Red Headed Stranger

Last Friday night I finally dusted off my copy of Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” and was absolutely blown away with how beautiful it is. I picked up this record several years ago while coat tailing along on a Swag outing to Maryland, and for some reason have never gotten around to listening to the whole thing. But after giving it a good spin I truly see why it’s often touted as “the greatest country album ever”.

For those unaware this was the album that made Willie a star. It’s a concept album that tells the story of a fugitive preacher on the run from the law after killing his wife. The album is very sparse leaving plenty of room for the instruments to breathe. There are accordions and Spanish guitars, barrelhouse pianos twinkling, harmonicas caterwauling, and drums that sound like spurs kicking down a desert road. It sounds like a western plays often conjuring up visions of setting suns and painted skies, campfires and pony rides. And Willie’s jazz phrasing compliments this approach so well, fitting in little fragments of the story here and there. This is also the record that spawned one of Willie’s signature songs, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”.

This feels like the country equivalent of what “Born to Run” was to rock n roll. A widescreen cinematic version of the genre.