Haggard and Nelson are two of the most prolific artists in the history of country music, and the reissue of these four early '70s albums are cause for considerable celebration, although the care and consideration that's been put into their presentation couldn't be more different.
Nelson's Complete Atlantic Sessions is presented in a mini-box designed to look like an old leather bound book, or perhaps a cigar box of fine Havana panatelas. The set has a nice heft to it, and inside you'll find remastered versions of Shotgun Willie, Phases and Stages and an unreleased and untitled live set recorded at the Texas Opry House. Nelson's creativity at the time was at a white-hot peak; both studio albums were written in recorded in less than a year, milestones in a legendary career. As Bill Bentley points out in the 42 page booklet that accompanies the set, both albums are crammed with classics Nelson performs regularly to this day including "Shotgun Willie," "Bloody Mary Morning" and "Pick Up The Tempo." Nelson's mellow vocals and behind the beat phrasing give the music a timeless quality and his backing band is never less than stellar with the understated virtuosity that remains their trademark.
Shotgun Willie is the stronger work, with arrangements that blend the rock edge and swing feel that makes Nelson's music so unique. Phases is just over half an hour long, and while it's noteworthy as the first attempt at a concept album from a country artist, it doesn't really hang together as a unified work. The bonus tracks are a mixed bag. ShotgunWillie has 12, but seven of those were already released on The Classic, Unreleased Collection. The rest are outtakes including a heartbreaking version of "Save Your Tears" and a great Jimmy Day tune "I Drank All Of Our Precious Love away." Phases and Stages has 10 bonus tracks, all alternate takes from the album sessions but they don't add anything to the cannon. The music on Live At The Texas Opry House was included in The Classic, Unreleased Collection. Bonus tracks: live takes of "Shotgun Willie," "You Look Like The Devil," and a great, jazzy blues jam, "Willie's After Hours," recorded in the studio with the Nelson band featuring fiddler Johnny Gamble and pedal steel ace Jimmy Day.
Haggard's Hag and Someday We'll Look Back are part of Capitol's "Year Of The Hag" reissue series, including ten classic albums on five CDs. In a recent interview with this writer, Haggard was less than enthusiastic about the Year Of The Hag hoopla.
"The Capitol Records of '65 and the Capitol Records of today have no similarity whatsoever. I think one of the main reasons they [signed me again] was to get the digital rights on my old material. What you've got is a bunch of kids working [at Capitol] now and they have no idea who Merle Haggard is or what he was, and what he stood for. Most of 'em figure I'm dead. As crazy as that sounds, that's the first thing they assume. So they proceed to do whatever they feel like, until somebody says: 'Oh no, he's still alive, let's offer him a new deal.' Once they've got your name on there, they put it out regardless. They don't care about your feelings or how it's gonna look to the fans."
San Francisco Chronicle scribe Joel Selvin wrote the liner notes but wasn't given the space to really delve into music. There's also no list of band personnel, a crime considering the sterling pickers who have added their considerable talents to Haggard's music over the years. Hag spawned four #1 singles: "Soldier's Last Letter," "I Can't Help Myself," "Sidewalks of Chicago" and "Jesus, Take A Hold." The bonus tracks, again with no recording information, are "I Ain't Got Nobody," (the only unreleased track) with some nice pedal steel work, "I'll Be A Hero (When I Strike)" and "Trouble In Mind."
Someday We'll Look Back, the last of the five albums he released in 1971, is mostly given over to melancholic ballads, including signature tunes like "Tulare Dust," "I'd Rather Be Gone," and the title track. The covers include "California Cottonfields," a tune Haggard certainly related to on a deep emotional level and Roger Miller's "Train of Life." The "bonus tracks," Bob Wills' "Spanish Two Step" and Haggard's own "Worried, Unhappy, Lonesome and Sorry," have been released before on various compilations and Best Ofs, and appear almost as an afterthought. Capitol says it's preparing several more Haggard sets this year; one hopes that they'll put the attention and care into them that an artist of Haggard's stature deserves.
 | ||
HAG | WILLIE | |
Songwriting | 7.5 | 9 |
Overall Shelf Life | 10 | 7 |
Packaging | 3 | 9 |
Extras | 0 | 6 |
Documentation | 1 | 8 |
Photos | 0 | 4 |
Mastering | 9 | 9 |
Reason to Exist? | 10 | 8 |
Reissue Rumble is designed to be objective. The preceding opinions are those of an independent freelance writer given no incentive or instruction to favor Rhino releases.
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