Willie Nelson A&E Biography: A Musical Anthology CD

A&E BIOGRAPHY: A MUSICAL ANTHOLOGY is an Enhanced CD containing a full audio program as well as multimedia computer files.
Includes liner notes by Rich Keinzle.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Released to coincide with the cable television documentary of the same name, A&E Biography provides a quick, entertaining summary of Willie Nelson's career, beginning with his Liberty recordings and touching briefly on every major development of his career, from the Outlaws to the Highwaymen. Since Nelson's career is filled with terrific music -- not only hits, but concept albums and terrific songs tucked away on the second side of a record -- it shouldn't come as a surprise that this collection is hardly definitive and at times even a bit scattershot. Nevertheless, there's not a bad cut among these 14 songs, which balance the familiar ("Hello Walls," "Crazy," "Funny How Time Slips Away," "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys," "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain") with a healthy selection of album tracks, forgotten favorites, and live tracks, including the Waylon Jennings duet "Good Hearted Woman." There's not really anything here that would entice collectors and there may be a bit too much unfamiliar material for some casual fans, but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable listen that would nicely serve anyone whose curiosity was sparked by this episode of Biography. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Like Roy Rogers and a few other stars of A&E's popular Biography series, Willie Nelson had a retrospective CD released to coincide with the airing of his program. The disc more than stands up on its own, however, as it covers every stage of Nelson's long career with sterling choices and excellent liner notes. Opening with his hits as a Nashville songsmith, like "Hello Walls" and "Crazy," the disc continues through his early '70s reinvention as a pioneer of "outlaw" country, a hell-raising yet deeply traditional form that reached its pinnacle with his classic RED HEADED STRANGER album and its perfect single, a cover of the standard "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." The closing tunes, including "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" and a track by the supergroup the Highwaymen, are a bit slicker but no less heartfelt. As intended, this is an excellent single-disc introduction.