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Label: Sugarhill
Release Date: 2003-02-11
List Price: $17.98
Buy Now: $5.08 - $17.98
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Additional Info: Tracks Reviews
Pure Willy at its Best (5 stars)
Crazy - The Demo Session is a rare find. About half the CD is Willy with his guitar. The Crazy cut was purportedly the one used to "sell" the song to Patsy Cline. I found the fidelity and quality very good and there is an added bonus of three additional cuts not listed on the CD. I could tell you what they are, but then it wouldn't be a secret. I cannot imagine any fan of Willy Nelson's early music not being thrilled with this CD. |  | | | One of Willie Nelson's most crucial albums (5 stars)
One of the problems for someone who likes Willie Nelson is knowing which albums to get and which to avoid. He has, over the years, issued an absolutely staggering number of albums, and although he is one of the seminal performers of his age, most of these are forgettable. CRAZY: THE DEMO SESSIONS is, however, one of his very finest albums. That these are demos hardly diminishes their value. Interestingly, these were not demos recorded for the purpose of getting Willie a recording contract, as was the case with most demos. Instead, they were recorded as part of Willie's stint as an inhouse songwriter for Ray Price and Hal Smith's publishing house. The point was to allow prospective performers to hear rough versions of the songs. One such performer, Patsy Cline, was able to hear Willie's new song "Crazy," and history, as they say, was made.
Demos work better with Willie Nelson better than many other performers, partly because he later would embrace a minimalist approach to performing. On many of these songs we hear only Willie and his guitar, anticipating the sound of RED HEADED STRANGER in the seventies. Even on the earliest of the recordings he sounds pretty much as he does today, already singing in his distinctive style, in which he tends to come in slightly behind each note, which is highly unusual in country music.
Many of these songs are familiar. "I Gotta Get Drunk" and "Crazy" are, of course, classics. But virtually all of the songs are superb. I especially loved the stripped down version of "Are You Sure," which was used to such great effect at the end of one episode of LOST in its first season.
I heartily encourage the collecting of Willie Nelson albums, but I especially encourage selective collecting. I would recommend this as a part of any collection of Willie's essential recordings. My own such list would also include RED HEADED STRANGER, STARDUST, NITE LIFE, GREATEST HITS (AND SOME THAT WILL BE), THE ESSENTIAL WILLIE NELSON, PHASES AND STAGES, and YESTERDAY'S WINE. | | | | Crazy: The Demo Sessions - Willie Nelson at his very best. (5 stars)
Some of these demos have come out on assorted reissues over the years, but Sugar Hill's 2003 collection Crazy: The Demo Sessions is the first comprehensive collection of the publishing demo's that Willie Nelson cut for Pamper Music.
Some of his earliest recordings have been criticized for awkward, string-laden country-pop arrangements - and in some cases is certainly valid. This album serves as a counterpoint to those polished recordings, since these publishing demos are spare and unadorned, all recorded in one take. The first eight songs are Nelson alone with a guitar and occasionally a harmony vocalist, and these songs sound like precursors to Red Headed Stranger in their intimate directness. The remaining seven feature Nelson backed by a band, which follows his lead and turns in loose, warm performances that follow his trademark delivery. (There are also three other unlisted songs added as an unlisted bonus on the 16th track 'I'm Still Here'.)
What makes this such a wonderful, even essential release, is that these performances are as good as anything Nelson ever cut, and are endlessly listenable not for historical reasons, but for pure musical enjoyment.
I love this Album and although it's probably only for dedicated Willie Nelson fans there's plenty of us out there. | | | | Just Willie (5 stars)
I love these songs on this set. They are just bare and let you see Willie on his own without any added frill. The "Gotta Get Drunk" song gets me rocking and the others are just great versions of his tunes. Check it out! | | | | Barebones Willie (5 stars)
Pure Willie, often with barebones production, Willie and his guitar and pure laserbeam voice. "Permanently Lonely" is chilling! A great American singer. | | | |
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