Bear Family has tracked down the three alternate takes. Alternate take #1 was recorded in Portland, Oregon in 1957, and it features Willie’s vocals much more prominently. The slower pace of this version makes it my favorite of the four. Sounds like Hank Williams. The primary version of “Lumberjack” also appears on the “Classic and Unreleased Collection,” but the Bear Family has found two alternate takes from the 1957 sessions, and alternate take #1 is by far the best of the three. 1959’s single “Man with the Blues” also appears on “Nite Life” and “One Hell of a Ride,” but my favorite version may be on 2010’s “Country Music.” “The Storm Has Just Begun” (1959) suffers from some syrupy back-up singers, but it continues Willie’s Hank Williams style. I think this same version appears on “The Ghost (part 3),” but the mix on this compilation is far superior. The shorter 1955 version is the best version, but this is another song Willie needs to record again. “What a Way to Live” (1960) is a little more Sinatra than Hank. This version also appears on “The Ghost (part 3)” and “Nite Life,” but the version on “Me and the Drummer” (1998) is my favorite. The mix on the Bear Family version is the best of the 1960 versions. This is the only place I have ever seen “Misery Mansion” (1960). It fits into Willie’s collection of house songs. He could fill an album with songs about houses, mansions, and motels. He is obsessed with home, though (perhaps because) he is so rarely there. The 1960 version of “Nite Life” appears on half a dozen compilations, but this is the only one that has an alternate take. Most times it appears as “Night Life,” but here it is “Nite Life.” “Rainy Day Blues” also appears everywhere, but only here with both takes, the first of which is the better, though the slower, jazzier alternate take grows on you. The “Attention Songwriters” ad promo gives a nice sense of Willie’s voice and accent in 1960.

It's Been Rough and Rocky Travelin': The Earliest Willie Nelson 1954-1963

Sadly, it’s been a month since I’ve blogged, but I have a very good reason to resume today. I just received my birthday present to myself: the amazing Bear Family Records 3-cd compilation of Willie’s earliest recordings. It wasn’t cheap ($135 new on Amazon), but it was worth it. I have only listened to the first few songs on disc one, but the LP-sized booklet with liner notes contains the most detailed info I have seen about Willie’s earliest recordings. It appears to contain pictures of every vinyl single and LP he recorded between 1954-1963. I have heard some of these recordings before (on The Complete Ghost, The Complete Liberty Recordings, and various other compilations), but this may have some alternate takes (for example for songs like “Lumberjack”) that aren’t available elsewhere. Without even listening to the rest of the cds in this set I can tell that my Christmas present to myself will be Bear Family Records’ 8-cd set “Nashville Was the Roughest.” If the pictures and liner notes are anything like this box set, it will be well worth the steep price tag (I think it is closer to $175 on Amazon). I’ll have more info soon as I listen to these discs and read the liner notes.