Willie Nelson Phases And Stages CD

Live Recording

Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Fred Carter Jr. (acoustic, electric & 12-string guitar, dobro); John Hughey (pedal steel guitar); Eric Weissberg (banjo); Johnny Gimble (fiddle, mandolin); Al Lester (fiddle); Barry Beckett (keyboards); David Hood (bass); Roger Hawkins (drums); Jeannie Greene, Pete Carr, George Soule (background vocals).
Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Includes liner notes by Willie Nelson.
If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was a full-blown one, tracing the dissolution of a marriage and devoting one side to the wife's perspective, the second to the husband's. If anything, Willie overplays his hand a bit, insisting on grafting the "Phases and Stages" theme between crucial songs to the point of genuine irritation. But, pretend that never happened, erase it from your mind, and Phases and Stages is easily the equal of its remarkable predecessor, a wonderful set of music that resonates deeply, as deeply as the words. Make no mistake -- the deceptively relaxed arrangements, including the occasional strings, not only highlight Nelson's clever eclecticism, but they also heighten the emotional impact of the album. And this is a hell of an emotional record, where even each side's celebratory honky tonk numbers (the medley "Sister's Coming Home/Down at the Corner Beer Joint" and "Pick Up the Tempo," respectively) are muted by sadness. Then, there are the centerpieces: "Walkin'," where the woman decides it's time to move on; "Pretend I Never Happened," perhaps the coldest ending to a relationship ever written; "Bloody Mary Morning," a bleary-eyed morning-after tale that became a standard; "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way," a nearly unbearably melancholy account of a love gone wrong; and "Heaven and Hell," a waltz summary of the relationship. Any two of these would have formed a strong core for an album, but placed together in a narrative context, their impact is even more considerable. As a result, this is not just one of Willie Nelson's best records, but one of the great concept albums overall. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Willie Nelson spent the first two decades of his career in Nashville, unsuccessfully chasing success as a mainstream performer. Frustrated, he returned to his home in Texas, where it dawned on him that there might be an audience for country music among the South's many young "longhairs," whom Nashville disdained. Nelson started playing Texas rock clubs and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was correct: Texas kids were hungry for country music. Nelson set about fashioning a style suited to his new audience, one that embraced such elements of rock and roll as long instrumental jams and "concept" albums.
During this period Willie recorded three albums that set the tone for the "outlaw" country movement he would soon spearhead: SHOTGUN WILLIE, TROUBLE MAKER, and PHASES AND STAGES, which is the first of many albums on which Willie strings songs together to tell a single story. The first half of PHASES AND STAGES recounts a break-up from the woman's point of view; the second half tells the same story, but from the man's perspective. Among the many outstanding tracks on this classic album are "Sister's Coming Home," "I Still Can't Believe You're Gone," and "Pretend I Never Happened."